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mollywetta's review against another edition
3.0
You can also see my reviews on my blog.
The concept behind Crewel is fascinating. I loved the passages where Adelice is weaving time and learning about how Spinsters create and control life in Arras. It’s kind of like the mythology of the Fates crossed with the mythology of The Matrix. Though I personally wish there would have been more of a sci-fi component, it worked as the basis for this fantasy world.
Adelice is a likeable character. She’s snarky, and her sarcastic dialogue was delightful. I like a heroine with sass, and Adelice certainly delivered. Her ability to see the strands of time and matter, to pull them apart and stitch them back together, could have made her haughty or self-important, but she remains down-to-earth and loyal to those she cares about even when she’s being tempted with an extravagant life of pretty dresses and fancy parties that is what most girls in Arras dream of having one day.
Like so many YA novels, this one features a love triangle — Erik, the charming blond, and Jost, the quiet, dark-haired boy. Yet they both have those piercing blue eyes…
While it was awfully convenient that these two young men happen to be available to help Adelice once she’s been taken by the Guild, and doubly convenient that they both have feelings for her (though she only seems to have romantic feelings for one…) this “love triangle” didn’t immediately turn me off the way some do. The twist at the end (I’m trying not to spoil) made me want to find more about their pasts, which I already found compelling.
I love a good villain, and this was where Crewel did leave me a bit disappointed. Ambassador Cormac Patton, while lecherous and repugnant, didn’t seem to have much depth or motivation. the ambitious, jealous, Spinster who is responsible for Adelice’s training but mostly just torments and humiliates her, is very one-dimensional. As I’m fond of imagining stories from other character’s points of view, I found myself wondering what made her tick, what her story was, but sadly, it was never revealed. The Guild is the true antagonist, as they are the ones who control the Spinsters and dictate the pattern of the weave that is the world of Arras, but we learn so very little about them. I guess that’s what sequels are for…
In the tradition of The Handmaid’s Tale, Crewel had the potential to be read as a feminist text. While Spinsters, and particularly the Creweler, who is the only one who can gather the raw materials that Spinsters weave to make the world of Arras, are the ones with the power, they are controlled by the men of the Guild. Even women who don’t have the talent for weaving and live “normal” lives are only permitted to work in subservient service positions. Spinsters and regular citizens alike are objectified and forced to conform to a very sexualized vision of femininity. Throw in some illicit lesbian relationships, and you’ve got the perfect set up for a critique of patriarchy…but Crewel just didn’t pack enough of a punch to meet my feminist expectations. Of course, there are always those sequels.
Despite being less than perfect, Crewel is a stand-out addition to the young adult dystopian romances that are still all the rage (at least at my library). It’s a highly readable, inventive, and well-written novel that I anticipate will be a hit, especially with fans of Delirium and The Selection. It’s certainly the most creative and unique dystopian world I’ve come across this year.
Note: I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher.
The concept behind Crewel is fascinating. I loved the passages where Adelice is weaving time and learning about how Spinsters create and control life in Arras. It’s kind of like the mythology of the Fates crossed with the mythology of The Matrix. Though I personally wish there would have been more of a sci-fi component, it worked as the basis for this fantasy world.
Adelice is a likeable character. She’s snarky, and her sarcastic dialogue was delightful. I like a heroine with sass, and Adelice certainly delivered. Her ability to see the strands of time and matter, to pull them apart and stitch them back together, could have made her haughty or self-important, but she remains down-to-earth and loyal to those she cares about even when she’s being tempted with an extravagant life of pretty dresses and fancy parties that is what most girls in Arras dream of having one day.
Like so many YA novels, this one features a love triangle — Erik, the charming blond, and Jost, the quiet, dark-haired boy. Yet they both have those piercing blue eyes…
While it was awfully convenient that these two young men happen to be available to help Adelice once she’s been taken by the Guild, and doubly convenient that they both have feelings for her (though she only seems to have romantic feelings for one…) this “love triangle” didn’t immediately turn me off the way some do. The twist at the end (I’m trying not to spoil) made me want to find more about their pasts, which I already found compelling.
