This was definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far! Even though there was one aspect that I was slightly disappointed with it does everything else so well that I still had to give 5 stars.
The Incandescent is a dark academia with a very heavy focus on the academia part. In fact, it is absolutely a love letter to teaching while also exploring the systemic failures of educational systems and how this impacts students and teachers alike.
We follow a teacher at an elite magical school and see a lot of the day to day effort that goes into her work. I really liked Saffy and her character development. It felt refreshing reading from the perspective of an almost 40 year old main character.
I was absolutely ecstatic when I realised this included a sapphic love story, with a butch modern knight no less! However, we get surprisingly little page time from the main love interest and only get very few scenes of them developing their relationship at all.
The setting and world building is another point where this story shines. We have a creepy old magical school in alternate world England with all the atmosphere that brings with it. The magic is unique, expertly interwoven with our own world and the theory behind it thoroughly explained through our main characters academic career or teachings. 
I loved the humour that was brought into the story through the demons possessing mundane items like phones and photocopiers.
I also really enjoyed the ending with it being one of the most satisfying conclusions to a book I’ve read in a while.
All in all, I’ll be keeping a look out for this author’s future work! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

If you're looking for a story with magic, mayhem, and a quietly unraveling protagonist, The Incandescent might catch your interest, but you’ll want to go in with your expectations tuned to something a bit more introspective than explosive.

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was going to be a dark academia thrill ride: powerful magician, elite school, demonic threats. And yes, that’s all there. Doctor Walden, our main character, is the kind of person you'd trust to hold reality together with nothing but sheer competence and a cup of tea. She’s measured, powerful, and just a little bit lonely, which is exactly where things start to get interesting.

But the magic here isn’t just spellwork. It’s metaphor. Emily Tesh plays with power and identity in ways that feel deeply personal, if sometimes a bit elusive. There’s an aching sense of disconnection running through the book, as Walden tries to hold everything together while slowly realizing she might be the biggest danger of all. If you’ve ever found yourself quietly spiraling while looking absolutely fine to everyone else, you’ll get it.

That said, The Incandescent isn’t without its rough patches. The pacing lags in places, and some of the more intense emotional moments are muted rather than cathartic. There’s a cool detachment to the prose that suits Walden’s personality, but it also creates a bit of distance between reader and story. I found myself wanting to care more than I actually did, which is a frustrating place to be in as a reader.

Still, there’s something oddly beautiful about this book. It’s not a page-turner, but it’s a slow, steady simmer. If you’ve got patience for quiet character work and enjoy magic as a metaphor for the self, especially the parts we try to lock away, The Incandescent might hit just the right note for you.

TL;DR:
Come for the demons and academic drama. Stay for the soft unraveling of a woman trying to be the strong one all the time. Just be prepared for a slower, more internal journey than the blurb might suggest.

Okay, so this was a perfect take on dark academia. In every dark academia book I've read its a student MC, and they are super confident in their abilities even though they have not finished their schooling. They survive by sheer luck or are saved by a teacher or some kind of experienced adult. In this book the FMC, Doctor Walden, is the undeniably best backup you could get. She has decades of experience behind her and the power to show for it. She loves being a teacher, making sure the academy itself doesn't slide into a demon realm, and saving students from themselves.

It's original, it's exciting, and the frustration I've felt from YA MCs having a teenage fueled response based on an inflated ego due to a superiority complex is nonexistent. It's such a relief to read about Doctor Walden who actually has the life experience and knowledge to deal with malevolent forces attempting to kill everyone and destroy everything.

I can't recommend this enough! I want to yell from the rooftop how much I love this book!

I think I need to go through my ratings and round down my 4.5 stars, because this is standing out from my other 5 star reviews! I'd give this book 6 stars if it were possible.

3,5 stars

The Incandescent should be everything I want from a magical school story. Yet I have some mixed feelings about it as a whole.

We meet director of Magic Saphire Walden as she is taking care of one of her mundane tasks at a magical school. We follow her for a whole school year as she preps her 4 eldest students for their A Levels (United Kingdom, senior year high school). Unfortunately that doesn't go quite according to plan.

This story is heavily character focused as we follow Walden in the mundane of her task with some magic thrown in here and there. While I liked Walden as a character I struggled with her lack of emotions. We're doing a deep dive into a character. But this character is hiding a lot from herself. She buries herself in her work to not have to deal with her emotions that go as far back as 20 years ago. Of course that comes with consequences. I don't think the story wrapped up that portion of Walden very well.

