3.5🌟 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘖𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊.

I'm in conflict with this one because the writing itself is lush and thoughtful and chock full of everything that makes a dark academia novel good. It differs from the usual offerings by following the POV of a middle-aged (ish) teacher on a mission to stop her school from being overwhelmed by demons (guiding her A-level students though examinations and incursions both). It's a love letter to teachers and academia and learning to let go of the past, and the magic systems are there to facilitate those themes rather than as their own draw. Am I any clearer on why demonic magic is used in this alt-contemporary society by the end of the book? No, not really.

I think I struggled with The Incandescent slightly because there was no real drive to the plot. It wouldn't be fair to call our FMC (Dr Walden) passive, but the majority of the book is people coming to her with problems (both minor and major) and her just kinda dealing with them? Taking it all in her stride. And then several weeks pass and it's just on to the next problem. I also really can't deal with second-person perspective, and we got at least a couple of chapters of it (YUCK).

It I'd been in the mood for something slower-paced and more meditative, this would have more than scratched that itch. I accept it was likely a ME problem that it couldn't always hold my attention. A shame, because it was refreshing to read something so resolutely British. The school lunches! The underage pub drinking! The gross commute into London! The seasonal sports rota that was thrust on you every Wednesday afternoon! I also liked what it had to say on educational access and privilege and the state vs private sector.

There's genuinely a lot to love here, but I'd be surprised if anyone was drawn into binge-reading it. Very much a chapter here and there kind of novel - a gentle contemporary fantasy read with some nice (if rather contained) world building.

dnf @ 7%

i'm sorry i really tried to read it but it was literally just straight up info dumping 7% STRAIGHT. and it got too much i'm afraid😟 i was really excited to read this book too so it's a little disappointing 😣 and maybe it's my fault and that the timing is wrong but oh well😔
maybe in the future i will give this a try again but for now i have to let it go

There are so many magical academy books now that they have become a definitive sub-genre. While the first fantasy book to feature a magic school was Ursula K LeGuin’s The Wizard of Earthsea in 1968, the current trend can clearly be traced back to the Harry Potter series. Since then there has been a flood of books about magic schools, dragonriding schools, vampire schools and so on. The majority of books in this genre are pitched at the YA market – they are about children and young adults surviving school and its strictures and in particular in spite of the adults that inhabit it.
Thankfully, for those of us who have grown up, there is now a corner of this sub-genre that is pitched at adults. Lev Grossman’s Magician series started this more mature trend and since then we have also had Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House - a dark journey into the ancient houses of Yale. In her new novel The Incandescent, Hugo winner (and clearly: teacher) Emily Tesh, flips the script a little further. This is a magical school novel in which the protagonist a head teacher and the secret to defeating the demons which threaten her school: being a great teacher.
When The Incandescent opens, Dr Saffy Walden, Director of Magic at the prestigious Chetwood school in the UK is writing up a risk assessment for a demon-summoning practical that she is conducting with her A-level class the next day. Even here, Tesh is more interested in the universal mechanics of school bureaucracy than the fantasy aspects of this task.
That practical, when it happens and the consequences of it will echo through the rest of the book. Because Chetwood, an exclusive private school, due to its role and its practices is a magnet for demons. Most of those are small and manageable and live in the school’s electronics, but there are bigger, more dangerous creatures in a shadowy other world that are summoned and used for their power but can also be extremely dangerous. Saffy’s job is not just to teach the students at Chetwood but to keep them safe, a job that keeps being made more difficult either by school bureaucracy, failing ancient protections, or something mysterious and more sinister.
Saffy Walden is a great central character to carry this story. In some ways she epitomises the trap for teachers – educated at Chetwood, scarred by her experiences there as a teenager, but back there as a teacher so that she carries that history with her. As a result, Saffy is an amazing teacher but is not so good at other parts of life such as romance or relationships. Her knowledge and belief in the protection that her knowledge provides is also a blind spot and her journey in this story is a really unique and fascinating one.
As already intimated, Tesh is just as interested in the art and magic of the teaching profession as she is in the world of demons. There is plenty of commentary here about how best to relate to teenagers in a way that makes them want to learn and what makes a good teacher. There is a whole chapter where Walden is required, despite her reticence, to give careers advice.
But Tesh is also interested in interrogating the whole private school system in the UK (reflected very much in the Australian education system). And, in particular, the role of expensive boarding schools like Chetwood in the educational ecosystem and the advantages that it gives. Tesh also does this also through Saffy’s interaction with those who were not academically trained in magic, particularly one of the Marshalls (think magic police force).
Overall, The Incandescent is a great fantasy book with plenty to say about the real world which it is drawing on and mirroring. Readers will come for the mystery and mayhem and the detailed world building of a school for magicians that attracts demons. But they may well come away with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the teaching profession and questions about the way education is organised and what it is for.

