Side Quest Book Club: "The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones"

ABOUT THE BOOK

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

For as long as they can remember, Briar Jones dreamed of attending the Temple School of Thaumaturgy. Behind its ornate gates, the elite boarding school—the place that has produced the most CEOs and Prime Ministers in British history—is whispered to be magical.

Briar's best friend, Sebastian Wolfe, never cared about Temple. He just wanted them to stay together forever.

When, at age eleven, Seb gets an acceptance letter and Briar doesn't, their childhood friendship is shattered. Seb vanishes onto Temple's grounds and Briar resigns themself to a mundane life. But they can't completely forget their yearning for Temple, to be one of the chosen in the ivory tower.

Then, seven years later, Briar secures a temp job sorting through the junk in Temple’s attics. And they discover that quiet, sensitive Seb, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become Bastian: a beautiful, arrogant villain feared by the entire school. And worse, the secrets Temple is hiding might not be so enchanting after all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lex Croucher is the New York Times, Indie & USA Today bestselling author of GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE. With a background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes queer historical rom-coms and fantasy for both adults and teenagers from their flat in London.

ABOUT THE EVENT

• Tickets for this event are $5, which can be used as $5 credit towards a purchase at SQBG on the day.
• Side Quest Books & Games is located on the Bow Market balcony, in the back left corner. There is an elevator for accessibility in the lobby of Bow Market, to the right of the driveway when you first arrive.
• Masks are optional, but please let us know and stay home if you are ill.
• Outside food and drink are welcome.