After the events of October it was like watching a slow moving train wreck that you can't really look away from. She is making all the wrong decisions. And the one character that would have called her on that, is removed from her vicinity. Well isn't that convenient. The wrap up of the consequences of that did not at all feel satisfying to me. It is like Walden just shrugs. Oh well. Oopsie. Again, she buries herself in learning something to not have to deal with her emotions and she shows no inclination that this will change in the future. So clearly she has learned so very little. I find that very frustrating.

Having said that, I was very charmed by the setting of the school, the mundane things that were shown and some of the relationships between the characters. Especially the bits and pieces we get from our four students through Walden I found great to see and the way she clearly knowns them felt very endearing to me. I thought the key keeper was also a great add. Walden is also a character that sees a lot. She observes a lot. And Tesh uses that to show us the rest of the school. It has a lot going for it in that regard.

This is marketed as a dark academia. It sits on the border of that. It doesn't quite hit the macabre I think. The mundane of the story shifted a lot of the mood where it didn't quite feel like a dark academia at a lot of times.

Despite my mixed feelings I do think that The Incandescent is worth a read to those who love magical school settings or those who would love to read these settings from the end of the teachers.

Very clever thesis on being a schoolteacher, and privilege and power and academia. Incandescent adolescent indeed - and the titular character being the protagonist was a great twist

This is such a smart, thoughtful take on magical academia. Rather than the usual glamour, it focuses on the everyday realities of teaching: lesson plans, difficult students, and the quiet weight of responsibility. Saffy is a wonderfully nuanced protagonist, and her voice brings both humor and depth to the story. A compelling, well-crafted read that lingers after the last page.

This magic school novel offers a refreshing twist, focusing on the teachers who must keep a group of powerful, overconfident, and reckless teens from destroying themselves and the school. The author draws from her own teaching experience, which adds a unique touch.

Easily one of the best magic school books I’ve read, it might even surpass Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy.

Saffy Walden, MThau, PhD, is the head of the Invocation department (demon summoning) at Chetwood School, an ancient boarding school in England known for producing top-tier magical talent. Her job is demanding, balancing typical teaching duties with the added complexity of a magical institution. Managing everything from quirky magical creatures to dangerous exorcisms. She’s also caught in bureaucratic turf wars with Laura Kenning, chief of the school’s demon-fighting Marshalls.

Much of the story is a slice-of-life narrative, following Walden as she supports her students; each with their own unique strengths and challenges. The book has a comforting, almost cozy feel, as Walden cares for her star pupil, Nikki, and helps others navigate their magical education and personal struggles. But there’s a looming danger in the form of a powerful demon that has haunted the area for centuries, a threat that is definitely not ignored.

What makes this book stand out is how it subverts many magic-school tropes. Magic is widely known, technology works alongside it, and students are held to high academic standards beyond just magical studies. Chetwood is both a place for magical education and a well-rounded school that emphasizes real-world knowledge. There's also some romance, particularly between Walden and the ever-competent and attractive Chief Marshall, Kenning.

This book is an absolute must-read. The author has delivered another fantastic story. Highly recommended!

I loved some desperate glory, so when I heard Emily tesh was doing a school fantasy I knew I would love it! And god did I.
This story was so clearly written by someone with a deep love of teaching and engaging with teenagers, and really made me sympathise with all my teachers from years past.
As a fellow Cambridge alum I loved the peak into the academic world I know so well, and the commentary on the social issues that come with it.
The story itself was fantastic, with some great character work and a wonderful premise! The world was the perfect amount of removed from ours that felt like you'd stepped sideways into a familiar place.
This is definitely my favourite read of the year so far, and has solidified Tesh as one of my favourite authors.

It doesn't happen often, but this time I discovered this book through Netgalley. I was scrolling through the database and the cover caught my interest. When I read this book was set in a magical school and was for readers of A Deadly Education, I was sold. I requested a digital review copy and Orbit granted me one.

It's hard to describe this book. It's not filled with action. It's not action packed. It's not really romantic. And yet, yet I was intrigued from start to finish. Especially because the book is insanely atmospheric. The author does an amazing job painting the picture of the magical school, of the dorms, the sports fields, the entire scenery. It also does an amazing job introducing us to the students and their influence in the main character of the book.

And the main character I loved most of all. It doesn't happen that often that the main character of our stories is well into her thirties, having a job and just doing her work. It's clear that she cares a lot about her school, her students and what she's doing. And despite her character flaws, she's clearly not that great when it comes to personal communication, she's so easy to love because we spend all the time in her head and mind. As a thirty-something year old myself she was insanely relatable.

On top of that I loved the magic and lore. At times the explanations of the magic feel a little academic, but that totally fits the setting and the main character. So, after making it through the beginning of the book, where things could be slightly overwhelming, I really loved seeing the demons at work, starting to understand the magic, getting a feel for the risks and the danger. Although I understand this story is told, I would be happy if the author would write more stories with this lore!

