Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.



"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor 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. And it’s possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from—is herself.

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Praise for this book

"A searingly brilliant fantasy. This is magical school with teeth. Warm-hearted, terrifying and clever, Tesh's examination of magical school through the eyes of an unforgettable - and properly grown up - heroine is an unmissable read."—Tasha Suri, award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne

"The Incandescent is the grown-up answer to the magical boarding school tale, a glorious shout of vindication for anyone who has ever worked in education. Every book Emily Tesh writes is a magic trick, and this is no exception. Fantastic in every sense of the word."—Freya Marske, bestselling author of The Last Binding trilogy

"An absolute flex of a book, empathetic and passionate and deeply thoughtful. Above all, Tesh will make you care: about place, self, and the brave, impulsive, vulnerable, curious, incandescent young lives that are our future. A gorgeous evocation of what it means to have a calling."—Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

"If magical boarding schools existed, they would look very much like this one: volatile cocktails of hormones, demons, and generational wealth, kept afloat solely by the labor and expertise of several very tired grown-ups. If you, like me, are a very tired grown-up, The Incandescent will hit you right in the heart."—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"The Incandescent has immediately become my favorite magic school story: a book filled with teenagers that's for and about grown-ups, in the most compelling and convincing sense possible. The joys of seeing Tesh's protagonist succeed at her job of preventing children from making terrible mistakes are only exceeded by the joys of watching her make even worse mistakes, and I loved every page of it."—Rebecca Fraimow, author of Lady Eve's Last Con

"A must-read; a magical, sophisticated and razor-sharp story of education and power."—Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit

Praise for Emily Tesh

"A true story of the woods, of the fae, and of the heart. Deep and green and wonderful."—Naomi Novik on Silver in the Wood

"Surprised me at every turn. . . . This book has earned a permanent place on my favorites shelf."—V. E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, on Some Desperate Glory

"A fantastic, engrossing space opera filled with found family and an incredible character arc as Kyr grows and learns the truth of the universe."–Library Journal, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2023, on Some Desperate Glory

"This riveting adventure deserves a space on shelves alongside genre titans like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler."—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Some Desperate Glory

"This book will hurt you and you will say thank you. . . . Reading this feels like bearing witness to something revolutionary."—Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, on Some Desperate Glory

"Masterful, audacious storytelling. Relentless, unsentimental, a completely wild ride. I had a time."—Tamsyn Muir, New York Times bestselling author of The Locked Tomb series, on Some Desperate Glory

"Tesh crams in enough wild inventiveness for an entire trilogy, wrapped around an emotional core that's powerful and urgent and unmistakably real."— M. R. Carey, author of The Girl with All the Gifts, on Some Desperate Glory

"Kyr is a revelatory hero—never have I so fervently wished the worst for someone, only to end up cheering for them... Fierce and heartbreakingly humane."—Shelley Parker-Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun, on Some Desperate Glory

"A profoundly humane and brilliantly constructed space opera that will have you cheering, swearing, laughing, and ugly-crying. It's perfect."—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, on Some Desperate Glory



"A wildly evocative and enchanting story of old forests, forgotten gods, and new love."—Jenn Lyons on Silver in the Wood

"Tesh writes compellingly...[blending] thrilling action with a mind-bending course in cosmic metaphysics, which keep shifting your sense of what this book is about. If you’re looking for a page-turner with fascinating ideas, then Some Desperate Glory absolutely qualifies."—The Washington Post, on Some Desperate Glory

"One of my early favorites of the year. . . . Had me ugly-sobbing on the train."—LitHub, on Some Desperate Glory

"Emily Tesh unflinchingly plumbs black hole depths of bleakness, with a resolution that had me sobbing cathartically, ready to say goodbye."—NPR, "Books We Love" feature, on Some Desperate Glory

"Can I get a ‘HELL YEAH!’?"—Powell's, Best of 2023, on Some Desperate Glory




About the AuthorEMILY TESH is a UK-based author of science fiction and fantasy. Her debut novel, Some Desperate Glory, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Tesh is also a winner of the Astounding Award, and the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow duology.
Title: The Incandescent
Author(s): Emily Tesh
ISBN: 9781250835024
Copyright 2025
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
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