I love a good villain, and this was where Crewel did leave me a bit disappointed. Ambassador Cormac Patton, while lecherous and repugnant, didn’t seem to have much depth or motivation. the ambitious, jealous, Spinster who is responsible for Adelice’s training but mostly just torments and humiliates her, is very one-dimensional. As I’m fond of imagining stories from other character’s points of view, I found myself wondering what made her tick, what her story was, but sadly, it was never revealed. The Guild is the true antagonist, as they are the ones who control the Spinsters and dictate the pattern of the weave that is the world of Arras, but we learn so very little about them. I guess that’s what sequels are for…
In the tradition of The Handmaid’s Tale, Crewel had the potential to be read as a feminist text. While Spinsters, and particularly the Creweler, who is the only one who can gather the raw materials that Spinsters weave to make the world of Arras, are the ones with the power, they are controlled by the men of the Guild. Even women who don’t have the talent for weaving and live “normal” lives are only permitted to work in subservient service positions. Spinsters and regular citizens alike are objectified and forced to conform to a very sexualized vision of femininity. Throw in some illicit lesbian relationships, and you’ve got the perfect set up for a critique of patriarchy…but Crewel just didn’t pack enough of a punch to meet my feminist expectations. Of course, there are always those sequels.
Despite being less than perfect, Crewel is a stand-out addition to the young adult dystopian romances that are still all the rage (at least at my library). It’s a highly readable, inventive, and well-written novel that I anticipate will be a hit, especially with fans of Delirium and The Selection. It’s certainly the most creative and unique dystopian world I’ve come across this year.
Note: I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher.
aliceboule's review against another edition
3.0
At first i was really very excited to read this book but then i started reading. And yes the story was original and the idea interesting, but i had absolutely no reaction to it. The characters were one dimensional and lacked real emotions: i mean Adelice's parents get ripped and all she can think about is Jost? really?? . I don't know about others, but i would not be able to simply move on if that had happened to me. .. Also even though we know that Adelice is powerful (obviously since shes the Creweler) we never truly see her use her power. I love seeing characters gain power through training or practice or events, but in Crewel.. did not happen. Also Gennifer Albin left so many holes open in her story: What does the hourglass figure mean? Was it just a symbol, does it represent something??
Don't get me wrong, i read this book like a cheetah, but only because every time i turned a page i kept hoping for more.. I hate it in stories when the female lead suddenly gets all the guys. Reallly, Cormac, Erik, AND Jost -_- is that necessary. We get it- shes powerful and popular and beautful. But first isn't it possible for the heroine to just get ONE guy?
Even so i liked it . i had fun reading it and finding out what Adelice was do next. I wish there had been more depth, but it was a fun, quick read.
Don't get me wrong, i read this book like a cheetah, but only because every time i turned a page i kept hoping for more.. I hate it in stories when the female lead suddenly gets all the guys. Reallly, Cormac, Erik, AND Jost -_- is that necessary. We get it- shes powerful and popular and beautful. But first isn't it possible for the heroine to just get ONE guy?
Even so i liked it . i had fun reading it and finding out what Adelice was do next. I wish there had been more depth, but it was a fun, quick read.
bookishmadness's review against another edition
4.0
What it's about: Adelice has the amazing talents of a Spinster. When she passes her test and gets taken away, she begins to realise that her parents were protecting her for a reason - and all is not what it seems.
What I thought: Crewel is original and unique - keeping me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to learn so much and all information was slowly revealed to the reader. Adelice, while sometime was annoying, was a brave and strong character. Jost, the love interest, was charming yet kind. The story, while sometime feel tedious, held my interest the whole way and left me begging for more.
The Good: The whole idea of 'weaving' and Spinsters had me seriously intrigued! Plus this is like fantasy cross Dystopian - awesome!
The Bad: I felt like some of the parts dragged on more than necessary.
Rating: 4 Bookstacks
What I thought: Crewel is original and unique - keeping me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to learn so much and all information was slowly revealed to the reader. Adelice, while sometime was annoying, was a brave and strong character. Jost, the love interest, was charming yet kind. The story, while sometime feel tedious, held my interest the whole way and left me begging for more.
The Good: The whole idea of 'weaving' and Spinsters had me seriously intrigued! Plus this is like fantasy cross Dystopian - awesome!
