Walden is good at her job. She is there for the children and teaching them the ways of magic at Centwood Academy. But as all children do they make mistakes. And the long lived demon Ol’ Faithful was summoned by one of the lessons and there Walden and the guard killed it. But then a long time fling worked his way back into Walden’s life and started to cause problems. Along with the Demond that was in Walden.

4.5 I requested this book because I loved Tesh’s debut Some Desperate Glory, I found her writing really wonderful and compelling and despite some issues I had with that book at points (the main character of some desperate glory is a wholly unlikable individual for the majority of the book) I was very pleased to see it win a Hugo and excited to see where Tesh would go after. This I think was a really fantastic follow up, in The Incandescent we follow Dr. Sapphire “Safi” Walden head of magic at a centuries old British magical boarding school. Safi is one of the world’s foremost experts in demon summoning, yet she’s working the largely unglamorous job of being a highschool teacher and administrator.

I loved the ideas and concepts going on in the book and the first 40% along with the last 20% where very strong and compelling, but I do think that the middle portion of the book is weak and like my biggest issues with Some Desperate Glory this makes the book as a whole feels disjointed. This one won’t be for everyone, much like some desperate glory wasn’t, Tesh has shown herself to be an author that cares about social commentary and understands that art is political which seems to be more and more unpopular for a certain subsection of readers. I personally loved and identified with the messaging and the ideas that Tesh chooses to look at and explore and greatly look forward to what ever she decides to write next.

As far as the books Narration, Zara Ramm does a really wonderful job brining Safi to life and does a great job keeping the listeners attention during the slower parts.

The Incandescent is my new platonic ideal for academic fantasy. I don’t want to call this dark academia (even though it does concern itself the subgenre’s favorite themes of privilege and the way its intersections impact the world of schooling as much if not more than they do any other institution) because it just felt so much more lighthearted and warm than the title suggests. Light academia, maybe? Whatever you call it, The Incandescent is a delight to read.

Tesh’s prose is full of dry humor of a very British sensibility, with whimsy galore. I found it to be a new look at magic school from the overworked adults’ side of things. As someone who both loved school when I had to go and chooses to be part of it in my professional life, I can confidently say that Tesh nailed the cyclicality of it, the endless tasks, the slow churn that exists both within and without the passage of time, the insular nature of a school setting, the interdepartmental politics, the structure, the everything. I really enjoyed the way the school became a character of its own, and that that characterization played into the magic system of the world. Rather than just being set-dressing or a backdrop for the plot, the nature of the school as a collective of untrained magic and teenaged potential made it a threat to those same students and the adults, like our protagonist Safi. The slow cascade of minor demonic incursions growing in strength and number ratcheted up the tension without ever feeling trite, and because Safi is a teacher of magic at a magic school, learning all about the demons and etc. never felt infodumped. Instead, like her students (and Phoenix, and even Safi herself) I learned as I needed to. And it just happened that I needed to learn a lot, because the world in the Incandescent is rich and deceptively complex.

I really loved the cast of characters, too. Safi was every bit as clever, kind, secretly badass, and competent as a wizard as powerful as she is should be. She’s also arrogant, self-righteous, and prejudiced against less magically trained people despite her best efforts to the contrary. In short, she’s nuanced! And exactly the sort of person who’d find herself in the Situations called for by this book (yes I’m talking about her employment, but also about her relationship statuses and about very spoilery Plot Things). Her deep capacity for caring permeated every page (or in my reading case, second of audio), and made her a delight to follow. I love her gaggle of teens, her teaching assistants, her grumpy relationship with the school cop… all of it. I just loved all of it.

The audio elements were fantastic, too. The narrator’s voice was crisp, precise, and just so… English? Perfect for a magical academia setting, and ideal for bringing Safi’s internal voice to life. The worst thing a narrator can be is distracting and incongruent with the story. Zara Ramm blended so seamlessly into the story that I forgot at times that I was listening to a person speaking; it’s like she became the voice in my head that I hear when reading with my eyes, only far more talented at bringing a story to life. What an absolute coup.

I recommend The Incandescent to all the Potterheads who grew into adults ashamed of the author’s bigotry, but who still want to experience the special sort of magic inherent in a learning environment. Even more, I recommend it for fantasy readers who like their magic systems sensical even as they’re full of whimsy, and for queer academics. Happy pride from Emily Tesh.

This book was a struggle for me.

The first 25% was incredibly slow. I almost gave up, but then a sudden flurry of activity got my attention. Unfortunately, this was how the story went throughout. Pacing was incredibly uneven.

