Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Dystopian/Fantasy
Release date: October 16th, 2012
Pages: 368 (ARC)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Won
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Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own. 

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.  

Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls. Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power. Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

Adelice has always been special, but for years, she's been training with her parents in order to hide her abilities.  At a certain age, girls who show unique powers are taken away from their families forever.  They're given a new family--the Spinsters, who have control over nearly everything.  They weave their world and even have the power to kill by ripping one weak thread.  Adelice tries to run, but what she doesn't know is that it'll only make things more difficult for her and her loved ones will be punished for her decisions.

Crewel makes your brain work hard to really picture what is described on each page.  The world that the author created is beautiful, dangerous and incredibly imaginative.  Like Adelice, you don't know who to trust throughout the story, but slowly getting to know each character is just half the fun.  Unlike the other girls, Adelice sees what being a Spinster truly is.  It's not glamorous, but to the public eye, these girls are like goddesses.  When Adelice finds out that she may be more important to the Coventry than any of the other girls, she has to make the tough decision to stay and do what she's being trained to or leave and let the world fall apart.  

I liked Adelice.  Although I couldn't relate to her directly, she's going through a tough time on her own, which many people will easily understand.  Her fear, stubbornness and caring heart are what make her very human, despite what she can do with her mind.  There was even a little romance involved, which I enjoyed even though it was a love triangle between two boys who are very different, but more similar than you could ever guess.  What I loved most about the romance is that it didn't overshadow the real story being told here.

Crewel is complex and completely mind-blowing.  It was very unique, which was a breath of fresh air.  The story is still on my mind, especially with an ending like that.  The sequel isn't set to release until next year, but I can definitely tell you that I'm already excited for it!