Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Crewel (Crewel World, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Read Excerpt

Crewel

(Crewel World #1)

Gennifer Albin (Goodreads Author)

3.72 · Rating details · 17,793 ratings · 2,426 reviews

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, an ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published October 16th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Crewel, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

1,041 books — 6,587 voters

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Oh My Gosh! Beautiful Covers

1,734 books — 1,399 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.72 ·

Rating details

· 17,793 ratings · 2,426 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Crewel (Crewel World, #1)

Sep 29, 2012 Kat Kennedy rated it did not like it

Shelves: kat-s-rants, sci-fi-alicious, to-ya-or-not-to-ya, books-that-deserve-painful-death, just-plain-bad, oppressive-dystopian-regime, kat-s-book-reviews, apocalypse-rah

It’s been so long since I actively disliked a book that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. The more I tried to separate my dislike for the characters and storytelling and try to analyze it impartially, the more I found myself saying, “Bugger this! Drink anyone?” to the empty air around me.

Crewel is a post-apocalyptic dystopian world in which women are oppressed and tightly controlled. It is a world where matter and people can be weaved and stitched through special looms that Spinsters u ...more

flag 171 likes · Like · see review

May 24, 2012 Giselle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook, arc

Initial reaction:
Holy mother of giraffe balls!!!

Official review:

What. Did. I. Just. Read?

*blinks*

Ok, wow. Creative does not even begin to describe this formidable world that Gennifer Albin has built. Bringing in some sci-fi elements into it, the explanations of the weaving and how the whole process works simply blew me away. When it starts off it creates a lot of questions and wonderment, but as the world building progresses, we're brought into an extremely complex, incredibly well described fu ...more

flag 122 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fantasy and Dystopian fans

Shelves: young-adult, 2012-favs, 2012-reads, macmillan, girls-rule-and-boys-drool, fantasy, best-characters, i-need-the-next-book-like-yesterday, i-really-enjoyed-it, triangle-of-love

Without a doubt Crewel is the most creative novel I've read so far this year. When I first read the blurb I thought, "A dystopian society where people are weaving time?! YES! Gimme! Tell me more!" The dystopian genre has really taken off lately and sometimes it can be hard to find a novel that separates itself from the pack. Crewel does just that and does it well. It completely stands out with its complex concept, feisty heroine and a plot that kept me guessing over and over. Whoa. Can I pull ou ...more

flag 98 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 B rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-reviewed, highly-anticipating-2012, deserves-the-hype, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, 2012-favorites, gimme-the-next-book, hand-me-some-tissues, 2012-reads, netgalley-edelweiss-arc, didn-t-see-that-coming

Well, this is going to be a difficult review to write. Trust me, if I could, my entire review would comprise of a bunch of gifs depicting happy dances, like so:

And no, I don't know what that last gif is exactly. Sure, it might be irrelevant, but what I do know is that it's a woman in a crab costume and it's staying.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, how if I could my entire review would be of gifs, but apparently, that's not a "proper" review, because it doesn't have to do with the contents of the boo ...more

flag 63 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2011 shady boots rated it it was ok

Shelves: hot-mess, covergasm, boooooring

This review is also available over at my blog.

_________________________

Actual rating might be 2.5 or 2.75. Or just 2 stars, I honestly don't even know.

After seeing the positive reviews of this book on Goodreads start pouring in, I can't deny that my excitement grew, so I crossed my fingers and requested this title. I was giddy when I was approved, and couldn't wait to start. Besides the number of positive reviews, the concept also intrigued me a lot. A dystopian world that has a lot of time-weav ...more

flag 60 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2012 Keertana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley-and-first-reads, why-the-hype, debut-author-2012

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I think we’re all familiar with the saying, “It’s not you, it’s me!” and while I would love to claim that my disappointed feelings concerning this book stem from me, and not the book itself, I honestly don’t think I can. Yes, my unusually prolific knowledge on dystopian and science-fiction novels definitely played a role in my lack of amazement at the so-called creativity of this novel and that same understanding enabled me to predict the ending of this novel far before the hal ...more

flag 44 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Jennifer Armentrout rated it it was amazing

Amazing. No other words needed.

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2012 Stacia (the 2010 club) rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopia-or-apocalyptic, young-adult, science-fiction, futuristic

"I'm here because it's the last place they'll look."
"Look for what?" I ask, unsure if I want to know the answer.
"Revolution."

THIS BOOK FRIED MY BRAIN.

I'll award Crewel a happily confuzzled 3.5 stars.Of course, it wouldn't be nice if I let you know just who said the above quote. I'll leave you with the element of mystery, as if this book wouldn't do that to you on its own.

Am I the only person who had a few moments of brain trauma while trying to figure out this world ~~within a world~~ u ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Reynje rated it liked it · review of another edition

2.5 stars

In a word, I found Crewel inconsistent.

