About this Event
Your Invite to The Scholar’s Formal: Lex Croucher in Conversation at French Protestant Church
Join us for an incredible evening with Lex Croucher as we celebrate the launch ofThe Unmagical Life of Briar Jones, one of 2026’s most anticipated adult fantasy debuts.
'A wondrous book' JOHN GREEN
'Funny, devastating, achingly romantic' OLIVIE BLAKE
'The freshest contemporary fantasy I've read in years' LAURA STEVEN
'Wildly creative, very funny, and searingly angry' FREYA MARSKE
'This is dark academia as it should be written' BEA FITZGERALD
'Croucher is a master of the craft' KAT DUNN
Step through the doors of the French Protestant Church and into the world of the Temple School of Thaumaturgy as we hostThe Scholar’s Formal– an evening of conversation and dark academia ambience. Dress in your finest dark academia attire and settle in to hear Lex discuss the creation ofThe Unmagical Life of Briar Jonesin this breathtaking historic venue.
ABOUT THE BOOK
From instant New York Times bestseller, Nero Award-shortlisted, TikTok Book of the Year-shortlisted, and YA Book Prize-winning 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, Sebastian, just wanted them to stay together forever.
When Sebastian 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 Sebastian, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become the villain.
Dark academiameets 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 – unmissable for fans ofBabel by R.F. Kuang and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
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 a background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom-coms and fantasy for both adults and teenagers. Their debut YA novel,Gwen and Art Are Not in Love, won the YA Book Prize 2024, the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award for Young Adult Fiction, and was an instantNew York Timesbestseller.
Please note: Book and ticket option includes a copy of The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones (RRP £22) available for collection on the night.
Every ticket includes: A Complimentary refreshment on arrival and the chance to meet Lex and have your book personally dedicated.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
French Protestant Church of London, 8-9 Soho Square, London, United Kingdom
GBP 15.00 to GBP 33.00
