Am I glad I read it? I had SO MUCH FUN with this book. Give me some demons—ranging from copy machine-inhabiting imps going on strike to actually terrifying greater demons—and a magic system based in contracts, and I'm interested. I really loved Tesh's approach to the magical school setting: the world-building is incredibly thorough (it's obvious that Tesh herself is a former teacher), easy to digest, and nails the intensely limited setting of a boarding school, where Saffy never really escapes the shenanigans of 600 teenagers.

I have to note how generous of spirit this book is towards the students, despite being told by an overworked teacher. Saffy teaches the most advanced magicians and some of the oldest students in the school, sure, but her admiration of and respect towards them as people is palpable. It's not lost on me that, despite the protagonist and narrator of the story being a teacher & admin, the title is a reference to the brilliance of Saffy’s students. (The scene near the end when the narrative hones in on our 4 invokers discussing what to do about What's Gone Wrong is absolutely hilarious in a very clever sort of way and pitch perfect for this story.)

There’s a groundedness and reflectiveness to this story, mixed in with the invocation classes, magical ethics musings, demons, and stellar dry humor, that I really loved. It’s chock full of the minutiae of Saffy’s roles, yet I never grew bored with it. I can’t help but think it’s because the narrative rests on the belief that good teachers matter and so does all the mundane work involved in being one.

Zara Ramm's narration was absolutely perfect for the posh British boarding school setting and for our very-clever-and-is-fully-aware-thank-you protagonist Saffy, and I highly recommend the audiobook.

To others who may be drawn in by the "dark academia" descriptor: I would not even remotely call this dark academia in aesthetic, tone, or theme.

Rating: ♥️ (loved)

HUGE thank you to Tor Books and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook! All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Emily Tesh delivers a mesmerizing blend of dark academia and sapphic fantasy in The Incandescent. Set within the gothic walls of Chetwood School, the story follows Dr. Walden, a powerful magician tasked with keeping her students safe from demonic incursions—while quietly battling a growing darkness within herself. The atmosphere is perfectly eerie, the magic system richly developed, and the stakes refreshingly personal.

What makes this book shine (pun intended) is its exploration of power, control, and identity, all while embracing queer themes without ever making them feel performative. Walden is a beautifully complex protagonist—sharp, flawed, and quietly vulnerable. Her relationships with her chaotic yet endearing students add heart and humor to the otherwise brooding tone.

If you love Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series or the twisty, gothic charm of Plain Bad Heroines, The Incandescent belongs on your TBR immediately. It’s smart, sapphic, and crackling with tension, both magical and emotional. I devoured it in a day and haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tags: #DarkAcademia #QueerFantasy #SapphicMagic #TheIncandescent #NetGalley

This author is one of my must reads so I am very grateful that NetGalley allowed me early access to this FANTASTIC audiobook. This is dark academia from the point of view of a millennial magic teacher, and it's so great. I love the world building and the characters and the daily details of classroom life. Some of my favorite parts were how Dr Warden got the students to think about the subjects, which is a big part of how Tesh taught us about her world.
Even though it was a magic school dealing with demons, the kids were so rebellious, getting into more trouble than they could handle-- like normal kids. The audiobook flew by, because the narrator was great and something interesting was always happening.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

This was such a perfect witchy spring read and oh my goodness I flew through it. It's somehow so whimsical and yet deep. It's fun in so many different ways, from the breath of fresh air that it feels like, to the complexity of the story and its characters.

The romance was super refreshing! It was different in that it was not this wholly intense burning, but it felt more real in that it was a spark that might one day be kindled into a flame. And it was adorable to boot!

This was such a fun book, and I can't wait until more people hype it up to what it deserves!

I was somewhat disappointed by this. I enjoyed some parts of the story but found other parts lacking. I liked the writing style and thought the story flowed well. The concept was great, but not the execution. It was extremely slow in quite a few parts and didn't really hold my attention. The romance felt underdeveloped and not very believable. It also lacked personality and charm. I did enjoy the narrator. I thought she put on an excellent performance and kept me engaged when the story failed to do so.

5 Stars! No Spoiler review!!! Readers who are fans of Gideon the Ninth, Deadly Education and a certain wizarding book that I'm not going to mention will want to put this at the top of their TBR!

A mark of a good writer is the ability to tell multiple different kinds of stories, rather than a repetition of the same story repackaged with different characters. With The Incandescent, Emily Tesh shows her depth with a novel that is wholly different from previous works, while retaining the same readable, engaging style.

I jumped into the Incandescent without having even read a blurb because - if she writes it- I'm going to read it!. And while I wasn't quite prepared for a school marm in a magical boarding school, by chapter 2 I was completely invested in the drama and whimsy of Chetwood School. As a former boarder student - it was quite on the nose and brought back quite a few relatable moments indeed!

Told from the perspective of a school admin/teacher, adult readers will relate to the very real adult problems and concerns and giggle at the fantastical issues that crop up while running a magical school. (Imps in cell phones? Students disabling vape alerts with magic? Thalamic Engines that are poorly understood but also vital? I' was definitely there for all of it!

The audio book is narrator by Actress Zara Ramm. It was well read. Ramm does not "Do the voices: which I appreciated as that can be tricky and when not well done - distracting. Her performance was clear and well paced and I felt immersed in the world- and was never pulled out of it by an odd pronunciation or inflection.

This is a charming novel with lots of action/adventure, inventive magic, and fully developed characters that I found myself thinking about long after I finished the book. While there is one character that had a very predictable arc, I found I didn't care because I loved that moment of joy when I was able to say "YES, I WAS right about them!!!" Upon further reflection, I started to note that there's so many deeper messages about relationships, hubris, self-sabotage, and coming into one's own as an adult.
Thanks very much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance Listener copy

This book was such a fun time! I loved Walden and how she managed to be incredibly smart while also being so stupid, and I adored having a 38-year-old heroine, especially one that didn't have her life together as well as she thought she did. And I loved all of the secondary characters, even the ones I hated. It was definitely very fast-paced at the beginning, and slowed around the halfway point, but it was a nice break of breathing room.

Unique dark academia novel with some thought-provoking commentary on schooling, magic and ethics. Perfect for fans of dark academia/magic schools who want to view the experience not as a young student but as an adult and teacher.

As a professor myself, I found much of this story both amusing and insightful. It is very clear that Tesh has experience as a teacher, and while the sidebars could get a little long, I found Saffy's musings on teachings and how to interact with students both amusing, relatable and thought-provoking.

The overall pacing of this book is a little unconventional - it has some elements of a cozy slice-of-life type story, but at the same time does deal with dark themes (I mean, they are battling literal demons). The first story climax came much faster than I expected, but while slower paced, it didn't feel forced in the way that I sometimes complain about pacing. It is also refreshing to have a magic school based story based definitively in the current era - set in 2025, it references the COVID lockdowns, and social media and it is interesting to think about how magic and technology interact.

<spoiler> The sort of villain arc doesn't really make that much sense and is never truly resolved. While sort of annoying, I think it still kind of fits because that was a side plot at best, meant to move along the main storyline of Saffy's demon. That bit did feel a bit rushed, all happening in the last 5% of the book </spoiler>

Overall, enjoyable. I also very much enjoy the narrator, who I think perfectly captures the type of personality that Sapphire Waldon is.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced listening copy.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an early review copy.

This book follows Doctor Walden as she is the director of a magical school for teenagers, and the efforts she has to take to keep the school safe. The dark academia vibes were immaculate and narrator Zara Ramm delivers a great performance.

This fantasy book was an absolute thrill! The world-building was rich and immersive, the characters unforgettable, and the plot full of twists that kept me hooked. A perfect blend of adventure, heart, and wonder—I didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend for any fantasy lover!

If you enjoyed Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, I think you'd enjoy this writing style. The main character is extremely detail oriented and dedicated in her study of demons as well as running this magical academy. Very slow paced and character focused. The audiobook narrator for this was a great choice to fit the character.

