Moira Buffini’s Songlight is a lyrical and imaginative novel that pulls readers into a world where music, magic, and mystery converge. Buffini’s prose is beautifully crafted, creating an atmosphere that feels both haunting and hopeful as it follows the protagonist's journey to uncover secrets and face hidden fears. The musical themes are woven thoughtfully into the narrative, adding a unique layer of depth to the story and making it feel almost like a song itself.

The characters are well-drawn and relatable, particularly the main character, whose inner conflicts and growth drive much of the story’s emotional impact. Buffini balances lighter, whimsical moments with darker, introspective themes, creating a tone that resonates and keeps readers engaged.

Although some parts of the plot feel predictable, the overall experience is captivating, with a satisfying mix of suspense and beauty. Songlight is a lovely read for fans of magical realism and those who enjoy stories about the power of music and self-discovery.

A charming and thought-provoking tale, Songlight is a novel that shines in its quiet elegance.

*Huge thanks to HarperCollins CA for a physical ARC of this book. I offer this review willingly and without any compensation whatsoever.*

This review contains MILD SPOILERS.


This book caught my eye because of the title which I find beautiful and positive, as well as the stunning cover. But what really decided me to give it a read was the strong female friendship promoted! I’m always on the lookout for more female friendships that are great, positive, and not toxic or mean. So, I had to request it, and I’m so thrilled HarperCollins Canada granted me a copy!! It was one of my most anticipated reads of the YEAR, and it did not disappoint.

Care to know why?

Come with me for an excursion into Songlight’s world and my love for it.


The Positive Points
I HAVE to start with what surprised me positively when I started reading this book. It clearly mentions a girl’s menstruation and I couldn’t be happier for this! Oftentimes, the YA genre overlooks this simple fact, like it’s taboo or bad when it’s only natural. However, I love when it gets acknowledged, because most of us readers and writers agree that literature should speak the truth… Well, menstruation is a girl’s truth, specially taking into account we start our periods as young teens. I always find it ridiculous and unbelievable when the girls are NEVER on their periods, and can go fight or go out on quests like there’s no worries about that… I’m sorry, are you a teenage girl or a cardboard character made to fit the plot? Yeah, that’s what I thought. So, thank YOU, Miss Buffini, for writing a teenager’s menstruation into your book. It pleased me, as it needs to be more talked about if we’re to reflect reality in truthful ways in our literature. Thus, teenage girls can see themselves and their reality in the books they read.

Now, on another topic, I must admit this book ALWAYS has action. There’s always something happening. The characters are complex, determined, and all intriguing in their own way. I never figured out if I sensed them in the room with me while reading or if I felt transported next to them. Either way, that’s some powerful character creation right there.

Moreover, I love that there are many points of view. We can explore more of this dystopian world as well as grasp diverse perspectives.

While I do love both Nightingale and Lark, I am rather fond of Lark (Elsa Crane) for her boldness, her caring, and her strength of character. I really like Heron Mikane as well. They have a similar way of caring about people and situations. They’re also very interesting and complex, multi-layered. However, Nightingale is as sweet as a dove. In my mind, that’s how I picture her. I nicknamed her “Dove”. :)

And I have a suggestion for renaming this book! How about The tale of twists? Because honestly, I’ve never read a story with so many twists that twist into subtwists and so on. It’s wonderful and mind-blowing! It’s like each and every twist is twistin’, and I love it!

Plus, when you think the characters’ situations can’t get any worse, it DOES! It’s incredible, wow. I had a few doubts sometimes but I didn’t think the author would dare take it into those directions… yet she did! This a book that just keeps on giving you twists and situations, as well as a few, heartfelt and hopeful moments. Miss Buffini doesn’t shy away from any difficult situations or decisions; she tackles heartbreak, betrayal, feels, pitting family and friends against each other, good and society against evil and selfishness… It’s all so beautiful and wow, the feels I had! I’m thoroughly impressed!

Honestly, this book is a thrilling read! It’s been a very long time since I haven’t read a book as thrilling and entertaining as this. I love the books I read, but while they’re thrilling at certain moments, Songlight is thrilling on every page! Such a feat, wow. Like, I. could. NOT. put. it. down! Impressive!

