Saturday Spotlight: Gennifer Albin

Bet you guys didn't see me doing a Saturday Spotlight this week, did you? I'm so sorry for my semi-hiatus, but sometimes school has to come before reading, writing and blogging! 

Fortunately for me, I got the chance to ask Gennifer Albin a couple questions before mid-terms about her YA books, Crewel and Altered! 

Here's my Saturday Spotlight interview with the Gennifer! Enjoy!

1) Welcome! I'm so happy to have you here Gennifer! You are one of my favourite authors! What inspired you to write the Crewel series?

I was thinking of a painting by Remedios Varo where girls are sitting in a tower embroidering and the fabric is becoming the world. I wanted to write a story about one of the girls who doesn’t want to be there.

2) Gender discrimination is a HUGE theme in this book. Was this something that your were expecting to happen while writing the story, or something that came along after?

I didn’t expect it. It developed very naturally on its own, and I had to be careful not to get on a soapbox about it. I wanted the idea to feel organic to the story so that readers would want to think about and ask their own questions about what it means to be a girl in that world.

3) The Crewel series is a book set in a future dystopian, and your character, Adelice, has a lot to deal with. How do you think she differs from other YA characters set in the same genre?

At the heart of most YA books is the search for identity, but what sets Adelice apart is her world and how she perceives herself as part of it. I think she copes by using humor and wit, which I hope sets her apart as well.

4) Maela, Pryanna, and Adelice all have different personalities, but similar abilities. Why do you think Maela and Pryanna have succumbed to the 'idealism' of Spinsters? (e.g being bossy, mean, spoiled and power hungry?).

There’s a good deal of nature vs. nurture going on with all of these characters, but I think some of these characters will surprise you by the end of the series. Each of them is looking out for her own interests, and I think that each girl does that in different ways according to how she sees her role in that world.

5) Was the process of developing the characters and the world of Arras a difficult one?

The characters came fairly easily, although some of them were added in later drafts. Building the world was much harder and required a lot of layering in of detail. I found myself thinking a lot about what the reader needed to know to understand this world, which meant lots of fine tuning and a fair bit of creativity.

6) On your Wattpad page, the first 6 chapters of ALTERED are up there, along with a (mini) prequel to the book. I've read the first couple chapters of Altered, and am DYING to get my hands on it! What can we expect from the characters (Adelice, Jost and Erik) while they're on Earth?

Secrets, fighting, lying, kissing. They’re going to find themselves in danger a lot, which forces them to confront their relationships with one another. Everyone is going to make tough decisions in Altered, which prepares them for the even tougher issues they deal with in book three.

7) Will we finally learn the story of Erik leaving his town, his rift with Jost, and what's happening with Sebrina and Amie?

You’ll learn a lot about all of that, and I think some of the revelations will surprise you. Erik really comes to life in this book.

8) Can we trust Dante? And is Kincaid another version of Cormac? Or is he like Al Capone?

Can you trust anyone? A far as Kincaid, he reminds me more of William Randolph Hearst crossed with Al Capone.

9) Is it weird writing both in the YA and Adult genres? Are very similar or really different?

Very different, but very fulfilling. It’s hard to switch modes sometimes, but it’s like a mental work-out.

SPEED ROUND QUESTIONS:

10) I saw a CREWEL photoshoot picture on your Twitter. Are the covers going to be redesigned?

No. The new designs will be sticking.

11) Do you think time and space can be weaved? If so, would you want to have Spinster powers?

I hope not, and no (except to maybe warp a spot of peace sometimes).

12) What book are you currently reading? And would you want to be that character?

I’m reading the Outlander series, and I don’t think I would want to be Claire, although she fascinates me.

13) Are any of the CREWEL characters based on anyone you know?

I tend to think Jost and Erik are modeled on my husband a bit, which embarrasses him.

14) What is one BIG pet-peeve that you have?

People who don’t use turn signals.

15) Do you have an organized writing process or is it all over the place? (Like mine).

Depends on the book. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all process.

16) Who has influenced you the most in your writing?

I honestly don’t know.

ABOUT GENNIFER:

Gennifer Albin is a recovering academic who discovered she could write books of her own, and people would actually read them.  She lives in Kansas with her family, but escapes daily to the world of Arras and other fantastical lands.

