Monday 1 June 2015

REVIEW - THE DEPARTMENT OF ALTERATIONS BY GENNIFER ALBIN

The second novella I have recently read and reviewed is from the
Crewel World Series

Title: The Department Of Alterations
Series: Crewel World
Author: Gennifer Albin
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 25th September 2012

BLURB from Goodreads
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.


PURCHASE LINKS

INITIAL THOUGHTS
I have been curious about this series for quite a while, so thought that reading a novella that is part of the series an easy way to do so.  I'm unsure if I am reading this in the wrong order or not, though the book is labelled as 0.5.
MY REVIEW
So the cover is a super interesting cover, it features a a face which I can only describe as being made up of patches. So would the cover make me pick the book up from a book store shelf? It would have undoubtedly caught my attention and then I'd have read the blurb, so I'd say the cover is doing it's job for sure.
This novella gives the reader a small glimpse into the world of Arras. The main character in this is Karoline Swander, a powerful business woman with an important husband. so basically she has all she should ever need but . . . she is not satisfied and wants more. Basically she is about to commit treason. If caught she faces being ripped/removed, by those that spin the magical weave that is Arras. This novella also enlighten's us a little about the "laws" of Arras and it's dystopic elements. In this world men are the ones in power, in charge of everything, they have all the important jobs and naturally make all the significant decisions. Women are wives who "toe the line" they are the accessories to the men, they do as they are told, what is expected of them, generally without questioning it if they wish to be classed as model citizens. 
The woman in this novella, is feeling disgruntled and unsatisfied with her life, she needs some alterations doing but cannot go through the official channels so finds herself taking a large step into the relative unknown for her. Karoline Swander is seeking a back alley tailor to perform a procedure that is considered rather sinister.
So did I enjoy this novella? I did, though I'm not sure if I should have read book  one first, to learn more about the dystopic society and it's expectations of it's people.                   Would I recommend the novella? Yes I enjoyed, and it has without a doubt encouraged my wish to read more in this possibly fascinating series. I really want to learn more about the Crewel World. Would I want to read more in the Crewel World Series? Ooo yes, I've already started reading book one. Though I have noticed that there is a 0.1 novella called The Cypress Project, but cannot seem to find it on sale anywhere. Would I want to read other titles by this Gennifer Albin? After reading the novella and just beginning to read book one, I can say I like Gennifer's writing style, so yes I would take a look at anything written by this author.

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