The good? The concept. I thought the central idea behind Crewel, returning to the roots of the word “spinster” and the mythology of weaving, was interesting and strong. Albin’s spinsters have the ability to manipulate and repair the weave of their world (the “weave” being the individual strands making up the physical world and the people in it, entwined with the constant flow of time). Weaving is a highly specialised skill requiring particular fin ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 oliviasbooks rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: readers craving a girly Matrix story that serves love-triangles instead of solid world-building

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, urban-fantasy-paranormal, love-triangle, unfinished, scifi-dystopian-apocalyptic, paranormal-humans, love-story-romance, debut, e-version

'The tech is safer now ... It can change how a person acts and thinks.' I tell him about what Cormac said about isolating problem areas in the strand and splicing new material into an individual's thread.
I vividly remember the awe I felt when I was watching 'The Matrix' for the first time. Although it puzzled my mind with questions like 'How can virtual procreatic activity result in a real baby? Do the machines manufacture an embryo when a couple living in the Matrix stops using condoms?' or 'Ho ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 MeMe Belikova First lady Ivashkov rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-2012-best-books-ever

This book was EPIC! I LOVED everything about it! The story itself was unique and intriguing that I just could not put it down! Crewel being her debut novel, I have to say Gennifer Albin is an author to be reckoned with. Leave it to Gennifer to create an AMAZING and believable world where you can manipulate and weave time with matter.This whole concept is INCREDIBLE and I can't get enough of it, If this is what the future is like then count me in! This world she has built it so complex but in a G ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 K. rated it it was ok

Shelves: 21st-cent, fantasy-sci-fi-dys, ok-i-cheated, e-book, ok-fine-its-ya, so-bad-its-probably-brilliant

1.5

Nothing is clear about this book.

- The characters are off, their intentions and motivations and reactions are off.

- I don't understand the weaving of time and matter...how can you see a bird's-eye view of a street from threads?

- Why do Spinsters have to be dressed up and made to look beautiful? Why are cosmetics and fashion such a big deal!! I do not get!!

- If Spinsters had control of such power, why didn't they just change the government?

I quit after a hundred pages so yeah, I have no rig ...more

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Nov 10, 2011 Arooj rated it it was ok

Shelves: covers-to-die-for, dnf, blargh

Oh, I am not happy.

Not happy at all.

In fact, I'm downright disappointed.

I was so excited to read this. This book was was on my list of "must reads" of this year. The synopsis is so damn intriguing, right? So when I got this book, I was jumping up and down in excitement. The beginning started off really well - I was really into it. The synopsis I read said how Adelice has only a few hours to enjoy her freedom, because after that - well, I didn't know what to expect. I thought it'd be this really Oh, I am not happy.

Not happy at all.

In fact, I'm downright disappointed.

I was so excited to read this. This book was was on my list of "must reads" of this year. The synopsis is so damn intriguing, right? So when I got this book, I was jumping up and down in excitement. The beginning started off really well - I was really into it. The synopsis I read said how Adelice has only a few hours to enjoy her freedom, because after that - well, I didn't know what to expect. I thought it'd be this really exciting book and I was looking forward to finding out.

And what did I find? Nothing unique. Turned out to be yet another typical dystopian book where the main protagonist has to go to some place in this dystopian world that's corrupted and she has a big secret she must hide from everyone. Now, how many times have I read a book like that?

What sucks the most is that the concept was superb - being able to manipulate time and matter? WHAT?! But the way it was described in this book was very confusing. The weaving is done on an actual loom with threads from which you can see what you're threading...somehow. I'm still not sure. I don't even know how I'm suppose to imagine it all. It was so damn confusing. Plus, I had all these questions, like, if they remove someones thread, which basically means that they die, do they just disappear? What about mountains and rivers? Same thing when they create something - does it just pop up out of nowhere? None of this was explained properly. And honestly, the plot was SO boring. Most of what Adelice did was learn more confusing stuff about Crewlers and then suddenly she's getting all primped up and go to parties and meet people...*sigh*. I wanted more cool weaving stuff to happen! I only got about a third of the way in of the book, then I skimmed ahead a bit to see maybe if he story gets more exciting, but it didn't look like it. I wanted to like this book - so badly. But I didn't

And the romance? *shakes head* I really don't understand why the population is segregated in some dystopian books. Why would the world go back to this old fashioned practice? In some books it works because it's explained well but in others it feels like it was made that way just so that when the main protagonist meets their love interest, they get all flustered and go "Oh, what is this feeling I'm getting? Is it because I haven't been allowed to interact with the opposite sex? Or is it loooooove?" I don't like these types of romances. It isn't convincing me to. I can't tell if their feelings are genuine. And even though I didn't read that far into the book and wasn't able to see how the romance went, what I read so far didn't impress me.

