The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones A Novel

"What a wonderful ride. Croucher's blend of light and dark, humor and trauma, is so refreshing, as is their taut, evocative prose. The pages flew by, and I didn't want my time with Briar and Seb and the crew to end." - V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"You'll love living in this novel's brilliantly imagined world. Lex Croucher has written a wondrous book not just about magic and mayhem but also about love and hurt and how we survive it all together." - John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones has absolutely everything: the institutional rot and villainy of the System; the toxic romance of social mobility and the spires of dark academia; the brilliantly integrated magical system; second-chance yearning at soul-shattering decibels; the sheer bounty of delightful, irreverent dialogue; every perfect Lex Croucher turn of phrase. Funny, devastating, achingly romantic, a hands-down favorite of the year, and probably ever. The book itself makes it impossible not to intuitively grasp the nature of a so-called Working-I feel dreamy and half in love just thinking about the chance to return to it, even though I know what sinister turns yet await." - Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six

"Reading The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones, I completely lost my grip on time. I was so engrossed in the book, so immersed in the author's imagination, I forgot to eat dinner. When I finally emerged, I was exhausted, starving, a bit teary-eyed and totally exhilarated. Croucher is a deliciously witty writer [and] Briar's story is a moving meditation on friendship and trust, class and power, the terrible choices that do not have to define us. It's my favorite fantasy novel I've read all year." - New York Times Book Review

"I literally could not put this book down. The only reason I didn't finish in a single sitting is because I had to stop every other page to savor a particularly good sentence. Briar is one of my new all-time favorite characters, and there's no one I'd trust more to follow into the beautiful, poisonous brambles of a posh magical boarding school. The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones is a delicious and diabolical feast for lovers of dark academia, romantasy, complex queer romance, and that one childhood friend you just can't shake." - Casey McQuiston, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The freshest contemporary fantasy I've read in years, with a deeply flawed queer found family and incisive commentary on systemic rot-plus sharp humour and an unexpectedly tender romance. Fans of The Magicians and Ninth House have found their new obsession." - Laura Steven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates and Silvercloak

"A masterclass in writing nuanced, morally grey, and occasionally unhinged characters. It sucks you into the debauched underworld of an impossibly elite school and doesn't let go....A must-read for any dark academia fan, particularly for those fond of A Deadly Education, or Gideon the Ninth." - Fantasy Hive

"This book pulls off the trick of making magic school wondrously seductive and gut-wrenchingly appalling, thanks to the compelling titular protagonist and, of course, Croucher's incredible gifts for both storytelling and shoving your most tender emotions into a blender and cranking it up to ten. Wildly creative, very funny, and searingly angry, this is a story I will never forget. (Though I wish I could, so that I could have the pleasure of being ruined by it all over again.)" - Freya Marske, USA Today bestselling author of A Marvellous Light

"Witty, sharp, and addictive, The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones deftly balances an excoriating take down of the elite with deeply human and tender queer relationships. Croucher is a master of the craft." - Kat Dunn, author of Hungerstone

"Only Lex Croucher could write a book that is so full of wit, yearning, sexual tension, rage, niche cultural references and a powerful dissemination of the elite and the institutions that protect them. Come for the found family and stay for the scathing indictment of privilege-particularly that which forms the backbone of academic institutions. This is dark academia as it should be written." - Bea Fitzgerald, Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen