The Dissertation: A Stoneyard Novel

by Jenny Darden

British Literature student Lia Ames travels to a small town in Lincolnshire to flee a scandal and to research for her dissertation on Oscar Wilde. She befriends a young innkeeper, who promises to help her. This is great news, because Lia's snide mentor, her snarky kid brother, and the kooky town librarian all seem determined to make her life as difficult as possible. To further complicate matters, Lia stumbles onto a real-life, working grimoire. As she and the innkeeper experiment with the spells inside, they begin to suspect that the spell book may provide the key to proving Lia's thesis. Unfortunately, it appears that the book's previous owner is quite determined to get it back. As new enemies begin to emerge from the woodwork, Lia's dissertation becomes the least of her troubles.

A Note from the Author: This novel interweaves magical fantasy and literary history, and was incredibly entertaining to write. It is intended as the first book in a trilogy.

411 pages, ebook

Published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Jaide Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memorable characters and a great plot.