Audio Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Author: Gennifer Albin
Narrator: Amanda Dolan
Title: Crewel
Series: Crewel #1
Publication: October 16, 2012
Publisher: AudioGo
Length: 9 hrs: 14 mins
Source: Publisher via Audiobookjukebox

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.

Thoughts: A refreshing and creative take on a dystopian society. Loved it everything about it! The characters are fantastic and complex. The writing and pace moves along well. The world that the author has built is visually amazing and vividly described. The idea that the world is now designed and maintained by a group of spinsters seems unreal but the author pulls it off and makes it realistic. Adelice, clever girl that she is, has been taught her whole life to fail the test by her parents. She goes along with it because as a spinster, she wouldn't be able to see them anymore but try as hard as she might her talent demands to be seen. Her slip will cause her much pain and she finds herself caught up in a political struggle that she wants no part of. Desperate to get out, she plots her way right into a mess that just may unravels at the seams. 

I enjoyed the audio translation of this work. The narrator has done a beautiful job of portraying all of the characters and giving them each there own unique sound. The production and sound quality comes through clear with no distracting noises in the background. The narration is evenly balanced to go along with the pace of the reading experience. I do admit to sitting in the car at times to finish each chapter but towards the end I couldn't wait, so I grabbed the book and read the last 30 pages. Lastly, great audio and I think I would listen to it again. This is a fanastic story that Albin has written so intricately and Dolan does a great job giving it a voice.