Told across a school year, any book set in a fantasy boarding school in the UK can't help but feel like a response to the other series, but The Incandescent stands well as its own story while also commenting on some of the same things. The protagonist, Doctor Walden, is a teacher who specialises in the dangerous magic of demon summoning. She's also a talented administrator and has a few secrets that come up along the way. It's a hard plot to summarise without spoilers, but the story did a great job of portraying that complicated relationship between older high school students and their teachers. Walden's complicated personality is both a strength for her and a weakness, and I loved being inside her head. Tesh really has a way of bringing her settings to life, and the balance of mundanity and deadly magic was well navigated.

Absolutely hilarious! A must read for any teachers who love fantasy.

Those of us who always really wanted to teach at a magic school but just can’t find the right job listings may be reconsidering that desire after reading The Incandescent.
I strongly suspect Emily Tesh must be a teacher, because the accuracy of some of the jokes in here was just too fantastic! I laughed out loud multiple times, and have already leant it to a colleague at my school.

The characters were well rounded and wonderful, I really loved how Doctor Walden used her own life experiences to help her students, and her humour was absolutely perfect.
The world building was fun and fed well into the story, slowly unveiling itself as the plot developed, and what a plot it was. I loved the twists and turns as day to day life at the school devolved into disaster, and was totally gripped.

Overall, I absolutely loved The Incandescent and can’t wait to read more by Emily Tesh in the future!

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 than the students. Fast-paced, fascinating and really, really well written, this was a joy to read from beginning to end. The magical system is well constructed, the characters are interesting, authentic and well fleshed out, and the plot is, quite frankly, genius!

I’m a sucker for a well thought out magic system and this has that in spades. It beautifully combines high stakes action scenes, complete with demons and possible death, with slower, more character driven and educational sequences. And for those who like a little romance with their academia then you won’t be disappointed.

My favourite dark academia I’ve read for a while. It avoids most of the tropes, and overused plot points and it’s refreshingly adult (not YA) in tone. An author I will definitely be reading again and recommending.

El año pasado Emily Tesh apareció de manera fulgurante en el panorama de la ciencia ficción, con premio Hugo incluido. Aunque a mí Some Desperate Glory no me pareció tan redondo, no niego que había cierto interés en The Incandescent, englobado en la fantasía y con la etiqueta de moda, dark academy.


The Incandescent nos habla de la vida de la doctora Walden, directora de un internado inglés, con la peculiaridad de que los alumnos que allí estudian tienen facilidad para las artes mágicas, así que su formación incluye asignaturas de este tipo. Y claro, también las amenazas típicas de un lugar plagado de magia desde hace siglos, con demonios pululando en la sombra para tomar apetitosos bocados de adolescente macerado en su propio jugo.

