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 and lord knows there are many more books with young FMCs than there are those closer in age and experience to where I am now in life. These two things said, this is the slice-of-life fantasy I have dreamed of.

This story is about Dr. Sapphire (Saffy) Walden, her beloved Chetwood Academy, and the students she cares for and educates over the years. Skilled at evocation, Saffy (Dr. Walden), serves as a professor and the director of the elite magical boarding school. She is brilliant, and blunt. As a 38-year-old woman, she knows what her life is and what the future will look like. She is content, maybe. The school’s safety balances delicately on a system of wards and protections both new and hundreds of years old. As Saffy’s past decisions haunt the present, she must maintain control of her school, her lessons, and herself lest the balance tip and doom them all to the demonic realm lurking below.

After reading, I saw a pitch of this book as “A Deadly Education meets Rivers of London,” and I wholly agree. I have not read Tesh’s other work, but will be adding them to my list after The Incandescent. This story reminds us that the daily minutiae matter, and that there is beauty in the mundanity. However, it was also wonderfully moody, reflective, and a breath of fresh air for the genre. I can’t promise everyone who reads this will love it. I did, and am excited to delve into Tesh’s other work (and a reread of The Incandescent).

Happy release day to this brilliant book! Out now in both the US and UK. And thank you to @emilytesh and @orbitbooks_uk for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy - it's taken me days to write this review, because the book left me reeling with thoughts and needed a while to wrap my mind around them.

The Incandescent is a richly layered story that blends the reality of modern teaching life with dark academia and demon lore. Set in a magical school outside of London, it follows a passionate but overwhelmed teacher navigating the pressures of education, personal demons (both literal and metaphorical!) and a past that keeps seeping into her present. As tensions rise inside and outside the classroom, the boundaries between reality, magic, and memory begin to blur.

The first thing that stood out to me was how incredibly true-to-life the depiction of teaching in England felt. Having trained there myself, I was amazed at how accurately it captured everything, down to the absurdly relatable moment of the photocopier going on strike (luckily without an imp haunting it, in real life haha). The protagonist felt so real and tangible: flawed, yet self-aware, deeply committed to her students and her job, and facing struggles that felt so relatable. She lives her teacher persona, Dr Walden, as a shield even in her limited non-work-related life and we see her try to break down hat wall throughout the story, attempting to be "just Saffy". Her slow-burn romance with Laura was beautifully done - tentative, and ultimately so sweet. I especially loved the passionate little group of students that rallied around Dr Walden - they added such warmth and fire to the story. The school setting, threaded with demon mythology and a rich history, created a darkly magical atmosphere that kept pulling me in. And it loved that we got to experience it, and the story, fromt he perspective of the teacher rather than the student, which is what happens most often!The writing was thoughtful and introspective, and still has me thinking about parts of the book over and over.

If anything, I found myself wanting a little more resolution. Some of the bigger confrontations or showdowns seemed to be pulled away just as they reached their climax, and I was left with questions I hoped would be wrapped up more clearly. Still, that unfinished quality almost felt intentional, like the story was meant to haunt you a bit after the final page. Well and truly a memorable and thought-provoking read.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark-academia and urban fantasy, as well as demons and demon-hunting with a twist!

Just found a new favorite fantasy!!!!

I DNF-ed Emily Tesh's Some Desperate Glory previously so I was hesitant to request for this one at first. But the synopsis completely drew me in and I was really excited to start it. And oh my god, I'm so glad I decided to take a leap and request for this.

My main issue with Some Desperate Glory before was the over telling but not showing and the main character, but I did not find those issues in The Incandescent at all. I do think there was still some of the telling but not showing though, but in the grand scheme of this book, I think it was necessary and even fitting for the concept of this book.

Fantasy books about magic schools are common - they're not anything new. But it was the execution of The Incandescent that makes this concept a little fresher and more unique. Instead of the focus being on the students of the magic school, we follow the teacher instead - Saffy or Dr. Walden. I would say one of my favorite thing about reading this was that we get this point of view of someone being a teacher, on how they try to educate the students. Teachers are human after all, so it was really great that we get to follow this perspective more and seeing the love Saffy has for her job and her passion. However, that's not to say the students weren't interesting. I loved the little group and their love for what Saffy teaches. It's fun because they still act like teenagers, and yet it's also really wonderful to see them respect Saffy. I just lovedd their little student-teacher dynamic.

I also loved the romance down to the awkwardness of it??? Saying this very affectionately but I loved how awkward Saffy is in this aspect.

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, securing the school from demons & a falling into a romance.

The setting is almost exclusively at the school, it’s heavy academic. Personally I’m not always the biggest fan of academic books but I absolutely loved this. Carried by the delightful Walden.

The character work is what stands out for me, the characters each have distinct personalities, they’re quirky, and are filled with humour.
Throughout the book I had a strange feeling that I knew Walden from my school years and felt like I was being privy into the life of someone I knew 😳, that’s to say that it felt like having someone familiar tell you their story and you’re admiring everything about them.

I enjoyed the plot, it had some low moments where i wasn’t as interested, though it also had plenty of great moments.
Dark plot at times, demon attacks, possession, and threats.
Lots of small funny moments throughout, possessed printer, girls summoning a demon to inhale smoke so they can sneakily vape, and a possessed bus.

I really appreciate reading about real adult characters. The book overall has a somewhat cozy vibe to it, though i wouldn’t count it as a cozy read as there are high stakes.

4 ⭐

Magic school! Heavy emphasis on the school part. I recently discovered that Emily Tesh is a teacher and it really shows here, because what we get in this book is an incredibly detailed exploration of the concept “what if there was magic and demons and someone had to teach an A-level in it?” I loved it.

NetGalley and the publisher provided a copy for review, but I also bought it because come on.

I really really enjoyed this one!

Adult contemporary fantasy following the director of magic at a magic school in England - this was right up my street.

It was really refreshing to follow a 38 year old protagonist, and I loved sinking back into the world of British education - it’s obvious Emily Tesh grew up in the UK and went through the system themselves, she did a fantastic job of making Magic seem like an effortless part of the curriculum and school system.

I liked our main character Saffy or Dr Walden, her motivations and her gripes. I did struggle to connect with other characters and the plot was a little easy to see coming, which is what dropped a star for me, but it was still a really enjoyable ride.

I will be honest in that i think this book is well written and the world-building is immersive. The story for myself is is slow pased and I bit info-dumpy at times. I has currently stopped reading the book without finishing it, only because of my personal read habits. I am a mood reader and this type of story is not something that is my current fixation. BUT from what I've read so far is a cozy, heavily academic slow burn kind of read. The demographic of readers who are looking for that type of story will not be disappointed. I will personally be picking this back up whenever I feel the need for this type of book, which I do have and will be happy to give my full range of thoughts at that time. However for now this has been a good to great read like 3.75

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 intrigued. With the added bonus of demons thrown into the mix here ’The Incandescent’ was a natural ‘must read’ for me and on the whole I was highly impressed. Admittedly it wasn’t quite the new favourite that I was hoping for but it was an inventive and engaging read throughout that left me wanting more.

Before anything else I feel like I should stress the fact that this is an adult, academic approach to the concept of magic schools – told through the point of view of a member of staff. This isn’t a tale of someone finding out magic exists and getting swept away in the wonder of it all; this is the intrigue of the supernatural – with all its potential and dangers – woven into the realities of life as a teacher at a classy boarding school. Its paperwork and meetings with magical ward maintenance on top. It’s magic has a more academical feel to it too – no wand waving involved – and I will admit that parts of it went a little bit over my head. It’s exactly the story that the blurb promises you so I’m not faulting it for that; I just want to make clear that it truly does focus on what it highlights within its premise and comes at you with a truly unique tone when it comes to this kind of tale.

Whilst reading ’The Incandescent’ Walden’s voice struck me as feeling incredibly realistic throughout. In all honesty I found myself wondering if the author had teaching experience and based on the acknowledgments I’m guessing the answer is yes. The tone is spot on for this kind of narrative and fully immerses you within its characters mind.

The other thing that really struck me whilst reading ’The Incandescent’ was how marvellously creative the world that its set within was. In many ways it’s our very own world but with demons and magic woven within. Ever wondered how demons and technology would interact? Here you get your answer alongside some oddly intriguing imps which were somewhat of a highlight for me. This novel’s take on ghosts, emotional echoes and other similar topics left me longing to uncover more. It was a world that I couldn’t help but find myself fascinated with.

Character wise there are some interesting individuals to meet and everybody felt believably fleshed out. Although I will admit that no one blew me away with that ‘new favourite’ feeling that you sometimes come across. Romance wise I felt similarly overall too; I liked it well enough but it didn’t get under my skin in that ‘oh my gosh I must gush about these two together’ way.

Towards the end there’s a very noticeable shift in tone and that’s what made me feel compelled to drop this to a 3.5 rating. For some readers maybe – hopefully – this will work but honestly it threw me. Even once I knew what was going on I simply couldn’t seem to get into these particular chapters in the same way which is a shame as there’s a dynamic at play that generally tends to intrigue me. Plus I personally felt like some details were skimmed over a little surrounding this time. Several things happen but I don’t feel like you ever get a true level of depth to the various how’s of it all. Or even an exact ‘what’ in one case’. The story ultimately ended in a place that I was happy with yet it felt slightly rushed to get there.

So overall I’d recommend checking ’The Incandescent’ out, although please do take its more academical approach into account. Its a tone and vibe that I can see some readers falling for but it’s also one that I know may not be for everyone. Personally I struggled with one segment of it, towards the end, but I don’t necessarily think this would be the same case for everyone; although I will say I wouldn’t be surprised if other readers also came away craving a bit more clarity surrounding certain answers. Yet ultimately this is an intriguing tale with a distinctive voice and many ideas that left me longing to know more about its world. This wasn’t a new favourite for me but it was still highly enjoyable, besides one small section.

A dark(ish) academia fantasy from the perspective not of the students but from the teacher.
Chetwood is a posh boarding school that has a tradition of teaching magic. Unlike most books about magical schools, this school and the subject of magic is subject to all the usual government oversight, inspections and curriculum that you'd expect.

Dr Saffy Walden (former pupil) is now a brilliant academic, teacher of invocation (one of three magic disciplines) to the small group of upper 6th form students taking their A-levels. But with the senior role of Director of Magic, she spends very little time teaching and a lot of time in meetings, planning lessons, writing risk assessments, checking the magical security of the school and making sure unauthorised electronic haven't been snuck in and the possessed by an imp.

I really liked seeing a dark academia fantasy from the perspective of a teacher and Dr Walden is an interesting character. She's an extremely talented academic who has chosen to be a teacher when others would view it as beneath them, and not because she's not confident in her abilities. But she is carrying a certain amount of guilt from her time as a student and one of the themes is about being allowed to make mistakes, especially when you're young, and being allowed to move on from them and to improve. The story also looks at privilege - not many people get to go to an expensive boarding school and who, in this instance, can have a magical education (hint: it's not the state school kids) and how that can lead to wasted potential.

The pacing was a little iffy in places, I think having a finale-level event at 1/3rd and the natural dip in pace afterwards made it feel slower than it actually was. The ending was also a little abrupt.

But overall, a thoroughly enjoyable magical academia story with interesting characters and setting. I'd be very happy to read another book in this world.

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 NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This book revels in both the macabre and the mundane. We have all the bureaucracy of a boarding school alongside the teaching of magic, and particularly summoning demons. The juxtaposition works so well, and is embodied by our main character. The director of magic is a supremely powerful magic user and also a teacher of A-Level students who dresses sensibly and works ridiculous hours to the detriment of her own personal life. She balances teaching invocation with the administration of running a school. The structure this setting creates works well for both containing the magic systems explored, creating jeopardy and existing as its own contained universe separate from the rest of the world (largely).

I enjoyed our main character, often prickly, but committed to the care and education of her students. She was interesting because of how prim and proper she is on one hand, but then also under her blazer is heavily tattooed and lusting after a colleague. Romance isn’t usually a focus for me, but here I really enjoyed it. Though the characters have a tense and combative relationship at first, their cool civility and politeness meant the evolution felt really natural.

I was vehemently invested in the story, it was one I flew through. The plot was fascinating, the perils tangible. There were a few peculiarities of language that were jarring at times, the use of abbreviations and acronyms that weren’t explained and required knowledge outside of the book to understand (GDPR for example). This is a minor quibble but one that did feel strange in an otherwise excellently written book.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book was fantastic. The magic system was interesting and complex but still felt grounded and realistic.

I adored this different take on the dark academia genre, framing it through the lens of a teacher who still has to actually operate as a teacher rather than just a magician was new and fresh. It gave me a greater perspective and appreciation on the teaching profession.

The characters were well rounded and likeable. Saffy in particular was an excellent narrator. My only criticism would be that the confrontation at the end did not feel as high stakes as the one with old faithful and so felt slightly anticlimactic in a way. This didn’t detract however from my enjoyment of the rest of the work. I will be thinking about this for a long time and hope we see Saffy and Chetworth again

This was a really great book. This is the magical academia I want to read about.
I want classes, I want the author to teach me something about what they are writing about, I want passion for study.
This also have me a good complex fmc, a fresh wind compared to the usual fmc in fantasy/romantasy novels. I felt all the characters real and well written.
I appreciated the writing style, deep and rich, that really told me well everything about this world.
Some twist were pretty predictable, but still valid

Oh? What's that? There's a magical school book featuring demon summoning? And our main narrator is a teacher? Did you just say it explores themes of privilege and education? Why yes I AM interested thank you! 

The Incandescent takes place in a school reminiscent of the Scholomance, but our main character is an adult teacher who is very much aware of her expertise and knowledge, a nice change from the typical Young Adult protagonist we usually get. Through Dr. Walden's POV, we get fascinating insight into life as a teacher. As a student, I ate that shit up HAHA and if you're a teacher, then I'm sure you'll relate to her struggles! As much as I liked, or perhaps a better word is appreciated, Dr. Walden, the character that truly captured my heart was Laura Kenning. A hot butch lesbian that is good at fighting? Instant KO!

Reading this book is like experiencing a high-end perfume: The initial scent is excitingly intense, and then the base notes release, and you're hit with this deeper scent that reveals the complexity of the perfume. The story pulls this 'trick' twice, with both plot and character work. The character reveals are so gentle in their progression, and happens so carefully that by the time you've noticed it's too late… does that sound ominous? Well, you'll just have to read the book! It's far too good to spoil :)

One of my favourite things is how the book talks about education. Its importance, the joys of learning, and the ways this education system has failed its students. Books set in schools are often fertile ground for the exploration of many topics, since they can act as a microcosm for the dynamics of the world, and The Incandescent certainly didn't disappoint. There were so many moments where I paused to add notes out of pure fascination with the way the author had weaved the story.

My only gripe, (not really a criticism, just a personal wish) is that it ended a little too abruptly for me. I would really have liked to be told more about what happened to the characters after! Okay, that said I understand why the choice was made and I think it fits well for the story.

I think anyone who enjoyed the discussion of privilege and classism in the Scholomance series, or likes insanely cool characters with well-written flaws will enjoy this book!

What grabbed my attention about Emily Tesh’s The Incandescent was the setting: a British school, sixth-form students, and a teacher protagonist. Saffy Walden is the top in her field of invocation, making her one of the most powerful magicians in England. She works at the illustrious Chetwood Academy as the Director of Magic, overseeing the magic departments, staff and students, as well as magical security for the campus. Due to her managerial responsibilities, she only teaches a few classes, including year thirteen A-Level Invocation.

Told from Walden’s perspective, The Incandescent is an ode to teachers. As shown through Walden’s experiences, teaching is chaotic, and that is even before demons come into play! This book is an ode to teachers, and I was addicted to it from the very first page. I was so excited to finally find a book set in a British school written by someone who knew what they were talking about. I didn’t realise until I got to the acknowledgements that Emily Tesh is a teacher herself, so that makes sense! I have some background in teaching, and even though I didn’t take that career path, it was wonderful to see things like risk assessments and lesson plans.

I was also once an A-Level student, and Walden’s commentary about Years Twelve and Thirteen, especially the latter, was very nostalgic. Tesh perfectly captured the thoughts and feelings of A-Level students, especially Year Thirteen. I laughed at Walden’s reflections on the carol service, and how each Year group acted differently, with Year Thirteen giving it their all as the realisation of it being their last one hit them. I remember being that Year, and having that exact experience.

The way Tesh incorporates experiences like this into her narrative shows her compassion as a teacher and her skill as a writer. She clearly knows her students, and her experiences have enabled her to write an incredible novel. The Incandescent is an emotional rollercoaster, much like school itself, showcasing the lives of the staff of Chetwood Academy and its students. While the A-Level students take centre stage in that department, other scenes offer a glimpse at other Year groups. There is one with an asthmatic student that particularly stood out to me as a fellow asthmatic, and I appreciated Walden’s remark about asthmatics knowing how to handle their own condition.

While there is a lot of school procedure and teacher jargon, the duller moments are lightened up by Walden’s thoughts. Sarcastic and quick-witted, Walden’s savvy approach to dealing with students and teachers alike offers a lot of insight into the world around her. This includes the serious moments, as well as amusing ones of bartering with an imp in the photocopier.

As Walden is an Invoker, the magic in the book is focused on demons; however, Tesh uses the academic environment to explore the wider magic system and world-building. There are the magical cops, the Order of Marshals, who help keep order on campus, and then school meetings that introduce the other magical departments. Tesh’s characters are real characters, not just in the sense of realism but also personality-wise. Even the minor characters are memorable, with the downside that I found myself wondering about them despite only meeting them on page once.

The Incandescent is a sapphic romance, with a bisexual protagonist. Romance is not the main focus of this book; instead, it features as a part of life. This is emphasised by Walden reflecting on her relationships and her life to date as a thirty-eight-year-old. Like many people nearing forty, she is beginning to question whether she has done enough. There is also the inevitable adolescent romance drama that comes with a bunch of teenagers.

This book hit all the right notes for as a British queer woman in their late thirties from South East London. Unlike other books set in a British school, it was good to see a realistic representation of race. Too often, I see a predominantly white student body, and it was great to see an author point out on page how diverse the school is. Chetwood may be a fictional location or based on ‘Chetwode’, which, like Chetwood, is close to Milton Keynes.

At present, The Incandescent appears to be a standalone novel, but the novel’s conclusion could go either way. It wraps up nicely as a standalone while also leaving room for another book. As a fan of series’ I’d love Tesh to do just that, or in the future return to the world she has created here. It feels like there is a lot of room to develop it further, and I’d love to see what happens to some of the student characters!

I am writing this as I am 61% of the way through and I am OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!! I am definitely preordering the paperback release for next year (hardcovers are too heavy for my hands!). I will update as I go along!

EDIT: ok, I finished it. I absolutely loved it! bisexual rep, a dark academia from the perspective of the teacher rather than the students??? I LOVED THAT!! seeing the struggles of teaching in this novel was so refreshing; with a lot of dark academia fiction, we often wonder why schools are failed but it is because teachers are let down and consistently overworked. as far as I can tell, this is a standalone book but I definitely wouldn't object to another book like this one if Tesh is up for it. the romance was slightly underdeveloped for me - I would've liked to have seen a bit more of that within the book.

From ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, to ‘A Deadly Education’, to ‘The Name of the Wind’, the magic school trope has seen its fair share of fantastic books, and yet it wasn’t until ‘The Incandescent’ by Emily Tesh that I’d ever come across a magic school where the main character was a teacher. Dr Walden is director of magic at Chetwood school, in charge of teaching invocation to a class of four and securing the school’s magical boundaries from demonic incursions.
Walden’s character really jumped off the page to me, a fantastically written character with clear depth, and the insights into the teaching profession within this book were fascinating to read about, this book could only have been written by someone with experience within the profession. The class of four felt reminiscent of the children from ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ in their distinctive quirks and the way Dr Walden navigated these in order to get the best out of her pupils. The plot though not to me the highlight of this book was engaging and gripping, and I found myself excited to continue reading, while the tone was light with lots of amusing moments.
This is a must read for fans of magic schools and a fantastic execution of a brilliant concept that I suspect may be in the running for quite a few awards in 2026.

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 academia I've read in at least two ways. First, our protagonist is a teacher, the Director of Magic in fact, not a student. Second, in some ways this is a normal English school that teaches all your standard subjects, GCSEs and A Levels. It's just that some students will pick one or more of the types of magic as a subject. A student could be taking all magic A Levels, or just study Invocation alongside their English and History! There is so much teaching and behind the scenes of the school in this book, showing the every day scheduling and marking, alongside teaching demon summoning and banishing the pesky imp from the photocopier. As a teacher in the UK myself, although sadly not a powerful magician as well, I honestly loved the authenticity of it and seeing how much our protagonist loves teaching.

There is queer romance in this book with a bisexual protagonist and I really liked one of the romantic interests, but it is a small part of the story and doesn't get that much development. The focus really is on the fantasy and education elements.

Recommended for fantasy fans. An academy-based, magic teaching book, but for once not from a student's perspective. Thoroughly recommended to educators as well!

"White Lightning! It tasted like bad apple juice and adolescent stupidity."

The Incandescent is a unique and brilliant take on the magical academic fantasy genre. It brings the unique nostalgia of a millennial surrounded by teenagers in contemporary Britain.

Saffy, Sapphire, Doctor Walden is our pragmatic, multifaceted protagonist. She is intelligent, highly relatable and consciously flawed. Tesh does an incredible job of balancing the tones of teacheradmin life with the twists of a mystery that is constantly evolving.

Dr Saffy Walden, Director of Magic and a Deputy Head at Chetwood School, is a career-driven woman, focussed on getting her Year 13s through their Invocation A Levels, and keeping the 19th century arcane wards on the school from collapsing - at the threat of demons possessing the entire student body. When one such ancient high-level demon strikes out, she lets loose the far more powerful one she’s had not-so-secretly chained to herself since successfully defending her thesis - along with the hot paladin–I mean very proficient marshal– she has recently started flirting with. Only, love interests turn out to be like buses, as another magician shows up at the same time, with a very different opinion on her intricately caged pet demon.

The most important thing to know about this book is that it’s a magical school story - but about the 30-40 year old teachers and staff who work there, rather than the usual (in my opinion overdone) coming of age story about a ragtag group of kids. Along with the FMC being of a more interesting age to read about, she’s also bisexual which is very much felt throughout the story. She’s also very arrogant about her magical abilities - and I support women’s wrongs. Of course though, hubris thy name is Saffy, and this is a great personality flaw to explore.

Some of the supporting cast did at times feel superfluous, and the magic system was not particularly detailed or designed, but as a reader it all just made sense - especially the insane amount of detail of school life that could only come from an author who is (or was?) also a teacher. It was also educational - I learnt, for example, that White Lightning was discontinued in 2009 due to (in part) its strong association with underage drinking. This was an anecdote within the story that so resonated with my teenage years that I felt the need to google & fact check.

There were some interesting morals explored in the book, sometimes in hamfisted monologues, that felt like they were trying a little too hard to make their point. Other reviews have also touched on the marshals being essentially fantasy cops, although to that I would ask what those reviewers think paladins actually are…

I raced through this book in 2 days purely on vibes. That’s really all you need to know as a recommendation - if you want an easy to read book with fabulous vibes and a very fun & fast-paced final 20%, pick this up. If you want something that really gets into the weeds of worldbuilding and magic systems, give this one a pass.

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, so I knew I had to pick this up. And I ended up absolutely loving this book!

I’ve read my fair share of novels set in a magical school, but I don’t think I’ve ever read one from the POV of a teacher, which made for a refreshing change. I loved the subtle British humour throughout this novel, and the setting felt incredibly well-realised — I could tell immediately that the author had experience as a teacher. The world-building was fantastic, and really easy to grasp. In addition to having the normal heavy workload of a teacher, Dr Saffy Walden also has the added burden of needing to keep 600 students safe from demons attracted by so much magic in one place. Demons also happen to be attracted by technology, which makes things quite challenging with so many phone-addicted teenagers around!

Dr Walden was a great main character - she was unapologetically herself, confident in her abilities, and frankly a little awkward when it comes to social interactions. Her self-confidence and intense workload do mean that she sometimes misses the obvious right in front of her, and ends up making a lot of mistakes. But at the end of the day, she is a kind and caring person, who is trying to do the best by her students.

Her invocation students — Nikki, Will, Matthias and Aneeta — were incredibly well rounded secondary characters. They made their own mistakes, which felt incredibly true to those a real 17 year old would make, but at the end of the day it’s their intelligence and ability to work together which will help save the day. The other secondary characters were brilliant as well (I wish we could have gotten more Laura though!).

Despite this being a highly entertaining and humourous dark academia novel, it still manages to explore several important issues, such as class, privilege and private education.

If you’re a fan of a magical school and want to see it from a different point of view, I’d really recommend this book!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.