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Crewel: A Novel (Crewel World) Hardcover – October 16, 2012

by Gennifer Albin (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 334 ratings
Editors' pick Best Young Adult
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Deadly Secrets
Tangled Lies
Woven truths

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.

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  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Book 1 of 3
    Crewel World
  3. Print length
    368 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    7 - 9
  6. Lexile measure
    790L
  7. Dimensions
    5.92 x 1.27 x 8.62 inches
  8. Publisher
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
  9. Publication date
    October 16, 2012
  10. ISBN-10
    0374316414
  11. ISBN-13
    978-0374316419
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
334 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a compelling read with a fascinating dystopian concept and a unique take on the genre. The novel features well-formed characters, with one review highlighting the strong female lead, and customers appreciate its originality and beautiful writing style. The pacing is well-done, with one customer noting how the author drops hints about future events.

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53 customers mention "Readability"46 positive7 negative

Customers find the book compelling and seriously good, with one customer noting it's wonderfully written and another describing it as a smooth read.

"...I could really gush about how beautifully written this book is all day, but I don't think it will do it enough justice...." Read more

"...I thought the world building and setting of Arras was fantastically described!!..." Read more

"...It's compelling, original, and scary in a brutal, beautiful way. But let me go into why. From a Reader's Perspective:..." Read more

"...I found the book to be a compulsive read and I rolled right into the next book despite the pile of other books to read awaiting me...." Read more

30 customers mention "Storyline"22 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of this book, describing it as an original and fascinating dystopian tale.

"...Jost and Erik are surprising and charming, and although I'm definitely Team Jost right now, I'm interested to see where the romance goes in the next..." Read more

"...Not once did I find myself bored with any chapter. The story of Crewel unfolds quite well and is very easy to read...." Read more

"...Overall: 5 out of 5 stars! Recommended for anyone who loves a clean story that's different, compelling, and extremely well done." Read more

"...To say the least I'm skipping the 2nd book, after the ends very strange ending and reading the first few chapters of the 2nd book it goes completely..." Read more

17 customers mention "Concept"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's concept intriguing, particularly its unique take on a dystopian world.

"...The characters, I felt, were all well-developed. There wasn't one character in the book that I felt was one dimensional...." Read more

"...However, Albin puts then together in an imaginative way. The world building here is novel and as a textile artist I appreciate the imagery...." Read more

"...The concept seemed very fresh (although reminiscent of the Three Fates from Greek/Roman mythology - can't go wrong with an age-old story) and..." Read more

"This book is a very unique take on a dystopian world. There is a lot of sewing terminology associated with the world building...." Read more

15 customers mention "Character development"12 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the well-formed characters in the book, with one customer highlighting the strong female lead and another noting how they jump off the page.

"...While I also enjoyed the heroes and the villains, I think my favorite characters were the ones who were somewhere in the middle...." Read more

"...Adelice is a great main character. I loved her sarcasm, and I admired the way she stood up for herself. I loved the charm of both Jost and Eric...." Read more

"...What's more, I really enjoyed the characters except I found Adelice a little too perfect at times...." Read more

"...It felt like there was a lack of depth to the characters. I never quit reading it, but I never could embrace the characters...." Read more

11 customers mention "Originality"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book original and phenomenally imaginative, with one customer noting it has all the stock YA characteristics.

"...It's compelling, original, and scary in a brutal, beautiful way. But let me go into why. From a Reader's Perspective:..." Read more

"This book has all the stock YA characteristics....a teen with great power, evil adults, dystopia and chaste but passionate romance...." Read more

"...It was still phenomenally imaginative and I can't wait to start the 2nd book and see how this journey evolves ... It was so great to read something..." Read more

"A YA/ Sci-Fi/ Fantasy novel with an original idea having NOTHING to do with angels, demons, or fae AND the protagonist isn't driven by an all..." Read more

9 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one noting how it builds slowly while another mentions how it drops hints about future events.

"...Speaking of the romance, it was slow-paced and believable, and that was a really nice change of pace from the whole "love at first sight" thing...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the pacing in this book. Not once did I find myself bored with any chapter...." Read more

"...They were sweet, tender, and slow building...." Read more

"...It moves quickly and easily. This is a great book for someone looking for a fun book that won't take long or need a lot of thought to get through...." Read more

8 customers mention "Color scheme"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the color scheme of the book, finding it beautiful and drawing the eye, with one customer specifically noting its bright color mixture.

"...all of the minor details that start to come together make this book beautiful and thrilling and completely unforgettable...." Read more

"...I do love the colours on the front cover of the book, but yeah, the cover doesn't really hold my attention...." Read more

"...It's compelling, original, and scary in a brutal, beautiful way. But let me go into why. From a Reader's Perspective:..." Read more

"...The world building here is novel and as a textile artist I appreciate the imagery...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Ashley Ferguson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and enchanting, an excellent novel!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book was everything I hoped it would be and also so much more. I wish more books were like Crewel - it was seriously that good. Everything about the world building and the characters and the story and all of the minor details that start to come together make this book beautiful and thrilling and completely unforgettable.

    I loved so much about this book that I don't even know where to start. I guess with the world-building? Albin's world is simple, but complex. The Guild controls everything, with the help of the Spinsters, and normal people lead pretty normal and simple lives. It's amazing how Albin weaves (haha) all of these different things together to make a society that isn't terribly unbelievable. If there were people who could weave the very fabric of time and the universe, I imagine it would result in something exactly like what Albin writes about. And then when Adelice describes hat the weave looks like... I seriously felt like I could see it myself. It's awesome, and I want to know so much more about this world.

    The characters in the world are also incredible. Adelice is confused, but she's still strong. The more I read, the more invested I became in her well-being and in her story. I wanted to hug her when she was sad, and celebrate with her when she was happy. She grows up quite a bit in this book, and she learns things that no normal girl should have to learn (not that Adelice is anywhere close to normal). She has to deal with so many different things, and never gives up on wanting to learn the truth - even if it means sacrificing the things she holds dearest. I admire her, and can't wait to find out more about her in the rest of the series.

    The more minor characters are all very nicely written as well. Jost and Erik are surprising and charming, and although I'm definitely Team Jost right now, I'm interested to see where the romance goes in the next book. Speaking of the romance, it was slow-paced and believable, and that was a really nice change of pace from the whole "love at first sight" thing. While I also enjoyed the heroes and the villains, I think my favorite characters were the ones who were somewhere in the middle. They waiver between which "side" they support, and I think that really helped move the story along.

    Albin's pacing is also very well done. She takes time to give you necessary and important details, and to drop hints about future events, but it never slows the story down. Things also don't happen so quickly that you might miss something if you aren't paying close enough attention. This was a fairly easy read, and I found myself not wanting to put it down to even sleep or eat.

    I could really gush about how beautifully written this book is all day, but I don't think it will do it enough justice. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an excellent sci-fi read, regardless of if you're a fan of YA or not. I don't even know what to compare this book to, because it's not like anything I've ever read. I'm so excited to read the next book in this series, especially since it comes out soon! Definitely do NOT miss this book. A 5/5 from me. One of my favorites I've read this year.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Heather C.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Original
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    When I first heard about Crewel by Gennifer Albin, I couldn't wait to read it!! How amazing does the synopsis sound!?! The answer is really amazing!! I definitely had to read this book, and I was really glad that I was able to.

    Set in the future, Adelice is chosen to become a Spinster even though she never wanted to be one. She meant to fail her assessment testing, but she messed up. Now she must go to Arras to weave the different aspects of life. However, she soon finds out that Arras has its own secrets. Will she be able to escape?

    I love the title of this book. What an original name! And it definitely suits the book. The title of this book definitely caught my attention.

    The cover is a bit boring for my liking. Again, what's with YA books just having a face on them? I know there's also the weaves, or what I think is the weaves, on the book, but still. I do love the colours on the front cover of the book, but yeah, the cover doesn't really hold my attention.

