Paul's Top 5 Books Read in 2013

2013 was another great year for Young Adult books. I read over 50 books in 2013 and I want to share my Top 5 books that are not sequels. I'll also throw in the sequels I enjoyed at the end. One thing that I absolutely loved about 2013 was the inclusion of LGBT in so many Young Adult books. 

Here are the TOP 5 BOOKS I read in 2013 that are not sequels:

5. Crewel by Gennifer Albin

4. Skulk by Rosie Best

3. The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

2. Pantomime by Laura Lam

1. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

And here are some amazing sequels, some of them even conclusions to a series:

          

       

     

What were your favorite books of 2013? Check out my reviews of these books by clicking on the titles for the TOP 5 and the cover images for the sequels. 

--PAUL

The Rain is a Lie (Crewel World #1.5) by Gennifer Albin - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Tor.com

Title: The Rain is a Lie
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2013

My Crewel review
My Altered review
Paul's Crewel review

Synopsis: In Arras, space and time aren't ideas, they are tangible substances woven together by beautiful girls into the very fabric of reality. The looms that create Arras are as controlled as the Spinsters who work them, ensuring a near idyllic world for the average citizen. But at what price? 

As an election approaches, a surprise weather forecast and a mysterious stranger hint that not all is as it seems, and a young boy learns that in Arras nothing can be trusted, not even memories. "The Rain is a Lie" is an original short story set in the world of Gennifer Albin's Crewel.

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Review: I love short stories set in known worlds, so I was really excited when I found out about this one! Crewel was one of my favorite books this year, and I am so glad I was able to learn a little bit more about Arras and its people before Altered was released. It definitely helps to ease the anticipation! 

This story was a lot more tame than Altered, but I think it still gave the same message - that things are not always as they seem. Instead of a young woman, we follow a small boy as he goes to meet his mother at the market. He sees and hears things that he finds strange and doesn't understand, but no one is willing to listen to him or explain anything. I think it also says something about parents and adults in this society. Sometimes children hear and see things that the adults miss or pretend are not there, but end up being right. 

I really want to know the significance of the rain being a lie, and how this story ties in to the main books. I think I need to reread Crewel at the very least, but it was still a good story and expansion on the world nonetheless. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has read any of the other books/stories in the Crewel World series! Especially because you can read it for free on Tor's website! 3/5. 


--Ashley

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin - Paul's REVIEW

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Crewel (Crewel World #1)
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2013

My Pre Reading of CREWEL
Ashley's Review of CREWEL

Synopsis: 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.

Review: This book was excellent! I think this is my favorite first book in a series that I have read this year. I don't know why it took me so long to read this. If you, too, are putting off reading this you should reconsider immediately! 

Albin creates such an interesting world. Adelice can manipulate reality. She can see the threads of time and matter that make up the world. There are a group of women that use their powers to make sure the world functions, but this isn't a modern/futuristic gender equal world. Women are oppressed, very similar to the 1950s ideal of a working woman. It is always interesting when authors try to make an ideal future, but it is even more interesting when they make a broken world to address real life nowadays issues. 

Like most amazing worldbuilders, Albin builds this amazing world that we are just starting to understand right before she completely flips it on end. Throughout this book I was questioning what the world really was. I had a few really far out there theories that didn't come true. The last book that I was so intrigued and confused in a good way, trying to figure the world out, was Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. 

Not only is the world amazing, the characters within it are as well. At times I thought the "love triangle" was a little forced, but it wasn't your traditional love triangle. Enora made me feel so many feels. If I hadn't been on the bridge of a boat with many manly men working, I think I would have been balling. I definitely teared up and that doesn't happen often to me with books. 

Overall, I LOVED this book! The imagery is beautiful. The world building is amazing. The characters have depth. I am so excited for the sequel and I hope it gets more hype when it is released. No one should be missing out on this book. I give it a very strong 5/5.

-PAUL

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin - Paul's PRE READING

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Crewel (Crewel World #1)
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2013

Ashley's Review of CREWEL

Synopsis: 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.

Why?: I have wanted to read this book since it was released. I have heard only good things about it. The concept sounds so intriguing. I don't even understand what it exactly means. I like when science is conceptual in books. 

Expectations: I am expecting my mind to be blown or at least very entertained. I'm hoping to have a lot of questions about the world Albin has created. I want some high concept thinking, at least more than a normal YA sci-fi. 

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is absolutely gorgeous. I love the many colors and that I really don't know what it is. It almost looks like a flower, but maybe it's threads. I have seen the new covers and I do not like them as much. They aren't unique at all. I would and have picked this book in the store based on its cover. 

-PAUL

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2012

My Pre-Reading
My Department of Alterations Review

Synopsis: 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.

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Review: This book was everything I hoped it would be and also so much more. I wish more books were like Crewel - it was seriously that good. Everything about the world building and the characters and the story and all of the minor details that start to come together make this book beautiful and thrilling and completely unforgettable.

