From instant New York Times bestseller and Nero Award-shortlisted TikTok favourite Lex Croucher comes your new dark academia obsession... Briar always dreamed of going to the elite Temple School of Thaumaturgy. Briar's best friend, Seb, just wanted them to stay together. When Seb gets in and Briar doesn't, their relationship is shattered. Until, on the cusp of their final year, Briar secures a summer job sorting through the old magical textbooks strictly forbidden from the students who know how to read them, finally gaining entry to the notorious ivory tower to see what their closest friend has become and to learn, at last, who really controls the secrets of magical selection... The Secret History meets Her Majesty's Royal Coven in this stunningly prescient fusion of dark academia and crossover fantasy following the life of a non-binary student and aspiring magician who fails to gain admission to the UK's only school of magic feat. tyrant prefects, trials-by-sorcery, queer found family fighting the establishment, and childhood friends-to-rivals-to-enemies-to-more. PRAISE FOR LEX CROUCHER: 'Exactly what I needed right now' ALICE OSEMAN 'A total, rollicking delight' CASEY MCQUISTON 'Fun and genuinely funny' RAINBOW ROWELL 'I loved this book to a degree that's slightly ridiculous' BECKY ALBERTALLI