Title: None of the Above
Author: I.W. Gregorio
Publishing Date: April 7th 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: ARC
Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:

A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

"Love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

I cannot stress enough how important this book is. There are a lot of great YA books, but only few are this brilliant. This is one of the most diverse, raw and  incredible books I have ever read and I can't seem to find the appropriate words that would give justice to this masterpiece. This is the first book I've read about an intersex character, as well as one of the few times I have encountered such a word. This book gave me a deeper understanding of what an intersex is and the challenges they face in our society.

I have to admit that at first I had my doubts about this book and was extremely skeptical and critical as I read it. I knew the subject matter of this but I was afraid that it would not be handled all too well. But boy, I was wrong. It was not only handled well, it was handled brilliantly. It is evident how much research was put into writing this book, of course, nothing less to be expected from the author who is a surgeon who treated an intersex patient that inspired this novel.  You can actually see that the author cares about what she's writing, that she' s passionate about this cause and subject and that she has taken extreme care into making this book as flawless as possible.

And yes, it delivers. 

The novel is eye-opening. Kristin's story and struggle to be accepted in a society that is cruel, close minded and ignorant will impact you in ways unimaginable. It will make you question the standards and the norms we live in right now and will raise the questions: Does it really matter what chromosomes we have? Does it matter what our genders are?  Does liking the color  blue make you any less a female? Do any of these matter? There is a lot of discussion about gender, what constitutes it, identity, and what it truly means to be a girl or a boy. 

Plot wise, I found some parts problematic and a little too convenient, especially in the romance aspect of the story. However, all things else I found the plot to be well-paced and Kristin's struggle to be very realistic. Her main support system in the book is of course her father and I loved how well their relationship is portrayed. He still sees Kristin the same way despite her condition and does his best to make it easier for her and support her in every decision she makes. Kristin is a strong MC and though she struggles and is insecure with her condition at first, I find her admirable as she constantly picks herself up and even fights for her spot in the track team. I loved her character development, and found the pacing just right. The novel ends a little too conveniently but I liked how it has a happy ending, as it gives a truly positive message about being intersex.

None of the Above is truly an honest and refreshing debut. It tackles some heavy matter but it does it just the right way. I feel as if this book will educate its readers more than it will entertain them, and that I think is what makes this a glorious contribution to young adult literature.

Title: The Walls Around Us
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Format: ARC
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

Summary (via Goodreads):
“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.

We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.


I'm sure you've all noticed that the summary is in black. This is because I didn't want anyone to read it before knowing that this book is so much better if you read it without knowing anything about it. If you do want to read the summary, highlight it and you should be able to read it.

I read this book barely knowing anything about it. Sure, I read the summary, but I merely skimmed it. This was due to the fact that I wanted to read the book as fast as possible because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make a review in time. So, when I started reading this book, the only things I knew about it were that there are characters named Violet and Amber and that a girl named Orianna connects them. I read this at around 10:00 pm last night and I slept at 1:30 am even though I planned to sleep at 12:00 just because I couldn't put the book down. I started reading it and from then on, I took every opportunity I could to read it. Waking up the next day, I instantly started reading The Walls Around Us with the goal to figure out what exactly was going on. I'd like to say that I now completely understand what happened, but I honestly don't. 

Let me just say that Nova Ren Suma's writing is beautiful, flawless. She takes her time without taking too much time. She knows what words she needs to use to piece together this haunting story about friends, betrayal, mistakes, and crime. She is amazing. With short, simple sentences and precise descriptions, she created a tale that will stay with you long after you're read it. I have never heard of Nova before, but now, her name is not one that I will easily forget. She created characters that stayed true to who they were, but also managed to change and grow. Every single one of her characters are memorable, unique, important. I'd love to give you some quotes just to help you realize how great it is, but I would probably place the entire book here, for everything she wrote is gorgeous.

Amber is a girl who is locked up in a juvenile detention center, while Violet is a ballerina about to get into Juilliard and achieve everything she has ever wanted. This story was told by the two of them, and while their voices were similar in some ways, they had their own personalities, motivations. Orianna doesn't tell the story, but she is the center of it. With Amber, I can sense her motivation and the way she always has this sense of crazy underlying the calm but is also more mature than most people her age. With Violet, I could sense the ambition and the guiltless, honest, selfish way she acts to get where she wants. With Orianna, I could sense her loyalty and her humility even when she has so much talent that comes naturally. All three of them are connected in some way. 

This book is shocking, not because the events weren't expected or because there were unexpected twists, but because even if you already know whats about to happen, you deny it, you wish it away, and when it finally comes, it hits you like bullet from a gun. I didn't expect the supernatural twist (because I barely read the summary) and I'm not very fond of supernatural stories, but in this case, it worked. Although there are supernatural happenings, the story contains so much of the raw truth about humanity and the world we live in. How not everyone who is found guilty is guilty, how not everyone who is said to be innocent is innocent, and how money has always and will most likely always be a huge factor as to who wins and who loses. I won't know exactly why what happened, happened, so I just like to think of it as justice working and the balance being restored. Honestly, this book is better off keeping some secrets because that's what makes it so great. That's what makes it alluring, appealing to readers. Nova knew what to tell us and what to let us figure out for ourselves. She wrote with a blunt honestly that also manages to be subtle when it needs to be.

I love this book. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever read. The world building, the writing, the plot, the characters are all just wow. I advice anyone who reads this to read every single word even if it takes y0u more time. It's worth it.

1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Hi guys!!

We've been doing a lot of reviews, book tours, and basically all of our scheduled posts. But we haven't taken the time yet to just update you with our lives and this blog. Today, we want to talk to you, just tell you what's happening, what we're planning to do and what we were able to do already.

Blog Design

We're actually pretty happy with our blog design already and we haven't had it for so long yet. We're probably gonna change it, but we don't know exactly when. We could actually change it anytime that we feel like it. We're also quite sure that we're gonna change it within this year, maybe even more than once, so stay tuned for that! :)

Blog Posts

Audrey and Beryl are definitely gonna be more active in the next couple of months since school's out and they have plenty of time to blog already. Kimi's still a bit busy, but we're sure she'll find time for blogging. We are aware that we haven't been actively participating in blog features like FFFs or Waiting on Wednesdays. This is why we are planning to put these in our schedule too. We're not gonna be able to post everyday as our sched is hectic (school, extracurricular activities, side projects, catching up on our  TV series - if you count that as hectic). Even so, we are aiming to have quality content that will make up for the lack of posts. Hope you guys understand!

Personal Livessssssssssss

Since it's already summer here in the Philippines, we haven't been doing anything at all. And we're already more productive than last year. We have been blogging, watching series, reading, eating, taking naps (three naps a day keeps the doctor away!), stalking celebs, and the list goes on! If you have no life, like us two, we'll share to you what we do to keep boredom away.

1. TV Series to Watch
Teen Wolf
Why Watch: Dylan O'Brien, hot dudes, unnecessary backflips, DYLAN O'BRIEN, werewolves

Elementary
Why Watch: you can use your brain, you learn stuff, it makes you feel smart

Suburgatory
Why Watch: funny, stress-relieving

2. Books to Read
Books by Colleen Hoover
Why Read: excellent writer, 5-star reviews from Kimi

That's all for today! We really enjoyed writing this post, hope you guys enjoyed it too! Comment down below your fave series and books, so we could watch and read them together. <3