 

She appreciates strong coffee and bold imaginations, prefers her heroines with sass, and searches continuously for her next big adventure.

She is the author of the YA Crewel Series (which currently consists of Crewel and Altered), and the author of the adult series, Good Girls Don't.

For more information about Gennifer, check her out in these places bellow:

TWITTER: @GenniferAlbin

WEBSITE: genniferalbin.com

BLOG: genniferalbin.blogspot.ca

TUMBLR: midnightinarras.tumblr.com

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4906436.Gennifer_Albin?from_search=true

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher: Review

Author: Catherine Fisher

Pages: 442

Release Date: May 3rd, 2007

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive . . .

This took me a while to get started on due to school and other interruptions, but once I started reading it without any distractions, I could not put it down.

Incarceron tells the story of Finn, a boy believed to be a Starseer, or a prophet of sorta that can find a way out of the Prison. Which happens to be alive. It also tells the story of the Warden of Incarceron's daughter, Claudia, who lives Outside in her own personal prison. The story weaves together, building a world that can never change, but characters that live a lifetime within the pages.

What I loved the most about this book was Fisher's ability to create such a world that controls the people within it as a real person- like a real tyrannt- and another world where the rulers have learned to become the human embodiment of the prison. 

This world jumps between the Prison (Incarceron) and the Outside (The Realm), and draws Claudia and Finn together through a mysterious key that can unlock all the secrets of both their worlds (literally and figuratively), and set them free.

Incarceron is a novel that I would recommend to everyone! It's a story that can turn any skeptic of YA fiction into a believer! I can't wait to get started on Sapphique! 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars :)

Yesterday by CK Kelly Martin: Review

Author: C.K Kelly Martin
Pages: 368 pages
Release Date: September 25th, 2012
Status: book 1 in the Yesterday's Series.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

THEN: The formation of the UNA, the high threat of eco-terrorism, the mammoth rates of unemployment and subsequent escape into a world of virtual reality are things any student can read about in their 21st century textbooks and part of the normal background noise to Freya Kallas's life. Until that world starts to crumble.

NOW: It's 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. On the outside, she fits in at her new high school, but Freya feels nothing but removed. Her mother blames it on the grief over her father's death, but how does that explain the headaches and why do her memories feel so foggy? When Freya lays eyes on Garren Lowe, she can't get him out of her head. She's sure that she knows him, despite his insistence that they've never met. As Freya follows her instincts and pushes towards hidden truths, the two of them unveil a strange and dangerous world where their days may be numbered. Unsure who to trust, Freya and Garren go on the run from powerful forces determined to tear them apart and keep them from discovering the truth about their shared pasts (and futures), her visions, and the time and place they really came from. Yesterday will appeal to fans of James Dashner's The Maze Runner, Veronica Roth's Divergent, Amy Ryan's Glow, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Ally Condie's Matched.

I had so many feels before and after reading book, you don't even know. The book is written by a Candian author and grew up in the GTA (like me!), and this whole book centred around the GTA which I love! I actually knew all the places where the main characters, Freya and Garren, went to so that was amazing!

This book is set both in the future (2063) and in the past (1985). Freya is living in 2063 where her parents had just betrayed her- they are the reason why her brother Latham is dead. Before she realizes it, she and her mother are being taken away by these robot cops that look like humans (sorry, I borrowed the book from the library and I don't have it with me right now). She then wakes up in Brampton, Ontario (that's a suburban city just outside of Toronto) in 1985. She has just moved from New Zealand after her father's death and is recovering from a sickness which she caught while moving back home to Canada.

Her mother, her younger sister Olivia, and her are all very much alive, and Freya tries to shake the uneasiness that she's feeling to focus on the fact that she is going to a Canadian highschool for the first time. There, at John A. McDonald High, she makes friends and tries to live a normal life of a teenager. But when she goes to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) with her school, she sees a very gorgeous looking guys whom she later learns is Garren Lowe. Other than his mysterious good looks, she can't help but feel like she knows him from somewhere...from someplace she can't remember.

