Book Review

Eclipse by Celia Lake

I came to Eclipse via these two tweets shared on Twitter.

It was the second one which really got me. I love a good magical school story, but the Harry Potter books never quite worked for me. Eclipse, which promised a view from the staff room of a magical school in the 1920s, sounded like my catnip.

(Also, the author’s page has a content warning that includes a warning for ‘academic politics including an unpleasant faculty meeting’, which made me laugh and also sigh, because oh yes, that’s worth a content warning alright.)

Eclipse is a very gentle, cosy sort of romance set at Schola, a prestigious boarding school for students of magic. The story is set in 1924, and the shadow of the Great War is still very present. The magical and non-magical communities alike lost thousands of people to the war and to the Scourge (Albion’s version of the Spanish Flu) that followed, and these losses have affected society in ways that nobody wants to talk about or even think about directly.

Both of our protagonists have been very personally affected by the War and its aftermath. Isembard fought in the War, not in the trenches, but in rather more ethically ambiguous circumstances, and he is still affected by his memories of the terrible things he did in the service of his country. His family wants him to challenge for a seat on the Council, magical Albion’s ruling body, but he is uncertain whether this is something he could or indeed should do. Instead, he has taken up a role at Schola teaching Protective Magics, and serving as a bodyguard and mentor for two scions of Council families.

Thesan has been the Professor of Astronomy at Schola for seven years, having attained her Mastery at an unusually young age. The stars are her first love, and teaching her passion – she is the sort of teacher who cares deeply for her students and really thinks about how she can best reach them. Unlike Isembard, her family is not socially prominent. In fact, Thesan and her siblings were the first generation in her family to make it into Schola. For her, it is the aftermath of the war that is personal. With so many losses in the magical community, far more young people of her class are gaining access to educational and professional opportunities that they would never previously have received. Unsurprisingly, there is significant pushback from the older families, who liked things the way they were and are unwilling to accept that change might be not just needed, but inevitable.

I really loved both protagonists. Thesan is fiercely intelligent and actually quite bolshie, but this is easy to miss, at least at first, because she is not a character who pursues confrontation. She is quiet and dresses in a way that is blandly irreproachable. Her House is one which is known for producing reliable, plodding types, and Astronomy is a discipline that rewards patience and attention to detail. She also faces a certain amount of familiar misogyny about her abilities, but generally doesn’t bother to correct it directly.

She shrugged amiably. “I am much younger than he is, moderately pretty, blonde, and could not possibly have a sensible thought in my head. Despite the fact that I have lived and breathed nothing but astronomy for more than a decade and he’s distinctly a dabbler.” She added a bit more. “To be fair, it’s not that he’s entirely useless. Shiva’s right that he has a particular knack for demonstration of some of the modal approaches to aligning magic and music. It’s just that his theories are poorly anchored in the scientific method.”

If you’ve ever been to a scientific seminar, you know just how vicious that last bit is.

Thesan may not seek confrontation with those who think her lesser, but her peaceable nature doesn’t come from timidity, but from a bone deep confidence – she knows her own worth and her abilities, and is entirely comfortable letting others figure it out in their own time. Or not, as the case may be. I admired her poise, and particularly her ability to simply say her piece, logically and articulately, in socially difficult situations, and then simply let it be.

She knew how to teach people to understand the myriad lights of the cosmos, but only if they were willing to look up.

What I would give for that sort of certainty!

You need some stars now


Isembard has a lot more of the traditional romance hero about him. He is very charming and gallant, and generous with compliments and attention. He seems to be more in command of himself and his world than Thesan, but underneath, he is far less sure of himself. Where Thesan knows who and what she is, Isembard is far less grounded. His family is not warm or supportive, the War damaged him both physically and emotionally, and for a long time he struggled with alcoholism. While he is a good teacher and a conscientious mentor, he is still trying to figure out who he is now, and what he wants.

This is the point in the review where Sarah started leaving plaintive comments in the margins asking if there was, in fact, a plot, and would I, perhaps, care to mention it? But the truth is, this is not a book that has a lot of plot. The story really is mostly about two people getting to know each other better, and falling in love, while doing their jobs. The doing-their-jobs part expands into a couple of subplots involving Mysterious Student Behaviour on the one hand and Educational Reform on the other, as well as epic faculty politics and a rather unfortunate school play, but much of the story is really a study of the complex interactions of a group of people who live and work together and share some goals, while disagreeing vehemently over others. I would describe this book as relationship-driven rather than plot- or character-driven. The plots are little ripples rather than great waves. I would not have thought I would like this – I complain VEHEMENTLY about films that don’t have proper plots – but I really, really did.

Back to the relationship between Thesan and Isembard, which, as you may have gathered, I loved. Their friendship is solid and comfortable from the start, and I liked their openness and frankness with each other when the question of sex raises (ahem) itself. I actually got the sense that Isembard is romantically interested in Thesan from quite early on, but he is very cautious about approaching her that way, perhaps because he doesn’t want to risk the friendship, or perhaps because he doesn’t want to inflict his terrible family on her. There is a sort of theme in the second half of the book of Isembard needing to perform three impossible tasks to win Thesan’s love, which is telling. Thesan treats this idea with tender indulgence, but for Isembard it is deadly serious – he is very much a knight questing after a lady, but also, I suspect he thinks he doesn’t deserve her.

But they are so beautiful together. Thesan is a good match for Isembard, because she both grounds him and refuses to let him be less than who he is. Isembard is a good match for Thesan because he sees past her protective coloration and recognises her incisiveness, her kindness, and her determination to fight for her students. And there is so much tenderness and affection between them. I just felt so happy for both of them by the end of the story!

Eclipse is not a typical magical school story, though there are times when one has the sense that there is a children’s fantasy novel going on just on the other side of the page, and that we are only seeing the edges of it. It is also not a typical romance. While Thesan and Isembard are a delight, their story is a small part of an entire moment of social change. Questions of class, of education, and how the one influences access to the other are central to this story. Schola itself is the most prestigious boarding school in the country, and while the entrance exams are supposed to be solely about determining ability, they contain all sorts of assumptions that affect who is likely to do well in them. Here is Thesan explaining this to Isembard:

“I got into Schola because – we didn’t have a household of servants, but Mum knew to read us stories about them. One of my aunts helped us figure out what to study, with my older brothers and sister. We had to learn what you all cared about to get a chance to play on your field…”

Another thing that I loved about Isembard is that he starts off being someone who doesn’t ‘see’ class. He thinks he’s being unbiased, but instead he’s missing significant context. However, once this is pointed out to him as a problem, he immediately recognises that he needs to fix it.

“I see. Or rather, I’m sure I don’t. But I would like to learn what you’re seeing. What you know that […] I’ve been ignoring.”

There are also a lot of academic politics in this book, and so many conversations around teaching and learning and the minutiae of running a school and dealing with the various excitements that students will inevitably provide. This, especially when put beside the preoccupation with class, is rather reminiscent of Dorothy Sayers’ Gaudy Night, and there are one or two scenes which felt like nods to Sayers. Isembard’s combination of protectiveness and profound respect for Thesan, and the way he uses ‘Magistra’ as a term of endearment reminded me a little of Peter and Harriet. But the feel of the book is very different – in Gaudy Night the main action happens around and to Harriet, whereas in Eclipse, as I said, I always had the sense that there were things going on just off-stage which I was not seeing. There is no great climactic moment, either – Isembard and Thesan investigate things, talk about things, argue things, but they do not, ultimately get to decide on the outcomes of the student shenanigans or of the academic politics. They don’t have that kind of authority. What they do get to decide on is their own, personal, paths, and how they will act to themselves and to others. It’s a very quiet book in that way.

For me this was very relaxing – the idea that one does not have to fix everything oneself? How intoxicating! – but it also felt like an unusual narrative choice, and I could see it being frustrating for others. (I would also add that, having binged my way through half of Lake’s backlist now, this is simply how her stories work. They are quiet, they centre around two good people investigating problems beyond themselves and finding out things that others might not have spotted, but more often than not, the larger problem is resolved not by the hero and heroine but by their allies.)

I really do think the very best feeling in the world is when you finish a wonderful book by a new-to-you author and then discover that she has written ten other books set in that very same world and then all you can do is make high pitched noises of delight as you gleefully click ‘Buy All’ on your Kobo.

Actually, Kobo does not have a Buy All feature, and I feel that this is an oversight, but never mind…

Eclipse did that for me. It was a book that felt as though it had been designed precisely for me, from the thoughtful worldbuilding to the tenderness of the romance, from the teachers and students and friends that made up the rest of the story’s cast, to the astronomy metaphors and, yes, even the faculty politics. And then there was the description of the eclipse itself, and the feeling of magic gathering in the air as the light changes and the sun disappears just made me shiver with delight.

I loved it.

I can’t believe I didn’t manage to work a ‘Total eclipse of the heart’ joke into this review, but here, have a total eclipse anyway


This book is available from:
  • Available at Amazon

  • Order this book from Barnes & Noble
  • Order this book from Kobo

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!

Eclipse by Celia Lake

View Book Info Page

Add Your Comment →

  1. LisaM says:

    I too have binged my way through Celia Lake’s books, thanks to a recommendation here. I still have a couple in reserve, including this one, which I am looking forward to even more now. I saw a reference somewhere to Lord Carillon as a Peter Wimsey-ish character, so I’ve been on the lookout for references and allusions.

  2. AliceIsabellaV says:

    I read this book about a month ago & absolutely loved it, so much that after finishing it I read it again the next day! I’ve since read a few more of Celia Lake’s backlist but Eclipse is by far my favourite and I expect it will be a future comfort read for me.

  3. GraceElizabeth says:

    I’ve been a Celia Lake fan for a couple of years now and I’m so glad she’s getting the recognition she deserves! My absolute favourite is still GOBLIN FRUIT which features the aforementioned Lord Carillon, closely followed by WARDS OF THE ROSES, but they are all such comforting reads. I save them ’til I have a bad day and they always do the trick!

  4. Lisa F says:

    Ooh, this sounds charming. I might start from the front of the series so I can carry along with it.

  5. Oh, this is SO persuasive!

  6. ReneeG says:

    Another fellow fan of Celia Lake’s books and writing. I also felt the same way when I discovered her backlist – such joy!!

  7. EC Spurlock says:

    This sounds right up my alley! Going to the bookstore this week; I may preorder this for pickup.

  8. LML says:

    This is my favorite of all your reviews at SBTB.

  9. Juhi says:

    And once again Catherine, you review something that makes me go, I must have this RIGHT NOW! Thanks!

  10. LongStrider says:

    @LisaF All of her books are self contained. They are in one world together, but there is not an overarching plot between the books in her series. There are characters that are the focus of one book that show up as background/side characters in other books but you don’t need to have read them in order for those characters to make sense.

    I am a friend of the author. I’ve beta read for her and am SO happy to see her get such a glowing review here.

  11. Kareni says:

    This does sound wonderful, Catherine! Thanks for your Squee.

  12. Cristie says:

    I’ve read the first three books in the Mysterious Charm series in the past two weeks and really enjoyed them. Goblin Fruit is my favorite so far. I’ve already downloaded Wards of the Roses onto my Kindle and am planning to treat myself to it this weekend. Thank you so much Catherine for recommending this author because it’s the first time I’ve managed to read three in a row of anything since I read the Murderbot books last year.

  13. ln says:

    I discovered Celia Lake’s books only 3 weeks ago or so thanks to a recommendation here and while as is said here, the books are self contained, I think it might be easier to understand the world if you start with Outcrossing and the books in that series which introduce Lord Carillion.
    My absolute favourites personally are Pastiche (the one I started with) which chronologically occurs much earlier in the timeline and Eclipse.
    There are a few odd language choices like using « thank you for your service » which is not a British thing to say now, let alone in the 1920s. And the use of « ta » and « grand » by all social classes which doesn’t sound right to me, having lived in the UK for nearly 30 years. But I love the world, the characters and the stories and can’t wait for another book!

  14. chacha1 says:

    Since relationship and character are what I most want in a book (especially a romance!) I think this is the most likely of all Magic School books to please me. Thanks for the wonderfully enticing review.

  15. SusanE says:

    For those who like to read books in chronological order by their settings rather than by publication date, here are the time frames for Celia Lake’s Mysterious Charms series:

    #4 – Wards of the Roses – 1920
    #1 – Outcrossing – 1922
    #2 – Goblin Fruit – 1924
    #3 – Magician’s Hoard – 1926
    #6 – On the Bias – May 1925
    #5 – In the Cards – November 1925

  16. Louise says:

    Here’s what this makes me think of. Everyone remembers that a recurring criticism of {YA romance series that shall not be named} is that it reads like fan fiction. I’ve long thought the ideal fanfic would have been to write … the intelligent, thoughtful novel that {series} is a fanfiction of.

    Now imagine a child or teenager starting to make up a story about a school of magic. By the time she is grown up enough to pull it all together into a workable novel, she has become more interested in the school’s teachers and other adults–the people who were just shadowy background cutouts in the child-story.

    And, wouldn’t you know, my Amazon cart has been patiently waiting for me to add another seventeen cents to it.

  17. @GraceElizabeth – Those are two of my favourites, also. And On the Bias! I always wanted to see Peter Wimsey’s Bunter get his own story.

    @SusanE – I’d add Pastiche at the very start, which I think is set in 1906. There is a full timeline on Celia Lake’s website here: https://www.celialake.com/about/timeline/

    And @LML and @Juhi – thank you!

  18. I just wanted to say thank you for this review. I’m reading my way through Ms Lake’s books and thoroughly enjoying every one.

Add Your Comment

Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

↑ Back to Top