La elección de la protagonista no es casual. Tesh se desmarca un poco del típico adolescente influido por sus hormonas para dar voz a una profesora joven, que ha antepuesto su carrera a su vida personal pero que no se arrepiente de sus actos. No es la primera en hacerlo, claro, ahí tenemos Magic for Liars de Sarah Gailey sin irnos muy lejos. Esta elección le sirve a la autora para cambiar un poco el foco del género, para ver desde una perspectiva más madura el mundo siempre cambiante de los adolescentes, que al tratarse de un internado ves crecer desde pequeños hasta mayores, siempre rodeado de la misma energía vital. Es una aproximación muy atractiva, que sin duda llamará la atención de los lectores dedicados a la enseñanza, que puede que vean reflejadas sus experiencias en estos capítulos. La bisexualidad de Walden también se trata con naturalidad, sin darle apenas importancia, aportando al libro variedad.

También el hecho de que en el internado se mezclen los alumnos de las familias más pudientes del Reino Unido y algunos casos de caridad nos hace ver el fuerte contraste de una sociedad clasista hasta la médula, donde solo los alumnos extremadamente brillantes pueden subir en el ascensor social mientras que los acomodados no tienen problema alguno. Y, ¡ay del que se le ocurra salirse del camino marcado!

En cuanto al ritmo, hay que reconocer que Tesh sabe cómo comenzar los libros de manera vertiginosa y, afortunadamente, en esta ocasión logra mantener el pulso a lo largo de casi toda la obra. El sistema mágico es el habitual de los tratos con las entidades mágicas, si bien la inclusión de la tecnología moderno ha variado un poco el sistema tradicional. Tesh también decide despachar la AMENAZA SUPREMA, bastante rápido, lo que nos da un idea de que el libro irá por otros derroteros.

Mi problema es que se trata de una novela bastante previsible, que está escrita con gran sentido del humor y que sin duda será muy bien recibida entre el público, pero a la que le falta algo más de enjundia para conseguir las cinco estrellas. No obstante, Tesh sigue en su camino para convertirse en una autora imprescindible.

I have been so looking forward to this release - and I'm so thrilled it lived up to my very high expectations. I loved every moment of this and I couldn't recommend it enough.

I loved fantasies with a magical academy setting, found this entertaining and gripping the whole way through and the magic system was really unique, highly recommend!!

First, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC!
The Incandescent offers a refreshingly different angle on the magical academic fantasy genre, largely due to its protagonist: an older, deeply competent, trauma-burdened magical teacher. It was incredibly satisfying to read from a perspective that wasn’t just another wide-eyed newbie or chosen teen, but someone experienced, battle-scarred, a bit of a nerd, and still figuring things out.
The magical system is both intriguing and well-developed, and as someone who adores magical school settings, I was immediately hooked. The narrative also engages with themes of privilege and institutional power in meaningful ways, adding depth to the world without bogging it down. I particularly enjoyed the approach to demons—not simply "evil," but complex, with some pushing back against the roles they're expected to play. The nuance here added a great layer of moral ambiguity to the story.
Where the book faltered for me was in its pacing and tonal consistency. For a novel with dramatic magical threats and urgent stakes, the narrative often slowed to focus on administrative tasks—meetings, procedures, paperwork, and professional decorum. While this might have been a deliberate commentary on institutional inertia or the burden of responsibility, it sometimes drained the energy from otherwise high-tension moments. The story spends so much time being competent that it forgets to let loose a little. There’s a kind of stiffness to the drama that made me wish the characters, or at least the storytelling, would embrace a bit more mess and unpredictability.
Ultimately, while the book has a lot going for it, I found that its final act lost some of the spark. The plot’s resolution felt overly tidy, the character dynamics got simplified, and the narration began to over-explain itself—at times reading closer to YA than adult fantasy, in terms of how it handled complexity and subtlety.
While it didn’t fully stick the landing for me, The Incandescent is still a rich, layered read that stands out in the fantasy landscape. It’s not flashy, but thoughtful; not chaotic, but quietly sharp. It’s a story about competence, control, and the weight of responsibility—especially when power comes with more red tape than glory. This isn’t a book for readers chasing adrenaline or gothic melodrama, but it’s a great fit for those who enjoy their fantasy grounded, their magic regulated, and their heroes a little tired, a little scarred, and still showing up.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read this authors previous work "Some Desperate Glory" before and enjoyed it immensely, so naturally, I was very excited to read another work by Emily Tesh.

In "The Incandescent" we follow Dr. (!) Sapphire "Saffy" Walden, the Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy. She's bi, tattooed and in her mid-thirties. A teacher with that profile? Iconic, I already like her from that description alone. The supporting cast is very lovely and well fleshed out. I love the apparent queer-norm in this universe. However, I disliked the male counterpart for Saffy that got introduced after The Incident (TM), and didnt like how her original love interest Laura got basically sidelined until the heroic sweep to the rescue at the end.
The 4 students we meet the most are lovely youngsters, full of mischief. The depiction of teacher-student-relationships and teenage boarding school behaviour was very spot on (and gave me some unpleasant flash backs to my own high school time).

The atmosphere of The Incandescent is very well crafted - I could picture the school, the setting, the grounds, even the classrooms and boarding areas clearly in front of my inner eye. Excellent writing here. The descriptions of the demons, the demonic plane, the actual magic was so beautifully written. The fighting scenes were so athmospheric as well - on top of being not boring or drawn out too much.

The plot fell off for me personally right around where the big twist happened. I was also not too overly fond of all the minutiae around school administration/lessons/grading/student:teacher 1 on 1 heart to hearts. (I guess I'm just tad too old for that sort of content). Adding to this, I really really disliked Mark (aka White Toast Dude, bc he was as memorable as toast). He felt manipulative and out of place, especially in a book that is advertised as sapphic. I dont need a love triangle in my seemingly adult romances.

The twist with the Phoenix Demon taking over Saffys body was a tad unexpected - mostly in the way it actually happenend and was executed. I must give kudos to Dr. Walden to have taken lots of precautions for it and to have had the oath with Laura. The solution to Saffys demon problem was brutal, but inevitable. The conclusion was sad but also absolutely fitting. Not too happy about the rather abrupt ending as well.

"The Incandescent" takes up a lot of time with school admin and is also organized by the school terms. We get lots of mentions of how a school is run and what is needed to have it run smoothly. However, the cop issue (bc lbr, the marshalls are basically magic cops), is barely touched upon and that seemed a bit odd. I would have preferred this topic to be elaborated on, instead of having Saffy gallivant around campus with toast guy. (Who is also related to one of her students? Ick!)

Overall, I had a great time with this book, although the lull in the middle slowed my progress and put a slight damper to my enjoyment.

If you love demons, magical schools, a tad of high school drama and a chaotic actually-competent-and-world-savvy-adult Lady Protagonist, this book is for you.
3.75 stars, rounded to 4 for GR.

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 adult fiction.

I was trying something new with The Incandescent — I usually like my magical realism with more realism than magic. I am also not the target audience (waaaay too old!). So although the description intrigued me, I was out of my comfort zone here.

Which made this one quite hard to get into, initially. It felt very new to me and I had to concentrate hard in the early chapters to take in the magic education I was getting. The protagonist, Dr Sapphire (Saffy) Walden, is Director of Magic at a centuries-old boarding school in the south of England. Immersing myself in her life at the school, I did feel like I was following lessons at times!

Despite all of the unfamiliarity and my learning curve, I sank into the narrative and enjoyed it. While a lot of the characters were teenagers, and all of them were decades younger than me, it did not read like a YA novel. Dr Walden is a sufficiently complex adult character to hold my attention. And I actually enjoyed the details of her everyday life; she is in charge of a school that brings with it very special responsibilities, not least warding off demons poised to devour all the students and staff if its security is breached. Both her magical strengths and normal human weaknesses are well portrayed, and her relationships ring true. Dr Walden, initially a strong and confident figure, goes through a series of challenges that bring her face to face with existential questions around privilege, power, self-image and relationships.

