In what has quickly become one of my top novels of the year, Emily Tesh crafts a unique fantasy world full of violence, intensity, and intrigue in The Incandescent (Tor 2025).
In Tesh’s newest novel, which has been compared to fiction by Naomi Novik and Emily Danforth, Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy—a school for young magicians from all over the world. One of the most powerful magicians in England herself, Walden’s days are relatively routine in the scheme of managing young people with powers and repelling the demons drawn to the school. She takes pride in her careful and precise management of Chetwood and all of its moving parts; however, demons never behave in quite the ways one might expect them to, and one woman can only hold the line for so long, especially when the consequences of Walden’s own ambition could be the biggest danger of all.
This was my first foray into Tesh’s fiction, but it won’t be my last! I loved this novel. The Incandescentis definitely one of my top new releases of 2025 and one of the best fantasy novels I’ve read to date. I love books about demons, and this novel felt like a fresh take on the magic school/demon hunting plot. While it has commonalities with other book series, it is a fresher, more adult take with a startling and realistic look at what the world of academia might look like inside a fantasy world with magic.
Tesh is so successful at writing extremely interior novels set in fantasy/sci-fi worlds. We spend most of our time in the—often deeply flawed—mind of a main character and yet, through their eyes, we learn so much about the sociocultural (and literal) dimensions of their worlds. Walden’s character is compelling and fresh, with a boldness we both admire and fear.
I genuinely could not put this book down. Although the romance is a subplot element, it is exciting and exactly what I look for in a queer fantasy novel. As a fabulous addition to Tesh’s literary catalogue, I highly recommend The Incandescent for lovers of fantasy fiction!
Please add The Incandescent to your TBR on Goodreads and follow Emily Tesh on Instagram.
Content Warnings: violence, death, mutilation.
Rachel Friars received her doctorate in English Literature Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada in 2024. Her current research centers on neo-Victorianism and lesbian literature and history. Her work has been published with journals such as Studies in the Novel, The Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies, Queer Studies in Media and Popular Culture, and The Palgrave Handbook of neo-Victorianism.
You can find Rachel on X @RachelMFriars or on Goodreads @Rachel Friars.
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