The Incandescent is the grown-up answer to the magical boarding school tale , a glorious shout of vindication for those of us whose necks hurt in the morning now and for anyone who has ever worked in education. But it's also, to put it simply, a really bloody good story. Every book Emily Tesh writes is a magic trick, and this is no exception: with one hand it delights and entertains you, and with the other it's slowly unfolding a set of huge feelings and ideas to illuminate the underside of your mind. Fantastic in every sense of the word.