Songlight Written by Moira Buffini. Reviewed by Ivan, Age 13

Songlight by Moira Buffini is an interesting new take on the dystopian genre, showing a society that seems ordinary at first, but which is then revealed to be deeply flawed. It blends many other genres as well, including fantasy and sci-fi, so if you are a fan of any of those genres or any similar ones, then I would definitely recommend this book.

The book is set in a world with two countries at war, Ayland and Northaven. In this world some people have a special ability to communicate with others telepathically. This power is called ‘Songlight’. However, the Northaven government heavily discriminates against these people, and refers to them as “unhuman”. The story follows many different perspectives, most of which are people with songlight, as they uncover the various secrets of Northaven, and begin to question where their loyalties lie.

My favourite character was Piper, as I empathised with his struggles throughout the story and thought he was very well-written. His character goes through enormous changes through the story which made him feel more human. I liked him a lot and would like to see more of him in the sequel expected to be released later this year.

I would say this book is for ages 12+ as it contains frequent bad language and some violence, but apart from that, I think most people can read it. The author says she was inspired by John Wyndham’s novel ‘The Chrysalids’. I enjoy Wyndham’s books a lot but have not yet read this one so I’m putting it on my reading list. That’s one of the great things about Songlight; it’s a good introduction for teenagers to some of the classic dystopian novels.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and it is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever read.