I really love this book. I REALLY, REALLY DO and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! Seriously, the plot is amazing, the characters are really out of this world, and the plot-twists will seriously leave you wanting more. The book ends on a good note plot wise, but the C.K Kelly Martin's writing style is so compelling that you will be in a mourning period till you get to the second book.

With that said, that concludes the non-spoilery part of my review (for those who have not read the book). You are now free to have fun on my blog, or buy Yeterday's sequel, Tomorrow. Why? Because this next part involves:

 

*********

OKAY, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE AWESOMENESS OF THIS BOOK?

 

When I first read the first chapters of Yesterday, I was a little bored with Freya trying to intergrate herself in a normal Canadian-teen life (since I knew by reading the synopsis, that part would really be insignificant later on), but I was still really intrigued and into the book.

 

In the beginning, I was all for Seth and Freya, till I realized the guy mentioned in the flap of the book was named Garren, so I was really happy that she didn't go for him. Like I said, I wasn't really interested in Freya settling herself in a normal life, but I was interested as to what was going on in her head.

 

While she was still living in Brampton, she had Winston Churchill quotes in her head, I was like WTF? Why? But later on, it made more sense.

 

I was sooooo confused as to what she really was. I knew she WASN'T an alien, but I knew she wasn't from 1985 either, since in the beginning of the novel, she has like that little burst of random facts of the 80's in her head. I seriously thought that Martin wrote Freya as an incarnation, because I thought she was euthanized in the prologue (but don't worry, she wasn't). But then, I realized that on the book's back, it said What if your only future was in the past? so then I got to thinking: maybe she's a time traveller like Doctor Who!

 

I was totally NOT expecting what the author had written: Freya, Garren, one of Garren's mom's, her mom and Olivia (who really isn't her sister) were sent back to 1985 from the year 2063 at another shot of life and to prevent global warming from destroying all of humanity. LIKE WHAT KIND OF MIND BLOWING PLOT IS THAT?!

 

When Freya and Garren went to their 'grandpa's' place, it made sense: they were sent back to the past for a second shot at life. When she goes to the hypnotist and she is able to tap into her memories from 2063, it all made sense to the point where I just felt stupid for thinking they were incarnations. You don't even know.

 

I really liked Martin's writting style, I really and honestly do! It doesn't go back and forth between past and present like Tomorrow (which I head does), but when Freya switches from the 80's to the 21st century, it's effortless. That part where Freya goes back to 2063 reminded me of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I enjoyed that book as well, but for me, it seemed to be written better in Yesterday- it was written nicely in DoSaB, but it felt like it dragged on for a bit whereas in this book, it still kept the plot at a good pace. A PLUS PLUS FOR YOU KELLY!

 

What I liked overall was the fact that I could connect to 80's Canada. It is similar to our time now (just no crazy fashion sense (if you don't count half of Hollywood), better music and less technology), that sometimes I forgot that they were even IN the 80s. Seriously. There was a part in the book where Garren goes to call VIA Railways to check what time the train comes and how much their tickets would cost. I was seriously sitting on my bed just like, "What are guys doing? Just Google it- oh." and honestly, that happened a bit throughout the book. It's weird knowing that we rely on so much technology, but it's freaking scary to know the excessive amount of dependency that we have on it while reading this book.

 

And the characters! Oh, how I love the characters! Garren was just really annoying for me for the most part of the book because I was upset that he couldn't remember ANYTHING! Like, you think he would start believing Freya when they got ran out of Harry's place. But I can tell you I liked him a whole lot better when he DID remember.

 

I really disliked Freya's mom both in the future and in the past; her mom cheated on her dad and she was just so...I can't describe her. I just didn't like her, which was really good, since the narrator IS a teenage girl. I was really mind-blown when I learned Olivia wasn't really her sister, but at the same time, it made sense because she only mention Latham in the prologue. It's weird to think of her as the president's daughter though. And as for her father, we don't get to see him much- both in 2063 and the 80's. I don't like him either, since he got rid of their housekeeper from Mexico and he let Latham die (I guess I don't like authority figures much).

 

I was really sad when I learned what happened to Latham and Kinnari (btw, was she Asian? Because that sounds/looks like a very Asian name), but was really most interested in the fact that Freya had the second sight even in 2063.

