Weaving Time • Crewel

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Series: Crewel World #1
Publisher: Farrar, Strous & Giroux
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Rachel (Thanks!) || ARC

Sixteen-year-old Adelice has a gift: she can weave time with matter. This gift is something sought out by the Guild, and in the world of Arras, it is a privilege to be chosen as a Spinster. Spinsters have it all - privilege, beauty, an important role in society, the power to embroider the fabric of life in Arras - but Adelice wants no part of it. When she's forced to embrace her destiny, she discovers there is a lot more to the Guild, the Spinsters and the world of Arras than she ever knew.

It is one of the best feelings in the world to read a book that has a refreshing and original premise. Crewel certainly delivers on that count, with a story that had me interested from the very first page and a main character that I could definitely get behind. Gennifer Albin has created an enchanting story, filled with whimsy and magic, and at the same time, rife with questions of power and gender.

I absolutely loved the idea of having the ability to weave, at least the way that Adelice did. It was so fascinating to imagine how Spinsters are granted the power to weave the state of society - adding more food, changing the weather, removing any “problems” and much, much more. The idea of everything being controlled by this talent was captivating, and very, very scary at the same time. 

And the questions that arose while I read Crewel were definitely a lot more than I bargained for! I like books that make me think, and this was certainly one of them.

There was, for instance, definitely a sense of the story being a commentary on the roles that men and women take in a society. The lines were clearly and strictly drawn in Crewel, exhibited especially by those in power - Spinsters were powerful members of the society but they had plenty of standards and rules to live by; the officials, on the other hand, governed the Spinsters and oversaw pretty much every single moment of operation. 

Power was also questioned a lot in this book, especially the power to give or take life. Being a Spinster almost felt like playing god - they had the power to add new threads or to remove old, fraying ones. I felt uncomfortable watching this scenario play out more than once in the book, but I was also intrigued by the question it seemed to pose about the value or the morality behind this granted ability.

While there are more things I liked about the book, including a lot of the characters, there are a few things that I was a little iffy about. I had a hard time visualizing a few things in the book, though that may just be me. And the love triangle felt completely unnecessary, since it was too obvious to me who she should end up with! 

However, the ending left me completely intrigued. It was perfect enough to wrap up the novel with, but definitely open-ended enough for the sequel to add even more to this story. Crewel took on a completely fresh story idea, and certainly managed to divert my attention from the moment I started reading it. I can’t wait to read the next book!

(This is our BEA book club pick for the month of October - so please do check out the reviews from my friends Shanella, Rachel & Amanda!)