This was a really great book. This is the magical academia I want to read about.
I want classes, I want the author to teach me something about what they are writing about, I want passion for study.
This also have me a good complex fmc, a fresh wind compared to the usual fmc in fantasy/romantasy novels. I felt all the characters real and well written.
I appreciated the writing style, deep and rich, that really told me well everything about this world.
Some twist were pretty predictable, but still valid

Oh? What's that? There's a magical school book featuring demon summoning? And our main narrator is a teacher? Did you just say it explores themes of privilege and education? Why yes I AM interested thank you! 

The Incandescent takes place in a school reminiscent of the Scholomance, but our main character is an adult teacher who is very much aware of her expertise and knowledge, a nice change from the typical Young Adult protagonist we usually get. Through Dr. Walden's POV, we get fascinating insight into life as a teacher. As a student, I ate that shit up HAHA and if you're a teacher, then I'm sure you'll relate to her struggles! As much as I liked, or perhaps a better word is appreciated, Dr. Walden, the character that truly captured my heart was Laura Kenning. A hot butch lesbian that is good at fighting? Instant KO!

Reading this book is like experiencing a high-end perfume: The initial scent is excitingly intense, and then the base notes release, and you're hit with this deeper scent that reveals the complexity of the perfume. The story pulls this 'trick' twice, with both plot and character work. The character reveals are so gentle in their progression, and happens so carefully that by the time you've noticed it's too late… does that sound ominous? Well, you'll just have to read the book! It's far too good to spoil :)

One of my favourite things is how the book talks about education. Its importance, the joys of learning, and the ways this education system has failed its students. Books set in schools are often fertile ground for the exploration of many topics, since they can act as a microcosm for the dynamics of the world, and The Incandescent certainly didn't disappoint. There were so many moments where I paused to add notes out of pure fascination with the way the author had weaved the story.

My only gripe, (not really a criticism, just a personal wish) is that it ended a little too abruptly for me. I would really have liked to be told more about what happened to the characters after! Okay, that said I understand why the choice was made and I think it fits well for the story.

I think anyone who enjoyed the discussion of privilege and classism in the Scholomance series, or likes insanely cool characters with well-written flaws will enjoy this book!

What grabbed my attention about Emily Tesh’s The Incandescent was the setting: a British school, sixth-form students, and a teacher protagonist. Saffy Walden is the top in her field of invocation, making her one of the most powerful magicians in England. She works at the illustrious Chetwood Academy as the Director of Magic, overseeing the magic departments, staff and students, as well as magical security for the campus. Due to her managerial responsibilities, she only teaches a few classes, including year thirteen A-Level Invocation.

Told from Walden’s perspective, The Incandescent is an ode to teachers. As shown through Walden’s experiences, teaching is chaotic, and that is even before demons come into play! This book is an ode to teachers, and I was addicted to it from the very first page. I was so excited to finally find a book set in a British school written by someone who knew what they were talking about. I didn’t realise until I got to the acknowledgements that Emily Tesh is a teacher herself, so that makes sense! I have some background in teaching, and even though I didn’t take that career path, it was wonderful to see things like risk assessments and lesson plans.

I was also once an A-Level student, and Walden’s commentary about Years Twelve and Thirteen, especially the latter, was very nostalgic. Tesh perfectly captured the thoughts and feelings of A-Level students, especially Year Thirteen. I laughed at Walden’s reflections on the carol service, and how each Year group acted differently, with Year Thirteen giving it their all as the realisation of it being their last one hit them. I remember being that Year, and having that exact experience.

The way Tesh incorporates experiences like this into her narrative shows her compassion as a teacher and her skill as a writer. She clearly knows her students, and her experiences have enabled her to write an incredible novel. The Incandescent is an emotional rollercoaster, much like school itself, showcasing the lives of the staff of Chetwood Academy and its students. While the A-Level students take centre stage in that department, other scenes offer a glimpse at other Year groups. There is one with an asthmatic student that particularly stood out to me as a fellow asthmatic, and I appreciated Walden’s remark about asthmatics knowing how to handle their own condition.

While there is a lot of school procedure and teacher jargon, the duller moments are lightened up by Walden’s thoughts. Sarcastic and quick-witted, Walden’s savvy approach to dealing with students and teachers alike offers a lot of insight into the world around her. This includes the serious moments, as well as amusing ones of bartering with an imp in the photocopier.

As Walden is an Invoker, the magic in the book is focused on demons; however, Tesh uses the academic environment to explore the wider magic system and world-building. There are the magical cops, the Order of Marshals, who help keep order on campus, and then school meetings that introduce the other magical departments. Tesh’s characters are real characters, not just in the sense of realism but also personality-wise. Even the minor characters are memorable, with the downside that I found myself wondering about them despite only meeting them on page once.

The Incandescent is a sapphic romance, with a bisexual protagonist. Romance is not the main focus of this book; instead, it features as a part of life. This is emphasised by Walden reflecting on her relationships and her life to date as a thirty-eight-year-old. Like many people nearing forty, she is beginning to question whether she has done enough. There is also the inevitable adolescent romance drama that comes with a bunch of teenagers.

This book hit all the right notes for as a British queer woman in their late thirties from South East London. Unlike other books set in a British school, it was good to see a realistic representation of race. Too often, I see a predominantly white student body, and it was great to see an author point out on page how diverse the school is. Chetwood may be a fictional location or based on ‘Chetwode’, which, like Chetwood, is close to Milton Keynes.

At present, The Incandescent appears to be a standalone novel, but the novel’s conclusion could go either way. It wraps up nicely as a standalone while also leaving room for another book. As a fan of series’ I’d love Tesh to do just that, or in the future return to the world she has created here. It feels like there is a lot of room to develop it further, and I’d love to see what happens to some of the student characters!

I am writing this as I am 61% of the way through and I am OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!! I am definitely preordering the paperback release for next year (hardcovers are too heavy for my hands!). I will update as I go along!

EDIT: ok, I finished it. I absolutely loved it! bisexual rep, a dark academia from the perspective of the teacher rather than the students??? I LOVED THAT!! seeing the struggles of teaching in this novel was so refreshing; with a lot of dark academia fiction, we often wonder why schools are failed but it is because teachers are let down and consistently overworked. as far as I can tell, this is a standalone book but I definitely wouldn't object to another book like this one if Tesh is up for it. the romance was slightly underdeveloped for me - I would've liked to have seen a bit more of that within the book.

From ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, to ‘A Deadly Education’, to ‘The Name of the Wind’, the magic school trope has seen its fair share of fantastic books, and yet it wasn’t until ‘The Incandescent’ by Emily Tesh that I’d ever come across a magic school where the main character was a teacher. Dr Walden is director of magic at Chetwood school, in charge of teaching invocation to a class of four and securing the school’s magical boundaries from demonic incursions.
Walden’s character really jumped off the page to me, a fantastically written character with clear depth, and the insights into the teaching profession within this book were fascinating to read about, this book could only have been written by someone with experience within the profession. The class of four felt reminiscent of the children from ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ in their distinctive quirks and the way Dr Walden navigated these in order to get the best out of her pupils. The plot though not to me the highlight of this book was engaging and gripping, and I found myself excited to continue reading, while the tone was light with lots of amusing moments.
This is a must read for fans of magic schools and a fantastic execution of a brilliant concept that I suspect may be in the running for quite a few awards in 2026.

The Incandescent is fantasy story set in the prestigious boarding school of Chetwood Academy. I adored this setting. It's different to much of the dark academia I've read in at least two ways. First, our protagonist is a teacher, the Director of Magic in fact, not a student. Second, in some ways this is a normal English school that teaches all your standard subjects, GCSEs and A Levels. It's just that some students will pick one or more of the types of magic as a subject. A student could be taking all magic A Levels, or just study Invocation alongside their English and History! There is so much teaching and behind the scenes of the school in this book, showing the every day scheduling and marking, alongside teaching demon summoning and banishing the pesky imp from the photocopier. As a teacher in the UK myself, although sadly not a powerful magician as well, I honestly loved the authenticity of it and seeing how much our protagonist loves teaching.

There is queer romance in this book with a bisexual protagonist and I really liked one of the romantic interests, but it is a small part of the story and doesn't get that much development. The focus really is on the fantasy and education elements.

Recommended for fantasy fans. An academy-based, magic teaching book, but for once not from a student's perspective. Thoroughly recommended to educators as well!

"White Lightning! It tasted like bad apple juice and adolescent stupidity."

The Incandescent is a unique and brilliant take on the magical academic fantasy genre. It brings the unique nostalgia of a millennial surrounded by teenagers in contemporary Britain.

Saffy, Sapphire, Doctor Walden is our pragmatic, multifaceted protagonist. She is intelligent, highly relatable and consciously flawed. Tesh does an incredible job of balancing the tones of teacheradmin life with the twists of a mystery that is constantly evolving.

Dr Saffy Walden, Director of Magic and a Deputy Head at Chetwood School, is a career-driven woman, focussed on getting her Year 13s through their Invocation A Levels, and keeping the 19th century arcane wards on the school from collapsing - at the threat of demons possessing the entire student body. When one such ancient high-level demon strikes out, she lets loose the far more powerful one she’s had not-so-secretly chained to herself since successfully defending her thesis - along with the hot paladin–I mean very proficient marshal– she has recently started flirting with. Only, love interests turn out to be like buses, as another magician shows up at the same time, with a very different opinion on her intricately caged pet demon.

The most important thing to know about this book is that it’s a magical school story - but about the 30-40 year old teachers and staff who work there, rather than the usual (in my opinion overdone) coming of age story about a ragtag group of kids. Along with the FMC being of a more interesting age to read about, she’s also bisexual which is very much felt throughout the story. She’s also very arrogant about her magical abilities - and I support women’s wrongs. Of course though, hubris thy name is Saffy, and this is a great personality flaw to explore.

Some of the supporting cast did at times feel superfluous, and the magic system was not particularly detailed or designed, but as a reader it all just made sense - especially the insane amount of detail of school life that could only come from an author who is (or was?) also a teacher. It was also educational - I learnt, for example, that White Lightning was discontinued in 2009 due to (in part) its strong association with underage drinking. This was an anecdote within the story that so resonated with my teenage years that I felt the need to google & fact check.

There were some interesting morals explored in the book, sometimes in hamfisted monologues, that felt like they were trying a little too hard to make their point. Other reviews have also touched on the marshals being essentially fantasy cops, although to that I would ask what those reviewers think paladins actually are…

I raced through this book in 2 days purely on vibes. That’s really all you need to know as a recommendation - if you want an easy to read book with fabulous vibes and a very fun & fast-paced final 20%, pick this up. If you want something that really gets into the weeds of worldbuilding and magic systems, give this one a pass.

The blurb pitched this novel as perfect for fans of Rivers of London and the Scholomance Trilogy, which happen to be two of my all-time favourite series, so I knew I had to pick this up. And I ended up absolutely loving this book!

I’ve read my fair share of novels set in a magical school, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one from the POV of a teacher, which made for a refreshing change. I loved the subtle British humour throughout this novel, and the setting felt incredibly well-realised — I could tell immediately that the author had experience as a teacher. The world-building was fantastic, and really easy to grasp. In addition to having the normal heavy workload of a teacher, Dr Saffy Walden also has the added burden of needing to keep 600 students safe from demons attracted by so much magic in one place. Demons also happen to be attracted by technology, which makes things quite challenging with so many phone-addicted teenagers around!

Dr Walden was a great main character - she was unapologetically herself, confident in her abilities, and frankly a little awkward when it comes to social interactions. Her self-confidence and intense workload do mean that she sometimes misses the obvious right in front of her, and ends up making a lot of mistakes. But at the end of the day, she is a kind and caring person, who is trying to do the best by her students.

Her invocation students — Nikki, Will, Matthias and Aneeta — were incredibly well rounded secondary characters. They made their own mistakes, which felt incredibly true to those a real 17 year old would make, but at the end of the day it’s their intelligence and ability to work together which will help save the day. The other secondary characters were brilliant as well (I wish we could have gotten more Laura though!).

Despite this being a highly entertaining and humourous dark academia novel, it still manages to explore several important issues, such as class, privilege and private education.

If you’re a fan of a magical school and want to see it from a different point of view, I’d really recommend this book!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely adored The Incandescent - it's one of my few true 5-star reads so far this year. As well as being engaging and emotionally resonant, there are some truly interesting considerations of class in Britain and private schools' role in upholding its structure. Every character is well developed, and capable of change - whether child, adult, or non-human. I particularly empathised with Saffy, despite coming from very different worlds (both in a class sense and a universe with magic sense). It feels rare to come across books about someone exactly my age.
In short: The Incandescent is an absolute triumph of a book - balancing humour, suspense and, at times, being profoundly moving. I found that I had underlined many sections - especially those which made me chuckle aloud. I can see myself revisiting this very soon!

This is a wizard school novel for people who want more realism in their wizard schools. It's told from the point of view of Dr Saffy Walden, the school's deputy head teacher, and there's as much in the book about running a school as there is about teaching magic. There are cute little demons that live in the photocopier and can be bribed with biscuits, and much more dangerous demons that will consume humans if they get the chance and must be kept out of the school and away from the children.

Teenagers make the sort of mistakes teenagers make, adults make the sort of mistakes adults make, and the protagonist is intelligent and observant and much too busy to spot every small problem before it becomes a significantly larger problem. I read the book twice, and the second time it was a much darker book as a number of events are re-interpreted in a more ominous light.

It's a good book. It's not always a fun one, but it has a lovely writing style and a solid plot and it ends happily despite everything that's happened. Recommended.

I thought the premise of this book was great. Dark academia? Yes please. But it was so boring. Maybe I'm just the wrong audience, as I like a great deal of action in my books, but this felt more like reading a biography about the school and its professors. It was exhausting trying to get through the book.

DNF at 31%

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me.
I didn’t feel invested in the story or particularly attached to the characters.
That said, it’s just a personal opinion since lots of readers seem to enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"A self is a home is a purpose is a life. But above all those, a self is a choice."
("Strike! Squeaked the demon possessing the photocopier.")

✨Magic boarding school
✨Main character over 30
✨Demon possession

What I liked:
-A magic boarding school setting but the main character is a teacher and over 30, not a student! So refreshing.
-The magic worldbuilding! How demons get attracted by technology and use technic devices to possess humans. Feels very realistic.
-That there is an ethical discussion about summoning demons. Are you taking their free will? Have they rights? Is it unethical to bind them? What about using summoned demons in wars?
-There are two love interests (at a different time), a man and a woman and I enjoyed both side stories.

What I didn't like:
-There are a too many passages about the mc doing administrative work.
After 20% it was more than obvious that she has a lot to do.

Thank you so much Little Brown Book Group Uk for the arc!

Demons were attracted to complexity and personhood. Laypeople assumed that this meant every magicians was on the brink of getting possessed all the tie, but really demons entering the mundane plane moved into complex and person-shaped spaces, like hermit crabs moving into shells. If you were unlucky enough to meet a magician with a demon looking out from behind their eyes, you could usually assume they'd invited it in. [loc. 225]
There are some books I read, and think about, and then review. There are others that I read, and think about, and then succumb to a reread before I review. The Incandescent is in the latter category, and I enjoyed it differently but just as much the second time through.

This is a dark academia novel, in the sense that it's set at a school for magic: but our protagonist is not a student, but Dr Walden (Saffy to her friends), 38 years old, Director of Magic at Chetwood School. Her career is her life, and she's constantly busy: teaching (the four students in her Upper Sixth Invocation group are important characters); negotiating with the demon in the staff room photocopier ('No representation without exsanguination!'); dealing with the Marshals, who police the school for stray demons; implementing a strict Personal Electronics Policy; filling out risk assessments for practical classes...

Dr Walden is an alumna of the school herself, though she doesn't like to talk about the events of her final year: she is also a powerful magician. Everything goes pear-shaped when Nikki, one of her best students, summons something out of her league: and suddenly Dr Walden is fighting for her life, revisiting the catastrophe that happened when she was the star of the Upper Sixth, and revealing a dangerous secret to the abrasive (but attractive) Marshal Laura Kenning.

The novel's plot is demon-heavy: none of your potions, herbalism et cetera, just invocation (demons), evocation (spells) and instantiation (alchemy). But the demons are as much characters as the humans, and more likeable than some. The school is vividly described (Tesh was a teacher, though possibly did not have to deal with a demonically-possessed photocopier) and the secondary characters -- from Walden's rather judgmental perspective -- well-observed. The magical system makes sense (though there was one element where I wondered how a magical oath might manifest; surely more efficiently than that?) and there's a strong sense of how this magical school fits into the real world: newsletters, legal responsibility and so on.

But what I liked most was the journey from 'Dr Walden' (superiority complex, arrogance, cosplaying her grandmother, dry humour) to Saffy. I also liked the distinction between her two major adult relationships -- with Laura, and with Mark, a security advisor -- and how differently she thinks and feels about them. I loved the Phoenix, too, though I should not.

There's a point in the last third of the novel where everything changes, and it is truly shocking. Even on first read, I had to go back and reread a few pages to check whether what I thought had happened was what was on the page. It was. Splendidly done! The ending felt a little anticlimactic (but that's resolution for you) and there were a few loose strands that didn't seem resolved. (One character's employment, or rather who they're working for; another character being accepted in a new role...) But overall, an extremely enjoyable read with a relatable protagonist, a twisty plot and plenty of emotion.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 13th May 2025.

This was my first read by Emily and it won't be my last!
I was lucky enough to get both the audio and the ebook and I think immersion reading this book really brought it to life.
The book was perfect, the pacing was great, I can't say enough good things about it!
A must-read!

I was happy to have been granted both the ebook and audiobook for this title, and I love immersive reading more than anything!

Emily Tesh had blown me away with her ability to write different stories in one and the same book. This was done to perfection in Some Desperate Glory (I'm still not sure how she pulled this off, and it keeps living rent-free in my head).

There is a point in The Incandescent where I had the feeling this might happen again. The first 30% are quite different to what happens next. However, if you trust the author (and oh I do) you will get rewarded.

Saffie is the FMC, and much to my delight she is in her 30s with a very adult attitude. She is also unapologetically queer. And she is very caring, good at what she does, and would give her life for her school and her students.

In her magic school she is fighting demons as well as the chores of administration.

Speaking of demons: the human world and the demon world are kind of sharing a space, and there are portals or gaps where demons can enter our world. Such an incident is happening in the school, and as you can imagine this leads to all kinds of trouble.

I have to admit I was a bit confused in the middle part of the book, but the beginning and ending are kind of bookends to the story - a narrative device I very much adore.

As this is from the POV of an adult, I have the feeling this is finally an adult Dark Academia, and I loved this book for all it is.
Oh and did I mention there is a cheeky demon in the copier machine?

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio and @torbooks for the eARC!

#TheIncandescent #Netgalley #Bookstagram

This was so good??!! It almost feels like the traditional Magic School book but instead of the group of misfits being the main characters, it’s the adult professor who actually knows what the fuck she’s doing.


Dr. Walden is a 38 year old professor with a very exact schedule and not stressed at all! She genuinely loves teaching and seeing her pupils succeed. She knows beter how to be a professor than a person and lack of personal life kind of gives it away. But she’s a passionate and extremely smart main character and I loved reading from her perspective.

“It was satisfying, challenging, intellectual and totally unhelpful when a giant demon was trying to stab you with thousands of sorcerous knives”

I really enjoyed the romance too, it had the very matter of fact quality and no bullshit aura that you see in 38 year olds with no time for casual dating. Saffy (Dr. Walden) knew what she wants and isn’t going to waste time on anything else. (Although it caused some regrets of course, can’t do without that)

“””You’re not going to throw me off by telling me the girl I fancy is an awful nerd with a superiority complex “”
The magic system was intriguing and well built in my opinion. And I really enjoyed all the characters, they felt very alive and I cared for them all deeply. Nikki, Matty, Will and Aneeta are obviously my favorites, it was so awesome to see the drama of the typical “chosen one” group from the perspective of the professors. How issues that seem huge to 17 year olds are actually so minuscule and yet Saffy took them all seriously.

I absolutely adored this!!

“”You are burning down my school, go fuck yourself.””

I love the trend of dark academia. Usually it is from the viewpoint of a student, but in this wonderfully dark novel, it is a teacher, Doctor Sapphire (aka Saffy) Walden, a really cool teacher who tries her best to set her students on the right path and keep them from repeating mistakes of the past (namely trying to summon a demon much too powerful for them the control, which she actually has experience in that). You get to see the history of the school, Chetwood Academy, both the dark and the good, and the depths of character, strengths and weaknesses and what Doctor Walden will do to protect her students and keep the school safe (along with all the other teachers tasked with this), even if it may be from herself, and even possibly find someone to share her life with (or at least help kick demon butt with). Yes, it focuses a lot on schooling and testing for A levels and you get to know her students well with their struggles and strengths and such, but you also get some really good fight scenes, demon summoning, demon banter, and even some demons that weren't too bad (aka Phoenix, or an imp in the copier).

This was an absolutely wonderful story with depth, great world building, a tense showdown, and a happy ending for most (Doctor Walden certainly deserves it for all that she sacrificed and went through during that last school year!) and I adored this so much! I know I will definitely reread this in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this awesome novel! I highly recommend it!

I absolutely loved this! I don't usually read urban fantasy, but I love dark academia, so I decided to give this one a go. I'm so glad I did. It wss really fantastic.

I loved the worldbuilding of the demonic plane overlapping the normal world and the demons gaining sentience. The philosophical debate that took place between the students was excellent.

I loved the fact that this book was told from a British teaching POV. As a British teacher, myself, it was so very relatable. I found myself nodding along at several salient points, thinking, yeah, that's accurate. A lot of it really captured the essence of teaching.

I loved the characters. The fact that some were so full of themselves was just... typical of education.

Honestly, there was nothing about this book I didn't enjoy. I was hooked from the first page and have already told my teaching friends all about it.