Book Review: ‘The Incandescent’ by Emily Tesh

‘The Incandescent’ by Emily Tesh is one of those books that looks, at first glance, like it’s going to give you something familiar; an elite magic school, a sense of hierarchy, a hint of danger humming under the surface. And it does… just not in the way you expect.

Here’s the summary:

“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.”

I have to admit, it’s my fault we both read this book. I pushed for it for season 12 of the podcast, and you can listen to the episode now!

This is probably one of my most anticipated reads, it’s been high on my TBR for a while and I’ve been chomping at the bit, but also determined to save it for The Dark Academicals to be able to bite into it properly.

So here we are!

What I really enjoyed about this book, is that instead of following a student discovering their power, and also dealing with all those young adult “firsts”, we’re dropped into the perspective of the deputy head, Saffy Walden, someone who’s already lived through all of that and is now stuck managing the fallout of the present, and the past which haunts her. Which truly feels like such a clever shift. It takes the magic school trope and ages it up.

Everything about this perspective of the school is about maintenance and about responsibility, paperwork, politics, and the constant low-level pressure of keeping something volatile from tipping over. The magic is still there, but it feels… carefully contained. It’s managed with yards and yards of admin. It’s less a big wonderment and oftentimes more of a wonderful inconvenience.

And that’s where the book really works for me.

There’s something really compelling about a protagonist who isn’t chasing magic, she’s already achieved so much in the field, but is instead dealing with its consequences. She’s not wide-eyed or idealistic, she’s tired, capable, and very aware of what her role costs her. The story leans into that in a way that feels grounded and surprisingly intimate in the mundane. It’s less about big, dramatic moments and more about the slow accumulation of pressure (although there are some big bangs in the narrative arc).

The writing mirrors that tone. It’s not flashy or overly dramatic; it’s controlled, thoughtful, and very sure of itself. Nothing feels rushed. In fact, the pacing is quite deliberately unhurried, which I think will be a bit divisive depending on what you’re looking for. If you go in expecting twists and high-stakes action, you might find yourself waiting, but if you settle into it, there’s something really satisfying about the way it builds. In the end, I was almost wishing there were more pages… So many characters I wanted to know more about from the dubious Mark to the GORGEOUS Laura. Give. Me. More.

I also really appreciated how the queer representation is handled. It’s just there; present, natural, part of who the character is and it makes everything feel more lived-in, more authentic.

For me, what lingered wasn’t a single dramatic moment, it was the overall feeling. The product page for this book likens it to Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series, and I absolutely see that. For me, the things that might link the two together are exactly why I couldn’t give this book top marks, even though I truly wanted to. If you’re up-to-date with our podcast, then you’ll have heard me talk about magical systems before, and how I prefer mine more mystical and spooky, whereas books like ‘The Incandescent’, ‘Blood Over Bright Haven’ and ‘A Deadly Education’ grounds it in a cosy science that doesn’t click for me.

That said, I really enjoyed this book and I’m so so glad we finally got to read it.

If you like magic school stories but find yourself more interested in what’s happening behind the scenes, the people running the place, the cracks in the system, the cost of keeping it all going, or if cosy magical occult narratives are your bag… then ‘The Incandescent’ is absolutely worth a few moments of your time.