Thanks to The Write Reads and Faber & Faber for the gifted ebook to write my honest review for the ultimate blog tour.
They are hunting those who shine . . .
Don’t be deceived by Northaven’s prettiness, by its white-washed houses and its sea views. In truth, many of its townsfolk are ruthless hunters. They revile those who have developed songlight, the ability to connect telepathically with others. Anyone found with this sixth sense is caught, persecuted and denounced.
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.
Lark has lived in grave danger ever since her own songlight emerged. Then she encounters a young woman in peril, from a city far away.
An extraordinary bond is forged.
But who can they trust?
The world is at war. Those with songlight are pawns in a dangerous game of politics. Friends, neighbours, family are quick to turn on each other…
When power is everything, how will they survive?
An extraordinary new trilogy from an award-winning, internationally acclaimed screenwriter, Songlight promises to set the world alight!
My Review
The first book in a new dystopian series. Songlight by Moira Buffini is her debut novel, but her background of screenwriting is so apparent throughout the book. I found it a captivating read from the first page and got so invested in the characters that I just couldn’t put it down!
Songlight is something that no one wants in Northaven. The ability to connect through telepathy,known as Songlight, is a death sentence. Those who find them selves with the ability do their best to hide it. If discovered, they are deemed unhuman by the townsfolk and destroyed.
Told from various perspectives, I enjoyed getting to know them all. Lark and Nightingale are two characters who are fed up with living in constant fear of being discovered to have Songlight. All they want in life is to live peacfully and have the freedom to be themselves.
The world building is vivid and detailed. The characters are fully formed and almost leap of the page as you read. The subjects Moira Buffini writes about are senstive but handled in a way that is so relevant to the plot. I wouldn’t have guessed this was the author’s first book. It’s perfectly paced, and I was never jolted out of the world I was inhabiting while reading.
I actually felt like I was alongside the characters and went through everything with them, every emotion, and the problems they came up against. I am looking forward to the next book already!
Buy Link
Author Bio
Moira Buffini is one of the UK’s leading playwrights and screenwriters. Most recently she wrote the screenplay for The Dig (directed by Simon Stone), which earned her a Bafta nomination, and co-created and showran the Hulu TV series Harlots, which ran for three seasons. Moira’s other film work includes Jane Eyre (directed by Cary Fukanaga) Tamara Drewe (directed by Stephen Frears) and Byzantium (directed by Neil Jordan). She has also written four plays for the National Theatre, including Welcome to Thebes (Writers Guild Award nominee), and Dinner (Olivier nominee), which later transferred to the West End. Her other plays include Handbagged, for which she won an Olivier Award
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