Bookseller Reviews
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A witty demon academia
This book was a witty and gripping read, told from the point of view of the head of the department for magic at an English boarding school. I really enjoye... READ MORE
Fantastic!
I loved Some Desperate Glory and The Incandescent has now cemented Emily Tesh as a must-buy author for me!
This is a fantastic Dark Academia, with demon... READ MORE
Magical problems need magical solutions
If you have ever been annoyed about magical schools where the kids seem to always solve the problem and not the actual qualified teachers, I have the perfe... READ MORE
Synopsis
Dr Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.
Walden is good at her job - no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. But it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from . . . is herself.
A Deadly Education meets Rivers of London in this captivating contemporary fantasy from Sunday Times bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
- ISBN: 9780356525648
- Number of pages: 432
- Dimensions: 238 x 158 x 40 mm
- Weight: 650g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allMagic school with a twist
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, s... READ MORE
Scarily brilliant!
I love when you see a very good author take on a popular genre from their own, fresh angle. I’ve read a few different Dark Academia takes, and it’s been ar... READ MORE
My outstanding read of the year so far...
This book is my outstanding read of the year so far. And it’ll have to be something REALLY special to knock it into second place before the end of 2025. It... READ MORE
Fantasy dark academia but from the teacher's perspective!
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 aca... READ MORE
Teaching, Magic, and the Dark Academia Twist
I’ve read dozens of dark academia books, but this is the first one that focuses almost entirely on the experience of teaching and being a teacher. I really... READ MORE
4 stars
The first half of this book had me completely hooked—utterly captivated, enchanted, and desperate for more of its magic. A solid 5 stars right out of the g... READ MORE
An Adult, Academical Approach To Magic Schools
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 intri... READ MORE
Review
A fantasy set in a magical school in England where kids are taught to harness and use their magical skills but told from the perspective of an elder millen... READ MORE
Recommended for fans of magical realism, especially schools for magic
The Incandescent is a good choice for anyone who loves magical realism, especially magic in school settings, but who's looking for adult rather than young ... READ MORE
a fun read
First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!
The Incandescent offers a refreshingly different angle on the magical academic fantasy genr... READ MORE
The best dark academia I've read for a while.
A thoroughly entertaining and compelling take on the dark academia genre, shaking things up by telling the tale from the perspective of the teachers rather... READ MORE
Humour, heart and demon summoning!
The Incandescent follows Dr Walden, a teacher of invocations (think demon summoning!) at Chetwood Academy. While a lot of the plot is quite ‘slice of life’... READ MORE
Demon possession at a magic boarding school
"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 b... READ MORE
Loved it.
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, secu... READ MORE
Something Special
Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is one of my all time favourite series, so the fact that The Incandescent was being compared to it had me excited but also ... READ MORE
Wonderful Spin on the Magic School
While the entire story is wonderful, this book truly SHINES in the last 100 pages. I was so intrigued by the concept and am so lucky I managed to get my ha... READ MORE
Loved it!
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 (ak... READ MORE
A slice of (dark) academic life
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 a... READ MORE
Enjoyable
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 NetGal... READ MORE
Entertaining and unique
The Incandescent was such an entertaining and unique take on dark academia for the magical. The dark part is generally down to the demons, they are literal... READ MORE
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