This book was a good telling of a magical school with danger from the teachers perspective. It was enagaging and different with a cool magic system and a lot of backstory on your main character.

The only hiccup for me personally was the side story of the romance felt a bit scattered with sprinkling of the final pairing but a misdirect that seemed suspicious to me from the start.

The narration is very concise and well themed to the character and all in all this was a solid book.

The Incandescent was good. really really good in some places, but also kinda made me go, "Wait, is something bigger gonna happen?" at times. The first part? Absolutely loved it. The magic school setting was so fun to explore, and Dr Walden? Obsessed. She’s this 38-year-old professor who’s got her life together (mostly), adores teaching, and has zero patience for nonsense. Like, she’s brilliant but also a mess in that very relatable "I know how to do my job but not how to be a person" way.

The romance was also chef’s kiss: no drama, just two adults being like, "Yeah, I like you, let’s do this." (Though, of course, there are still some nice twists sprinkled in.) Walden’s students, Nikki, Matty, Will, and Aneeta also had me fully invested. It was so cool seeing the whole "magic school chosen ones" thing from the professor’s perspective. Like, yeah, your teenage drama feels life-or-death, but Saffy’s over here grading papers and low-key the entire school alive.

That said… around the middle, I kept waiting for the plot to go somewhere. The world-building and characters are fantastic, but the story itself kinda meanders. If you’re here for vibes—academia, magic, and a stubbornly competent heroine—you’ll love it. But if you want big, explosive reveals, it might leave you wanting more.

Still, Tesh’s writing is gorgeous, and I’ll 100% read anything she writes. If you’re into character-driven stories with a side of magic-school nostalgia (but from the teacher’s POV), give this a shot. Just don’t go in expecting a wild ride—it’s more of a "curl up with tea and enjoy the atmosphere" kind of book.

The Incandescent offers a refreshingly original take on the magic school genre by shifting the perspective from student to teacher, giving us a grounded, chaotic, and ultimately heartfelt look behind the faculty door (think McGonigal rather than Harry Potter). The story unfolds in an alternate-history world where magic has evolved alongside modern society, with historical touches like medieval demon hunters and a World War II push to accelerate magical research. Emily Tesh weaves a narrative that is both slyly funny and surprisingly tender, set in a world where demon-possessed photocopiers and corrupted cell phones are just part of the day to day.

Our protagonist, Dr. Sapphire Walden, is a seasoned invoker and overworked department head at Chetwood Academy. Her job is to keep both teenagers and the school’s magical security measures in check, often while juggling calendar conflicts, faculty politics, and the demands of teaching an advanced-level invocation class. Her dry wit and relentless professionalism anchor the story. She’s a living embodiment of stoic principles with a heavy dose of internal sass.

Tesh’s writing is clever and often laugh-out-loud funny, especially when poking at the absurdities of institutional life. These moments bear a striking resemblance to the frustrations of working in corporate America. While the early chapters lean heavily on exposition, the book finds its rhythm as the magical history and logistical reality of this world take shape. The integration of fantasy, modernity, and commentary on how systems often quietly fail people gives the novel a distinctive and resonant voice.

One of the standout elements is the portrayal of Walden’s relationship with her students. This is a novel deeply optimistic about teenagers. Despite being emotionally scorched by her past, Walden remains fiercely committed to the young people in her care. The book never tips into cynicism. That belief in students’ capacity to grow, challenge norms, and change the world adds real heart to the story.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and Zara Ramm was a phenomenal narrator. The emotional nuance she brought to the dialogue helped each character stand out clearly in my mind. Her performance also captured Walden’s voice perfectly being equal parts sharp, weary, and quietly hopeful.

If you’re looking for something that blends magical academia with dry humor, workplace satire, emotional insight, reflections on identity, and a touch of demonic possession, The Incandescent is a gem. It’s not only a story about magic, but very much a story about being true to ourselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

20 years ago at a magical boarding school a demon came to the mortal plane and ended the life of a student. Now the demon is back. The magical instructor at the school was a student during the last one, and was directly involved in the incident. As an adult, she has some new tricks up her sleeve, but demons in the school is trickier than one might anticipate.
I really liked the writing, the reader was great, although I did feel that the plot was rather predictable.

Ooh, this was fun! And had just enough romance and serious social commentary to go with the suspense.

I don't read much dark academia -- that's to say, I've read Naomi Novik's Scholomance books and no others -- so to what extent Emily Tesh's Chetwood School resembles magical boarding schools in general I couldn't say and don't really care. In any case, though four young adults feature in important ways, this isn't YA: the main characters are in early middle age.

"The Incandescent" calls for some readerly / listenerly willingness to let the worldbuilding and the story unfold at their own leisurely pace. Events pick up with a bang soon enough, and then the grinding tension sets in, tighter and tighter till -- cataclysm.

I was happy to relax into the narrative for the sake of admittance to a richly imagined, immersive world and also because Zara Ramm's performance is so good. Character voices and class backgrounds clearly distinct, check; to my ear, Ramm wobbles only on the accent belonging to a USian, but I have yet to hear a British person do a convincing US accent, so I can't dock too many points. What defeats the brilliant Adjoa Andoh (check out Andoh's narration of Kwei Quartey's "The Whitewashed Tombs," or, better yet, don't) will defeat anyone.

The ad copy describes "The Incandescent" as "sapphic," a word that always sounds lace-curtain mealy-mouthed to me, but anyway for purists it should be noted that the protagonist is actively bi. (And how nice to see a middle-aged woman wanting sex, including casual sex, and getting it.)

I wouldn't have minded a few minor plot wrap-ups; in particular, I'd have liked to know how one spectacular piece of work copes in the aftermath of what befalls him, because -- as the narrative points out -- not even he deserves it. But this is just me picking nits in my usual OCD reviewer way; I had a spectacularly good time listening to this, and thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC.

What a fun book to listen to!! I love a dark academia/magical school book and this one is different since it is from the teachers perspective! The characters were great and Saffie was just a joy to get to know. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Dr. Sapphire Walden is exceptionally good at what she does -- invoking demons. She didn’t necessarily picture herself back at her old school, the Chetwood School, teaching magic and managing administrative duties. But she’s got the skills to protect its halls from demonic incursion and train the next generation of spellcasters. That is, until a particularly powerful demon attack forces Sapphire to draw on abilities no one knew she had — and possibly expose the school to even greater dangers.

Emily Tesh’s Some Desperate Glory was one of my favorite books of 2024, so I was thrilled to see her follow it up with a dark, magical academia novel. If you’re someone who gravitates toward (British) boarding school settings where students come into their magical powers, you’ll find plenty to love here. But Tesh builds on the common genre expectations by placing a teacher as the central character. It’s a refreshing change of perspective that brings something new to a familiar trope. There were moments where Walden's instructor/administrator responsibilities slowed the pacing a bit — one unnecessarily long student meeting come to mind — but overall, the story clips along with energy and intrigue.

Narrator Zara Ramm is a pitch-perfect match for Dr. Walden, nailing the tone of a meticulous, slightly exhausted, and deeply capable middle-aged schoolmistress.

With The Incandescent, Tesh has moved skillfully from space opera to a sapphic fantasy that blends demonology, academia, and a hint of romance. It’s a smart, sharp, and thoroughly enjoyable read — and one that confirms Tesh is an author to follow.

I found this title oddly cozy for all the demon slaying and possession that was involved. It had a similar feeling to a childhood favorite of mine, Charlie Bone, with touches of Jujutsu Kaisen as written by a bisexual Professor McGonagall in her late 30's. Despite not being a new favorite, I really loved so much about this and Tesh's writing style.

Looooooooved this one. Fast paced with fun, interesting characters, a fascinating magical system, monster hunting, and a fun little side quest romance. I want to force everyone who plays DND to read this so their minds can be expanded when it comes to who's possessing who ;)

rep: bisexual MC, Lesbian LI, black side character

spice: none

tw: demons, possession, death of a past lover (off page), amputation