 

The ending was very mind-blowing for me. Freya saving Freya...that's so trippy. And when she realizes that her visions of Garren dying AREN'T visions but other versions of what happened already is just so trippy. That's what this book was trippy. In a good way.

 

But what I want to know is if Freya's second sight is the end result of her just repeating the same situations over again, but having different end results each time she goes back to the past (confusing, huh? Well, go read the book!). I really can't wait till I get my hands on Tomorrow (I really hope my library has it!). I really love this series and I even got my librarian at school to go out and find the series so he could add it to our school's library! Anyways, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars! This is a very highly recommended book!

 

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Jost's Journal Entry

Instead of Fangirl Friday, I decided I would share with you guys my little take on a scene found in Crewel by Gennifer Albin! Hope you guys enjoy it! Altered will be released October 29th!

NOTE: Will Contain Minor Spoilers. Proceed with caution.

Jost POV

I wasn't angry. I wasn't upset. I was just very disappointed at her. If I was mad at anyone, it was with him.

She was laughing. Laughing. Erik had never been funny in his entire life! I really just wanted to punch that easy-going smile off his face.

There was a time where I probably would've laughed at his lameness too. But that was a long time ago, where I thought nothing could ever separate-

"How do you two know each other?" Adelice asks, snapping me out of my malaise.

I freeze and stare at her wide eyed. No, there's no way she could know. She couldn't possibly know that we-

"You said he sent you..." She trails off, looking between the two of us, and I could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

Say something idiot! My head screams. But I can't. I'm stuck. She knows- "Jost is the head valet," Erik informs loudly. He looks at me briefly, but I could see his anger- and his fear. "When I couldn't come to your cell, I asked him to attend to you."

Adelice nods and Erik quickly changes the subject. If I wasn't so shaken up by her near-revelation, I would've listened with awe at how effortlessly he changed the subject. 

But, I have been living with him for three years now. I'm so used to him being swift and smooth with other things, what's a little change in conversation? 

Adelice, a voice whispers. It's Adelice.

Yes, it was her. She's the reason why I had any particular interest with their exchange. She's smart, she's different. She doesn't deserve a pretty lap dog that doesn't even know the meaning of loyalty.

I wanted to scream at the top of the lungs. I wanted to tell her she didn't deserve him, that she shouldn't be anywhere near him. He's no good, he doesn't care- he didn't even go home to check on his family when his mother died.

I was shaking with anger and jealousy, my fear now forgotten, as he escorts her to her cabin at the rebound station. But as I look at the two of them, I see her relax as he guides her. She looks safe, she looks sure. I almost feel guilty for being upset with him.

Almost.

When I enter the cabin, I slump in my chair and close my eyes. My serene state only lasts for a few minutes as I hear him come in, followed by the stewardess. After being strapped in, she leaves us together. It was a good thing we were both tied down in chairs.

"You messed up out there," he said after a few moments of silence. "Why?"

It takes me a few moments to answer him. "I don't know," I reply honestly. "I really don't."

He stares at me with haunting blue eyes similar to my own. "It's okay you know," he reassures me, and suddenly, I feel like I'm five again. I bite my lip and give him a distainful look. Who was he trying to fool? 

Erik let's out a sigh. "Jost," he says slowly. "It's alright. She doesn't know."

"You sure?" I snapped.

He nods, but his face looks troubled. "For now," I say his unspoken thought. 

"For now," he repeats silently to himself. "But, if it makes you feel any better she caught me off guard too."

I snorted. "Yeah, I know, you had that same look on your face when you found out that I'd put your hair in pigtails when we were ten."

He frowns, but I can hear the amusement in his voice as he says, "Well, you looked like you had just peed your pants in front of Rozenn all over again."

Usually, I would've been upset over the mention of her name, but I found myself laughing. I was even more amazed as he started laughing with me.

"Thanks for saving my ass out there," I tell him silently. "I really appreciate it bro."

He gives a ghost of a smile. "Don't mention it," he replies. "Literally."

And around us, the room begins to shimmer and fade, along with this moment.