The Bad: I felt like some of the parts dragged on more than necessary.
Rating: 4 Bookstacks
dianagastelum's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Rating
Let me be honest, Crewel was a complete cover buy. Do I regret it? No. Honestly, this is a hard review, as I am not good at't them, but also because it was such a complex book with some many things going on I honestly don't know what to write and not put in any spoilers either.
Overall, this book is just phenomenal, with amazing characters, plot, world etc. and I really love the incorporation of dystopian, sci-fi and magic that is all bundled up into this amazing book. My only real problem that I had with this book is it took me a while to fully understand the concept as to what was going on and grasp all of the information needed to understand the story. But as soon as I caught on, it was an amazing read that I highly enjoyed.
One of my doubts, I had while reading this book was I saw that a love triangle was beginning to form. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of love triangles as usually it is obvious for whom the protagonist should be going for, in which the other love interest is usually just around to arise problems and occasionally be a jerk. With Crewel though, that was not the case at all. I honesty, felt that both love interests, Jost and Erik, are great guys and I can see the protagonist, Adelice, going for either of the two guys, even though I do have a preference.
I really enjoyed Adelice's character as she was not someone who gave up easily no matter in what situation she was put in. She is a very determined person who if she wanted answers she was going to try and find answers one way or another. I love that she wasn't someone who was easily blindly by power, money and anything with sparkle, as she saw those things as add-ons that were unnecessary and where to try and blind her from that situation she was put into. Personally, I saw myself in her character here and there which made me like her even more.
All in all, Crewel was a book that I highly enjoy and would very much recommend, and I can not wait to get my hands on sequel; especially with what went down in the end of this book.
Let me be honest, Crewel was a complete cover buy. Do I regret it? No. Honestly, this is a hard review, as I am not good at't them, but also because it was such a complex book with some many things going on I honestly don't know what to write and not put in any spoilers either.
Overall, this book is just phenomenal, with amazing characters, plot, world etc. and I really love the incorporation of dystopian, sci-fi and magic that is all bundled up into this amazing book. My only real problem that I had with this book is it took me a while to fully understand the concept as to what was going on and grasp all of the information needed to understand the story. But as soon as I caught on, it was an amazing read that I highly enjoyed.
One of my doubts, I had while reading this book was I saw that a love triangle was beginning to form. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of love triangles as usually it is obvious for whom the protagonist should be going for, in which the other love interest is usually just around to arise problems and occasionally be a jerk. With Crewel though, that was not the case at all. I honesty, felt that both love interests, Jost and Erik, are great guys and I can see the protagonist, Adelice, going for either of the two guys, even though I do have a preference.
I really enjoyed Adelice's character as she was not someone who gave up easily no matter in what situation she was put in. She is a very determined person who if she wanted answers she was going to try and find answers one way or another. I love that she wasn't someone who was easily blindly by power, money and anything with sparkle, as she saw those things as add-ons that were unnecessary and where to try and blind her from that situation she was put into. Personally, I saw myself in her character here and there which made me like her even more.
All in all, Crewel was a book that I highly enjoy and would very much recommend, and I can not wait to get my hands on sequel; especially with what went down in the end of this book.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
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 months ago while desperately seeking something to read.
GENERIC DYSTOPIAN WORLD NUMBER INFINITY
At times, CREWEL made me distinctly remember scenes from THE HUNGER GAMES. That is not a good sign. Beyond the intricacies of weaving and the looms, it just felt stale. We follow Adelice, a young woman who has the power to see and weave on the loom of life - she can create, she can change, she can move, she can kill, and therefore, she's special. When she screws up trying to hide her abilities, she's taken away to a life of being controlled while being pampered and sexually harassed in a tower of women and sexual harassment, where she shuns other girls who like makeup and is immediately attacked for reasons beyond her control.
For a book about a girl breaking out from the control of men, it's awfully...sexist?
I didn't like Adelice. She spends 90% of the book doing stupid things just because she's stubborn, knowing all along that they won't work. I didn't like her two love interests whose names escape me. I didn't like our villains, uber-sexist Cormac and stereotypical mean girls Maela and... the other one.