I am just so damn tired of getting excited about all these new dystopian books, only to have them fall flat. I give up. I'm going to try and not look forward to any new dystopian books - only the ones in series that I still like. ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jul 20, 2013 Rusty's Ghost Engine (also known as.......... Jinky Spring) rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: People who want to be bored shitless

Recommended to Rusty's Ghost Engine by: Someone whom bored me shitless

Shelves: uncleaned-cesspit, that-don-t-impress-me-much, sci-fi-or-dystopia, thought-provoking, confusing-piece-of-shit

Full review and more
https://edwardsghostengine.wordpress....

My my what a struggle!

It took me ten days yes ten fucking days! I had to force myself to finish but I'll start by describing the (few) things I liked.

The concept and storyline was very different indeed. In Adelice's world, Arras, the Guild controls and monitors everything via the Weave (a tapestry of threads made of time and matter). Everything has a thread and the Guild can alter or get rid of threads therefor altering and controllin ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Susana rated it did not like it

Shelves: didn-t-finish-it, boring, dystopia, ya, 2016-reads, love-triangle-mess, cover-lust

DNF at 21%

New year, new reading resolutions: I will no longer force myself to finish disasters... and from all the reviews I've read after I found myself frowning upon what I was reading (view spoiler), it appears that that was only the beginning for a trainweck.

The girl is just your usual Mary Sue. With her bland Mary Sue voice. Making stupid Mary Sue ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Rose rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, tbr-challenge, netgalley, urban-fantasy, time-travel, dystoromance, pretty-cover, romance, paranormal

The first thing that I thought about Gennifer Albin's "Crewel" when doing my overall reflective thoughts about it was that I probably should've never read it in consideration as a dystopian work (in general) right after the rather developed and meticulously constructed thematic of "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. Granted, they're both dystopian works, but for considerably different audiences, and I took that into consideration as I sat down to think about my reflections on "Crewel" and why it The first thing that I thought about Gennifer Albin's "Crewel" when doing my overall reflective thoughts about it was that I probably should've never read it in consideration as a dystopian work (in general) right after the rather developed and meticulously constructed thematic of "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline. Granted, they're both dystopian works, but for considerably different audiences, and I took that into consideration as I sat down to think about my reflections on "Crewel" and why it didn't appeal to me.

Maybe if I hadn't read the books so close together, the glaring faults of this novel probably would not have stood out as much to me, and maybe - just maybe - I could've found more to like in it. But then I thought about it. No, a dystopian work, even a YA dystopic romance - as common of an occurrence as it's come to be in the genre now - should be able to stand on its own two feet without so much comparison. It should be able to leave me with something to remember in its aftermath with whatever story it chooses to weave with its respective cast and conflicts.

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I think there are bound to be people who like this work, especially those who frequent dystopias and don't mind the similarities - that's fine. I'm probably among a vocal minority as far as it not being my cup of tea. Yet, I want to start off by pointing out the single biggest factor that put me off this collective novel, and it's a significant one since it's one of the biggest things that I look for in a story that appeals to me.

I didn't give a single wink about any of the characters in this work. None whatsoever. And I know some of you are thinking "WHAT? Considering everything you really didn't care about any of the characters here, Rose?!"

Well...yeah. Basically. Usually if I can't do that (with few exceptions - there has to be a LOT of thought and execution into the other elements of the work, though), the whole bottom caves in from the rest of the story no matter how intriguing it might be. Believe me, this story had many pieces of it that could make it actually a pretty cool offering in the YA genre - I definitely see where those factors come into play. Character usually begets story, mostly not the other way around, otherwise your characters may feel more like mechanized puppets. That was part of the problem with "Crewel" because for me, it was easy to tell that the characters were being led on strings to certain points. Then there were plot points that just didn't make a heck of a lot of sense. Like one big grating detail that occurs at the end of the novel that just…argh. Stupid forced love triangle *grumble, grumble*. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's summarize the plot, shall we? :)

The story begins with Adelice and her family dining in the aftermath of a series of trials that Adelice was said to have failed (but she didn't) and results in her capture and being taken in some ambiguous display of force, kept in a cell, then dressed up in pretty clothes, told what to eat, controlled to a tee in this rather ostracizing environment towards women and involves the separation of the sexes. In any case, Adelice has been told that the extent of her special abilities have to be hidden - she has the ability to weave time in threads, which is a really neat ability. She goes with the flow of her environment save for times when she stands against her superiors in what could be mentioned as obvious notes of oppression.

The only thing I really remotely liked about the viewpoint protagonist was her name - Adelice. Otherwise she's dull as stones. The lot of the characters in this narrative are, the love interests and villains included. That might be a very rude thing to say, but hear me out. I'm totally over the purportedly talented leading character with a special ability who's constantly praised as having a gift and being an aberration in her society but not actually really being shown as a character who steps up to the plate with said ability - the information is told more than shown. The places where she does step up feel manufactured and contrasting to the times where she recedes back into a love sick Mary Sue. I never felt fully connected to Adelice's experience. There's also the obvious love triangle between two boys who compete for her affections and a revelation toward the end about both of them that seems so insufferably silly that I wonder what the big deal about it was.