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting: Review

The Pledge

Author: Kimberly Derting

Pages: 323 pages 

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Status: 1st book in the Pledge trilogy

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I will be honest with you, I never really expected to read this book. Ever. I saw it on a Goodreads newsletter before it's release date and always wanted to read it, but eventually, I forgot about it. 

However, while I was at the library dropping off some books, I just happened to find the Pledge and, well, fall in love with it!

I seriously can't believe it took me two years to read the book when it took me four hours to read it!

The story starts off 81 years in the past where a young Princess Sabara walks into her mother's room- where she is about to die. The dying Queen reminds her daughter that she was born of importance and with power, and that she must say 'the words'. The little princess takes her mother's hand and as she takes her last breathe, says the magic words...then, she becomes her mother. She has taken her Essence, and is now the Queen.

The book then jumps 81 years later where 17 year old Charlie, a girl living in Ludania, a Queendom that divides its social classes by language. Understanding a language outside of one's station results in death. The problem? Our narrator knows all three class type languages: Termani (for the rich), Parshon (for the Vendor/working class), and Englaise (the language of the Serving class and the universal tongue).

After nearly getting sentenced to death when she accidentally slips and looks up from her station when a Termani girl speaks at her parent's restaurant, Charlie joins her best friend Brook to go out for a night. They end up going to a club where she meets his mysterious boy named Max, who speaks a mysterious tongue she magically understands.

Unbeknownst to her, the language is a special one, known by an elite few. She tries her best to stay away from Max and his special tongue- if anyone finds out she can understand him, she'll be dead. Charlie can't keep away though, and she ends up searching for him. While looking for Max, she ends up meeting a man named Xander, who's equally dangerous and charming as Max. 

Back at home, Charlie has to deal with her party best friend, and the tension in her family because of her magic ability to understand languages.

But with a war looming closer to her city's walls, and threatening to force her family apart, Charlie will have to trust someone, but the question is who?

This book is really good! It has a nice plot, and despite my own (little) confusing summary of the story, it actually does a good job explaining the terms and the ins-and-outs of Ludania's backwards society.

In Charlie's world, all the different nations are ruled by 'Queens' which I find interesting, since most times, it's an evil male tyrant who's in power and it's a lost son being hunted and searched. In this book, females are the valuable ones amongst the Royals, and the Queens rule the Queendom with an iron fist. 

I really enjoyed that it was all about the girls and my the guys in this book. I mean, yeah, you still get the handsome guy saves the beautiful girl element in the story, but it ends up with the girl saving the day at the end. Like, how many stories do we have Queens and Princesses at war with each other, with the guys a little bit lower on the food chain? 

What I didn't enjoy was the fact this book was WAAY too small! It has so many nice plot elements and characters that I wish we got to see developed more...but the pages. There were a little over 300 pages. 

I didn't really have much of a connection with the characters like I wanted to. I wanted them to make me feel sad, irritable, jealous, annoyed and happy! But I didn't really get that. I think the reason why is because this book had alternating chapters: there would be Charlie's first person POV, the Queen's third person POV, a bit of Max and a bit of Xander POV as well. We did stay with Charlie the majority of the book, but I didn't really see much of her emotions with the other characters.

I saw that it was evident that she loved her sister, Angelina, and was really concerned about her best friend, Brook, but I didn't really get that passion with her and Max. That was sort of a flop for me. It does get a little better in the end, but not by much.

What this book did was trap me with it's nicely paced plot and just...all the story building and the concept around the 'Essence' thing. I really didn't understand what the whole Essence thing was when I first read the beginning if the book, but as we got closer to the end, I got it and I was utterly amazed and creeped out at the same time. Like, does that mean the person that get's the Essence loses heir personality too? 

Ooh, and the PLOT TWISTS! OMG, Kimberly Derting seriously put some plot twists here!

When I learned that Angelina had the ability to heal was like 'What? Since when?!' That was a good plot twist. Another one was revealing who Max really was. I WAS SO NOT EXPECTING THAT ONE! Another one was Max and Xander's relationship, and how Xander was the favourite. I never thought that they'd be, you know...

Overall, this book was pretty satisfying. The overall concept and plot is really good, so 3 out of 5 stars to this book! I seriously can't wait to get The Essence!