Wow, this book is pretty forgettable? Yet I do remember being impressed with the plot and imagination. Yes, there was that...
WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE
After years of dystopians being the go-to genre on the YA market, CREWEL just felt like another addition to the bunch with little to set it apart from the pack, and that was disappointing. Likewise, it also seemed very reminiscent of the 1998 science fiction film 'Dark City', where a man wakes up realizing that these mysterious men control his world, changing the lives of people, taking people away from families, killing them, building new buildings with just a thought, all during the space of a few minutes where the city sleeps and no one is the wiser, except for our hero who has their powers. It's awesome. Go watch it.
It has all the pre-requisites for dystopians. A love triangle? Check. Pretty dresses the heroine shuns? Check. Kissing when you should be running? Check. A shadowy government with no real motivations to be seen? Check.
VERDICT: Although inventive in its world building, CREWEL feels most of the time like just another entry into the dystopian market - the world just wants our poor heroine to suffer for no real reason other than she's special. Next!
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS
(2.5/5)
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 months ago while desperately seeking something to read.
GENERIC DYSTOPIAN WORLD NUMBER INFINITY
At times, CREWEL made me distinctly remember scenes from THE HUNGER GAMES. That is not a good sign. Beyond the intricacies of weaving and the looms, it just felt stale. We follow Adelice, a young woman who has the power to see and weave on the loom of life - she can create, she can change, she can move, she can kill, and therefore, she's special. When she screws up trying to hide her abilities, she's taken away to a life of being controlled while being pampered and sexually harassed in a tower of women and sexual harassment, where she shuns other girls who like makeup and is immediately attacked for reasons beyond her control.
For a book about a girl breaking out from the control of men, it's awfully...sexist?
I didn't like Adelice. She spends 90% of the book doing stupid things just because she's stubborn, knowing all along that they won't work. I didn't like her two love interests whose names escape me. I didn't like our villains, uber-sexist Cormac and stereotypical mean girls Maela and... the other one.
Wow, this book is pretty forgettable? Yet I do remember being impressed with the plot and imagination. Yes, there was that...
WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE
After years of dystopians being the go-to genre on the YA market, CREWEL just felt like another addition to the bunch with little to set it apart from the pack, and that was disappointing. Likewise, it also seemed very reminiscent of the 1998 science fiction film 'Dark City', where a man wakes up realizing that these mysterious men control his world, changing the lives of people, taking people away from families, killing them, building new buildings with just a thought, all during the space of a few minutes where the city sleeps and no one is the wiser, except for our hero who has their powers. It's awesome. Go watch it.
It has all the pre-requisites for dystopians. A love triangle? Check. Pretty dresses the heroine shuns? Check. Kissing when you should be running? Check. A shadowy government with no real motivations to be seen? Check.
VERDICT: Although inventive in its world building, CREWEL feels most of the time like just another entry into the dystopian market - the world just wants our poor heroine to suffer for no real reason other than she's special. Next!
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS
(2.5/5)
thatnerd's review
5.0
Amazing book! Some parts were a bit hard to follow for me (where certain parts of the weaving were explained, for example), but what an amazing read!
danrue's review against another edition
4.0
This was given a 5-star rating by a favorite author of mine so I took it as a suggestion to read the book as the author and I like similar books. I feel the story was rushed and the characters were not given any time to adjust and develop to their new surroundings and the other/new people in them. I feel that the emotional reactions could have been more available to the reader. The part of the book I enjoyed the least was the antifeminism. The whole world was built to oppress women but the book did nothing to stop the actions and beliefs. I did enjoy the realm and all of the possibility of the weave and hope that more is seen in following novels. Maybe this book was introductional and the real story starts off in the second. I am not sure when but I will definitely get around to reading the next novel and enjoyed this one despite my problems with it.
jeslyncat's review against another edition
4.0
I was kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed the concept of this book. Overall I thought that the characters were good, and the action was interesting and the story made sense and was pretty grounded given the concept.
hello_sunshine's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't sold on this one. I couldn't quite imagine the world they live in, and didn't feel a connection with the main character.
steinmetzdan's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of confusing, I thought, but such a great ending! Can't wait for the next one.