While "Crewel" has some interesting notations in terms of weaving time/matter among other measures - I wish that the worldbuilding was a little stronger/developed than it was. There were too many unanswered questions for my liking, including the power dynamic and divisions in the society, which I think could've given "Crewel" a bit more leverage in addition to the cool weaving elements. Even if those had been thoroughly addressed, I don't think it could've saved the novel from having an insufferable cast of characters with far too many elements of other dystopian works. It just wasn't enough to stand out to me.

Overall, the concept has a fair amount of intrigue with the premise, but I think those who are looking for a different dystopian in the YA genre would likely find more in a fuller work with better construction and characters. Great ideas, but not woven with enough care or consideration for me to continue the series, though I think others who are more forgiving of the novel's familiar elements in conjunction with its unique offerings could find enjoyment within it.

Overall score: 2/5

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Macmillan. ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 Kiersten rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-reads, cover-love, favorites, kindle-deals

See more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books

How do I even begin to talk about the gloriousness that is Crewel? This book was absolutely incredible and not only exceeded my expectations but blew them up. Seriously.

The concept of Crewel is pretty difficult to explain. Arras is built and controlled by women known as spinsters who weave the reality of the world. Among these spinsters is Adelice Lewys. I could go into more detail about her talent and the world, but this is the kind of thing yo See more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books

How do I even begin to talk about the gloriousness that is Crewel? This book was absolutely incredible and not only exceeded my expectations but blew them up. Seriously.

The concept of Crewel is pretty difficult to explain. Arras is built and controlled by women known as spinsters who weave the reality of the world. Among these spinsters is Adelice Lewys. I could go into more detail about her talent and the world, but this is the kind of thing you’re going to want to read on your own. Gennifer Albin does a beautiful job explaining this world, weaving the details into the plot seamlessly. There is so much detail to this world and there was more to discover throughout the entire book. This world was built so well, drawing me in and keeping me interested. There was, of course, background about the world and how the weaving worked, but there were also details about how the world was run. Throughout the story we find out more and more about the political side of Arras, constantly trying to see where the true power lies. Adelice’s struggle to understand this power struggle made the world feel so real. Just like in our world, the power distribution in Arras is no simple thing. Crewel is probably one of the best dystopians I’ve read. The corruption of Arras is so complicated and rooted so deeply into the world.

Just like the world of Arras is well developed, so are the characters. The way the characters of Crewel interacted and behaved was very believable – each character being motivated by different things and acting on this motivation differently. The wide variety of characters did a lot in contributing to the way events played out and the way Adelice’s story followed through.

Adelice is truly a great character. She’s sarcastic and rebellious, but there’s also this tender side of her that she tries not to show. It’s clear that she is struggling to understand the people around her and she refuses to show it. Adelice has incredible strength through her hardships. She’s one of those heroines that you can look up to.

As great as she is, Adelice would be nothing without all the other characters she interacts with. From evildoers like Cormac Patton and Maela, to friends like Enora and Jost, Adelice’s choices and what she comes to know about her world comes from these people. All of these characters are so real in their own. While reading, I was anxious to see what motivated these people and what they were trying to achieve. There is so much to all the characters that I could probably go on and on about all of them, but instead I’m going to say READ THE BOOK. REALLY.

Besides all the gloriousness of world and character, the general writing on this book was wonderful. Gennifer Albin masterfully described everything that was going on in an understandable way. A world woven on looms is kind of abstract and hard to understand, but it’s not when Albin explains it. There was beautiful imagery and emotional inner thoughts. Also, the pacing was beyond perfect. In some of my more recent reviews I said how well the books were paced, but this book blows them out of the water. While I wanted to keep reading with other books, I needed to keep reading this one – the pacing was down right impeccable.

Overall I have to say that this book is EVERYTHING – and by that I mean that it’s wonderful and perfect and amazing and I can’t even. I highly recommend this book, especially if you like well-written dystopias filled with adventure and romance. These book was absolutely incredible and one of my all time favorites. I’m definitely looking forward to where this story is going! ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Anna rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult

NOOOO. This is bad. I didn't just dislike this book. I hated it so much that it made me angry. I had a look of appalled disbelief on my face as I read more and more, quickly realising that the awesome book I had heard about full of time weaving and Spinsters was actually WORSE than 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass. I'm sorry but I cannot forgive. Hopefully I can forget.

The characters in this book do not act appropriately considering the world that they are in. This world, and its rulers, are suppos NOOOO. This is bad. I didn't just dislike this book. I hated it so much that it made me angry. I had a look of appalled disbelief on my face as I read more and more, quickly realising that the awesome book I had heard about full of time weaving and Spinsters was actually WORSE than 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass. I'm sorry but I cannot forgive. Hopefully I can forget.