    I thought the world building and setting of Arras was fantastically described!! The author did a great job of making Arras feel like a place that could actually exist instead of just some fantasy place in a book. I could actually envision Arras in my mind quite clearly.

    I enjoyed the pacing in this book. Not once did I find myself bored with any chapter. The story of Crewel unfolds quite well and is very easy to read.

    It was great to see how easily the dialogue flowed throughout the book. There were a few words I didn't understand, but maybe, it's just that I'm not good at big words, haha. There were a few times that I was bit confused with what was going on, but I don't think it really took away from the book.

    The characters, I felt, were all well-developed. There wasn't one character in the book that I felt was one dimensional. Adelice is a great main character. I loved her sarcasm, and I admired the way she stood up for herself. I loved the charm of both Jost and Eric. Enora was such a sweet character as well. My favourite character was Maela even if she was a bit bad. I thought she was the perfect antagonist!

    All in all, Crewel by Gennifer Albin is quite an original story that I very much enjoyed. It's great being able to read a new idea every now and again.

    I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone aged 16+.

    (I received a free ecopy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley for a fair and honest review. I did buy a copy of this title to gift for someone else though. This review can also be found on my blog).
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amanda Rehm
    4.0 out of 5 stars More!
    Reviewed in Germany on March 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    When I read the book I wasn't prepared that it was the first book of a series and was therefore immensly surprised as the end suddendly came (reading on a kindle is different in these ways). Honestly can't wait for the second book, as I really liked the world Albin created here.
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  • Sandra Richardson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! Love the Series name too, it really is fitting of the world of Arras
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    INITIAL THOUGHTS
    So i'm Looking forward to a dystopian. . . . I can't stay away from my favourite genre for long! Not sure what to expect. . . . I have had this one for a while and then sort of forgotten I had it, and rediscovered it quite recently after reading The Department Of Alterations novella, and being intrigued by the world that novella was set in. So I'm really looking forward to learning more about the dystopian world and the rules and regulations as well as meeting the characters within that world too. Will it be like The Registry Series by Shannon Stoker or The Chemical Garden by Lauren De Stefano?