Waiting on Wednesday: Unbreathable (#6)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

One hundred and fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed, and the remaining humans fled to the dusty red planet of Jutaire, where the only oxygen is manufactured, food is scarce, and death strikes often.

When Lissa's father discovers Earth still exists, she accidentally inhales the toxic air of Jutaire, and in one breath, discovers she isn't quite human.

Her father hangs for his discovery, and Lissa knows the Chancellors will come for her, for she saw the Earth that night too. With nothing to lose, she sets out to expose the truth. It isn't long before she meets Julian, a beautiful boy who can breathe the toxic air like she can - and shows her that the Jute, the original inhabitants of the planet, are more tangled in their lives than she knows.

But the Chancellors are only pawns in a greater game - one where the Jute control everything. Worse, the Jute plan to leave Jutaire for Earth, but to get there, they need her. And they'll stop at nothing until Lissa is in their clutches, even if they kill every human in the process.

The race for Earth has begun

Unbreathable by Hafsah Laziaf comes out later this month on October 29th!

What really caught my attention for this book was the title and it's pretty font. And after reading the synopsis, I just had to put it on my to-read list!

The interesting thing about this book is that unlike most sci-fi/dystopian books, the characters don't live on Earth; they live in a different planet. According to the synopsis, Lissa is a girl who can breath the unmanufactured air of Jutaire, and that the Jute (the original inhabitants of the planet) need her to get to Earth. I don't know, may be this means that she's half-Jute, half-Earth-ling? Or maybe she's an experiment! Oh my gosh, are the Jutes humaniods or are they aliens?

So many questions and theories; I really wished the released date was today!

Waiting on Wednesday: Dollhouse Asylum (#5)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray will be out this month on October 22nd!

This book is on my to-read list and all I have to say is that I am SUPER excited to read this! Not only is this book very sci-fi and dystopian, but there's Greek Mythology (awe, yeah!).

What really caught my eye was the cover and the title, and when I heard of this book, I thought it'd be a book about a bunch of girls that are crazy, pretend that their perfect and live in a crazy house (actually, that'd be a pretty cool story.....MY IDEA!). But when I read the synopsis, I was like "Wooooahhh. No. No. That's....oh my gosh!" Do you not know how creepy this book sounds?

Imagine, you're given a second chance to live, but are forced to play a game because this older guy you like told you to. Oh, and if you don't go along with his twisted game, you'll die!

I really can't wait for this book! I really wished I can buy this one!

Crewel by Gennifer Albin: Review

Author: Gennifer Albin
Page Count: 357 pages
Release Date: October 16th, 2012
Status: Book 1 in the Crewler Trilogy
Received From: My public library :)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

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 to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. 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 used her hidden talent for a moment. 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 jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her.

**MAY CONTAIN SOME**

 

Jumping into the story with the knowledge of it being dystopian, I already knew that there was going to be a lot of story building, new terms and words, but Albin is able to create a story and a narrator that is able to keep the reader informed and in the know of what's going on.

The story is about Adelice Lewys, a girl from the Western Sector of Arras. In her world, everything is ruled by the Guild, and when a girl turns sixteen, she is to undergo training for a month and is tested to see if she has the ability to become a Spinster, a person that can weave time. Adelice has been demonstrating these abilities since she was about eight years old, but she worked with her parents to hide her abilites for her testing.

Unfortunately, she slips up and ends up weaving her surroundings without the use of a loom, and knows that she is to be taken away to live a privileged (yet lonely) life in the Coventry, the home of the Spinsters. She decides to play it cool and not tell her parents, but the Guild comes barging into her home, causing her family to execute an escape plan that (sadly) fails, leaving her parents dead, her sister reassigned to another family, and her being taking away to the Coventry to begin her life of glamour, restrain and solitude.

There, she meets the arrogant, sketchy and somewhat alcoholic Cormac Patton, who seems to have some crazy plans and radical ideas; the crazy Eligble trainer, Maela, who wears everything on her sleeve; her kind but secretive mentor, Enora; Maela's handsome yet confusing lapdog, Erik; a fellow Spinster named Pryanna, the not-so-team player; the blue-eyed head valet, Jost Bell; and the Creweler herself, Loricel.

