Not So Well Read | The Incandescent

How it Works Bookshop

Publishing Team Contact

Log in or Sign up

The Incandescent

Emily Tesh

Save to Your Books

Bookshop

Amazon

100% of affiliate revenue supports Not So Well Read

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.

Show more

Get the Bindery app

Posts about this title from Not So Well Read

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • May 28 2025

Four Fantasy Books I've Loved Recently

2025 has been and will continue to be an incredible year for fantasy! I typically mix up my genres, but this year’s releases have been so good that I can’t leave the fantasy genre unless someone forces me to.

Here are 2 new releases, 1 quickly approaching release, and 1 fall release that I’ve absolutely adored.

#fantasybookstagram #fantasybookrecs #fantasybook #fantasybooklover #bookstacks

4 books

1

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • May 11 2025

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

Have you ever wondered what the heck was going on in the minds of all the professors at your favorite magic schools? If so, add The Incandescent to your TBR immediately!

This book is basically my entire personality. It’s got a protagonist with major Emily Wilde vibes, a magic school that’s just as deadly as The Scholomance, an incredible evocation-based magic system…. AND IT’S SAPPHIC!!!

I have absolutely torn through this book with the same ferocity of a centuries-old demonic entity. And luckily, it’s out Tuesday (5/13) so you can too!

1 book

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 23 2025

2025 Summer Fantasy Book Releases

Y’all… May, June, and July is absolutely stacked with incredible fantasy/dark academia/romantasy releases. And, this is only the stack I’m fortunate enough to have a physical ARC of. There are like 8 more that I’m reading on my kindle right now.

Hope you all are taking lots of vacation days, because summer reading is going to be very, very time consuming this year.

What release are you most excited about?

6 books

1

Posts about this book from across Bindery

ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Jun 22

Join for free

[With a little over a week left in June, I wanted to share some more of my favorite LGBTQIA+ reads to continue the celebration:\ \

Must-Reads for Pride Month (pt. 2)! 🌈

17 books

3

ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Jun 11

Join for free

[Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, I wanted to share some stories I love written by and/or featuring queer authors and characters:\ \

Must-Reads for Pride Month (pt. 1)! 🌈

14 books

5

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Jul 28 2025

Join for free

\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://ezeekat.binderybooks.com/item/46z5Z6ca0FBLW70xJNw8/)