Starting this off with a few disclosures. 1) I am an academic, I do research for a living, and I teach, and I adore it (mostly). 2) I am in my early 30’s and lord knows there are many more books with young FMCs than there are those closer in age and experience to where I am now in life. These two things said, this is the slice-of-life fantasy I have dreamed of.

This story is about Dr. Sapphire (Saffy) Walden, her beloved Chetwood Academy, and the students she cares for and educates over the years. Skilled at evocation, Saffy (Dr. Walden), serves as a professor and the director of the elite magical boarding school. She is brilliant, and blunt. As a 38-year-old woman, she knows what her life is and what the future will look like. She is content, maybe. The school’s safety balances delicately on a system of wards and protections both new and hundreds of years old. As Saffy’s past decisions haunt the present, she must maintain control of her school, her lessons, and herself lest the balance tip and doom them all to the demonic realm lurking below.

After reading, I saw a pitch of this book as “A Deadly Education meets Rivers of London,” and I wholly agree. I have not read Tesh’s other work, but will be adding them to my list after The Incandescent. This story reminds us that the daily minutiae matter, and that there is beauty in the mundanity. However, it was also wonderfully moody, reflective, and a breath of fresh air for the genre. I can’t promise everyone who reads this will love it. I did, and am excited to delve into Tesh’s other work (and a reread of The Incandescent).

Happy release day to this brilliant book! Out now in both the US and UK. And thank you to @emilytesh and @orbitbooks_uk for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy - it's taken me days to write this review, because the book left me reeling with thoughts and needed a while to wrap my mind around them.

The Incandescent is a richly layered story that blends the reality of modern teaching life with dark academia and demon lore. Set in a magical school outside of London, it follows a passionate but overwhelmed teacher navigating the pressures of education, personal demons (both literal and metaphorical!) and a past that keeps seeping into her present. As tensions rise inside and outside the classroom, the boundaries between reality, magic, and memory begin to blur.

The first thing that stood out to me was how incredibly true-to-life the depiction of teaching in England felt. Having trained there myself, I was amazed at how accurately it captured everything, down to the absurdly relatable moment of the photocopier going on strike (luckily without an imp haunting it, in real life haha). The protagonist felt so real and tangible: flawed, yet self-aware, deeply committed to her students and her job, and facing struggles that felt so relatable. She lives her teacher persona, Dr Walden, as a shield even in her limited non-work-related life and we see her try to break down hat wall throughout the story, attempting to be "just Saffy". Her slow-burn romance with Laura was beautifully done - tentative, and ultimately so sweet. I especially loved the passionate little group of students that rallied around Dr Walden - they added such warmth and fire to the story. The school setting, threaded with demon mythology and a rich history, created a darkly magical atmosphere that kept pulling me in. And it loved that we got to experience it, and the story, fromt he perspective of the teacher rather than the student, which is what happens most often!The writing was thoughtful and introspective, and still has me thinking about parts of the book over and over.

If anything, I found myself wanting a little more resolution. Some of the bigger confrontations or showdowns seemed to be pulled away just as they reached their climax, and I was left with questions I hoped would be wrapped up more clearly. Still, that unfinished quality almost felt intentional, like the story was meant to haunt you a bit after the final page. Well and truly a memorable and thought-provoking read.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark-academia and urban fantasy, as well as demons and demon-hunting with a twist!

Just found a new favorite fantasy!!!!

I DNF-ed Emily Tesh's Some Desperate Glory previously so I was hesitant to request for this one at first. But the synopsis completely drew me in and I was really excited to start it. And oh my god, I'm so glad I decided to take a leap and request for this.

My main issue with Some Desperate Glory before was the over telling but not showing and the main character, but I did not find those issues in The Incandescent at all. I do think there was still some of the telling but not showing though, but in the grand scheme of this book, I think it was necessary and even fitting for the concept of this book.

Fantasy books about magic schools are common - they're not anything new. But it was the execution of The Incandescent that makes this concept a little fresher and more unique. Instead of the focus being on the students of the magic school, we follow the teacher instead - Saffy or Dr. Walden. I would say one of my favorite thing about reading this was that we get this point of view of someone being a teacher, on how they try to educate the students. Teachers are human after all, so it was really great that we get to follow this perspective more and seeing the love Saffy has for her job and her passion. However, that's not to say the students weren't interesting. I loved the little group and their love for what Saffy teaches. It's fun because they still act like teenagers, and yet it's also really wonderful to see them respect Saffy. I just lovedd their little student-teacher dynamic.