I loved so much about this book that I don't even know where to start. I guess with the world-building? Albin's world is simple, but complex. The Guild controls everything, with the help of the Spinsters, and normal people lead pretty normal and simple lives. It's amazing how Albin weaves (haha) all of these different things together to make a society that isn't terribly unbelievable. If there were people who could weave the very fabric of time and the universe, I imagine it would result in something exactly like what Albin writes about. And then when Adelice describes hat the weave looks like... I seriously felt like I could see it myself. It's awesome, and I want to know so much more about this world.

The characters in the world are also incredible. Adelice is confused, but she's still strong. The more I read, the more invested I became in her well-being and in her story. I wanted to hug her when she was sad, and celebrate with her when she was happy. She grows up quite a bit in this book, and she learns things that no normal girl should have to learn (not that Adelice is anywhere close to normal). She has to deal with so many different things, and never gives up on wanting to learn the truth - even if it means sacrificing the things she holds dearest. I admire her, and can't wait to find out more about her in the rest of the series. 

The more minor characters are all very nicely written as well. Jost and Erik are surprising and charming, and although I'm definitely Team Jost right now, I'm interested to see where the romance goes in the next book. Speaking of the romance, it was slow-paced and believable, and that was a really nice change of pace from the whole "love at first sight" thing. While I also enjoyed the heroes and the villains, I think my favorite characters were the ones who were somewhere in the middle. They waiver between which "side" they support, and I think that really helped move the story along.

Albin's pacing is also very well done. She takes time to give you necessary and important details, and to drop hints about future events, but it never slows the story down. Things also don't happen so quickly that you might miss something if you aren't paying close enough attention. This was a fairly easy read, and I found myself not wanting to put it down to even sleep or eat. 

I could really gush about how beautifully written this book is all day, but I don't think it will do it enough justice. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an excellent sci-fi read, regardless of if you're a fan of YA or not. I don't even know what to compare this book to, because it's not like anything I've ever read. I'm so excited to read the next book in this series, especially since it comes out soon! Definitely do  NOT miss this book. A 5/5 from me. One of my favorites I've read this year. 


--Ashley

The Department of Alterations (Crewel World #0.5) by Gennifer Albin - Ashley's Review

Amazon | Goodreads | Tor.com

Title: The Department of Alterations
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: In a world woven of secrets, a woman seeks a back-alley tailor for a sinister procedure, but she can't escape from her own tangled web of lies.

The women of Arras are expected to fall into assigned roles, serve as loving wives, and provide healthy children into the world's tapestry. But perfection comes at a price and not even the looms of Arras can manipulate away every problem in the fabric of life. Something Karoline Swander knows all too well. She has a respectable job, an important husband, and she's about to commit treason.

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Review:  Ok first of all, this cover really freaks me out. I still haven't really been able to figure out what in the world it has to do with anything, and I'm a little weirded out that it looks like she's surrounded by intestines and there's a bird coming out of her mouth. I like that it's dark and creepy, because the story is kind of dark, but I just don't really get it other than that. 

That being said, I really enjoyed this story! I think reading Crewel first really helped with that, because otherwise I would have been so confused. Mrs. Swander is a very minor character in Crewel (so minor that only her name is mentioned - we never see her), but I think it's really interesting to actually find out what happened to her. It's actually kind of sad, and I totally feel for her. Poor girl.

Since this story is so short, we really only get to see the events that are happening and directly led up to her acts of treason. Although I do wish this story was longer, I was amazed at how we get such a good picture of Karoline in such a short amount of time. Albin's writing is incredible, and I loved seeing more of the world that she developed in Crewel. Everything might seem perfect, but there are still problems and there are still those who are willing to go around the law and sell services that most would consider treason. 

I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who has read Crewel and wants to learn just a little bit more about the darker side of the world! Especially since it's available to read for free on Tor's website! I wish it was longer, but it was still nicely done and well paced. A 3/5 on this little story. 

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin - Ashley's Pre-Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Crewel
Author: Gennifer Albin
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: 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.

Why?: A girl who can weave destinies, a group of highly powerful women that are apparently also very dangerous, a mystery, forbidden romance, and all sorts of other things? This book sounds so epic! YA Fantasy books are my favorite, and I'm really interested in this one. I'm also curious as to if there will be any references to the Fates and to ancient Greek/Roman mythology. I have so many questions just from reading the description, and I hope that this book contains at least most of the answers!

Expectations: I expect a pretty epic story with a lot of world building. Also, I expect there to be quite a few twists to keep me on my toes. I'm not really sure what else to expect - I haven't read many reviews or anything to try and figure anything out. I'm hoping for a good story with even better characters.

Judging a book by its cover: I really love this cover! Everything about it is just gorgeous, and it definitely caught my eye as I was browsing on Amazon. I would pick this up off a shelf in a heartbeat if I  saw it in a bookstore or in a library. So much cover love.


--Ashley