A wild radiance / Maria Ingrande Mora.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A searing and romantic fantasy adventure about an oligarchic state on the verge of a magical industrial revolution--perfect for fans of Arcane , Wicked , and Iron Widow !

"Furiously tender and radically hopeful, A Wild Radiance is the book all of us need right now." --Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Everlasting

Josephine Haven is about to find out exactly where she fits into the march of Progress. Her outbursts are infamous at the House of Industry, the school for children who can wield radiance, an electricity-like magic. She's tried to follow the rules, but her fiery nature is at odds with the core tenet of the House: Never form attachments. If she is meant to feel nothing, why are her emotions so volatile?

No one is surprised when, upon graduation, Josephine is banished from the city to a remote Mission. In Frostbrook, she must work under standoffish Julian, the former golden boy of the House of Industry who seems determined to watch her fail. And then there's Ezra, the flirtatious stranger who's a little too curious about how the Mission operates.

But there are bigger problems than Julian and Ezra's secrets. A deadly disease is spreading across the countryside, and in Frostbrook, not everyone is eager to embrace Progress. As Josephine questions the system that raised her--and gives in to desire she's been taught to suppress--she must decide what she's willing to sacrifice to expose not just corruption within the House, but the devastating truth about the radiance in her core.

An epic and romantic fantasy that reimagines the War of the Currents, A Wild Radiance explodes with the same queer chaotic tension, magical industrialization, and class revolution themes that made Arcane a #1 Netflix sensation.

Perfect for readers who love Queerplatonic and Poly Relationships, Anti-Capitalism, Hurt/Comfort, Sunshine/Grump/Gremlin Dynamics, Messy Exes, and Fantasy Road Trips!

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In this confident dystopian adventure, a teen trained to control radiance--magic that feeds off one's life force and emotions--finds herself entangled in a nationwide conspiracy. After 10 years of instruction, 16-year-old Josephine leaves the House of Industry for an apprenticeship as a Conductor, wielder of the radiance that powers the machines of Progress that keep society running. Away from her mentors' stifling rules for the first time, Josephine realizes that everything she was taught at the House--including the fact that radiance energy isn't a threat to nonmagical citizens-- may be a lie. She finds it particularly difficult to uphold the House principle of eschewing attachments upon meeting extremely attractive, though cold and standoffish, Senior Conductor Julian, 19, as well as mysterious teen Ezra, who hides secrets behind a disarming smile. Upon joining a movement that's poised to upend the current world order, Josephine must reconcile her repressed yearning for community with the internalized rage and violence impacting her radiance. Balancing scenes both grim and heartwarming, Mora (The Immeasurable Depth of You) weaves a cathartic, hopeful tale of awakening to the realities of indoctrination, fighting against exploitative capitalism, and the redemptive power of human connection. Josephine has pale skin. Ages 14--up. (Jan.)

Booklist Review

Although she can fry someone with lightning from 10 feet away with a point of her finger, Josephine was not chosen to be a Transistor, the frontline fighters in the House of Industry. Instead, she learned to use her power to channel radiance to work machinery as a Conductor. When she is assigned (exiled, really) to Frostbrook Mission as her apprenticeship, a place where Progress has yet to spread, Josephine only has a brief moment to consider it punishment before she meets trouble incarnate in Ezra, a user of a wild magic thought to be extinct, and Julian, a prodigy in the House of Industry. Josephine quickly becomes entangled with Ezra and Julian's schemes and more slowly with the boys' feelings, all while being challenged to think for herself for the very first time. Ingrande Mora has found their stride in this latest novel, which encompasses an exciting story chock-full of world building, character development, and queer romance, executed with the perfect pacing they have been striving toward since their debut. Although Josephine is the unmitigated star of the show, Ezra and Julian have an unexplored depth that makes them just as compelling. Despite the front-loaded fantasy jargon, every aspect of the narrative and world is the perfect size for this shining self-contained novel.

Kirkus Book Review

Josephine Haven, an apprentice Conductor, embarks on her first assignment, fueled by a burning determination to prove herself, but as she leaves the confines of her childhood home, she confronts how little she knows about the world. Like all Children of Industry, Josephine grew up as an orphan raised in the House of Industry, where she learned to wield her innate gift of radiance, a power essential to the spread of Progress across the continent. Overflowing with big feelings and wild curiosity that cause her radiance to flare, Josephine has always struggled to follow the strict rules of the House. At first, her new Mission assignment to the remote town of Frostbrook feels like a punishment for her failures, but Josephine finds herself unexpectedly falling in love with life outside the city, forming forbidden relationships with people who challenge her, and questioning everything the House taught her about the pursuit of Progress. Mora captures the diverse and richly developed world around Josephine--a red-haired girl who's "pale as bone" and cued neurodivergent--through lush prose. Lively tension sparks between hot-tempered Josephine, her prickly mentor, Julian, and the exasperatingly charming apprentice healer Ezra as Josephine navigates the feelings she's been taught to deny. This fast-paced, romantic, abundantly queer historical fantasy explores the intertwined pain, fear, joy, and beauty of self-discovery in defiance of oppression by an authoritarian society. Alluring and electrifying magic.(Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.