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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I requested and received this book free from Book Sirens. The cover and description really pulled me in I just had to read it. My review is voluntary.
Three Meant to Be by M.N. Bennet is the queer magic school book I've always wanted. It has similarities with other magic/superhero school media. But in my opinion it is also incredibly unique and complex. The world and magic system M.N. Bennet has crafted is fascinating. I don't like rereading books but I want to reread this one. I want to take notes on the magic system and be a total nerd about it. I want to do a deep dive into the world and how well the classism (and more) is written into the story. However, I won't say that I didn't struggle to read this book. I did struggle, it took me a month to read it. It probably wasn't my best idea to read a book with a grieving main character after suffering my own loss. I found Dorian Frost (the main character) painfully relatable. I saw a lot of myself in Dorian Frost and I don't like myself (I'm working on it). So, it was a bit hard to read at times. But I was so invested in the characters and the story.
I recommend this book if you're into superheros, magic, interesting world building, the bullshit bureaucracy that comes with them. However, if you read it be prepared to have your stepped on. There are some very dark moments in this book abuse, death, graphic injury, and more. There are also some truly heinous characters. But if I get into that I will spoil the book. However I do want to and think its fair to say that chapters 27-34 dragged me by my heartstrings all the way through turmoil to a very satisfying ending.
Overall I truly loved Three Meant to Be it made me emotional, it made me think, and it creatively inspired me. I want to get better at drawing people so I can make fan art of these characters. I loved the characters Dorian included and I loved their queerness. As I said above this is the queer magic school book I've always wanted. And it is very queer, it feels almost queernormative if not for characters I want to kick in the head and sweet under the rug. There are so many queer characters including a transgender student whose dead name never appears in the pages of this book. As a trans person I greatly appreciated this and Dorian's commentary about the school roster and outdated policies. I also loved the way Milo and Dorian's texts were included in the book, even Milo's sexts and failed attempts at flirting. Dorian and Milo's relationship is complicated there is a pain between them that needs to heal, and that doesn't get resolved in this book. Three Meant to Be is only the first book in the Branches of Past and Future. There are two more books as of right now. That I am mildly afraid of because of their titles and M.N. Bennet's ability to rip my heart out with his writing and lovable characters.
Final Note: If you were an emo kid and are now a goth adult you too might see yourself in Dorian. Also there are two sassy cats in this book which is just another reason to read it.
Three Meant to Be by M.N. Bennet is the queer magic school book I've always wanted. It has similarities with other magic/superhero school media. But in my opinion it is also incredibly unique and complex. The world and magic system M.N. Bennet has crafted is fascinating. I don't like rereading books but I want to reread this one. I want to take notes on the magic system and be a total nerd about it. I want to do a deep dive into the world and how well the classism (and more) is written into the story. However, I won't say that I didn't struggle to read this book. I did struggle, it took me a month to read it. It probably wasn't my best idea to read a book with a grieving main character after suffering my own loss. I found Dorian Frost (the main character) painfully relatable. I saw a lot of myself in Dorian Frost and I don't like myself (I'm working on it). So, it was a bit hard to read at times. But I was so invested in the characters and the story.
I recommend this book if you're into superheros, magic, interesting world building, the bullshit bureaucracy that comes with them. However, if you read it be prepared to have your stepped on. There are some very dark moments in this book abuse, death, graphic injury, and more. There are also some truly heinous characters. But if I get into that I will spoil the book. However I do want to and think its fair to say that chapters 27-34 dragged me by my heartstrings all the way through turmoil to a very satisfying ending.
Overall I truly loved Three Meant to Be it made me emotional, it made me think, and it creatively inspired me. I want to get better at drawing people so I can make fan art of these characters. I loved the characters Dorian included and I loved their queerness. As I said above this is the queer magic school book I've always wanted. And it is very queer, it feels almost queernormative if not for characters I want to kick in the head and sweet under the rug. There are so many queer characters including a transgender student whose dead name never appears in the pages of this book. As a trans person I greatly appreciated this and Dorian's commentary about the school roster and outdated policies. I also loved the way Milo and Dorian's texts were included in the book, even Milo's sexts and failed attempts at flirting. Dorian and Milo's relationship is complicated there is a pain between them that needs to heal, and that doesn't get resolved in this book. Three Meant to Be is only the first book in the Branches of Past and Future. There are two more books as of right now. That I am mildly afraid of because of their titles and M.N. Bennet's ability to rip my heart out with his writing and lovable characters.
Final Note: If you were an emo kid and are now a goth adult you too might see yourself in Dorian. Also there are two sassy cats in this book which is just another reason to read it.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such a fun read! It was a little chaotic but I loved the urban fantasy/dark academia mix that this had going on. I also really loved Dorian and all his emo glory! I especially loved his attitude towards his students, a little gruff but kind and just wanting them to be prepared for their magic permit testing (and maybe trying to keep them from getting murdered). Another thing that I really liked about this was Dorian and Milo’s relationship and the Finn shaped grief that kept them apart for so long. They were kind of a mess and had a lot of issues but they worked so well together once they let themselves be happy. Three Meant To Be is getting a solid four stars! I can’t wait to read the next one 😊
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
This was a nice book mostly because I love a very surly main character, and the fact that he's got a happy go lucky golden retriever guy fawning after him makes it all the better. Dorian is a school teacher, he used to be an enforcer for magic, but now he teaches kids how to learn and get jobs in magic. His on again off again boyfriend Milo is the most famous enforcer in Chicago. The world of magic is complicated in terms of root magic and branch magic and I'm still not sure I totally get it.
The bulk of the story revolves around a shared vision of the future that Dorian is trying to keep from happening. But there are scenes intermixed of the past including their partner Finn, who died 12 years before, creating the rift between Dorian and Milo.
Its pretty obvious the person who wrote this is a teacher, there's so many details about day to day life, interactions with other teachers, admin, and others, as well as the students that makes it really believable.
My only gripe was that it literally took me until almost the end of the book to realize there were two Gael's in the class. I feel like that should have been done a little differently.
The bulk of the story revolves around a shared vision of the future that Dorian is trying to keep from happening. But there are scenes intermixed of the past including their partner Finn, who died 12 years before, creating the rift between Dorian and Milo.
Its pretty obvious the person who wrote this is a teacher, there's so many details about day to day life, interactions with other teachers, admin, and others, as well as the students that makes it really believable.
My only gripe was that it literally took me until almost the end of the book to realize there were two Gael's in the class. I feel like that should have been done a little differently.
Who doesn’t enjoy reading about a bit of magic, especially when it involves mystery and rivalry? This book has a bit of it all, making for a very exciting and magical journey.
You can’t help but connect with the main character. Not only has the author given him some kind and endearing attributes, but he is also at the forefront of the action, with his partner kicking off the search with a foreboding scene playing in their mind.
I loved the pace of the book, as we didn’t fly through the action, but we’re kept on our toes and ready for any twists. There is a good amount of detail, really bringing their world to life and explaining the details as to why they aren’t able to learn the same.
Overall, and great book and definitely and author to watch out for!
You can’t help but connect with the main character. Not only has the author given him some kind and endearing attributes, but he is also at the forefront of the action, with his partner kicking off the search with a foreboding scene playing in their mind.
I loved the pace of the book, as we didn’t fly through the action, but we’re kept on our toes and ready for any twists. There is a good amount of detail, really bringing their world to life and explaining the details as to why they aren’t able to learn the same.
Overall, and great book and definitely and author to watch out for!