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!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Songlight is a post-apocalyptic story that deftly tackles the complex topics of Christian fundamentalism, toxic masculinity, and the profound loneliness in feeling different than everyone else. The world of Songlight is one where certain individuals, called Torches, possess the rare power of songlight, a form of telepathy, whereby they are able to send their consciousness to another place and commune with others. This power, however, is condemned by the authorities, labeling anyone who possesses this unique gift an "Unhuman," and sending them to the Chrysalid House where they are stripped of their songlight, along with all their intelligence and free will.

In the little coastal village of Northaven, we meet Elsa and Rye, two young teenagers secretly in love, and even more secretly Torches, who use their songlight to communicate with each other despite the strict regulations concerning the military regimen and "wife training" that they must individually undergo. Elsa's older brother, Piper, the star cadet of Northaven's young men, is hiding the fact that he is secretly in love with his childhood friend Rye as well, out of a sense that this is not how men are meant to be. One night however, when Elsa and Rye are talking about running away so that they can be together, Piper spots Rye and outs him as an Unhuman, whereby he is publicly beaten and mocked before being sent away to the Chrysalid House in the capitol, and Elsa, despite the difficulties, endeavors to follow him, but to no avail.

While her initial attempt at escape and following Rye fails, countless opportunities present themselves throughout the book for Elsa to escape to the place that accepts Torches, but she is frozen by a fear of the unknown, the ties that still bind her to her home, and the deep-seated prejudices still ingrained within her mind. Her story becomes one of dreaming of freedom and survival in the now.

The other main POV, and my favorite character, is Nightingale, a frail and sickly girl in the capital of Brightlinghelm and daughter of one of the inquisitors tasked with unearthing Unhumans. However, she herself is a powerful Torch capable of sending her songlight far beyond the farthest reaches of normal torches, where she finds and befriends Elsa, comforting her in her grief.

Content warning for mentions of mutilation, forced marriages, homophobia, and the dehumanizing of others

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of YA dystopian novels and lots of introspection.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and am leaving my review voluntarily.

To start, this is one book that I will definitely be buying when it comes out. Usually with ARCs, I read them and then move on with my life. Even my 5 star ARC reads. But this?? I will be buying a copy. And reading again. I loved it.

The story follows many different characters and how their stories intersect. I was always kept guessing on whose story I was going to read next. And I felt like every character deserved their chapters. I know that sometimes when there are multiple POVs, it feels like some of them are unnecessary. But I loved every chance we got to hear from another character.

I think Buffini also did a great job of showing us the oppression that Torches and women have to endure. She described it in such a way that you could physically feel the pain of each group. There were so many parts of this book that I wondered why why why would they treat others like that. And I think that's what made the book even better. It's how their world was being run and it was their normal, even though we can all agree that human beings should not be treated how they were being treated.

Overall, I loved this book. I was wholly invested in it and couldn't wait to turn each page. I can't wait to see the continuation of Elsa and Rye's story as well, since it was cut so short. I hope the next book comes quickly! I highly recommend reading Songlight.

The prose in this book is immaculate, I felt every emotion and saw every description come to life.

I loved the unique take on telepathy and the dystopian world. The political intrigue, patriarchal society, and the explorations of womanhood were well done.

Where it fell apart for me was the multiple POVs, some that felt fairly irrelevant. It could be a me issue, but I find too many POVs in an initial book to be fairly overwhelming and think it detracts from the story. The plot is a bit slower and I found it hard to connect with the characters, likely due to the multi-POVs.

This series has a lot of potential and I can see these getting better as they progress.

Overall a solid debut and a good start for a series.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Brightland has been persecuting “Torches” and Elsa, Rye, and Kaira are all torches. Everyone is indoctrinated to think that songlight, the power used by torches is innately corrupt and that brightland must defeat their neighboring nation. Rye is about to be shipped off to war, Elsa is about to be married to a man she doesn’t know, and together they decide to run away to save themselves from being discovered for their songlight. As they’re about to escape, Rye is discovered as a torch and Elsa resolves to free him from his impending torture at whatever cost.

I thought the multiple POVs of this book really helped put me in the middle of the action. I do however think that too much and not enough happened at the same time; not every book needs to be a series and this could’ve very easily been a standalone novel as far as my perception of it goes right now. The character development was well done, and I think the magic system was a really interesting element, but we need way more explanation from the characters that do have knowledge.

This book was decent. I'd recommend for those who want a little bit of fantasy in their dystopia. Teens who enjoyed Hunger Games or other classic dystopia series could shift to this one nicely.

Interesting world. This book had me completely immersed since it stared, with 5 povs, we see how each one of the characters views their world . I found myself constantly rooting for our fmc, I felt so much for her character and all the struggles of this world had thrown at her. I would definitely warn that this would be a 18+ book. Even that it said is ya. But definitely great book and I cant wait to get more from this series.

Sadly, this one wasn't for me.

The author is clearly very passionate about this story and characters, and it shows! There were some interesting ideas here.

However, I personally just couldn't connect with the characters or the writing. I found some of the aspects of the world building confusing and difficult to follow, especially with the different POVs, and by the end, I'm not sure if I'd really made sense of everything.

The writing itself wasn't bad, but it was just a style of lyrical writing that I don't enjoy.

Holy cow, this book was an easy 5-stars and has left me with a huge reading hangover! Not only is this book one that feels so unique, but it also feels so relevant to any human conflict and war-torn country in our day and age. The simple cruelty of good vs evil and dehumanization of those who are deemed outside of "normal" was heartwrenching. I also loved to get a glimpse of our world being dissected as if it were ancient history, such as the fascination with a blender and the purpose it served in the Light era. I also appreciated Buffini's writing style for each character, which was sometimes a bit disarming. For instance, the stream of consciousness utilized in Piper's chapters felt strange at first, but intentionally highlighted the constant fear that Piper operates under, trying to stay within the defined bounds of "good". The world-building was also superb as I had no trouble picturing where I was in any given chapter. Moira Buffini has a way with words that will forever haunt me while simultaneously giving me hope to rejoice in. I cannot wait for the second book to come out and will be biting my fingernails until that moment. 100/10 a must-read for 2024!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Haper Collins, Moira Buffini for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Songlight is an example of what happens when you let fear and misinformation fuel you. The Torch’s are humans who can communicate without words. They are capable of good and evil, just like humans how are unable to communicate this way. All of the political intrigue proves this.

I enjoyed Songlight. I liked seeing the changes that are being forced by people who are not in power. The changes aren’t easy and even at the end the heroes who thought peace was close find themselves about to face a new challenge.

I will be reading book two to see how everything plays out.

I think this was a case of it's me, not the book. There's a lot to like about this one. The world building was great. The characters were interesting - even if it sometimes felt like there were too many POVs. The story felt timely and real, even though it's a fantasy. I just never really connected with any of it. I will definitely consider checking out the sequel though.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn in by the synopsis and the cover. Unfortunately, I felt like I got a bait and switch. There was little to no romance, the friendship was awkward, and while there was plenty of brutalities explored in this novel, it felt surface level and played up to shock readers.

The political climate is very similar to A Handmaid's Tale; only men are in power, women are seen as broodmares, young boys are taken and trained as soldiers, forced to fight in a war that has been glorified and is just, when really it's grounded in fear and a grasp for power for those with more than enough. Sound familiar? Called unhumans, two of our main characters, Elsa and Rye, find love in their shared songlight abilities and dream of a future where they can be together instead of forced into war and unwanted marriage. Then Rye is caught using his songlight, and Elsa is forced to watch the man she loves be shamed and imprisoned, taken to have his songlight, his mind, his very being cut out and become what's known as a chrysalid. In her grief, she unleashes her songlight and is approached by another unhuman, Kaira, whose power in songlight is so incredibly strong that she can reach Elsa even when hundreds of miles away (though we never find out what this really means, just that Kaira has to be careful when using her power.)

The girls use codenames to communicate, and apparently these names are super special because when Elsa later meets other unhumans, she does not like them using her "innermost" name. Kaira's character was unusual in that she was obsessive over Elsa and literally fell to pieces anytime Elsa was in danger. In the beginning, it felt like big/little sister vibes, but I felt it became super awkward because of how dependent these girls were. I also despised how idiotic they are. Literally, every choice these two girls took felt contrived to move the plot forward and didn't make any sense to the actual character. You hear how author's will say that the characters took over the story and by the end, the book is completely different than what the author intended. This story felt like the author wrangled with the characters to force them on the path she wanted, despite it not making any sense to the actual character.

While I did like the little, tiny bit of romance we had in the beginning between Rye and Else, I felt like Rye' point of view was a complete waste later in the story. It didn't add anything besides exploring other sides of cruelty in this world, which was showcased many times over with the other characters. Especially Piper, Elsa's brother and the one who turned Rye in for being a telepath. Even though they were best friends, even though Piper is gay and loves Rye. (Oh yeah, being gay is bad and real men only like girls and if you're caught being gay or different in any way than dictated through society, you'll end up a chrysalid. The toxic masculinity is really played up here.)

All in all, I think that the author was overly ambitious and wanted to voice multiple social issues into this story. In the end, there were just too many moving parts and the story and characters were swept up and away in the commentary. (There are so many other things happening in this book that I didn't even touch on.) I can't say that this story is bad, because it's not. I really believe it could have been a really great story if the author had just dialed in a little. Either by focusing on Rye and Elsa's journeys, or focusing on Elsa and Kaira would have really elevated this and shown greater storytelling.

This is supposed to be a trilogy, but I won't be continuing with this series. Even with the cliffhanger, I do not feel compelled to carry on and find out what happens next.