Stepping into the light
Spoiler-free review of Songlight by Moira Buffini
In a far-flung dystopian future, where the once-revered skill of telepathy—or songlight—is now seen as treacherous and unlawful, a handful of young people struggle to find acceptance, belonging, purpose, and freedom. Among them are the headstrong and resilient Elsa Crane and her forbidden beau, cadet Rye Tern…both of whom have been hiding their songlight abilities for years from the other citizens in their small coastal village of Northhaven, Brightland. When the pair are painfully separated after Rye is discovered as being “unhuman,” Elsa accidentally makes a new friend in Kaira…a girl who lives hundreds of miles away in the capital city of Brightlinghelm.
I’m leaving my bedroom for the last time.
This chance contact between the two young women changes everything. As their telepathic friendship grows across the great distance between their homes, their mutual songlight power also strengthens—and quickly draws the attention of those who would either use such power for themselves, or send the girls to the feared Chrysalid House to become lobotomized servants. With each new chapter and character POV, we learn tantalizing bits and pieces about the war that has consumed the opposing countries of Brightland and Ayland, the Brethren who rule Brightland through propaganda and arranged marriages, and the true potential of those gifted with songlight.
The story is beautifully layered, with five main character points of view. While I’m typically not someone who gravitates toward multiple POVs, Buffini was able to keep me fully engaged in each character’s thoughts—the chapters dedicated to Elsa, Kaira, Rye, Piper (Elsa’s brother), and Sister Swan (the patriotic “Flower of Brightland” who harbors a dangerous secret) each felt uniquely thrilling and well-rounded. It’s not difficult to see how or why each of them makes the decisions they do to survive, molded and shaped as they have been by relentless disinformation, fear of discovery, and stringent gender roles. But despite countless limitations and roadblocks, the bond between Elsa and Kaira is central, not only to their individual character development but to the greater overarching plot—reminding us that female friendships are some of the strongest (and most underestimated) relationships.
While I have myriad questions about the dystopian world as a whole (not to mention what happens next after that massive cliffhanger), I’m not too worried about getting answers eventually; the series is currently set to be a trilogy, and hopefully books two and three will shed more light upon this distinctive setting and the riveting characters who inhabit it.
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Would read again: 8/10
Personal recommendation: Read this book if you enjoy dystopian fantasy, forbidden love, and women finding their voices. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Favorite line(s): “Perhaps I’m mad already. Maybe I need to be mad to survive.”
