The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones

by Lex Croucher

From instant New York Times bestseller, Nero Award-shortlisted, and TikTok Book of the Year-shortlisted Lex Croucher comes your new dark academia obsession...

Briar always dreamed of attending the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, the elite boarding school that's produced the most CEOs and Prime Ministers in history, long rumoured to be magical. Briar's best friend, Seb, just wanted them to stay together forever.

When Seb gets an acceptance letter and Briar doesn't, their relationship is shattered - until, at eighteen, Briar secures a temp job sorting through the magical junk in Temple's attic, and discovers that quiet, sensitive Seb, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become the villain.

Dark academia meets fantasy in this timely page-turner about a student who fails to gain admission to the UK's only school of magic but then finds their way there years later and unearths the ugly secrets simmering behind its ancient walls - unmissable for fans of Babel by R.F. Kuang and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Academia, Queer, LGBT, Young Adult, Romantasy, Fiction

480 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Lex Croucher grew up in Surrey, reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London with an elderly cat. With a background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom coms for adults (REPUTATION, INFAMOUS) and historical fantasy rom coms for teenagers. GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is their YA debut.

Reviews

[Mei ☽︎]

Why did I have to find out about this book right now when it's freaking coming out October 2025???? 😭

[Eleni Chapman]

the blurb is giving school for good and evil vibes and i’m not sure i’m emotionally ready for that

[amie]

I need this soooooo bad

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was. Surprisingly dark, twisted, and terrifying. And oh so addictive...

This book sucked me in right away and refused to let go, despite the fact that things turned so dark I often needed a break.

As plotlines go, this was fairly familiar: magic school, houses, initiations, privilege...

BUT

Briar hasn't seen their best friend since he took of for magic school seven years again. After years, they finally manage to get a temp job at he school, and can't believe how awful things are at the prestigious private school. And when I say awful, I mean full-on psychological and physical torture awful. And their best friend? Well. He seems to have become the villain. But uncovering just what is going on has Briar questioning the meaning of good and evil, and everything in between...

I really loved the setting and the creepy atmosphere, the take on magic was original, the resolution unexpected.

If you love your fantasy dark and twisted, don't miss this one!

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[hope anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning. Briar Jones is my favorite of Lex’s books so far, not just because the characters are delicious, the setting is fantastic and the humor is next level. But it scratches that itch for the books that remind me of my childhood, except through an adult lens. So often people think making something adult means it has to be gritty and bleak but Lex has turned out a book with all the awe and wonder of those childhood books—except told with the humor, reality and awareness of an adult. It’s like looking back on a fun childhood story and being like “hahah… oh wait.” But all wrapped up in a fun, wonderfully satisfying conclusion.

10/10, do NOT sleep on this!!

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

utterly obsessed with this world and these characters. the perfect balance of humour and heart wrapped up in a gripping tale of guilt and responsibility and privilege. the concept of a whimsical dream from childhood - a belief so strong that it never quite manages to stop haunting briar - clashing with the ugly truth of reality made for a truly compelling narrative. this reminded me why i love dark academia... and it's so delightfully queer too !! UGH i love it !!

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the early digital copy! :)

[rachel x]

"Dark academia meets fantasy in this timely page-turner about a student who fails to gain admission to the UK's only school of magic but then finds their way there years later and unearths the ugly secrets simmering behind its ancient walls"

hell yeah

[Desig · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book