Book Review - Altered

It's book review Wednesday, everyone! How excited are you? This is a novel that wasn't listed on my TBR for the year, but I'd started reading it end of 2014 and happened to finish back at the beginning of January. I've been toiling away on my massive list for this year! I'll have another of those for you next week. If you missed my review of the first book in the Crewel series, check it out here. Are you a member of the 2015 Time for Books Review Team? If not, why is that? It's easy to join! Just head to the signup page here, grab our cool badge, add your information to the linky thing at the bottom, and get to reading and reviewing. Your reviews will be included in the huge roundup I do each week for my Flipboard magazine, putting your thoughts in front of thousands of readers.

Anyway, let's get going with some information about the book up for review today!

Title: Altered (Crewel World #2)
Author: Gennifer Albin
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Length (print): 401 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Hardcover $13.42 (as of the date of this review)

Synopsis:

Deadly Secrets
Tangled Lies
Woven truths

Life. Possibility. Choice. All taken from Adelice by the Guild—until she took them back.

But amid the splendid ruins of Earth, Adelice discovers how dangerous freedom can be. Hunted by soulless Remnants sent by Cormac Patton and the Guild, Adelice finds a world that’s far from deserted. Although allies are easy to find on Earth, knowing who to trust isn’t. Because everyone has secrets, especially those Adelice loves most. Secrets they would kill to protect. Secrets that will redefine each of them. Torn between two brothers and two worlds, Adelice must choose what to fight for.

 ***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Gennifer told us in her keynote at utopYA Con 2014 this book has origins in a painting where women sit at looms and weave the construct of our world. How cool is that? To get an idea for what's, so far, an awesome series of novels from a painting. Yeah, that kinda blew me away. But, I totally get where she's coming from. Sometimes, it takes us seeing something imaginative to kick our writerly brains into action. How much do you love this cover? So pretty!***

Time to get to the review portion of my post!

I actually snagged book two of this series while I was at utopYA Con in June, 2014. Because I didn't wanna start in the middle, I bought book one, Crewel, and dove in. I was totally hooked on the story by the time I got to Altered. Albin has built a beautiful world that's kept me engaged from page one of book one. I'm eager to sink my teeth into the third, and final, installment of this series. Getting to the good stuff now.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Oh my goodness I love Adelice. She's strong, determined, and kind. Those are the best qualities of a great main character. But, what I adore is that the girl has serious flaws. She lets her compassion rule her head when she needs to be ruthless, and it creates some interesting situations. I'm at the point in this story where I kinda wish she'd make up her mind about which guy she wants to be with already. There comes a time when it's put up or shut up. Hoping book three will bring some closure there.

World building is incredible. How Albin kept all the details of how the looms worked between Arras and Earth is beyond me, but it's well done and painted vividly. If you're one who loves a ton of description, you probably won't take to this novel. Albin focuses more on the central conflict and creating rounded characters than she does giving you every detail about the world they live in. Your imagination is your only limit. Unlike book one, this novel takes place on the ruined remnants of Earth.

Plot and pacing were also bang on. There are no middle of the series blahs to be found here. Full of action, emotion, and deception, Altered will leave you wondering who the bad guys really are. Like Crewel, Altered is written in first person, present tense. I haven't read a ton of novels in this style, probably because it's difficult to pull off, but this series is nicely done.

From an Editor's Perspective:
All good, as a trad-pub book should be.

Rating:
1 Star for the awesome cast of characters
1 Star for world building
1 Star for plot and pacing
1 Star for leaving me wondering who Adelice will give her loyalty to
1 Star for excellence in editing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended if you love YA Dystopian.

What do you think? Have you read it?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Crewel

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna be speedy and not go on and on. I have a review of an amazing book for you all. Plus, there will be a giveaway at the bottom of this post for 2 e-copies. YAY! Grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

As usual, the information on the book before we drop into the review:

Title: Crewel (Crewel World #1)
Author: Gennifer Albin
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Length (print): 368 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Hardcover $7.20 (as of this review)

Synopsis:
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.

**Will not appear in review elsewhere. Okay, so I admit to meeting Gennifer at UtopYA Con 2014 where she signed a copy of Altered (book 2) for me. Her message: Discover who you are. I didn't get it then. After I read book one, I was still a bit lost. Halfway through book 2 now, and I see what she meant by that. I freaking LOVE this cover. I bought the hardcover with this image rather than the other one because it's just so dang pretty.**

On to the review!

I grabbed the hardcover edition of Crewel so I'd have it in my huge library of books. After picking up a copy of Altered, I knew I had to have the first in the series so I could start things out right. So, I moseyed on over to Amazon and grabbed one. I couldn't put it down. I read it in just a few sittings, but would've finished much sooner if not for other obligations. It's compelling, original, and scary in a brutal, beautiful way. But let me go into why.

From a Reader's Perspective:
Albin built a whole new society that's both functional and dysfunctional at the same time. Everything runs the way it should according to Guild rules. But the main character, Adelice, has parents with wisdom and verve, who constantly remind their daughter not to take anything at face value and never to forget who she is and where she comes from. And, the central plot is born. All appears okay on the outside, but if you scratch the surface, it unravels. Since I don't put spoilers in my reviews, I'll stop there. You'll understand when you get into the story.

As far as pacing goes, I never felt like the book dragged, even in the middle where it was day-to-day tasks and regular life happening. There was always something happening behind the scenes or a feeling of foreboding that kept me turning pages.

I liked the relationship between Adelice and Jost. They were sweet, tender, and slow building. Anything that's rushed leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I appreciate the time the author is taking in building these two up.

Crewel is written in first person, present tense. Keeps you in the action.

I spoke of the book inciting fear because it's terrifying how much control the Guild has over the residents. It's not something Albin shoves down your throat; it builds slowly in the background, waiting to erupt and envelop you in darkness. Shivers abound.

There was a major cliffhanger at the end of book one, but since book three is out, there will be no waiting around to find out what happens.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Nothing to write home about. Clean.

Rating:
1 Star for scaring the crap out of me by building the world of the Guild
1 Star for slow, simmering romances that were feel good without going boom
1 Star for pacing
1 Star for making me believe in Arras
1 Star for editing
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars! Recommended for anyone who loves a clean story that's different, compelling, and extremely well done.

Now, enter for your chance to win a copy for your Kindle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? Will you check it out? Did you enter?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo