BEA Book Review #1--Crewel, by Gennifer Albin

Hi, everyone! If you're stopping by for the GUTGAA Meet and Greet, my post is here.

As my long-time followers know, I went to BEA last June! And I got a LOT of books. I'm still working through them all, but this was the summer of reading, so I have lots all ready to review. :)

Today, I'm going to talk about this one:

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.

I have to admit that I did NOT know Gennifer Albin was going to be at BEA. So when I was walking around, looking for a good book to stand in line for, I did something embarrassing. I asked a very nice girl (who was standing in a very long line) who she was waiting for. When she said Gennifer Albin, the author of Crewel, I squealed. Right in her face. 

And then I ran away to the end of the line. 

*head smack*

Obviously, when my senses came back to me, I was humiliated.

And obviously, you can guess Crewel was one of the first books I read when I got back home. 

Adelice Lewys is an easy protagonist to fall in love with, especially when you find out what happens to her. Gennifer Albin was not afraid to write about tough issues and force her characters to make hard choices. There were moments I actually gasped.

And the writing. Let me talk about the writing.

The insides match the cover, my dear readers: beautiful.

Albin weaved words as wondrously as her characters weaved space and time. I loved all the characters (even the annoying ones) and loved every moment I was stuck in their world.

I HIGHLY recommend you check this book out. Preorder. Now.