The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke {review + giveaway}

The Boneless Mercies
by April Genevieve Tucholke
♦publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
♦release date: October 2nd, 2018•
♦hardcover, 384 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone, retelling
♦source: from publisher for review consideration

A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory.

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. 

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.

{Review}

I've long been a fan of April Tucholke's signature bizarre and stylistic storytelling, and when I heard she would be putting it to a high fantasy tale, I couldn't have been more excited. Her gorgeous writing has always given such a fantastical and eerie feel to contemporary stories, I could only imagine how unique her take on the mythical tale legend of Beowolf would be. I admit, I wasn't that familiar with the source material but it didn't stop me from diving headlong into this retelling.

The Boneless Mercies themselves...wow. What a dynamic group of women. Frey, Juniper, Ovie, and Runa--a sisterhood in the best sense of the word. Each had their own strengths and complicated weaknesses.  Each had their own reasons for being in the life they led...and for maybe wanting out. I love how closely they worked together, how they knew each other so deeply and bolstered each other up. I love that it was a gender-bent, feminist take on this legend without making all men villainous and hateful. There was even Trigve, a man who traveled with them and fought by their side---his backstory and his unconventional relationship with Frey added so much to the story.  For each of the characters in turn, there were moments of anger and passion and quiet inner searching as they journeyed to try their hand at defeating a legendary beast. This story was hideously bloody at times, heartbreaking at many times, and thoughtful and completely unputdownable(*) though the entire thing.  April Tucholke does it again. 

(*On a side and very personal note, I say unputdownable, even though I did at one point, actually put it aside. In the beginning, it takes the time to really show what the Boneless Mercies do--they are, quite literally, human reapers. They are paid by the sick or suffering or their family to take someone's life as a mercy killing and it shows them doing this for people of all ages.  Because of things going on in my life, this was too painful and too emotional of an idea for me and I had to set it aside.  Still, a while later, I was called back to this book, a journey and battle that I knew April would make into a beautiful story, so I picked it up again. It lured me in and, yes, after that it was unputdownable!)

{ABOUT THE AUTHOR}

April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Between the Spark and the Burn, and Wink Poppy Midnight. She also curated the horror anthology Slasher Girls & Monster Boys. She has received five starred reviews and her novels have been chosen for the Junior Library Guild, Kids' Indie Next picks, and YALSA Teens Top Ten. When she's not writing, April likes walking in the woods with her two cheerful dogs, exploring abandoned houses, and drinking expensive coffee. She has lived in many places around the world, and currently resides in Oregon with her husband.

WEBSITE   •   TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

International Giveaway!

Winner's choice of edition: US Hardcover or UK Paperback

Both are gorgeous so I wanted to give you the choice! :D

Ends 11/15 at 11:59 PM
Must be 13 or older or have parent permission.

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Boneless Mercies: A quick Q&A and a giveaway!

So excited and honored to be today's stop on the tour for

The Boneless Mercies

by April Genevieve Tucholke!!!

I am a ridiculously huge fan of April's work---(exhibit A & exhibit B LOL) her writing just completely mesmerizes me every time. She is a master of eerie atmosphere, a queen of the unexpected plot twist, and has a beautifully bizarre storytelling and writing style that just speaks to me. So you can imagine my thrill at seeing her tackle a fantasy retelling of Beowolf! I've just started in on it and I can tell you, her words have already got me entranced. ♥

But today, I have a lightning quick Q & A with April herself and {ta-da} a super awesome giveaway of a gorgeous finished copy of Boneless Mercies and a custom-made necklace! 

~Q & A with April Tucholke~

•What three women from history or literature would you want on your Boneless Mercies crew?

Amelia Earhart

Lyanna Mormont

Sacagawea

•Are there any characters in Boneless Mercies that are inspired by people in your own life?

Trigve was inspired by an art student that I knew in college, but I created the other characters out of thin air.

•What kinds of books did you read as a teen and who is your favorite author of all time?

