Saturday, February 9, 2013


Crewel by Gennifer Albin
357 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Griffin

Imagine living in a world where every aspect of your life from where you live, what you eat, where you work and when you die is controlled. Then imagine being chosen to join the Spinsterhood, an elite group of women who have the power to manipulate the weave of time and control the world of Arras. The Spinsterhood brings one brings power, eternal beauty and privilege. One night Adelice is torn from her home and family to train at the Guild as a Spinster. She soon discovers that the Guild is full of secrets and the real power belongs to the men who run it. Adelice has the  ability to weave time without a loom attracting both positive and negative attention. Her constant questions and need to uncover the truth behind all the secrets put her life at risk. However she does gain the help of two handsome guards with questionable motives. Her special skill singles her out as the best replacement for the current Creweler, the most powerful Spinster who extracts the raw materials from the ruined Earth to form reality keeping the world of Arras running smoothly.The Guild cannot function without the Creweler, but fear giving this power to a girl with such a rebellious nature. Adelice’s character is bold and naturally curious. Her snarky comments add humor to the serious storyline. The plot clips along at a nice pace, but the concept of weaving becomes a bit muddled as the romantic element takes over. Although the author deals deftly with the theme of gender roles, the discrimination against same sex relationships is barely touched on. This is an intriguing new take on dystopian romance and will do well where this genre is popular. The cliffhanger ending will have readers hungry for the next installment.
(This book provided for review by Children's Lit - www.childrenslit.com).


 

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