Academic Fantasy Digest — Issue #3: A Dance of Burning Blades, Clevatess S2, and Anime Expo Watch

The summer 2026 anime season is shaping up to be the most academy-dense window in recent memory, M.H. Ayinde's Invoker Trilogy continues to draw rave reviews, and Witchbrook's slow-burn development finally gets an explanation. Here's everything worth knowing in this week's digest.

A Dance of Burning Blades — the Invoker Trilogy sequel that earned it

If you've been sleeping on M.H. Ayinde's Invoker Trilogy, the sequel is your wake-up call. A Dance of Burning Blades (Orbit UK, April 2025; Saga Press US, June 2025) picks up after the greyblood attack on Lordsgrave: Clan Adatali is in open rebellion against the king, Lyela continues her shadow-board-game, and a certain tree-feller who looks suspiciously like missing invoker Jinao Mizito hasn't forgotten his promise of revenge. 1

The series is set in the Nine Lands, a world where only those of noble blood can summon ancestor spirits in battle — until a commoner crashes that rule. The books are built around invoker academies, clan politics, and the secrets the ruling class has kept buried for centuries. 2

Anime student browsing books in a warm library — AI-generated anime-style illustration of a student in a classroom 3

Early readers have been vocal. "This is turning out to be one of my absolute favorite fantasy series," wrote one reviewer. Another called it "simply excellent — a sequel that builds over what A Song of Legends Lost already created." 4 Tasha Suri described the first book as "the exhilarating must-read fantasy debut of the year." The sequel doesn't disappoint.

A US hardcover edition from S&S/Saga Press is scheduled for August 11, 2026 for those who prefer American editions. For everyone else: the books are already on shelves and deeply worth it.

Clevatess Season 2 — the magic-academy arc is here

Clevatess Season 2 premieres July 2026 on Crunchyroll, and after a dark-fantasy first season the show pivots into a magic academy arc that's been teased since episode one. The conceit: an undead warrior and her surprisingly curious demon lord enroll in a school after he decides he wants to watch how future kings are made from the inside. 5

Studio Lay-duce returns, director Kiyotaka Taguchi is back, and the July 8 premiere date has since been confirmed across social media and promotional materials. 6 Five new cast members have been added for the academy arc.

The Gizmodo summer 2026 anime guide describes the show in one sentence as an undead warrior and petulant demon lord who "enroll in a school out of the latter's morbid curiosity to see how the world will play out from his rearing of the future king." The combination of grimdark action and magic-school tropes puts it firmly on this digest's radar. 7

What Anime Expo 2026 might bring (July 2–5, LA)

Anime Expo runs July 2–5 in Los Angeles, with Crunchyroll headlining an announcement slate that includes world premieres and new license reveals. The schedule already confirms panels for Demon Slayer, Apothecary Diaries, My Hero Academia: I Am a Hero Too (August 3 premiere — world premiere at AX on July 4), and more. 8 9

For academy-fantasy watchers, the most relevant slot is the July 4 world premiere of A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Season 2 — confirmed for October 2026 broadcast, but getting its first public showing at AX. Keep an eye on any surprise announcements from studios known for magic-school adaptations.

The Production I.G × WIT Studio Industry Panel on Saturday July 4 is also worth watching; both studios have adaptation track records worth monitoring for novel properties.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 — the mage-school season

Studio Bind's Mushoku Tensei returns July 6 on Crunchyroll for its third season, covering what the trailers call the "Eris's Training Arc." 10

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While the show isn't primarily a magic-school series, Rudeus's academic years and his time studying under Roxy have always been among its most beloved stretches, and Season 3 returns to that formal-training energy. If you've been tracking the show, this is the season fans have been anticipating since the end of Season 2.

Witchbrook — a decade in the making, still 2026

After ten years in development, Chucklefish's magic-life-sim Witchbrook is still targeting a 2026 release for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox — and the studio has now explained why it's taken so long. COO Donna Orlowski told Knowledge newsletter that the original "Harry Potter meets Stardew Valley" label pushed the team to differentiate. "When we went full-on on the project in 2019, we decided to slightly shift the focus... to ensure that it's not just another similar experience." The focus is now squarely on the simulation side: Chucklefish wants players to feel they'll "never want to leave" Mossport. 11

As of May 2026, Chucklefish confirmed via Discord that they're "still aiming" for a 2026 window but no firm date has been set. 12 The Pixabay-style cozy magic-school aesthetic remains intact in every screenshot. It's the academic-fantasy cozy game that genre fans have been waiting for — patience is wearing thin, but the vision is still intact.

New SFF books for June 2026 — any magic-school picks?

June's SFF release slate is heavy on space opera, clones, and historical fantasy (Katherine Arden's The Unicorn Hunters, out June 2, earned starred reviews from Kirkus). 13 No dedicated magic-school novels break out this month, though Jedediah Berry's Kill All Wizards (June 16, Tor) — in which an aggrieved barbarian infiltrates wizard society — has the right energy for fans who enjoy the institutional-critique thread that's been running through the genre.

The upcoming September release to mark on your calendar: Freya Marske's Bodies of Magic (Sep 15, 2026), a magical med-school novel from the author of A Marvellous Light. Details are still sparse, but Marske's track record with queer fantasy and intricate magic systems makes it one to pre-order now.

Coming up

Anime student in a school library, warm afternoon light — AI-generated anime-style illustration of a student in a school library 14

July 2–5: Anime Expo — watch for new license announcements
July 4: A Returner's Magic Should Be Special S2 world premiere at AX
July 6: Mushoku Tensei Season 3 premieres on Crunchyroll
July 8: Clevatess Season 2 premieres on Crunchyroll
October 2026: A Returner's Magic Should Be Special S2 full broadcast
September 15, 2026: Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske releases
TBD 2026: Witchbrook (PC/Switch/Switch 2/Xbox) — still no firm date