Tuesday, August 13, 2013

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

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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. 

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