Esmay Rosalyne's Reviews > The Incandescent

If you thought you'd seen it all when it comes to 'magic school' books, you better think again. The Incandescent is a dark academia fantasy that somehow felt comfortingly nostalgic and uniquely refreshing all at once, and it's just one hell of a fun ride from start to finish.

I mean, the entire plot can basically be summed up as: a snarky, bisexual Director of Magic in her late 30s teaches A-level invocation, plods through bureaucratic nonsense, and protects the school from demons that are attracted to technology. Also, there's a frustratingly stubborn and unfairly attractive butch lesbian Chief Marshal who keeps meddling in her business, and they will have to find a way to work together to protect the school to their best abilities.

Now, the pacing is quite odd, with a big climactic showdown that you'd expect in the final act happening before the halfway point of the book, and then the whole story also just has a bit of a quiet slice of life vibe to it, yet at no point did I find myself bored. I just loved following Saffy so much, especially because is both so competent and brilliant but also relatably flawed and messy (even if she likes to pretend she has everthing totally figured out). Also, she makes even the most mundane events (so far as life at a magical boarding school plagued by demon incursions can get mundane) inexplicably funny with her charmingly deadpan thoughts and comments.

Tesh honestly does a wonderful job of capturing the exhausting drudgery of working in education, the frustrating awkwardness of aging, and the unflattering reality of dating 'past your prime', while also infusing the narrative with equal parts magic, emotion, humour and heart. Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised by how deeply invested I became in these characters in such a (relatively) short time, and much as I appreciate how satisfying this standalone adventure is, I would honestly love to return to this world for more someday.

The Incandescent was just everything I didn't know I needed, and I would highly recommend it if you are in the mood for a fun and refreshing dark academia fantasy with a dollop of demons and a sprinkle of sapphic romance. Also, the audiobook narrator really captured the vibe of the story and the understated humour of these characters so well, so definitely give that a shot if you like audiobooks! What a delight.