It's a Crewel World for a Woman or a Girl

 

Published: October 16th, 2012

Crewel (Crewel World # 1)

By: Gennifer Albin

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

ISBN-13: 9780374316419

 

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.

Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls. Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power. Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

 

Review

 

     Adelice Lewys has just turned sixteen years old and taken the test that will decide her future.  Because of her hidden talents Adelice is in demand by the branch of the government that recruits Spinsters - women who weave the fabric of reality.  But because of her parent's training her to hide her abilities and trying to run away with her when they came to retrieve Adelice, her entire family is ripped away.  Her Mom and Dad are dead and her little sister is re-woven into another life - and another family.  Adelice will do anything to protect Amie, even if it means playing along and pretending that she's given in.  But when it's revealed just how much power Adelice really does have over her future, she's in a race against time to break free of the trap she's been caught in.  But will it mean death and destruction for her new friends, her sister and their entire world?  I had never thought of the possiblity that someone could weave the fabric of space and time, to keep reality running smoothly.  It's a very original idea and the execution was beautifully done.  I did feel that Adelice was a bit bland as a heroine, but the novel was character driven in a way that a lot of dystopians (even sci-fi oriented ones) are not.  I LOVE a character driven novel.  It sucks me in and gets me involved, making me care what happens.  In the novel, women are second-class citizens and oppressed beyond belief.  They really only have two viable choices - marriage or to become a Spinster.  I loved that Adelice didn't just give in to their demands and bribes after they'd destroyed her life and left her with nothing.  The relationships with Jost and Erik were very different and it was easy to tell which was the more real of the two.  I can definitely say I was NOT expecting the revelation at the end of the book about how they were connected to each other.  Cormac the villain seemed a little too 'muhahaha' for my taste, which is saying something.  Maybe I'm just tired of villains whose only motive is power.  It just seems weak to me as a reader.  The other revelation about Arras and Earth was interesting, but more than a little confusing.  I guess I'll just have to read the next one to find out more!  Overall, an enjoyable sci-fi, dystopian YA debut novel with a fresh idea and good execution.  Not anything above and beyond the norm though.  I wasn't 'wowed' by it's awesomeness.

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Not Tough Enough

Expected Publication: August 7th, 2012

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass # 1)

By: Sarah J. Maas

Bloomsbury USA Children's

ISBN-13: 9781599906959

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Review

   Celaena Sardothien has been an assasin of high repute for almost half of her life.  Then she was caught and sentenced to the salt mines of Endovier, with no one expecting her to survive the harsh and almost impossible conditions.  Then, a year later, the Crown Prince Dorian comes to offer her freedom on the condition that she be his champion in a competition between assassins.  It turns out that his Father is searching for a royal 'champion' and if she beats the others Celaena will serve him for three years - after that she'll be free.  Out of shape, Celaena spends every day training with Captain Westfall, who is suspicious of her every action.  She also spends some time with Dorian and finds herself attracted to him against her better judgement.  But then the champions begin turning up dead one by one and Celaena seems like she's next on the list.  Can she find the assassin before becoming the newest victim?  And will her destiny lead her more places than she's ever imagined?  At first I was really intrigued by the premise of this book.  Plus, it started out as a story on www.fictionpress.com a website for original stories by beginning authors.  I love the website, so I was excited to see someone from there make it big.  I liked Celaena's sarcastic, realistic attitude and her refusal to be anyone's ornament.  Captain Westfall was slightly dreamy, but his attitude annoyed me even though I understood it.  Prince Dorian was one of the characters that I absolutely HATED.  What a sanctimonious, privileged, womanizing, prig!  The fact that he actually appeals to Celaena caused me to seriously disrespect her by the end of the book.   The mystery with the murder of her fellow competitors was fairly obvious.  I pretty much knew who the killer was, although the magical twist to things surprised me.  I honestly can say that my favorite character in the whole book was side character, Princess Nehemia.  She has basically had her kingdom taken over by Dorian's Father, been forced to leave her home as an 'ambassador' and is still a kick-ass warrior girl with a major stubborn streak.  I would have liked to read her story.  Celaena was too much lost little girl and not enough bad-ass assassin for my liking.  I was hoping for someone similar to Katsa from Graceling and got an egotistical, wishy-washy teenager who loves clothes and playing the piano.  Not the book for me but I seem to be outside of the vast majority who have fallen in love with it.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication is August 7th, 2012.*

The Girl Who Came Down The Mountain...

Expected Publication: August 21st, 2012
Palace of Stone (Princess Acadmey #2)
By: Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA
ISBN-13: 9781599908731


Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting . . . until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she should help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends’ ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city.

Picking up where Princess Academy left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Review

   Miri is excited to go to the castle and help Britta prepare for her wedding to Prince Steffan.  But when she and the other girls arrive in Asland, the capital city of Danland, nothing is exactly like she thought it would be.  Peder, who came to the capital with them to apprentice a stonecarver, never has time to spend with her.  Her friends from home are diverging from each other and finding new interests.  Miri herself finds comfort in her education at the much lauded Queen's College.  But there is a revolution brewing due to the unfair treatment of the city's common people.  Miri will have to decide whether or not to stand with her new friends against the royal family and everything they stand for, or stay loyal to Britta and the mountain she comes from.  Can Miri sort out the confusion in her heart as well, and decide between Peder and the city boy who intrigues her?  This book was an interesting follow-up to a cute, if somewhat bland predecessor.  I did like the original book, but it didn't have enough action or intrigue for my personal tastes.  I loved the whole idea of Danland's citizens trying to mount a revolution against the King.  It was very realistically portrayed.  Not everything was solved by the end and wrapped up in a tidy bow.  There were still problems and all of the characters were very human.  The main complaint on my part for the book was how selfishly Britta is portrayed to be, after being so normal and down to Earth in the first book.  Also, Steffan came across as a prig and Miri's college friends for the most part, seemed truly idiotic in matters of common sense.  Other than minor annoyances, I loved Miri's parts of the story and the ending made me smile.  To me this novel was better than the one before it.  Recommended for fans of the original novel for sure.


VERDICT:  4/5  Stars


*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is August 21, 2012.*