The characters in this book do not act appropriately considering the world that they are in. This world, and its rulers, are supposed to be so terrifying that Adelice's parents attempt a suicidal escape mission right at the start of the novel. So, we are directed right from the beginning to believe that this world is dangerous, and the people who are in charge are evil. However, the flippant and disrespectful manner in which Adelice treats her captors is shockingly consequence free and nothing particularly bad happens at all. Sure, she gets locked in solitary confinement now and again but as the details of her time there are completely glossed over, we never get the feeling that she has truly suffered in the cells. She comes out pretty chipper and making eyes at the porter whilst she is being released rather than gasping for water or unable to walk. I never once felt that she was in any sort of danger, because it was obvious that the people in charge were incompetent and found her backchat charming, because she is oh-so feisty and scrappy. Ugh. Oh, and don't forget attractive because the guy in charge even gets a crush on her. In fact, every single man she meets seems to be falling at her feet. This world is a complete joke.

I hated Adelice. Her parents and sister are either dead or in mortal danger and the only people who can prevent their further harm are those you have been captured by. So what do you do? Complain because you don't like the clothes? Moan about the bath? Have stirrings of sexual desire every time you see a man? Make jealous comments about the beauty of the other girls? I think the author tried to make Adelice a ballsy, gutsy heroine but missed the mark entirely by making her seem just plain arrogant and idiotic. I mean, at a time when your parents have probably just been killed and these people could do the same to you at any time do you moan about getting dressed up? Also, the author imbues Adelice with this aversion to clothes and make-up and fancy pants things, yet there are an awful amount of makeovers and descriptions of gowns in this book. It really reminded me of 'The Selection' in that way; the heroine has this irritating mock-modesty and humility and hatred of femininity yet the book is teeming with dresses and balls. You don't have to make a heroine hate pretty things to make her likable y'know.

The supporting characters? What supporting characters. The other Spinsters are hardly touched upon, so we have an anonymous herd of girls whom are indistinguishable from each other and are all portrayed en mass as shallow and materialistic. Only one is picked out, so we know right from the beginning that she must be important. I hate it when there are no decent characters despite the ones the author requires to drive the story forward. Aside from the stock characters, we got nothing. Adelice has no sympathy when she hears that some of these girls who lack Spinster powers are destined to become servants and lackeys- they deserve it for being so excited about their new life and being hopeful about their future. But as Adelice has deemed them all ignorant and unimportant, it's fine that they are basically slaves til the end of their days. Even though she never once has a conversation with any of them. She says at one point:

'I want to tell him that unlike the other simpering idiots here I've actually read a book or two in my life.'

Yeah so, modesty is not a strong point of hers. Neither is mercy, or sympathy that these girls are sucking up to people whom will kill them if they don't. She would have them laughing in their faces and throwing tantrums everyday like she does. I suppose she knows there's no real danger considering the amount of times people tell her that she is going to be killed/going to die and all she can muster is an angsty sigh or a rude retort. I mean, if you don't want to cease to occupy the mortal realm all you have to do is stop being a rude brat to one woman (an albeit nasty woman but I think it's a small price to pay). Can she manage that? Oh no.

This world just isn't dangerous. Whispering works a treat in the compound; oh yeah there's surveillance but apparently it doesn't pick up whispering or lowered voices. Something you would've thought they'd fix. Oh, and blurting shit out such as secret powers and secret plans in the grounds in earshot of a guard is fine as long as you clap your hand over your mouth afterwards or drag someone into an empty room (which coincidentally is free from CCTV). However, not only is there no tension or danger in this world, it also just doesn't make any sense. We already learn at the beginning of the novel that the Spinsters are looked up to and admired by the general population. Yet, when Adelice is interviewed she has to rehearse answers set by the rulers which make her sound shallow and dumb such as the answer to 'What is your favourite part of being a Spinster?' to which she replies:

'The clothing. It's so nice to have pretty things to wear everyday'

WHY!? Why would they make their Spinsters like this? The public are supposed to trust and revere the Spinsters, but how could they do anything but despise them with such mind numbing answers? Surely, if anything, the Spinsters should appear ethereal and wise and mysterious, not straight out of a beauty pageant. And don't even get me started on how she treats the man who has potentially massacred her entire family, and then forced her to travel with him endlessly smiling and posing for pictures. She isn't sure she is justified in not liking him because he has always been nice and respectful to her. Despite the family killings, this is a man who slimes all over her every time he sees her. Oh, and at one point she is being sent to a hotel alone to meet him, and is warned by a guard that he may do things that would require her to defend herself by 'a knee to the crotch'... in other words he may try and rape her. Her reaction? She has to SUPPRESS LAUGHTER. What's a bit of casual molestation between friends, eh? Adelice generally has very strange reactions to the men around her, including a love interest who tells her of his horrendous past and what happened to his family, and her reaction is jealousy that he has already had sex with someone. I couldn't even.

The reason this book even got the one star I gave it, is the weave itself. Every person, object and place in Arras has its own thread, or, in the case of a place, a woven section. The Spinsters maintain Arras by redistributing, adding, and removing the strands and sections that are weak and compromise the whole tapestry. I like the tapestry and the way the strands reflected people and their personalities; I love the image of a shimmering, vibrant weave that shows time and space, and each strand is unique. I just wish someone else had thought of this idea and written a decent book about it.

Overall, this book was most definitely not for me. There is only so much nostril flaring and 'crumbling' into men's arms I can take, unfortunately. While this book may be about weaving, the story and characters are no rich tapestry. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Ceilidh rated it liked it · review of another edition

There has been a famine of originality in mainstream YA for a while now. Paranormal romance has long lost its sheen, the dystopian craze never entirely took off and, as I discussed in my previous Book Lantern post, the assembly line of contemporary romance is on the rise. The glimmers of hope must be accepted with open arms, and, despite not entirely succeeding in its aims, “Crewel” has ambition to spare.

The appeal in “Crewel” lies in its concept – a world where reality is woven by a group of e There has been a famine of originality in mainstream YA for a while now. Paranormal romance has long lost its sheen, the dystopian craze never entirely took off and, as I discussed in my previous Book Lantern post, the assembly line of contemporary romance is on the rise. The glimmers of hope must be accepted with open arms, and, despite not entirely succeeding in its aims, “Crewel” has ambition to spare.

The appeal in “Crewel” lies in its concept – a world where reality is woven by a group of elite women known as spinsters, who have control over everything but are controlled themselves by a patriarchal system. There’s absolutely no reasons why the genres should remain separate and “Crewel” has elements of science-fiction, fantasy, dystopia and a touch of Greek tragedy, with the obligatory YA romance (a love triangle – is there any other kind?). There are parts that really work, and the book is bursting with ideas and often intricate explanations of how this world functions, but it takes far too long to really get going. The book opens with an incredibly clunky info-dump where the catalyst of the story – Adelice revealing her weaving talents – is barely mentioned before the story moves onto her family. I understand the need to quickly establish the heroine’s love and closeness to her family, since they’re largely absent throughout the novel and act as her main motivation, but the pages of exposition dragged down any momentum. The same happens with the explanations of the weave. The prose is pretty inconsistent but when it’s on form, it’s very beautiful, particularly when describing the weave. In sheer visual terms, this would make a gorgeous film (my choice for director – Guillermo del Toro).

I was disappointed that the book contained several examples of casual women shaming, particularly in regards to the two female antagonists, because “Crewel” has some interesting gender themes throughout. Patriarchy is a common feature in dystopian fiction, notably in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”, because it’s a terrifying and not infeasible concept to imagine a world where women are controlled entirely by men. In Adelice’s world, only women can work the weave, and society is focused heavily on the family unit, complete with passive women. As the story is told from Adelice’s point-of-view, we witness her very judgemental moments, particularly towards the other spinsters. For some reason, make-up and fancy clothing are judged very harshly, as are the women who choose to wear a lot of it. The faux-opposition of traditional femininity from a heroine who herself fit that mould felt very hollow and misjudged, especially since the book dedicates a lot of time to beauty preparation, balls and the like. At one point, Adelice smugly declares that she wants to tell one of the male characters (who all became indistinguishable from one another about half-way through) that “unlike the other simpering idiots here I’ve actually read a book or two in my life”. She’s incredibly judgemental of the other young women who aspire to be spinsters, forgetting that they’ve been raised to aspire to this aim. At times, I was greatly confused by Adelice’s actions, and by others reactions to her. She seemed special for the sake of being special.

The supporting cast don’t fare much better, particularly the three main male characters, all of whom are romantically interested in Adelice in some form. I genuinely couldn’t tell who was who at several points throughout the novel. Their backstories, motivations and even their appearances (all charming and handsome, of course) were rather derivative, and I didn’t care about any of them, to be honest. Once again, we have a case of a love triangle where the outcome is painfully predictable. It’s not so much a love triangle as a romance with a third wheel for decorative purposes, and I couldn’t think of any reasons as to why all these men would be so enamoured with Adelice. The female characters fare a little better, if only because they’re given a little more to do. They also seem surprisingly lacking in motivation.

The final quarter of the book really saves it. The pace picks up dramatically, the action goes into full force, and the author puts her all into the unfolding of the world. Adelice comes into her own, which really improves the novel, but also highlights the weaknesses of the novel’s opening. I also seriously appreciated reading a dystopian-type novel that actually contained some LGBTQ representation, however fleeting it was. All too often, such novels just don’t even acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ people and their place in the society depicted, so props to Albin for practicing what all too many YA authors only preach.

There are a lot of questions that “Crewel” leaves unanswered, common for the first book in an intended series, but luckily the novel ends with a bang that left me hopeful for a strong sequel. The reader’s desire to read more will really depend on their reaction to the rest of the novel. For me, the huge scope of the novel does leave me intrigued, and the final 25% of the story worked enough for me to want more. However, the big issue with “Crewel” is that it doesn’t really know what it wants to be, and how to do so. There’s so much creativity and so many ideas screaming for attention in “Crewel”, and one can’t help but admire the ambition, but it’s weighed down by a lot of inconveniences, contradictions and derivative elements. However, in the grand scheme of modern YA dystopia, it’s up there as one of the more intriguing.

2.5/5.
...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Emily Anne rated it it was amazing

Wow, what an extraordinary read! This is totally one of those books you will never will be able to put down! Okay, I thought this would be an easy review to write since I loved it so much. Right now thats working against me because all I want to do is gush over Crewel. Crewel= Masterpiece

The characters are memorable and real. Jost, Adelice, Eric, and other characters, I swear, broke into my room last night. They talked to me and I saw them clear as day. (Maybe I am exaggerating a bit.) But, my p ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Bean rated it really liked it

Shelves: galleys, young-adult-middle-grade

It takes a lot for me to like a book that's inspired by THE GIVER, and it also takes a lot for me to like a book inspired by THE HANDMAID'S TALE. In a bizarre twist of fate, CREWEL draws inspiration from both (along with a healthy dose of THE HUNGER GAMES), and I still loved it. The difference between this and a lot of the other current YA dystopian books, in my opinion, is Albin's imagination. The "framework" (pun intended) of weaving is brilliant and innovative, so it didn't bother me that she ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Misty rated it it was ok

Shelves: juvenile-ya, excited-for, own, arc-or-galley, sci_fi-fantasy, read-in-2012, debut, rant, 2012-debuts__apocalypsies, timeslip

This review has been a hard one for me to sit down and write. Crewel was one of my most anticipated books of this year (I mean, hello, buzzwords!), and I was all ready to be impressed and count it among my favorites. But sadly, it ended up being one of my biggest letdowns.

Crewel lured me in almost immediately - the intro was strong and compelling, Adelice's predicament in trying to hide her talent, and all of the chaos and confusion of the beginning chapters were really effective and interestin ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Megan rated it liked it

Shelves: physical-review-copies

CREWEL... Where do I start with CREWEL? Well, I can start almost anywhere, but since it's late, I'm having trouble remembering a lot of what went down, and my bed is calling, I'll make this one quick.

My expectations were high when this came out, and after reviews began to come in, after I heard comparisons and remarks, they slowly fell, and fell some more, and again, until eventually I left this book on the backburner and only returned to it recently when I remembered I bought it on my Kindle mo ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2012 Amanda rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012-releases

Hum...where do I start with this one?

In Crewel, Adelice lives in a world completely controlled by a group known as The Guild. The Guild determines everything about their lives, from who they marry to how many children they have, to what people eat. In the midst of this controlling, semi-patriarchal society is a group known as the Spinsters, who possess the strange ability to weave time, and that will allow the Guild the ultimate form of control over its people. It's the dream of every young girl Hum...where do I start with this one?

In Crewel, Adelice lives in a world completely controlled by a group known as The Guild. The Guild determines everything about their lives, from who they marry to how many children they have, to what people eat. In the midst of this controlling, semi-patriarchal society is a group known as the Spinsters, who possess the strange ability to weave time, and that will allow the Guild the ultimate form of control over its people. It's the dream of every young girl to become a Spinster since it is the only way to have any semblance of freedom and privilege. But Adelice isn't like every other girl, even though she has the gift -even stronger than most other girls.

Adelice is thrown into a conflicted world of control where she struggles to find freedom and happiness. And even though the Spinsters offer some freedom, it's not enough. Adelice finds herself fighting for what she wants in the midst of power and control. The overall concepts of Crewel seem interesting, but once I dug deeper into the world and the characters, that concept quickly started to rust.

Unfortunately, I always felt like the world was vaguely drawn. I never felt like I was completely engaged in it, and I kept asking questions that never seemed to be answered: Why was the Guild in control? Who allowed them to have that control? If Spinsters could essentially take over, then why don't they? Though Adelice does have legitimate reasons to not become a Spinster, why can't she try to use her new status to get what she wants? It just seemed like she wasn't that smart when it came to thinking through all of the new opportunities that could come with such a gift.