Tesh is a teacher so perhaps it's no surprise that she understands young people! The older teenage characters in The Incandescent are well rounded and interesting. On the cusp of legal adulthood, they are at that age where any source of stress or high emotion can plunge them back into childishness or bring out the adult that they are becoming. The way their teachers struggle to navigate their charges' elusive, shifting characters is insightful and well described.

I loved that the story is set in a world that is our own world, today, except that magic is an integral part of it. The explanations of the difficulties of managing demons in the modern world – because they have a tendency to get into mobile phones, printers and other electronic devices, which are now ubiquitous – were particularly entertaining.

In terms of literary merit, I very much appreciated Tesh's strong writing skills. The Incandescent is well written, well paced, with unique and realistic characters, and a gripping story including several edge-of-your-seat dramatic scenes.

Balancing out the pros (story/characters/narrative style) and cons (not-my-genre/learning curve), for me it was a 3-star read. Readers in the book's target audience, and more versed in magical genre fiction, will probably get more out of it than I did, so for that I give it 4 stars.

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 millennial teacher and all the mundane teacher things she loves to do, but which also includes protecting and warding the school from all the demons attracted to its magic that try to get in from the demonic plane.

When it appears that someone is purposefully breaching those wards, essentially inviting the demons in, she must investigate and deal with the problem.

I loved this book! How we go from Saffy being the apparently stuffy, boring, set-in-her-ways Dr Walden to the true badass that she always was at the end was such a fun ride! I found the spell casting and magic use plus all the demons very interesting and it really enriched the world building. The romance aspect was very secondary, which I preferred. Definitely a favourite of the year so far!

"You will never meet an innocent adult. Everyone fails. Everyone. What matters is how you meet failure, and how you face up to it. How you learn."

The Incandescent brings a fresh twist to dark academia by having the main character, Dr. Walden, as the teacher/director of magic instead of a student. Following her through her very long workdays had a bit of a "slice of life" feel, which I enjoyed. It manages to capture both the view of teenagers/students and their struggles, but also how a teacher processes it and might act accordingly. This book also offers an insightful look at the complexities of grief, privilege and guilt.

The beginning was strong, kicking off with an early action scene that draws you in. However, while I understand that the slower pace in the middle of the book serves to explore Dr. Walden’s daily life, I found this section the least engaging, as it felt like we were progressing very little on plot. Towards the end, the story picks up again with more action. The plot twists, while not particularly surprising, were executed well and still satisfying.

The romance element isn't central and feels a little like an afterthought, but I thought it fits Dr. Walden well.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the eARC.

Sapphic dark academia laced with wry humour which owes a conscious debt to the English school story but here squarely aimed at adult readers. Award-winning author Emily Tesh’s entertaining exploration of the life of a harried teacher of invocation – summoner of demons - has a realist feel that stems from Tesh’s personal experiences of teaching – so the perils of magic jostle with questions around the nature and philosophy of education itself. It’s set in scruffy but upmarket Chetwood School nestled in the English countryside. A character in its own right it's partly modelled on aspects of Wells Cathedral School with dashes of Cambridge architecture thrown in, as well as echoes of Tesh’s childhood school.

Tesh’s story revolves around work-obsessed Director of Magic Sapphire Walden aka Saffy whose sensible attire masks a wilder element that dates back to her misspent youth – as well as concealing a potentially deadly secret. Saffy’s ordered existence is disrupted by the rise of a powerful demon invoked by two of her favourite pupils, setting in motion a battle that threatens to destroy both Saffy and everything she cares about. Tesh’s world-building’s thorough and convincing, although I found the shift in tone towards the end slightly awkward. But Tesh is a highly skilled writer and her atmospheric plot unfolds at a more than decent pace, despite the odd dip and lull, accompanied by a muted but ultimately satisfying love story.

I absolutely adored this book - it was such a nice change of pace that the point of view was a teacher rather than a student in the school. As a science teacher myself, the attention to detail was exquisite - the author went to great lengths to accurately reflect school life. I have recently struggled with fantasy set in the modern era, but this one was excellent. Modern day ideas were well incorporated.

The world of magic was unlike any I had read before, the demons were so interesting. A new take on fantasy and academia - loved it!

3.5⭐️. Thank you NetGalley & Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

I was so sure this would be a 4-4.5 star read by the end, but boy did the second half really fell off. It was such a strong start — the introduction to our 38-year-old protagonist, Dr. Sapphire "Saffy" Walden who is a teacher, her batch of 4 students, and her eventual love interest Laura. Then came such an exciting magical battle/confrontation in the 30% mark (sapphics vs a higher demon!!) ... after which, it didn't really pick back up.

I have to start with how refreshing I found this novel's premise to be, of having the POV of the teacher as opposed to a student in a magical school setting. As a former teacher myself, the beats and daily grind of being an educator was so familiar and relatable to visit: from doing risk assessment forms and lesson observations, to appeasing parents and always being prepared to the ruckus of young people, to oh god never having enough time for everything! The classroom settings and Saffy's interactions with her students were my favorite parts, so when there was less emphasis on these in the second half, my interest dipped so much. Regardless, the Teacher Inspires Student talk between Saffy and Nikki near the last third was one of the best scenes of the entire novel, and gave me hope that this might end with a bang.

Alas, it didn't, because THE climatic Final Boss Fight of the novel was so poorly built up. The sudden POV switch from Saffy to the demon was a poor narrative choice for me because we're left to fill in the blanks of what was essentially a timeskip of months. Imagine getting to the point of the story where the protag Finally Figures Out The Baddie's Plan and then bam, fast forwarding through it all.

What should've been the other highlight of the book—the sapphic romance—was RIFE with potential but flopped, such that I'm getting grumpy just thinking back on it. It's a shame because Laura & Saffy's contrasting personalities and how they bounce off each other are so fun to read. The classic "Book Smart with the Street Smart". But the removal of Laura as a key character after the 40% mark was a huge detriment. I wish Emily Tesh had found a way to keep her around, but we're stuck with the blandest Colleagues With Benefits in the form of Saffy & Mark, the magical consultant hired by the school. I get that Mark is never meant to be endgame, but if we're going to be reading about him so much, could his personality and this dynamic be even a smidge more interesting? And less obvious. Oh, SOOOO obvious.

I do really appreciate the commentary given on how inaccessible tertiary academia can be if you don't have the finances for it. Sure, the presence of demons certainly puts the "dark" in dark academia, but the true darker side of it lies in the elitism.

Great concept, probably would not re-read a second time. If Tesh decides to expand this world though, I'd pick it up.

A sapphic dark academia fantasy that puts the focus on the school administrators and staff at an arcane magical boarding school. Focusing on arcane safety courses and maintaining the thematic engines that keep the school from collapsing out of mundane reality altogether and disappear into the demonic plane. A fascinating take on a popular genre that puts it’s teachers front and centre with a focus on class differences, growing up in a boarding school and owning your mistakes, especially when it costs someone else their life. Perfect for readers of fantasy and dark academia!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐔𝐊 | 𝐎𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐡

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved The Incandescent! Emily Tesh managed to create a school that mashed up the excitement of learning magic with the actual challenges (and sometimes boring daily routine) of running a learining institution. The characters were complex and not perfect - my favourite kind! Read this if you love fantasy mixed with real life.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I loved Emily Tesh’s “Some Desperate Glory” when I read it in 2023; something about the way she wrote those character arcs was so incredibly satisfying. So when I heard about “The Incandescent”, I was already sold. Fantasy Dark Academia, from the point of view of the teacher; That sounds perfectly up my alley.

And it was! I read this in two sittings, absolutely devoured it. Emily Tesh writes queer stories so incredibly well. I loved the complicated relationship at the centre of this, the Demons and the magics, and the close look at why Academia so often isn’t up to standard.

10/10, a fantastic stand alone novel.