Lastly, I never thought I’d feel for this character, Piper Crane, but I did at some point. I hate him generally because he betrayed someone important to him and his views are very narrow and limited… However, he hasn’t it easy either. It’s actually quite terrible, because he’s gay in a terribly brutal society that treats gays as less than sh!t and he believes deeply he’s unnatural… Poor Piper is a typical example of what it’s like being brainwashed and afraid to be gay because of society. He wants to prove himself, to be important, and everything. But where he lives, being gay means the exact contrary… So, I have compassion for him and I think that’s a feat, because like I mentioned, his betrayal marked him irredeemable to me, as well as his bootlicking behaviour (although I can see why, he’s been brainwashed and he wants to fit in but he’s really blind and deaf to everyone who loves him, urgh). Yet, I feel strong emotions and sadness for him. Well done, Miss Buffini!


The Negative Points
There are many point of views, but they follow no order whatsoever, which is really confusing. For example, the first character has three chapters, after which the second character has one chapter, and then it’s one we didn’t know before that has two chapters, then it’s back to the second one, and right after the author introduces us to a fourth character, then it comes back to the first point of view…

It’s slightly annoying and very confusing, which diminishes a bit the reading experience. I love that it has many point of views, but the lack of order to them mind boggled me a lot of times.


In Conclusion
Songlight is a marvelous, thrilling and feelsy read! I recommend it whole-heartedly to lovers of dystopian books, of female friendships, LGBTQ+ readers, and those who crave feels and thrills and drama in their books like I do. I will genuinely read the two other books in the trilogy; it’s now high on my dystopian book list. For all these reasons, despite the point of views that are a bit messy and confusing due to their order, and for all the sheer fun and thrill I had reading this book, I give Songlight a bright rating of 5 stars out of 5. I hope this will be a big sensation, because I feel like it deserves to be!

'Songlight' is a beautifully crafted tale that blends the magic of music with the depth of human connection. Moira Buffini's writing is poetic and engaging, drawing readers into a world where songs hold secrets and emotions run deep. The characters are richly developed, each with their own struggles and dreams that feel genuine and relatable. The pacing is just right, balancing moments of tension with heartwarming scenes that stay with you long after the last page. A great pick if you're looking for something that hits all the right emotional notes.

In a male dominated society, a girl with telepathic abilities of sing falls for another girl in a tale of forbidden love, oppression and tender yearning.

This book was an interesting read, the world felt very plausible and realistic. Elsa's pov was strong enough to tie the book together but I didn't always want to read everyone else's.

An absolutely phenomenal fantasy story of the fear of anything you can't understand, the difference between fighting for freedom instead of victory, and how the traumas you're subjected to change you (but there are still choices, it just sometimes makes them feel hidden). With multiple POVs with just as many morals, there is something in it for everyone! One of the only books I've read with the power to read or share thoughts where that hasn't sounded like a horrible power to have. And of course, I cannot forget the power of women in Songlight (and in real life too!)

Side note: I really need to remember to check if books are standalone or series, as I keep nearing the end and wondering how the author could possibly wrap this up in so few pages. Spoiler alert: They don't. There's a book two or more.

Songlight swept me away with Buffini's beautiful prose and world-building! Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Buffini hooks you from the very first pages. The story dives into the world of Northaven, a seemingly peaceful place that hides a darker intolerance for those who are different. Lark and Nightingale, my favorite characters, have a telepathic connection that allows them to communicate across vast distances, adding depth to the plot. I can’t wait for the next books!

I absolutely loved this from start to finish. The differing points of view were great and didn't feel like too many. Spaced enough to be able to keep track just fine. Very future dystopian but you can see where one civilization backpeddled where another embraced differences. I know who I'm rooting for.

My only complaint was how much slower the first half of the book was compared to the last half. I actually stopped reading to find out of this was a solo book, duology, trilogy or series because of the pacing difference. Looking forward to the next chapter in this trilogy for sure.

Ugh, why didn't anyone tell me this was the start of a new trilogy.
Book 2 isn't even written yet.
I am dying.
This was fabulous!
Beautiful writing, gorgeous world building, found family and detailed (without being boring) political development.
I am both excited and disappointed that this is only the start.
I hate waiting.
Much love to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for my ARC!