I also loved the romance down to the awkwardness of it??? Saying this very affectionately but I loved how awkward Saffy is in this aspect.

Set in a magical school we follow Walden, Walden is not a student, she’s the 38 year old director of magic. We follow her life as a top-notch teacher, securing the school from demons & a falling into a romance.

The setting is almost exclusively at the school, it’s heavy academic. Personally I’m not always the biggest fan of academic books but I absolutely loved this. Carried by the delightful Walden.

The character work is what stands out for me, the characters each have distinct personalities, they’re quirky, and are filled with humour.
Throughout the book I had a strange feeling that I knew Walden from my school years and felt like I was being privy into the life of someone I knew 😳, that’s to say that it felt like having someone familiar tell you their story and you’re admiring everything about them.

I enjoyed the plot, it had some low moments where i wasn’t as interested, though it also had plenty of great moments.
Dark plot at times, demon attacks, possession, and threats.
Lots of small funny moments throughout, possessed printer, girls summoning a demon to inhale smoke so they can sneakily vape, and a possessed bus.

I really appreciate reading about real adult characters. The book overall has a somewhat cozy vibe to it, though i wouldn’t count it as a cozy read as there are high stakes.

4 ⭐

Magic school! Heavy emphasis on the school part. I recently discovered that Emily Tesh is a teacher and it really shows here, because what we get in this book is an incredibly detailed exploration of the concept “what if there was magic and demons and someone had to teach an A-level in it?” I loved it.

NetGalley and the publisher provided a copy for review, but I also bought it because come on.

I really really enjoyed this one!

Adult contemporary fantasy following the director of magic at a magic school in England - this was right up my street.

It was really refreshing to follow a 38 year old protagonist, and I loved sinking back into the world of British education - it’s obvious Emily Tesh grew up in the UK and went through the system themselves, she did a fantastic job of making Magic seem like an effortless part of the curriculum and school system.

I liked our main character Saffy or Dr Walden, her motivations and her gripes. I did struggle to connect with other characters and the plot was a little easy to see coming, which is what dropped a star for me, but it was still a really enjoyable ride.

I will be honest in that i think this book is well written and the world-building is immersive. The story for myself is is slow pased and I bit info-dumpy at times. I has currently stopped reading the book without finishing it, only because of my personal read habits. I am a mood reader and this type of story is not something that is my current fixation. BUT from what I've read so far is a cozy, heavily academic slow burn kind of read. The demographic of readers who are looking for that type of story will not be disappointed. I will personally be picking this back up whenever I feel the need for this type of book, which I do have and will be happy to give my full range of thoughts at that time. However for now this has been a good to great read like 3.75

Actual Rating: 3.5

Any hint of an adult approach to the concept of magic schools and as a major fan of the fantasy genre I’m naturally going to be intrigued. With the added bonus of demons thrown into the mix here ’The Incandescent’ was a natural ‘must read’ for me and on the whole I was highly impressed. Admittedly it wasn’t quite the new favourite that I was hoping for but it was an inventive and engaging read throughout that left me wanting more.

Before anything else I feel like I should stress the fact that this is an adult, academic approach to the concept of magic schools – told through the point of view of a member of staff. This isn’t a tale of someone finding out magic exists and getting swept away in the wonder of it all; this is the intrigue of the supernatural – with all its potential and dangers – woven into the realities of life as a teacher at a classy boarding school. Its paperwork and meetings with magical ward maintenance on top. It’s magic has a more academical feel to it too – no wand waving involved – and I will admit that parts of it went a little bit over my head. It’s exactly the story that the blurb promises you so I’m not faulting it for that; I just want to make clear that it truly does focus on what it highlights within its premise and comes at you with a truly unique tone when it comes to this kind of tale.

Whilst reading ’The Incandescent’ Walden’s voice struck me as feeling incredibly realistic throughout. In all honesty I found myself wondering if the author had teaching experience and based on the acknowledgments I’m guessing the answer is yes. The tone is spot on for this kind of narrative and fully immerses you within its characters mind.

The other thing that really struck me whilst reading ’The Incandescent’ was how marvellously creative the world that its set within was. In many ways it’s our very own world but with demons and magic woven within. Ever wondered how demons and technology would interact? Here you get your answer alongside some oddly intriguing imps which were somewhat of a highlight for me. This novel’s take on ghosts, emotional echoes and other similar topics left me longing to uncover more. It was a world that I couldn’t help but find myself fascinated with.

Character wise there are some interesting individuals to meet and everybody felt believably fleshed out. Although I will admit that no one blew me away with that ‘new favourite’ feeling that you sometimes come across. Romance wise I felt similarly overall too; I liked it well enough but it didn’t get under my skin in that ‘oh my gosh I must gush about these two together’ way.