VOTE NOW - September Book Club Poll

5 books

4

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • May 29 2025

Join for free

My Top 5 of the Month \ \ ⭐ 4.50 - The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu)\ \ I finally picked up The Grace of Kings this month after years of having it on my TBR and was NOT disappointed. The first book of the Dandelion Dynasty series, TGoK is a silkpunk fantasy tale of rebellion, treachery, sacrifice, and dynamic politics. One of my favorite things about this book was the minor characters - even though you don’t necessarily spend that much time with them, they all feel so three-dimensional, with rich lives of their own that piece together into the greater tapestry of the story. The book also featured exciting action sequences, fascinating biomimetic technology, and complex relationships that really brought the tale to life. I think this series will likely become one of my all-time favs, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books!!!\ \ ⭐ 4.50 - House of the Beast (Michelle Wong)\ \ I’m always on the hunt for a good standalone fantasy, and House of the Beast is the latest gem I wanted to share. Full of morally complex characters and set in an Asian-inspired world with an anime vibe that I really enjoyed, this was a captivating dark fantasy tale of revenge, codependency, and obsession that I could not put it down. The book also features illustrations done by the author herself (she was the illustrator of The Legend of Korra graphic novels!), and they were such a delight to look at throughout the course of the story. \ \ ⭐ 4.50 - The Devils (Joe Abercrombie)\ \ The Devils by Joe Abercrombie is now what I would consider the best starting point for readers new to Abercrombie’s works, and is a delightful story of found family and adventure that somehow managed to be tragic, hilarious, and thought-provoking all at once. It’s grimdark fantasy, so yes, there is the violence, the brutality, the futility, but Abercrombie does a fantastic job amping up the humor and wit without losing the core of the story, which in The Devils, is about finding self, belonging, purpose in a cruel and chaotic world. Additionally, the book delves into the hypocrisy of the Church, the blurred lines of good and evil, and concepts of damnation and redemption. One chapter in particular, “A War in Miniature,” stood out to me as especially well-written, and it’s one of the most memorable chapters I’ve read in recent years. \ \ ⭐ 4.25 - Coldwire (Chloe Gong)\ \ I grew up during the peak era of YA dystopia (YA books in the early 2010’s just hit different), and Coldwire was a book that felt conceptually fresh, but also nostalgic of that time. Given the rise of AI, this book felt particularly fascinating and relevant, and my favorite thing about it was the premise of the world being separated into “upcountry” and “downcountry” - those with financial resources can escape the economic and environmental catastrophes of “downcountry” by living almost entirely in a virtual reality known as “upcountry”. I am eagerly awaiting book 2 of this series, because man, there were so many twists and turns in the last 30% of the book and I need to see how the full story plays out!!\ \ ⭐ 4.25 - Royal Assassin (Robin Hobb)\ \ Robin Hobb sure knows how to write a compelling character-driven story, and I enjoyed this second leg of Fitz’s journey. This series has such a classic fantasy feel to it, and while I’m slightly terrified to see where this story is going (must protect Fitz at all costs), I am excited to see how this trilogy concludes in the next book!\ \ Other May Reads & Ratings \ \ ⭐ 4.25 - A Treachery of Swans (A.B. Poranek) \ \ I grew up doing ballet and am a sucker for Swan Lake retellings, so I was super excited to pick up this book. The writing was so lyrical and lush, and the gothic atmosphere was perfect for the story. I loved this sapphic twist on the Swan Lake tale, and thought the writing was engaging throughout. I do wish this had been a duology rather than a standalone, because there was a lot of potential at the end to expand the story, rather than force a conclusion, but overall, I enjoyed my time with this one!\ \ ⭐ 4.00 - A Forgery of Fate (Elizabeth Lim) \ \ YA books are a hit or miss for me these days, but this was a hit! I loved how Asian folklore was woven into this undersea Beauty and the Beast retelling, and really enjoyed the enchanted, aquatic vibes. This is a super-digestible, action-packed book and is very suitable for those looking to get more into the fantasy genre.\ \ ⭐ 4.00 - The Incandescent (Emily Tesh)\ \ The Incandescent features an older FMC (late 30’s), a highly detailed and well-developed magic system, and sapphic relationships all tied together in a story of self-discovery, belonging, and power. I have never read a dark academia fantasy book told from the perspective of the faculty, rather than the students, and I really appreciated this fresh perspective - if you're a teacher, I think you will especially like this one! \ \ ⭐ 4.00 - My Friends (Fredrik Backman)\ \ This was a beautiful story about how special childhood friendships are, and the beauty and power of art. I particularly loved the dedication of the book, so I wanted to share it below:\ \ "To anyone who is young and wants to create something. Do it."\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - Behooved (M. Stevenson)\ \ I was devastated when My Lady Jane was canceled on Prime Video after one season, but this book slightly eased the pain (yes, there is somehow another fantasy in which the MMC turns into a horse after sunset). Wish there was a little more depth to the story, but overall, this was a delightful romp of a story, and I had a lot of fun reading it!\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)\ \ Stories about the elderly always wreck me, and this was no exception. That said, I didn’t find this one quite as moving as And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, another one of Backman’s books about an elderly man, but thought it was still beautifully written overall.\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - The Summer Palace and Other Stories (C.S. Pacat)\ \ This was a collection of short stories set in the same universe as the Captive Prince series, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about some of the side characters from the original trilogy, as well as glimpse the lives of Laurent and Damen following Kings Rising.\ \ ⭐ 3.25 - A Song of Legends Lost (M.H. Ayinde)\ \ This book had a really intriguing magic system centered around ancestral summoning and featured a cool sci-fi element called techwork, but I had a difficult time getting emotionally invested in the story because of how flat the characters felt. That said, if you’re more of a plot-driven reader, you may still really enjoy this one!\ \ Join for free or login

May Reading Wrap-Up (Reviews & Favorites)

Reviews and ratings of the 13 books I read in May - quite a few that I enjoyed this month!

12 books

4

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • May 28 2025

Four Fantasy Books I've Loved Recently

Here are 2 new releases, 1 quickly approaching release, and 1 fall release that I’ve absolutely adored.

#fantasybookstagram #fantasybookrecs #fantasybook #fantasybooklover #bookstacks

4 books

1

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • May 11 2025

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

I have absolutely torn through this book with the same ferocity of a centuries-old demonic entity. And luckily, it’s out Tuesday (5/13) so you can too!

1 book

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • May 1 2025

Join for free

Here is a list May 2025 book releases across the sci-fi and fantasy genres, including a short publisher synopsis for each book as well as my thoughts + ratings of the ones I've already read (tagged to this post). As I read more of these throughout the month, I'll update this list with additional reviews. Happy reading! :)\ \ MAY 6TH: \ \ Silver Elite (Dani Francis)\ \ In the first book of a sizzling dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone. And whatever you do, don’t fall for your greatest enemy.\ \ My Thoughts & Rating:\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - This book was A LOT of fun (especially in the first 50%), and reminded me of Tris and Four from Divergent (the banter was ON POINT). Unfortunately, the characters continued to feel one-dimensional as the story progressed, and the plot armor got a little too thick for my liking. That said, if you’re just looking for a good time, this may still be for you! I also feel like this will be the next big "booktok book" given how commercial it is so I'm curious to see if it does blow up after its release... 👀\ \ His Face is the Sun (Michelle Jabès Corpora)\ \ A new reign is coming...romance, magic, adventure, and horror collide in the start to this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian inspired trilogy. Four strangers—a princess, a young priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber—are ripped from their lives and thrown into the conflict. Amid murder and betrayal, magic and monsters, gods and visions, love and war, these four unlikely heroes find themselves connected by a forgotten oracle that whispers insistently across the land. Only together can they save the kingdom from destruction, but when the bloodshed is done, who of Khetara’s children will sit on the throne?\ \ The Lost Queen (Aimee Phan)\ \ A heroine like no other, ancient magic unleashed, a fated epic battle–the first book in an enchanting YA fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese lore, weaving magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.\ \ Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame (Neon Yang)\ \ With an armored, oath-bound hero reminiscent of The Mandalorian and the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a stunning queer novella about a dragon hunter finding home with a dragon queen.\ \ The Survivor Wants to Die at the End (Adam Silvera)\ \ In this third book of the They Both Die at the End series, two strangers—each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast—help each other learn to live.\ \ For Whom the Bell Tolls (Jaysea Lynn)\ \ A hotter-than-hell romantasy about forbidden love, dark magic, and a young woman’s fiery adventure in the Afterlife, perfect for fans of Sarah A. Parker and Callie Hart.\ \ Shield of Sparrows (Devney Perry)\ \ A slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.\ \ A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (Sylvie Cathrall)\ \ The charming conclusion to the Sunken Archive duology, a heart-warming magical academia fantasy filled with underwater cities, romance of manners and found family, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.\ \ MAY 13TH: \ \ The Devils (Joe Abercrombie)\ \ An epic fantasy featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey…holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.\ \ My Thoughts & Rating\ \ ⭐ 4.50 - The Devils by Joe Abercrombie features what I now consider to be one of the best chapters written in fantasy ("A War in Miniature") and somehow manages to be tragic, hilarious, and thought-provoking all at once. It’s grimdark fantasy, so yes, there is the violence, the brutality, the futility, but something Abercrombie does well, especially in this book, is amp up the humor and wit without losing the core of the story, which in The Devils, is about finding self, belonging, purpose in a cruel and chaotic world. It’s also about the hypocrisy of the Church, the blurred lines of good and evil, damnation and redemption, and is overall a highly entertaining, rambunctious adventure that also had some really moving moments of found family.\ \ The Incandescent (Emily Tesh)\ \ A razor-sharp sapphic dark academia fantasy told through the eyes of the faculty in a story of self, belonging, and power.\ \ My Thoughts & Rating\ \ ⭐ 4.00 - The Incandescent features an older FMC (late 30’s), a highly detailed and well-developed magic system, and sapphic relationships all tied together in a story of self-discovery, belonging, and power. I have never read a dark academia fantasy book told from the perspective of the faculty, rather than the students, and I really enjoyed this fresh perspective - if you're a teacher, I think you will particularly love this book! I listened to an advanced listener copy (ALC) of this book on Netgalley and thought the audiobook narrator, Zara Ramm, was wonderful - would highly recommend the audio version of this book if you’re interested in it!\ \ Anji Kills a King (Evan Leikam)\ \ An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.\ \ A Curse Carved in Bone (Danielle L. Jensen)\ \ A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.\ \ MAY 20TH: \ \ The Knight and the Moth (Rachel Gillig)\ \ A gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one infuriating knight whose future is beyond her sight. \ \ My Thoughts & Rating:\ \ ⭐ 4.25 - I loved the atmospheric setting, lyrical, prose, and unique magic system (based on six magical objects that grant users a specific set of abilities), and thought this was a well-paced story with clear stakes and defined conflicts. I wasn’t totally convinced by the romance of the two main characters, but overall, I really enjoyed my time with this one!\ \ Behooved (M. Stevenson)\ \ A charming slow-burn fantasy featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne, and a magical ride through a world of cozy enchantment.\ [ON MY MAY TBR]\ \ The Starving Saints (Caitlin Starling)\ \ A transfixing fever dream of medieval horror following three women in a besieged castle that descends ravenously into madness under the spell of mysterious, godlike visitors.\ \ Cruel is the Light (Sophie Clark)\ \ A star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers saga about a war between demons and exorcists . . . and the forbidden love that could change the course of history.\ \ MAY 27TH: \ \ Written on the Dark (Guy Gavriel Kay)\ \ Both sweeping and intimate, a majestic novel of love and war that brilliantly evokes the drama and turbulence of medieval France.\ \ A Fate Forged in Fire (Hazel McBride)\ \ To become the first queen in centuries, a powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her wits and fire magic to overthrow the corrupt powers ruling her kingdom—while also fighting her growing desire for one of her dragon-riding adversaries—in the first book of a sizzling Celtic-inspired fantasy romance duology.\ \ The South Wind (Alexandria Warwick)\ \ A sizzling standalone fantasy of second-chance love inspired by Sleeping Beauty and the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from the author of The North Wind.\ \ When Devils Sing (Xan Kaur)\ \ Four unlikely allies in a small town investigate a local teen's disappearance, and what they discover festering at the core of their community is far more sinister and ancient than they could’ve ever imagined. For fans of She is a Haunting, True Detective, Mexican Gothic, and Midsommar.\ \ Harmattan Season (Tochi Onyebuchi)\ \ A new standalone novel that is hard boiled fantasy Raymond Chandler meets P. Djèlí Clark in a postcolonial West Africa…”Fortune always left whatever room I walked into, which is why I don’t leave my place much these days.”\ \ The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association (Caitlin Rozakis)\ \ Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale.\ \ Join for free or login

May 2025 SFF Release Radar (+ My Ratings & Thoughts)

A list of sci-fi and fantasy books releasing in May 2025 (including brief plot synopsis for each), plus my thoughts/reviews of the ones I've already read!

4 books

8

2

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 23 2025

2025 Summer Fantasy Book Releases

Hope you all are taking lots of vacation days, because summer reading is going to be very, very time consuming this year.

What release are you most excited about?

6 books

1