I read a lot of fantasy as a teen—The Chronicles of Narnia, Sabriel, Watership Down, A Wizard of Earthsea, and sci fi—A Wrinkle in Time (and the entire Time Quintet series), Ender’s Game, andInterstellar Pig. I also read the goths—Poe and the Brontes, as well as classic mysteries like Sherlock and Agatha Christie. The only contemporary realistic books I can remember reading was the great Austin Family series by Madeleine L’Engle.

Favorite author of all time? Susanna Clarke.

{ABOUT THE AUTHOR}

April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Between the Spark and the Burn, and Wink Poppy Midnight. She also curated the horror anthology Slasher Girls & Monster Boys. She has received five starred reviews and her novels have been chosen for the Junior Library Guild, Kids' Indie Next picks, and YALSA Teens Top Ten. When she's not writing, April likes walking in the woods with her two cheerful dogs, exploring abandoned houses, and drinking expensive coffee. She has lived in many places around the world, and currently resides in Oregon with her husband.

WEBSITE   •   TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

{ABOUT BONELESS MERCIES}

A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory.

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life.

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere. 

*        *        *        *        *

And on to the giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway sponsored by the lovely folks at Macmillan! US addresses only please.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Boneless Mercies
by April Genevieve Tucholke

hitting shelves October 2nd 2018  

from Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. 

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.

Full of fierce girls, bloodlust, tenuous alliances, and unapologetic quests for glory, this elegantly spun tale challenges the power of storytelling—and who gets to be the storyteller. Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, V.E. Schwab, and Heidi Heilig.

My thoughts: A new April Tucholke book!!! This is really all I need to know, but  it doesn't hurt that the description sounds absolutely awesome. Her storytelling always floors me, and her eerie and sometimes bizarre way with words and atmosphere may not be everyone's cup of tea---but man is it ever mine! Couldn't be more excited!!

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern: Spotlight + Giveaway

Guys, I am thrilled to be today's  blog tour stop for a fantastic looking debut, 

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern!

Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she’s going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington’s disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family’s genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she’ll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully-laid rules.

photo credit: Liz Vidyarthi

                  
     ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate McGovern has taught theatre and language arts to middle schoolers in Boston, New York, and London. A graduate of Yale and Oxford, she currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she was born and raised. RULES FOR 50/50 CHANCES is her first novel.

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Add Rules for 50/50 Chances on Goodreads

WIN A COPY of Rules for 50/50 Chances!

Thanks to the lovely folks at Macmillan, I get to give away a copy to one lucky winner!  Enter below!

•Must be 13 or older

•Open to US mailing addresses only

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Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson {review}

Rebel Mechanics 
by Shanna Swendson
♦publisher: Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux
♦release date: July 14th, 2015
♦hardcover, 310 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Rebel Mechanics, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing.

It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.

Review: Despite a rough start (I had actually started this one, set it aside for a while, then decided to give it another go!), Rebel Mechanics  turned out to be a fun romp of a steampunk story that I absolutely enjoyed to bits! 

 In an alternate history where Magisters hold all the power in government and military, a revolution is brewing among magic-free folk. They’re determined to show that machinery and ingenuity is just as valuable and should not be held back. Verity, finds herself mixed up with the rebels on her very first time in a new city, charmed by their determination, their clever mechanical creations, and of course, by a handsome smile and first taste of attraction. I found her a bit frustratingly naïve at first, but Verity grew on me and grew as a character. She gets coerced into spying for the Rebels and takes the excitement on with zeal, bravery, and no small amount of gutsiness! Her new official job as governess to the wards of an enigmatic Magister proves a challenge with both dealing with the kids and dealing with her own closely held secret.

I loved the development of her relationship with Henry. I though he was absolutely charming in that bumbling, distracted sort of way. There is a bit of a triangle going on here, but never really felt like one to me, because the other “option” was never appealing to me! There are a slew of great characters running through this riotous story, most of them complex enough make readers both like them and doubt them at the same time. Including Verity herself. 

With the creativity and vivid detail of the steampunk machinery, a clever girl with one foot in both sides of a revolution, and a story full of romance, friendships, and ulterior motives, Rebel Mechanics is the start of a series that I will definitely be returning to for future adventures!