Towards the end there’s a very noticeable shift in tone and that’s what made me feel compelled to drop this to a 3.5 rating. For some readers maybe – hopefully – this will work but honestly it threw me. Even once I knew what was going on I simply couldn’t seem to get into these particular chapters in the same way which is a shame as there’s a dynamic at play that generally tends to intrigue me. Plus I personally felt like some details were skimmed over a little surrounding this time. Several things happen but I don’t feel like you ever get a true level of depth to the various how’s of it all. Or even an exact ‘what’ in one case’. The story ultimately ended in a place that I was happy with yet it felt slightly rushed to get there.

So overall I’d recommend checking ’The Incandescent’ out, although please do take its more academical approach into account. Its a tone and vibe that I can see some readers falling for but it’s also one that I know may not be for everyone. Personally I struggled with one segment of it, towards the end, but I don’t necessarily think this would be the same case for everyone; although I will say I wouldn’t be surprised if other readers also came away craving a bit more clarity surrounding certain answers. Yet ultimately this is an intriguing tale with a distinctive voice and many ideas that left me longing to know more about its world. This wasn’t a new favourite for me but it was still highly enjoyable, besides one small section.

A dark(ish) academia fantasy from the perspective not of the students but from the teacher.
Chetwood is a posh boarding school that has a tradition of teaching magic. Unlike most books about magical schools, this school and the subject of magic is subject to all the usual government oversight, inspections and curriculum that you'd expect.

Dr Saffy Walden (former pupil) is now a brilliant academic, teacher of invocation (one of three magic disciplines) to the small group of upper 6th form students taking their A-levels. But with the senior role of Director of Magic, she spends very little time teaching and a lot of time in meetings, planning lessons, writing risk assessments, checking the magical security of the school and making sure unauthorised electronic haven't been snuck in and the possessed by an imp.

I really liked seeing a dark academia fantasy from the perspective of a teacher and Dr Walden is an interesting character. She's an extremely talented academic who has chosen to be a teacher when others would view it as beneath them, and not because she's not confident in her abilities. But she is carrying a certain amount of guilt from her time as a student and one of the themes is about being allowed to make mistakes, especially when you're young, and being allowed to move on from them and to improve. The story also looks at privilege - not many people get to go to an expensive boarding school and who, in this instance, can have a magical education (hint: it's not the state school kids) and how that can lead to wasted potential.

The pacing was a little iffy in places, I think having a finale-level event at 1/3rd and the natural dip in pace afterwards made it feel slower than it actually was. The ending was also a little abrupt.

But overall, a thoroughly enjoyable magical academia story with interesting characters and setting. I'd be very happy to read another book in this world.

This was a hugely entertaining look at what would happen in demons were loose in a British, private, boarding school. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This book revels in both the macabre and the mundane. We have all the bureaucracy of a boarding school alongside the teaching of magic, and particularly summoning demons. The juxtaposition works so well, and is embodied by our main character. The director of magic is a supremely powerful magic user and also a teacher of A-Level students who dresses sensibly and works ridiculous hours to the detriment of her own personal life. She balances teaching invocation with the administration of running a school. The structure this setting creates works well for both containing the magic systems explored, creating jeopardy and existing as its own contained universe separate from the rest of the world (largely).

I enjoyed our main character, often prickly, but committed to the care and education of her students. She was interesting because of how prim and proper she is on one hand, but then also under her blazer is heavily tattooed and lusting after a colleague. Romance isn’t usually a focus for me, but here I really enjoyed it. Though the characters have a tense and combative relationship at first, their cool civility and politeness meant the evolution felt really natural.

I was vehemently invested in the story, it was one I flew through. The plot was fascinating, the perils tangible. There were a few peculiarities of language that were jarring at times, the use of abbreviations and acronyms that weren’t explained and required knowledge outside of the book to understand (GDPR for example). This is a minor quibble but one that did feel strange in an otherwise excellently written book.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book was fantastic. The magic system was interesting and complex but still felt grounded and realistic.

I adored this different take on the dark academia genre, framing it through the lens of a teacher who still has to actually operate as a teacher rather than just a magician was new and fresh. It gave me a greater perspective and appreciation on the teaching profession.

The characters were well rounded and likeable. Saffy in particular was an excellent narrator. My only criticism would be that the confrontation at the end did not feel as high stakes as the one with old faithful and so felt slightly anticlimactic in a way. This didn’t detract however from my enjoyment of the rest of the work. I will be thinking about this for a long time and hope we see Saffy and Chetworth again