The Incandescent

by Emily Tesh · 2025

When Dr. Walden, one of England’s most powerful magicians, takes the helm as Director of Magic at the centuries‑old Chetwood Academy, she inherits a school teeming with talent, tradition, and a relentless tide of demonic threats. Her days are a blur of high‑stakes meetings, teaching A‑Level Invocation to a handful of brilliant but chaotic sixth‑formers, and reinforcing the ancient wards that keep the darkness at bay. Yet the most dangerous adversary may not be the monsters outside the walls, but the secrets and insecurities that lurk within Walden herself. As the academy’s legacy hangs in the balance, she must confront the seductive pull of power, the complexities of love among her students, and the haunting question of whether she can protect the future without losing herself. A dark‑academia fantasy that blends sharp wit, fierce magic, and a poignant exploration of identity, "The Incandescent" offers a grown‑up, sapphic twist on the magical boarding‑school genre.