by Emily Tesh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Easily a top read for the year. I love how genuine and messy this book is. Emily Tesh takes us on a journey of a magical world from the eyes of a school headmaster in her late 30s. And while I was a little insulted she refers to herself as old at times (I’m 43, lol) I get the concept here that this is not a main character who is 19 or 21. What a breath of fresh air!!
Our leading lady is in a ‘real job’ situation. She works, a lot; has people relying on her (students and teachers) and while she knows her life is perhaps odd (living on site at a boarding school) she actually loves it. As someone who is content with their place in the world, in an unglamorous life (according to many) I totally get this. We can’t all be Taylor Swift after all. The one thing that kind of brings this around to fantasy (besides the awesome, elaborate magic system) is that our MC is still super special as she is one of only a few people with her power in the world (le sigh). Yes I know we want to read about powerful special people. So I will forgive Tesh for falling into one trope area (lol).
We have queer characters (including a bisexual one who actually describes being bi perfectly!!!), quirky teenagers, magic, demons, a Hogwarts like school, and more than enough drama to go around. At the end of the day there is a ‘big bad’ to fight, a lot of magic tossed around, and more than enough teen and adult angst/love to share. This is a fantasy story you cannot miss out on if you like academia stories, dark demonic magic, a (frustrating at times) love story, and a twist you won’t likely guess until just before the reveal.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Easily a top read for the year. I love how genuine and messy this book is. Emily Tesh takes us on a journey of a magical world from the eyes of a school headmaster in her late 30s. And while I was a little insulted she refers to herself as old at times (I’m 43, lol) I get the concept here that this is not a main character who is 19 or 21. What a breath of fresh air!!
Our leading lady is in a ‘real job’ situation. She works, a lot; has people relying on her (students and teachers) and while she knows her life is perhaps odd (living on site at a boarding school) she actually loves it. As someone who is content with their place in the world, in an unglamorous life (according to many) I totally get this. We can’t all be Taylor Swift after all. The one thing that kind of brings this around to fantasy (besides the awesome, elaborate magic system) is that our MC is still super special as she is one of only a few people with her power in the world (le sigh). Yes I know we want to read about powerful special people. So I will forgive Tesh for falling into one trope area (lol).
We have queer characters (including a bisexual one who actually describes being bi perfectly!!!), quirky teenagers, magic, demons, a Hogwarts like school, and more than enough drama to go around. At the end of the day there is a ‘big bad’ to fight, a lot of magic tossed around, and more than enough teen and adult angst/love to share. This is a fantasy story you cannot miss out on if you like academia stories, dark demonic magic, a (frustrating at times) love story, and a twist you won’t likely guess until just before the reveal.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
