Review: richly textured dystopian world..
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2012
Goodreads summary: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 as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn't interested.Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they're coming for her--tonight.Now she has one hour to eat her mom's overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister's academy gossip and laugh at her Dad's stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything's okay. And one hour to escape.Because once you become a Spinster, there's no turning back.My Thoughts:Crewel by Gennifer Albin had an unusual premise and the idea of the Spinsters controlling everything that happened on Arras was very compelling to me with its mix of fantasy and dystopian and I must say I haven't read anything quite like it before.Some reviewers were confused by the idea of the tapestry on the looms and individual threads being people, but I was introduced to the concept in Piers Anthony's fantasy series of the Incarnations Of Immortality in the 80's and the idea has stuck with me ever since.I enjoyed learning about the society in Arras and all the detailed layers and castes, from the men who basically run the world to all the different positions the women held. It's interesting to note that although the women were "oppressed" its they who hold the actual power of the world. If they realized that, it would make for a totally different power structure. Anyway, yes! One can tell that Ms. Albin really thought about how her dystopian world works.The heroine Adelice is a great mix of feisty, sarcastic and self sufficient, which I love. She grows from a naive girl to a shrewd young woman who learns exactly what the upper echelon of her world is trying to hide and what her place in all that intrigue actually is.The novel had plenty of plot twists to keep me guessing as to what was going to happen and I was riveted to each page. Each little bit revealed led up to a climactic ending which I didn't see coming and I think sets up the reader nicely for the sequel. I'm already disappointed I will have to wait to read the next installment.I give this a 4 of 5 stars. If you like a blend of dystopian with spectacular world building and finely developed characters, pick this book up. You won't be disappointed!Thank you to Netgalley for providing me this advanced reading copy!