    MY REVIEW
    I have an e-copy of this one from ages ago, that I thought I'd lost when I had a problem with my kindle, but recently managed to retrieve it somehow. I also managed to purchase an e-copy of this one from Amazon UK too. As I've done a separate feature about the various covers for this book, I will go straight into my review of the book.
    The main character in this book is Adelice, at the beginning of the book she is living with her family, which consists of her mother, father and younger sister Amie. They all live together in the medium sized home they were allocated on the girls side of town in Romen, an area in Arras. The families with male children live on the boys side of town. So males and females are segregated until the age of 16 yrs old when the girls are tested to see if they have the special gift which enables her to become a Spinster and serve Arras. Adelice's parents have tried to teach her to fail the tests but it's hard for Adelice to concentrate on the da of the test and she accidentally does something which tips the testers off to the fact that she would make not just a good Spinster but a remarkable one. Adelice is trying to find a way to tell her parents about her dreadful mistake when her mum and sister Amie present her with the most beautiful birthday cake she has ever seen. It is an extravagant treat that must have cost a large amount of the rations to buy. Adelice gazes around the table at her family knowing that she has made the biggest mistake of her life and trying to figure out a way to tell her parents, when there's a loud knocking on their front door.
    I don't want to spoil what happens next as you need to read it for yourselves, so I'll say Adelice is removed from her family and transported to the Coventry she will be based at for her further testing/initial training.
    The story tell's us, the reader, all about Arras and how it was formed, and how the Spinster's and the Creweler, create, manipulate, alter, and rip through, strands of the weave. It turns out that Adelice has a very rare and special gift . . .that would be a spoiler for me to say more. This extra special gift, means that Adelice is treat differently to someof the other spinsters but though you would think a special gift would mean being cossetted, that is not the case with one of the head trainers at the Coventry called Maela. Maela does single out Adelice but certainly not in a good way, she creates an incident that immediately puts her at odd's with one of the other Spinster's named Pryana, the very one Adelice had made the initial tentative steps towards a potential best friend relationship with. The incident Maela orchestrates haunts Adelice throughout the book.
    Though Adelice is snatched from her family she cannot forget them and asks various people she comes into contact with about them, but no one seems to dare or want to tell her the whole truth, though it is agreed her father dies the night she was snatched, and her sister, Amie was "re-woven". Adelice receives continual conflicting hints about what happened to her mother. Adelice may not have friends within the other Spinster's but she quickly becomes fond of her mentor, Enora and her personal aesthetician Valery. Enora and Valery are the two women that Adelice see's on a day to day basis telling what she will be doing next and what is expected of her. Adelice also ends up being friendly with two males at the Coventry which is quite a big thing for her as she has never been around males other than her own father. Josten, who seem's to be the "jack of all trades" around the Coventry, soon becomes friends with Adelice, and tries to encourage her to be a more meek character and to fly under the radar, rather than going with her gut reaction, which is to resist what is asked of her. Part of her reasoning being her parents had been against her becoming a Spinster since she was old enough to remember. The other male is Erik, he is Maela's assistant, so having his attention certainly irritates Maela and puts a large target on Adelice.
    So I could honestly go on and on and on about this book. I said the following words about a book recently but they also fit how I feel about this book too, I truly enjoyed every word!
    The world of Arras is perfectly presented, it's history of how it all came to be, then it's hierachy, where males may be considered the superior species yet it is a female Creweler and her Spinster's that weave the very fabric of the world they all live in. The chain of command within the different Coventries are well detailed, as well as what is expected from everyone in Arras.
    Now to the characters . . .I know I've wrote loads but I absolutely have to tell you what I thought about some of the characters. I loved Adelice, the main character of the book, she is brave, yet is learning how to hide her true feelings to avoid the people she's loves being hurt to make her "toe the line". I also love the older character and the Creweler at the Coventry where Adelice is based, her name is Loricel. Loricel is not as interested in staying youthful forever, in fact at times she seem's to be tired of her life. Loricel is really the most powerful woman in Arras as only she can weave without a loom. Loricel can pull strands from the scenery and air around her and create other weaves from it. (It's described much better than this in the book). I admit to being uncertain of the trustworthiness of Enora, and perhaps a little suspicious of Valery, could Adelice confide in these women? Or would they report everything she say's to Maela, and in turn those that run their very society? As for characters I was totally unsure/kind of disliked Cormac instantly, his cold harshness towards Adelice's family but then at the same time he answered some of her burning questions that he didn't really have to was that a kindness or just a way of gauging her feelings about those people close to her that he could use as leverage to gain her co-operation. I imagine Cormac as looking and being like the character from the Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy. A guy that looks like Woody Harrelson is what I visualise when I think about his character. My feelings about Erik were on a literal rollercoaster, sometimes I liked him I thought he was trying to care for Adelice and other times it felt like he was almost "pushing her under the bus". To finish on a good point, I'll add I loved the character of Josten, his back story had me in tears and then later on when Adelice makes her discovery . . wow. . . I mean what is happening? . . .Then that mahoosive shocker that takes place at the very end of the book. . . What a cliff-hanger!!! and the next books are not out in separate ebooks yet!
    Ooo I also want to add that I love the name of the series as I'd say it works extremely well for the book, representing the occupation of Creweler, and if spelt differently it embodies the feeling of the world of Arras around Adelice, that it is a "cruel" world.
    So did I enjoy the book? Can't you tell how I have babbled and babbled on about it? lol. I loved this book, was super addicted to reading it, I feel like I could write about it at least three times more than I have above in this review. I loved it.
    Would I recommend the book? Yes. I've already being nagging . .I mean heavily recommending my daughter read the book so that I have some one to talk about it to!
    Would I want to read another book in the series? I already have, I read "The Department Of Alterations" novella, and I really, really want to read all the other books and novella's in this series so much.
    Would I want to read other books by this author? I would always check out any book written by this author as I enjoyed her writing and the creating of the world of Arras very much.
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  • Katie Hewitt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is an amazing, exciting and captivating read that will leave you on the edge of your seat! A refreshing story, which plot boggles the mind! Can not wait to find out what happens!!!
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Edge of your seat
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Compelling read. Kept me on the edge of my seat... An artificial world created above the earth... A daring escape...