I never got a sense of what the magic meant beyond the school. Was magic part of mainstream society? Did people use it in everyday life? Was it restricted? Was it used in government? So many questions left unanswered.

I found Walden, our MC, pretty dull, which was unfortunate since a great deal of the book is her exposition.

I listened to the audio. Zara Ramm did a great job with the narration, but even that didn’t keep me engaged. My mind was constantly wandering.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download!*

The Incandescent is everything I didn’t know I needed in a magic school book. A dark academia fantasy but instead of an angsty teen "chosen one", we get a sharp, sardonic 38-year-old woman who takes no nonsense. The POV is from a teacher and she protects her students from demons who are very much attracted to a school with magical adolescents and technology. Emily Tesh blends magic, clever worldbuilding, and dry humor into a story that feels fresh, grounded, and totally bingeable.

If you're tired of teenage drama and want a magic school with emotional depth, adult characters, and a heroine who takes zero nonsense, this is your book. I really enjoyed the audiobook and felt the narrator delved into her character making her relatable to millennials. Thank you Netgalley for the ALC in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: May 13, 2025

3.75 stars
The premise was exactly up my alley - fantasy/dark academia with a late 30s FMC with no interest in having kids but loves teaching them; the execution could have been stronger though. What I thought would be the main issue/point of the story was resolved less than half way through. After that, since I wasn't sure what the main issue was going to be, I had a harder time with staying invested since I am the type of reader who needs a goal.

The narrator was pretty good though I didn't find a lot of distinction in the voices of her different characters which made following some of the dialogue difficult.

Strange, a bit confusing, and seemingly disorganized. I really wanted to love this but just couldn't get into it and I felt like the author had too many plotlines that she was trying to get into one story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wouldn’t consider it dark academia, but the setting and premise were very cool. I felt like some spots were a bit boring and started to lose my interest. It may just be because this was told from Walden’s POV, and she’s very technical and uptight. With that being said, the author was able to suck me back in once my attention started waning. I would have like a bit more from the “romance”. That piece seemed a bit shallow. All things considered, this was a very interesting novel with some unique elements. I highly recommend the audiobook. Zara Ramm’s narration was great! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how messy this story was, with still maintaining relatable characters and a solid plot. A lot of fun!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

This was such a joy to read. I am a huge fan of dark academia books and was really excited to finally have one from the POV of the professor instead of the student. I also really enjoyed the character growth that we saw throughout the book. I loved the romance even though it was such a minor portion of the actual story, but it really brought a lot of characters personality out. I hope that we can someday have more in this world.

Really enjoyed this! It's a slow-building plot, but I never mind that when the characters and situation are compelling enough. As someone who's long wanted someone to do "magical school, but from the teacher's perspective", this was a delight. As someone who works with kids, it was far too easy to empathize with Walden. So many of her thoughts could've come right out of my own head! You can tell this was written by a teacher -- there's the expected aggravation with schoolkid behavior, but also the affection and worry and amusement that go well beyond the stereotyped portrayals of teachers in most media. Tesh also hits on a particular emotional chord of being in your late 30s, on the threshold of middle age, when the kids make you think of your own life and how ridiculous you were -- but with affection, not with cringe, because being a bit ridiculous is just part of being that age, and a necessary part, too. On the whole, I really enjoyed the reflective tone of the book.

Audiobook narration is excellent, pleasant to listen to.

Am I in love with Dr. Walden? Maybe so.

We follow our protagonist, Dr. Saffy Walden, who is the Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy. She is a talented Magician in the field of Invocation, or conjuring demons, and teaches an A-level course in the subject to four talented students. Demonic incursions happen rarely, despite the excess of wild magic that is produced at the school, but Dr. Walden may be in for a difficult year.

I was sold at the idea of a classic magic school fantasy setup from the teacher perspective, but said teacher being a powerful, bisexual woman sealed the deal. Finding out that she is a well-written, three-dimensional, likeable character is the cherry on top. The world-building in this novel is wonderful, from the imps that possess every day technology to the spell work that Dr. Walden has tattooed on her arms. In addition, the narrator for this audiobook was absolutely perfect. I loved every second of this and highly recommend it for other Fantasy readers.

I may have screamed when I first read the summary for this book and this is one of my most anticipated reads of the spring. I love that we get a magical private school novel but from the POV of the adults who are trying to keep all of these children safe and sound. Really, though there is an inciting incident that moves a lot of the plot forward, this focuses heavily on one of the teachers here, and why she chose to come back, and as the book goes on, her own blind spots, and how that can be taken advantage of. I'm not going to spoil you for how this turns out because there's some really good twists and turns here, but you can tell that someone who has thought a lot about all the magical academy books that have come out of the last few decades. The audiobook here is also astounding in the best kind of way, as they managed to get a narrator who I can absolutely imagine as our main character, and does a very good job with the twists that come later in the book. Absolutely pick this up.