Adelice tries her best to avoid using her gift, but when Malea and Pryanna start playing dirty, her mentor Enora dies, and Cormac (who was also the leader of her Retrieval and the person behind her parent's execution) still has the power to manipulate her by using her newly reassigned sister against her, Ad learns that their interst to keep her alive is due to the fact that she is the next Creweler.

She makes a lot of mistakes and refuses to be put in her place, she makes her final decision that changes the lives of her loved ones, but leads her to a place that no Creweler can ever manipulate, Reality.

After reading the book, I was left completely lost for words. The end of the book just was....WOW! It was already 11:30pm-ish when I finished and I had sacrificed studying for my French test today (which I know did not turn out well), so I wasn't really able to grasp my emotions and figure out how I was supposed to feel.

But now, reeling from yesterday's emotional events and re-reading the parts of the book that I either dog-earred or book marked (which was pretty much the entire book!).

I loved how Albin was able to create a dsutpian world with it's own background and orgins. Yes, sometimes I did find several of the terms misleading, but Albin has this amazing ability to use her character, Adelice, to make us part of her journey.

Unliike most books, she isn't completely clueless in the beginning. She's a little bit of Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series in the sense that all the information is already with her and she knows the ins-and-outs of the world. Adelice knows the world of Arras and understands that living a life of a beautiful Spinister will leave her sacrificing a lot more. She knows how the world works, but at the same time, she doesn't know how the lives of those in the Coventry work. And that's where she learns how to grow as a character.

I love Adelice as a character, and I love her interactions with Cormac, especially their banter.

"Miss me?" he asks.

"It hasn't been that long," I remind him.

"I'm sure it's felt like a lifetime," he says, running his

eyes down me. "Adelice, you are looking... malnourished."

"Cormac, you're looking overdressed."

"Good," he sneers. "Now the hair matches the attitude."

-Crewel, page 122

 

There are times when she is very scared and she is unable to process her emotions (like when she drank a bottle of wine by herself), but it is understandable with all the loss she's experienced. But then there are moments like her conversations with Cormac that her personality is just perfect.

Another thing I liked from this book are the villans. Ooh! They just got under my skin so much, but in my opinion, any antagonist that makes me want to throw a book across the wall is just brilliant. But the anatagonists in this book come from all different forms, so I was pretty much going crazy the entire book.

Loricel is the Creweler in the book (aka, the Spinster with the power to weave without a loom), and whenever Adelice was with her, I was either really upset that she was so cryptic or really interested with the information she was giving Adelice. My favourite thing about her was that she reminded me a lot like Hannah's grandma from Pretty Little Liars (or was that just me?).

AND THE BOYS! OH IT'S THE BOYS *coughs* (sorry, That's So Raven reference).

Jost and Erick are so...I...they were just AMAZING, let's put it like that. I can't even tell you how I'm supposed to feel with them. Ablin doesn't make the love triangle like a typical one, and there was A LOT of plot twists in it. I was able to figure the Jost-Erick thing pretty early on in the book, but Jost's little story in chapter thirteen just threw me off so bad. Like:

But what I liked the most about this book was the plot. THE PLOT IS AMAZING GUYS! Unlike most first books that just drag on and on with story building and information, the plot is really fast pase, and you find yourself trying to figure out what's going to happen to Adelice after something bad happens. There are times when Adelice is in such a bad situation, you just don't know what she'll do. I actually thought she'd crack under the pressure, but she proves she's tough.

There is SO much restriction in this book, it makes the Giver, the Chrysalids and the Hunger Games look like jokes. The world that Albin builds is a world that has been woven from matter and the fabric on time, and sits above our Earth. Everyone and everything belongs to that overall weave, so if you misbehave, those Spinsters can remove you from the world by cutting your string and then reweave everyone's memories to make them forget you. Or they kill you. Or, they can reweave you and make you forget who you are, which is what is usually chosen instead of death.

It's an amazing world, and an amazing book! I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars, because although the characters are amazing, the world is nicely built and the plot is structured nicely, the terms will have you going back and forth alot, trying to make sense of what's going on. BUT IT'S WORTH THE READ, SO GO GET IT!

And I can't wait to get my hands on Altered, available October 29th, 2013!