The Blair Book Project

In the land of Arras, young women are required to take a test. A test to determine their ability to weave. There are only two options for them: Succeed, be called one of the Gifted, and become a Spinster – the catch? You may never see your family again. Ever. On the other hand, if you fail, you may stay... and have the government arrange a marriage for you. But what is life if you don’t have the freewill to choose what you want?Adelice Lewys wants nothing more than to stay with her family, even if it means getting paired up to someone she doesn’t have the slightest clue about. Just as long as she gets to see her family. When it was time for Adelice to show her ability to weave, try as she might to fail, she has been chosen to become a Spinster. And life as she knows it, is never the same again...When I started Crewel, I was really excited. I posted a photo of it on instagram [my signal that I’m starting on it] and someone told me it was overwhelming. I couldn’t agree more. Crewel was, most definitely overwhelming. There were a lot of things I couldn’t get my head to grasp during the beginning. As Katy Perry’s lyrics goes: information overload, situation lost control. That song reference was totally random, just so you know.I only came to realize that Gennifer Albin’s style of writing was not something that I was accustomed to. She goes about with the story like it’s a normal kind of thing, nothing unusual even though you don’t have any idea what the heck this or that is, then she gives readers bits and pieces of what Arras is, and all that crazy stuff in between. Adelice is a character that I can’t quite figure out. She’s stubborn, smart and, although not the bad-ass type, she can hold herself in a verbal(?) fight. I don’t have a definite outlook over her as a protagonist. Is she likable? Yes. Did she truly stand out? Kinda. The kind of ability she has gives her that WOW-factor but personality-wise? She came out very simple.There are a lot of elements that are confusing in Crewel, and I had to wait up until the author decides it’s time for the reader to get more info about it. I have to admit that up until I finished the book, I’m left confused. I couldn’t quite vividly imagine how exactly the weaving thing works. I mean, the “weave with a loom” thing is pretty much a no-brainer but Adelice’s ability is hard to visualize. I get she’s powerful and all but I need a little kinestetic learning approach here, since being visual isn’t working for me right now. Crewel may be downright perplexing, but I can’t deny how creative and original this world is. It has its fair share of cliches [with the love triangle, beauty and insecurity] but it’s packed with a great amount of surprises as well [finding out where Arras is really located, etc]. It may have been a bit difficult to read but the fact that this book is different from the norm, makes it a worthwhile read. *Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the copy of Crewel.For more of my reviews, please visit my blog: The Blair Book Project @ www.theblairbookproject.blogspot.com