Last updated on October 2, 2026
$0.99 USD for the Cosy the Day Away Sale on October 3rd to 4th 2026.
A magical school story as four students begin to figure out their lives, friendships, and what matters most in the aftermath of World War 2.
Available wherever you like to get your ebooks (and also available in paperback).
In 1946, four second year students at Schola have their own challenges to face. Leo, Ros, Avigail, and Jasper need to make some key decisions about their lives. Being at the most elite of the schools of magic in Great Britain has advantages, but that doesn’t mean everything comes easily.
First, they have to figure out what they want to do and be when they grow up. It’s a hard choice to make at fourteen. Next, second year is when Schola’s secret societies pick new members, a decision that can change the course of a life. Third, there are all the ordinary challenges and joys of a school, ranging from dealing with other students to sports matches. Finally, it’s 1946, with all the lingering effects of the Second World War, the changes it’s brought, and the changes to come.
These four friends come from different backgrounds, sharing some skills but not others. None of them want what society assumes they do. It’s a new world and they have some ideas of their own.
The Magic of Four is full of friendship, surprises, commitments, and a great deal of magic. It takes place in the magical community of Great Britain in the wake of the Second World War, from the perspective of young adults who have a good idea what their parents did during the war years and what that cost.
The last book in the Land Mysteries series, The Magic of Four includes a number of characters who have appeared in other Celia Lake books, but can be read in any order. Unlike most Albion books, this is not a romance – after all, they’re all fourteen.
Content notes available on my website along with what to expect from these books.
About Albion
All of Celia Lake’s books are human-made (no generative AI used).
If you’d like more about Schola, you can find Thesan and Isembard’s romance (Leo’s parents, and everyone’s teachers) in Eclipse, set at Schola in 1924-1925.
Chasing Legends, a novella over the winter holidays in 1926, finds Thesan, Isembard, Ibis, and Pross exploring the caves near the school and an unexpected enchantment.
Ros’s parents have their romance in Goblin Fruit, Avigail’s in The Fossil Door, and Jasper’s in Outcrossing (this one’s available for free!).
And if you’re curious about the siblings of these four, you can find Ursula Fortier’s romance in Grown Wise, Edmund Carillon’s (up at Oxford) in Apt to be Suspicious, and Rowena Edgarton’s in Unknown Depths.
Other related books can be found on the website via the book link.
More about Albion’s secret societies will be coming in the Mysteries Societies series. The Heart of the Work (the first book in that series) will be out in February 2027. Or explore other titles focusing on the societies!