Find Shanna Swendson online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository   •  Amazon

Calvin by Martine Leavitt {review}

Calvin
by Martine Leavitt
♦publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
♦release date: November 17th, 2015
♦hardcover, 192 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Seventeen-year-old Calvin has always known his fate is linked to the comic book character from Calvin & Hobbes. He was born on the day the last strip was published; his grandpa left a stuffed tiger named Hobbes in his crib; and he even has a best friend named Susie. As a child Calvin played with the toy Hobbes, controlling his every word and action, until Hobbes was washed to death. But now Calvin is a teenager who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Hobbes is back—as a delusion—and Calvin can't control him. Calvin decides that if he can convince Bill Watterson to draw one final comic strip, showing a normal teenaged Calvin, he will be cured. Calvin and Susie (and Hobbes) set out on a dangerous trek across frozen Lake Erie to track him down. 

Review: Calvin is a unique tale, there’s no arguing that.  Written as a very long letter to Calvin & Hobbes creator, Bill Watterson, it’s the story of a brilliant imaginative boy finding his way back to confidence after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. He doesn’t want to take meds, he wants to heal himself---and he’s got a plan to do just that. 

For me, no amount of suspension of disbelief could keep me from being charmed by Calvin’s mind and his determination and his hope. Hope that his plan would work, hope that Susie was real, hope that they made it across the deadly lake Erie.  Along their trek, they muse over the history of their friendship and what it means that she is here with him now.  They explore their feelings toward his diagnosis, their fears, the lake itself, Hobbes, and the world in general.  They come across many things: ice fishing villages, a lot of cars stranded in the middle of the frozen vastness, and a helpful stranger who welcomes them into his home on the ice who seems almost as lost as they are. 

I suppose it helped that I’m a long-time fan of Calvin & Hobbes.  The writing and the feel of this story really did a great job paying homage to some of the profound ideas that snuck out between the playful and raucous antics of a small boy and his imaginary tiger.  If you’re not familiar with the comic strip, a few things might not strike a cord, such as the interjected reports from Spaceman Spiff.  At the very beginning, it was hard to get a handle on the way the dialogue is written, more like a script than a novel.  But I came to really enjoy it; the casual writing style really came across as a letter from Calvin to the one man he thought could save him and make him “normal” by creating one more comic strip. 

This is a great little tale of hope, friendship, confusion, and bravery. There are moments of brilliance and silliness and sweetness, and one that brought me to tears. If you're looking for something unlike anything else out there, pick up this book!

Find Martine Leavitt online:    Twitter  

Purchase Calvin:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

After the Woods

by Kim Savage

hitting shelves February 23rd, 2016

from Farrar, Straus, Giroux

From author site: When a predator abducted them, Julia fought back and Liv escaped, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying night she remembers only in flashes. Nearly one year later, a body is discovered in those same woods, and Julia is forced to face the truth about that day, and her own sacrifice.

From Goodreads:..A psychological thriller about two friends in the aftermath of an abduction, where one risked her life to save the other and spent a night in the woods she wants to forget. Now, nearly a year later, a girl’s body is found, and dark secrets are tearing the best friends apart.

My thoughts: Just tiny snips of a synopsis for this so far but already I'm excited to read it! Especially after this blog post where the author talks about the woods that inspired the story.  And that cover?? Stunning. I love it, and with so long to go before publication, I hope it doesn't get changed!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.  

Rebel Mechanics

by Shanna Swendson

hitting shelves June 14, 2015 

from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing.

It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.

My thoughts: Everyone once in a while I need a good steampunk fix :) This looks like it will do nicely.  Especially with the promise of secrets, charming rebel inventors, and a little magic thrown into the mix. :)

Becky's View: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
♦publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
♦release date: March 4th, 2014
♦hardcover, 355 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Winner's Trilogy, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Review: A Winner’s Curse is without a doubt one of the most anticipated books of the year among YA readers. And we can all see why:  with lots of early buzz, an enticing story premise, and one perfectly gorgeous cover, it drew us all in.  Marie Rutkoski delivers with writing that is absolutely gorgeous, a world that is intricately built, and two very strong-willed characters to acquaint ourselves with.

While I know many people who absolutely love this one, I found that I did really enjoy it, just not as much as I’d hoped or expected to.  Possibly this one fell victim to overblown hype or high expectations after seeing so many gushing reviews, but I was expecting to swoon like the girl on the cover, to be completely blown away,…and it fell just a little short of that.

Even so, I can’t deny that Marie Rutkoski has some serious writing style.  The language, the descriptions, the imagery, all gorgeously done. What I loved most about this story was Kestrel.  What a great heroine.  She is incredibly sharp, with a mind that her father, the General, covets to strategize his wars. She is determined not to join the military as her father wants and sees past his attempts to manipulate her.  Her passion is music, even though it’s unheard of among the high society.  She is constantly at war with herself, at being who she is within the aristocracy and who she truly is or wants to be inside, especially once Arin comes into her life. I especially loved the conflict and honor she wrestled with once the Herrani revolution began.

The love story took a long time for me to buy into, I loved Kestrel and Arin separately and each of their strength and spirit, but it took me a while to see why they would be so drawn to one another.  Still, by the middle of the story, I was rooting for them.

There is a good bit of history of the Herrani and the Valorians, and of Kestrel and Arin’s own lives, and sometimes I found it interesting, and sometimes I felt it drag a bit.  There is also extensive description of war strategy, which were exciting at times, but I admit my mind wandered a bit.  I found the pacing in the first half to be much slower than the second---it’s definitely the explosive events of the second half that really caught my attention and kept me reading to the end.

The Winner’s Curse is a beautiful intense story, one that I will most likely continue because the end leaves us at a great setup for both characters about to take on new adventures.  If there is one thing for sure, this taste of Rutkoski’s writing has left me hungry for more, and I’ll be seeking out her other work from now on.

Find Marie Rutkoski online:  Website  •  Twitter 

Purchase The Winner's Curse:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Winner's Curse
by Marie Rutkoski

hitting shelves March 4th, 2014 from
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

description:
Seventeen-year-old Kestrel is an aristocratic citizen of Valoria, a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers. Here, a girl like Kestrel has two choices: join the military or get married. Despite her skills in military strategy, Kestrel’s real passion is music.Which is why she feels compelled to buy Arin, a slave with a talent for singing, at auction. It’s not long before she finds herself falling in love with Arin, and he seems to feel the same for her. But Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for Arin is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a new world, The Winner’s Curse is a story of wicked rumors, dirty secrets, and games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

 My thoughts: THE COVER. OMG.  This will undoubtedly end up being one of the most gorgeous covers of 2014, truly I don't see how many could top it. It's stunning.  Aside from that, some of my favorite book bloggers have already been lucky enough to read this one and given it glowing, 5 star reviews, so I'm definitely on board.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Tumble & Fall
by Alexandra Coutts

hitting shelves September 17th, 2013 from Farrar, Staus, & Giroux

description: A novel about the end of days full of surprising beginnings

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand.

Alexandra Coutts's TUMBLE & FALL is a powerful story of courage, love, and hope at the end of the world.

My thoughts: Ok granted this concept has been done twice in recent movies, one that I absolutely haaaaated (Melancholia) and one that I actually kinda loved (Seeking a friend for the end of the world), it occurs to me that this theme can be done in so many ways, and I can't wait to see the YA-take on it!  Gorgeous cover, also... can't overlook that!

Becky's View: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered by Jessica Brody
♦publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
♦release date: March 5, 2013
♦hardcover, 320 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Unremembered, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

Review: Thanks to a really well done cryptic description, the reader goes into Unremembered pretty much in the dark---which I loved.  I really had no idea what kind of mystery would be unveiled that would land a girl in the middle of the ocean, the only survivor of a plane crash, full amnesia, and no one can figure out who she is.  The beginning of the story is played out beautifully, really keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing.  I have to admit that the prologue foreshadowing got me really excited for a certain kind of story---then it turned out to be something else. While the unpredictability was a welcome thing, the big picture was a little more sci-fi than I'd hoped for.  Still, the concept was interesting, the story was incredibly face-paced as Sera races to find answers and safety, and the love story was good, so I still enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Sera is quite a fireball from the very beginning. Her frustration and harshness to everyone around her is understandable in the situation she was in.  When she moves in with a foster family, you can see her really trying to get her bearings, while still trying to figure out the truth about what happened.  I loved the relationship she built with her 13-year-old foster brother, Cody, though I couldn't help thinking a few times how reckless she was about putting him in danger.  

The love story had a good spark to it. I loved how they had a connection through poetry and Shakespeare, and how he uses that to jog her memories of him.  Their whole escape plan kind of hinges on their shared love of poetry and I thought that was kind of sweet.  

There are some characters that really keep you guessing about which side they are really on.  And then there were also obvious bad guys that were a bit cliche for my tastes.  Great hulking goons all dressed in black clothes and smirks, and an antagonist that I couldn't help but picture with the smooth mocking voice of Jeremy Irons.  He also has the classic super-dramatic villainous monologue scene to wrap things up. A bit cheesy, but it served to answer a few questions.

Despite a few additional quirks I had with this one (i.e,a character that jumps into the story, does a major info dump, and then her part is seemingly over.), I enjoyed the way it started out as a mystery and turned out to be a fun, action-filled sci-fi story.  

Give this one a try---I wouldn't say I loved it, but I definitely found it a fun, entertaining way to pass the afternoon.

  Find Jessica Brody online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Unremembered: Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Becky's View: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Crewel by Gennifer Albin
♦publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
♦release date: October, 16th, 2012
♦hardcover, 368 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦source: from publisher for honest review

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.

Review: Crewel first draws you in with this incredible cover---which, by the way, gets extra points for being so significant to the story and concept.  Those gorgeous multicolored swirls and threads  that you see perfectly depict the strands that Adelice sees and can pull from thin air.  

Crewel is an incredibly unique idea.  The world Albin builds is like nothing else I've ever read or imagined. The way the Spinsters work the looms to bring food and health and everything else, including death, to the people of Arras was such a creative concept.  The whole dynamic of the society was a little hard to follow at first, the "rebounding", and the importance of cosmetics (still a bit baffled by that!), and just how it all worked, but as far as the spinning goes, the author does a great job helping the reader visualize pulling these "threads" and working them into the looms that control the lives of the people of the land.  But really, I felt that the story was less about this and more about the politics and corruption of the people running both the Spinster's Guild and Arras itself.  In that way, I felt it really lost some of it's uniqueness and became just another "protagonist raging against the cruel government" dystopian.  It wasn't what I expected (I guess I wanted more mystical, not so political), so I admit to being a little let down, but it was still a gripping and heart-wrenching story. 

Adelice certainly does rage, too.  From day one, she fights them with everything she's got.  She is certainly not perfect, as a matter of fact she makes a deadly error in judgement before she's even dragged off to the Spinster Guild.  Once there, she deals with some pretty despicable characters, including Cormac and Maela---two that are as cruel and corrupt as they come.  Some of the things that happen are so heartless and harsh, that it just hurt to read about them. I found myself gripping the book and trying not to cry several times---a good sign of how invested I was in the story and some of its characters.  I really enjoyed reading about Jost, he was such a good person who'd been through such terrible things.  Erik was also an intriguing character, not one to easily be trusted; you never can be quite sure where his loyalty lies.  There's a bit of a romance triangle going on, but it didn't bother me as much as the fact that it seemed every male character in the story wanted Adelice.  

Still, a very compelling story right to the end.  The ending is quite a cliffhanger and I can't wait to hear more about where they've ended up (not telling where...no spoilers!).  Now that I've got a feel for the story, I think I will enjoy the second even better.

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Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Crewel
by Gennifer Albin

hitting shelves October 16th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

description:
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.

My thoughts: The Fates! This sounds very cool. I love mythology-based stories, so this one about a guild that weaves the fabric of life definitely catches my attention! And look at that cover! Beautiful colors and a unique design that makes me think of threads flying everywhere. Gorgeous!