Moira Buffini’s SONGLIGHT is gorgeously written and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It grips you and doesn’t let you go.

I want to start off by saying I am so sorry to the publishers for taking so long to review this book, life has been rough lately. I am also sorry to myself for waiting so long to read this because it's really good! Multiple-POVs were a little overwhelming at first, but once I was immersed in it, it was engrossing. In this book, the author tackles telepathy and a dystopian society in a very interesting way. I see so much promise in this series; this book is a very solid debut and a good start.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book at 22%. There were a few different reasons for this, but it comes down to the writing style and the themes supporting the world-building.

In the author’s note, it’s acknowledged that this novel explores various degrees of misogyny, inequality, fascism, eugenics, and destruction of the planet. Despite being braced with that when going into the novel, I was not expecting for the incredible discomfort those themes wrought. I would like to put out the disclaimer that I do think it’s important to see stories on the market involving these themes. However, these themes do need to be handled with a level of care and I’m not sure that this book accomplished this. But I did only read a quarter of it before giving up, so the author could have challenged these themes further on.

When it comes to young adult novels, I expect a level of lyricism to the writing style. This novel, in most cases, did not have that lyricism I was expecting. The main character, Elsa’s perspective was especially choppy and the sentences did not flow together, due to the lack of sentence length variation. This was likely a stylistic choice to reflect Elsa’s inability to read or write, but it did make it more difficult for this reader to sink into the prose.

There were multiple perspectives in this novel, which did make it a little difficult to bond with each perspective character. That was due to the imbalance in perspectives. Elsa was the alpha main character, so her perspective was the most prevalent in the story. However, the other characters would pop in sporadically and with brief chapters, which did not allow much characterization or provide a reader with the chance to connect to these characters.

I also argue that Elsa had an issue with agency. Of the 22% that I read, there was a repetitive notion of Elsa wanting to escape her town and escape her fate. But she never took active steps to escape once Rye, her love interest, was captured. She remained stagnant, even when faced with a new songlight bond with a girl from a distant city.

In the end, this young adult novel wasn’t for me. I do think it would have been better served as an adult science fiction novel, with older characters and more space for the themes to be explored.

TW: misogyny, inequality, fascism, eugenics, and destruction of the planet

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Songlight had me hooked from page one. Moira Buffini crafts a vivid, dystopian world with strong, nuanced characters who face life-threatening stakes. The telepathic connection between Lark and Nightingale, the two main characters, is central to the story, but it’s more than just their bond. This book dives deep into human nature, societal oppression, and finding your identity in a world that refuses to accept you.

I loved the immersive world-building—it felt cinematic and almost tangible. The multiple POVs, while sometimes overwhelming, added depth to the story and gave each character a distinct voice. Buffini doesn’t shy away from tough topics like sexism, violence, and persecution, but she handles them with care, making the emotional weight of the story palpable.

Though the romance is light, the fantasy elements and intense political intrigue kept me reading late into the night. If you’re into dystopias with strong female leads, intricate plots, and timely themes, you’ll want to dive into this one.

Such a stunning read - the perfect YA dystopian fantasy. This world is incredibly intense; there are people with telepathic skills being completely dehumanized and persecuted in the world. The society as a whole is completely filled with violence, homophobia, war, and just plain cruelty. There are multiple POV's which makes for an altogether immersive story, and I absolutely loved using this book as a form of escapism as it truly was. This is Moira Buffini's debut novel and. her world building is absolutely beautiful - I'd prefer even more detailing and layers to it but for a debut? It's absolutely stunning. This book was an epic masterpiece of justice, forgiveness, and truth that I would recommend to any fantasy lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Moira Buffini for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely resplendent and intellectually stimulating! I was utterly captivated by this dystopian narrative, a world where individuals blessed with songlight are deemed ‘unhuman’ and subjected to the most appalling dehumanization once discovered. This oppressive regime perpetuates a relentless war through insidious propaganda, keeping its citizens blissfully ignorant of the state’s sinister machinations. While the story may employ familiar tropes, it executes them with such finesse that it transcends into a truly remarkable experience. Each character, even the nefarious ones, is meticulously crafted and utterly compelling, evoking a kaleidoscope of emotions within the reader.

I first want to say, cliffhangers are a cheap gimmick. Unresolved-ending grumbles aside, Songlight was a fine enough read. The multiple POVs were not personally distracting, and did provide some insight into interior motives. I loved the scenes with Elsa on the sea; her ease and facility there were lovely to imagine. The strong friendship history between Rye and Piper was also nice to catch glimpses of.

A lot of the societal restrictions around sexism felt a bit heavy-handed and derivative of the Handmaid's Tale. I also found it difficult to care about Piper's internalized homophobic, nationalist dithering. It did nothing for me to make him a more forgivable character. I don't think I'll be reading the next installment, but Songlight was a fine enough tale, and I wished for more details in the world-building.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The premise of SONGLIGHT caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. Admittedly, I came very close to DNFing after the first few chapters. The writing style isn't one I'm used to. It's obvious Buffini typically writes scripts. There was no lyrical prose and few descriptions. But I'm so glad I stuck with it because I did end up enjoying the book.
I loved the magic system of telepathy and the world built up around it, and by the end I was fully invested in Elsa's story. When I first started reading, I didn't realize this was the first in a planned trilogy and I'm happy to say I'm looking forward to the next book. This one left off at such an exciting point!
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

I loved the world building. It felt organically built as the story goes and fully thought out. Lyrical and emotional while not being slow.

I always love multiple POVs and that was no exception here! Getting to see into this broad casts’ minds was crucial to this story working the way it did.

I am SO excited to see where the series goes next!

In this postmodern dystopia, telepathic mutants known as torches with the powers of "songlight" (apparently not magic nor science) are hunted and mutilated by the corrupt government. This book is heavily inspired by The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, with elements like avoxes from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins thrown in. Seriously, women and girls are treated like crap in this book, so be warned.

This book is marketed partly as a romance, and I can't describe it as such because the love interests spend the entire book apart. There is another LI towards the end, but I didn't realize that's what he was until they were already kissing. This book is more about friendship and devotion and empathy you can feel for people suffering, even many miles away. Along with unpacking the systemic militarization, patriarchy, homophobia, and ableism drilled into you all your life.

The worldbuilding is really loose: for instance this society supposedly bans combustible fuel but it doesn't go into details about how their cities or other weapons are powered. Songlight itself is very ephemeral-feeling, so you can't really put any logic into it. It would be cool to see animated, but describing the concept is tricky because you just have to hand-wave its existence. The writing style is very formal, which fits into the restrictive society where everyone has to maintain politeness with one another. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is named after birds, protagonists and antagonists alike. I suspect people will find this either really cute or annoying.

4.5 stars rounded up

Wow, I loved this!

Songlight by Moira Buffini is a YA dystopian fantasy set in a world where there are people who possess telepathic abilities they call Songlight; however this is seen as “unhuman” and are condemned for it. A nation run by men; full of misogyny, violence and an ongoing war, our FMC Elsa is forced to hide who she really is, and instead conform to subhuman norms that women face in her town.

Although it took me a couple of chapters to get into it, the pace picked up quickly and I couldn’t put it down. The world building was immersive, we really got to see what life is like through Elsa’s eyes and how normalised the horrors she faced every day were, it gave me real The Handmaid’s Tale vibes. Women being rounded and married off as prizes for the men who fight in the war, and the “unhumans” being rounded up and essentially lobotomised to rid them of their Songlight.

I’m usually not a huge fan of more than two POVs but this didn’t bother me at all as I felt like each POV had their own battles to fight and there were no “filler” chapters that left me wanting a different POV.

This is also written very well, song-like and poetic in a way that had me wanting more.

My only issues are that 1) I wish the book was slightly longer to flesh out some of the scenes more, to me it didn’t feel rushed but I think that there was definitely more room to expand, and 2) I honestly think I disliked Piper more than the real villains of the novel!

Will definitely be waiting for the next instalment!

Thank you to HarperCollins for the e-arc in exchange for my opinion!

I really enjoyed this dystopian story. The character and setting descriptions were so rich and vibrant they made you feel like you were there with the characters. The idea of songlight is fascinating and unique and made the story really interesting. It’s a type of ESP that allows you to get into another’s thoughts that is outlawed by the local government. I commend Buffini on her unique story telling and can’t wait to see what she writes next. I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy!