BENJAMIN
SHEPHERD
QUIÑONES

I received this book in exchange for a review and it’s been a really good surprise. I just loved it. This book was completely unique. First of all, it was the first time I read a book about aliens because I don’t usually like that subject but it was well mixed with the rest of the story. Also, it’s about a gay teenager coming out. And about superpowers, and at the same time about daily life at school. So yeah, I can say it’s unique and very original.

I loved the characters, especially Noah (the main character), the plot and the way it was written. It’s too bad so much was revealed in the book description, it takes away all the suspense because we already know what’s going to happen and we can’t guess anything. It was still nice to read of course, but the description of the book should be shorter and should reveal less things. 

There was a lot of action during this short book and you can’t be bored for even a second. It’s the first book of the author and he’s quite young so this is a really good start. I hope he goes on writing because he’s talented. I got into the story very fast and I was sad when it was the end. Thanks again for letting me read this book.

Marine Sander, Goodreads fan

 

The Gene Pull is an honest exploration of the pros and cons of coming out, with a sci-fi twist. Geared toward young adults, this short (180 pages) novel follows 16-year-old Noah Fletcher through a small window of his coming of age, including his coming out process. Noah is met with varying levels of acceptance from family, friends, and school peers when they learn that he is gay. LGBT teens will especially appreciate the recognition of the challenges that many face when they come out, especially bullying from peers. On top of handling the stress of coming out, Noah is also plagued with a superhuman power that pits an alien race against him. As Noah learns to handle both situations, the novel expresses an obvious "It Gets Better" theme that all young teens can relate to and gain hope from.

Gina Mason, Goodreads fan

 

This book. Just. Wow. I CANNOT wait for more from Benjamin S-Q! Good lord that was fun.

Kade Boehme, fellow author

 

This story was a pleasant surprise. The Gene Pull is a debut novel by twenty-year-old aspiring author Benjamin Quinones. I probably shouldn't admit this, but when I purchased the book, I had rather low expectations. It's published through a self-publishing company, and I figured that since the author was so young, the writing wouldn't be all that great.

What a pleasant surprise! With the exception of some annoying POV shifts, the word-crafting was brilliant and felt very seasoned. I loved the characters, the plot, and infusion of humor throughout the story. Granted, this is a YA story about a high school kid who just came out of the closet as gay the same day he gets abducted by aliens. The events and characters are at times over the top, but it was such an entertaining read.

I loved the main character Noah. He was self-deprecating enough to be viewed sympathetically, yet he didn't have a victim mentality (in spite of some pretty harsh bullying and homophobia from his peers). He ends up falling in love with another gay kid who's absolutely adorable--kind of a nerdy bookworm who's really sweet and lovable. 

I really hope readers will support this author, and I hope he goes on to write a lot more really cool books. I'm adding him to my auto-buy list and will be on the lookout for more of his stories.

Jeff Erno, fellow author

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