I've never read a dark academia book from a teachers perspective and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. It's a unique take on an old format of a magical school. I liked following the teachers and I've already recommended this to some friends who are educators. Also, I enjoyed the sapphic romance!

Also, the narrator did a great job with this. I mainly listened to the audiobook and it made the reading experience better.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for this ALC!

Five stars, I adored this book. The Incandescent, by Emily Tesh, follows the director of a private magic academy. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys magic and dark academia, but also to anyone who wants a peek into the world of teaching, and to teachers themselves. The Magical School subgenre tends to focus a lot on the students, and it was refreshing to have one centered around the teacher. I also liked how the book covered identity, and being different roles. The audiobook is narrated by Zara Ramm, who is now a new favourite of mine. Thank you NetGelley for the ARC.

If you work at a magical boarding school, preventing demonic incursions is just part of the job, and Doctor Walden is extremely good at her job, despite her own past experience with demonic incursions.

I loved this book. I thought the perspective of a magical school from a teacher was incredible. I also loved the magic system within the book and the way it intertwined with everything. There were times with it was very action packed, with a slower more suspenseful section in the middle, but I loved the direction the book went in.

To keep things short and sweet, there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with this book. I just found myself pretty bored around halfway through and didn’t really care about the characters. Perhaps it was because there was a lot of world building through straightforward explanations.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian publishers for allowing me to listen to this as an AUDIO ARC. I think the narrator did a great job. This was a academia based in England with a touch of sapphic from the perspective of the director of magic story line. There is a touch of humor, but not heavily entwined. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book like this coming from the perspective of a teacher vs a student. As a millennial, it was fun to read from the perspective of a 30 something year old. I found myself most engaged and interested in the events where there were dealings with demons and there was action. At times this book did feel like I was sitting in a lecture room learning about magic. From my understanding it was supposed to be sapphic, but I didn’t find much romance focused on that relationship. Saffy was a neutral character for me. Overall, it felt educational vs fictional – I was a student in this book which was an interesting experience! 3.5/5

I really enjoyed this magical academic story. I found this story from the perspective of a teacher in her 30s to be refreshing. Walden is an engaging, well-drawn character. This story is slower paced and moves throughout the school year with several moments of high drama. I found the atmosphere extremely evocative, as Emily Tesh has created a magical world that feels much like our real, mundane world. I also found Walden's character arc very interesting. This story offers some interesting commentary on class structures, particularly in the British system. Zara Ramm was a wonderful narrator, and the audiobook was an excellent way to enjoy the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing an eALC in return for my honest thoughts.

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh is the dark academia novel I didn’t know I was waiting for. Not because it’s dripping in shadows and secrets (though it is), but because it hands the narrative reins to someone we rarely hear from in these magical school stories: the adult in the room.

Dr. Walden, Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy, is not your usual brooding, brilliant student protagonist. She’s a mid-thirties academic, painfully competent, quietly awkward, and methodically unraveling magical disasters like it’s her job—because it is. And for once in fantasy, it’s not the teen heroes saving the day while the professors conveniently vanish into plot holes. Walden shows up, and watching her navigate bureaucracy, demonic incursions, and her own emotional landscape is weirdly riveting.

This book has the bones of classic fantasy—demons, secret knowledge, arcane history—but it’s clothed in something much more grounded. Think faculty meetings and spellwork, gothic buildings with bad plumbing, magical theory next to mundane course loads. It’s the kind of realism that makes the magic feel all the more earned.

Tesh brings an elegant, dry wit to her writing, and Walden’s perspective offers a refreshing, nuanced critique of academia from the inside. This isn’t your typical chosen-one story… it’s about power, responsibility, institutional rot, and the subtle emotional weight of being a woman in her late 30s trying to keep it all together. The fact that Walden is allowed to be messy, self-reflective, and not have it all figured out is a quiet act of rebellion against the usual tropes.

Narrator Zara Ramm is a perfect match for the character, her voice adds warmth and just enough edge to Walden’s inner monologue. It made the audiobook a joy to listen to and deepened the already richly textured prose.

In short: if you’ve ever rolled your eyes at magical schools where the teens outsmart every adult or if you’re simply craving a fantasy that feels like it grew up a little, The Incandescent is for you. Sharp, thoughtful, and grounded in the real-world logistics of running a magical institution, it’s easily one of the most original takes on the genre I’ve read.