Speaking of Adelice, I found it really difficult to connect with her. She seemed like such a flat and uninteresting character who was willing to let the Guild and the Spinsters do whatever to her -she didn't really fight back, almost like she didn't know how. I was especially disappointed as the story went on and the semi-interesting themes of freedom and control mostly gave way to yet another dystopian-esque teen romance. That was when the world took a firm backseat role to the romance, which was boring and predictable.

This could have been a good book, but it needs more work and more development -it's just not quite there yet. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Marie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, favourite-series, most-anticipated, powers, 5-stars, best-covers, sounds-good, intriguing, original, cute

Cannot recommend this book highly enough. Thoroughly entertaining and very original and unique in its concept.
Keeps you intrigued the whole way through.
With two love interests more conflicted than others and in a surprising situation.
Eric a hot seemingly orphaned bad boy, who is to me irresistible and Jost is a quiet but kind guy with a good sense of humour who has family issues..

The whole plot of this story is insane to say the least. You would never be able to compare it to other books beca ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2015 The Book Queen marked it as abandoned

I think this may be the quickest I've ever abandoned a book. I was reading it on wattpad, so I couldn't tell what the page number was, but I ditched it after Chapter Two. Life's too short to read books like this. I'm not normally so picky about beginnings, but the two chapters I've read were disappointing and dull, and according to the majority of the reviews, the rest of the book is the same. Crewel gets the dubious honour of being my first DNF of 2016. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 08, 2017 These Violent Delights (Robin) rated it really liked it

Shelves: hardcovers-i-own, 2012-releases, october-2012

Although I had a few problems with this book, mainly the lack of female friendships (categorizing women as backstabbers and b****es with each other, which I totally disagree with) and Adelice's emotions. She barely had any, it was like if she had a kitten and it died she'd be like "oh, that's so sad" and then barely even shed a tear. It just really bothered me.

Anyways, the story/plot was really interesting, it kept wanting more. The writing style was okay enough. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: funny-stuff, characters-i-love, swoon, so-much-fun

4.5 stars

Crewel surprised me. It’s not often I read sci-fi – mostly because I don’t know what I’m looking for. I know the contemporary genre inside out, and I find my way around the fantasy section fairly well, but sci-fi is a whole new ball game for me. But every time Crewel popped up on my Goodreads feed, I felt a spark of curiosity. Maybe it was the unusual name, the vivid cover or the unique (okay, weird) premise. Probably all three. So when I was offered Crewel for review, I jumped at the c ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2014 Zoe rated it it was ok

Shelves: dystopia

2.5 stars

Between the enormous amount of glowing reviews it has received and by the fact that I personally met the author and found her to be a very intelligent woman, I suppose you could say that I was expecting high things from Gennifer Albin's Crewel. Unfortunately, however, I found it a bit mediocre and disappointing.

The premise of Crewel is one that, to me at least, was quite intriguing. The story is set in the futuristic world of Arras, where the Guild rules the ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2011 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-must-reads, around-the-world-arc-tours

A HUGE THANK YOU to Around The World ARC Tours for allowing me to read this ARC. I have to say I have never read anything like this before. The way Gennifer set this world up was nice and slow. Sometimes slow is painful but in this case it is GREAT! I was able to follow the new world and grow right along side Adelice.

Adelice lives with a secret that she wants to keep from everyone. She wants to be normal and she definitely does not want to be a Spinster. But one day while she is being tested she ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Young Adult/Middle School book about girl who is taken to the rulers of their city separated into 4 sections. [s]	3	32	Sep 27, 2020 09:57AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Historical romance fantasy - girl taken from family who is then killed- love triangle with prince and servant boy. [s]	13	30	May 29, 2020 01:37PM
Crazy for Young A...: Pair 7: Lana and Nicole (June Besties)	24	24	Jun 24, 2018 07:07PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Crewel (Crewel World, #1) by Gennifer Albin - Restarting April 22nd 2018	31	151	Apr 19, 2018 06:45PM
Booktastic Bookah...: Crewel World (Trilogy) by Gennifer Albin	3	2	Dec 13, 2016 11:15AM
Erik or Jost?	9	91	Aug 20, 2015 02:20PM
YA/NA FANATICS: Crewel by Gennifer Albin	22	23	Sep 25, 2013 02:05AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Videos About This Book

1 comment

Genres

Young Adult

653 users

Fantasy

504 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

471 users

Science Fiction

235 users

Romance

221 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

90 users

Fiction

89 users

Fantasy > Magic

86 users

Young Adult > Teen

52 users

Science Fiction > Time Travel

51 users

See top shelves…

About Gennifer Albin

Gennifer Albin

1,019 followers

****Guess what?! I am writing YA again! Check out Gennifer Albin writing as Geneva Lee and my new series GILT: By Invitation Only coming May 31!****

***HEADS UP REVIEWERS: I don't respond to review requests sent through Goodreads because I don't get on here frequently enough. However, it's super easy to fill out the review request form. I can't guarantee it will get you a copy, but it will get your ...more