    The end has left me wanting more. Will Amie and Jost's daughter be rescued?

    This was my only disappointment. I hoped in would all be in this book. I hope there is a sequel.

    Well done to the author, Gennifer Albin, a great dystopian novel.
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  • g
    3.0 out of 5 stars Clever Premise, let down a little by the writing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Summary - Crewel is the story of Adelice, a 16 year old girl that has the ability to weave time and matter, a fantastic talent, yet in Adelice's world that power makes you a spinster, and despite the spinster life calling to Adelice (comfort, luxury, security), her parents train her every day to ensure she keeps her talent a secret at the compulsory testing age 16. But Adelice lets ego get the better of her, and wants to prove to the other girls on the testing that she CAN weave, and makes a tiny mistake resulting in her being revealed as a very powerful spinster. Her parents try to help her run, but fail, and Crewel is the story of Adelice's journey into the spinster world, where nothing is black and white, few can be trusted and she learns exactly what she can, and can't, do with her powers. Adelice is extremely talented and its not long before she is noticed for all the wrong reasons, by her superiors, the Creweler (the boss, really) and the ambassador. Adelice finds out the secrets of her world, and faces a choice that will rock that world, one way or another.

    Ok, so here's a book which is loved by many of my friends, followers, GR buddies etc. I am going against the grain with my 3 stars, and even more so when I admit to considering making it a 2.5.

    Heres why:

    Well firstly there is the cover, I was really drawn to the cover above, its so pretty, it was even on my `best covers' list. Yet when the book arrives I get the boring old UK cover (below) with a plain, yet individual girl on it. I HATE it when books have a character on the cover that is anything other than ordinary, it puts a picture into your mind for the character, rather than letting you build your own. Now I've not taken any marks off for the cover, but it did annoy me, and put me in a bad mood before I even started.

    There is nothing wrong with Crewel, at least I can't think of anything, maybe as I write I'll start pin pointing things. The world is very clever, it took me a little while to get my head around it, perhaps a better explanation of the spinsters and the matter that they weave would have been beneficial, as it felt like I was always one step behind. The dystopian society is a bog standard, off the shelf, model - a ruling power, controlling and oppressing the minions, with a small rebellion starting, which ultimately tries to draw the lead character in. Maybe that was the problem here, with such a clever premise, there was major laziness when the rest of the world was concerned, nothing original or even repackaged.

    Adelice was a simpering idiot, thats not a bad thing really, as it helped to build her, it made a change from the usual female leads, but she was hard to like for that reason, she was incredibly self-absorbed, and unaware of the attitude and airs she appeared to be giving off. I do wonder why she had so many admirers, there was nothing on the paper that was appealing, yet they were all over her. Jost and Eric were interesting, but once again, as is the pattern in YA fiction, the twist was obvious, annoying and again lazy.

    The last third of the book, saved it from the 2.5 stars, the pace quickened, and the story really took off, but the scene building in the first two thirds was dreary in places, and there was little sense of time given to the reader, I have no idea if the events took place over days, weeks, months....

    As I said, I'm in the minority here, and thats fine. I `got' the idea, and its a good take on a dystopian, the time weaving particularly clever, but I just didn't buy into the book. So my suggestion for those thinking about reading it is: Read it if you like mainstream YA fiction, its a good read, and most like it. But don't read it if you are someone that likes your YA fiction quirky, this for me was anything but.
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