Unfortunately this series isn't my cup of tea, but the idea is solid and I feel like teens today would really love it – just a bit too young for me.

I really loved this second book in the Torch Trilogy! I thought this followed the first so well. The writing was clear and interesting (I feel like you could tell Moira Buffini is a screen-writer as it was to the point and easy to follow).

The plot took a turn I never expected. I like the sci-fi element introduced in this book and the new character, Petra. The love story in this was tragic but beautiful and well developed. I loved finding out more about Kingfisher and seeing Rye’s journey take a turn. Lark and Nightingale’s friendship is still the true love story in this series and I’m here for it!

I really recommend both this and Songlight. I look forward to the next book!

Thank you to Faber for providing me with this ARC of the sequel of one of my favourite reads this year.

All opinions are my own

I loveeeeeeeeeeee this series. It is so unique, has such incredible characters and an incredibly engaging storyline. It is set in a dystopian world in which those with “Songlight” the ability to communicate telepathically, are persecuted for their differences, taken and stripped of their ability to think, forced to become mindless slaves. . The main character Elsa, is a teenage girl with Songlight trying to fight against the persecution of those like her and the deeply patriarchal system called “The Brethren” who force young girls to be married off to much older men.

The characters are flawed, they are human and they just feel so real. Elsa and Kaira are such strong female leads and Swan and Piper are such interesting, complex characters. They have all had such tremendous growth throughout only two books and I absolutely loved the addition of a trans character and multiple queer characters, amazing to see.

The writing is just beautiful. The story was fast paced with political commentary and real world parallels. The imagery is rich and evocative, it feels so real, so immersive.

I did give this 4 stars because I felt Songlight was slightly better and I did find this book a little confusing. There was a lot of new information and a lot of sudden switches between many characters. The introduction of new characters made it confusing as there was just so many, but I did love them all.

If you want a new high stakes dystopian series, you should absolutely read this.

An excellent continuation of the series. This is definitely a stressful read!
The themes of Book 1 were very A Handmaid’s Tale and then some - this one seems even more bleak in comparison.
It’s a testament to the writing and the excellently drawn characters that I kept reading, in fact I couldn’t stop. Only another year until the next one?

I'm so glad I could jump straight into this book after Songlight without having to sit with the cliffhanger ending for months, although be warned that this one ends in a place that will have you on the edge of your seat and wishing you had the next book in your hand.

As with the first book, Torchfire is full of rich characters, exciting action and impactful social commentary. It continues to expand the interesting and often frightening world that Songlight introduced us to, bringing in more characters and letting us see other cultures rather than just that of Brightland.

It is also still multi-POV but with another person added. This is where it lost a star for me as I struggled to get into it as quickly with the introduction of Petra and her team. I found it quite jarring and at first felt like the narrative was slowed by explaining her and everything she was doing/where she was from. The difference between her and everything we saw in book one was quite drastic; however, things started moving again once her world-building didn't need as much explanation.

I really enjoyed the way relationships and characters grew in this book. We get to see more of people I'm really interested in, with them coming into their own and realising their mistakes. This has left us off in a really interesting place and I honestly can't wait for the final book.

This is absolutely one of the best YA series I've read in a long time and more people need to be talking about it.

This is the second book in the series. The first book was not particularly light, but this book gets very dark, with murder, and genocide themes. A new character, Petra appears and our original characters, well, it’s not good!

This is an excellent continuation of the story, with difficult subjects excellently handled., I just hope things turn around for the next book!

My thanks to Netgalley and Faber for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A blaze that burns through bone, blood, and belief.

I finished Torchfire with tears dried into my hoodie and a full-body ache that only comes from loving characters too much and watching them be broken open, again and again. There’s no other way to say it: this book gutted me. And I loved every second of it.

Second books in trilogies often feel like bridgework - necessary scaffolding to get us to the Big Finale. Not here. Torchfire is the house on fire, the wind blowing the embers, the ground trembling beneath your feet. Moira Buffini doesn't "build" a middle novel. She detonates it.

From the first page, I was gone. Gone with Lark and her raw determination. Gone with Rye and his impossible hope. Gone with Nightingale, trapped in a golden cage with a monstrous, silk-gloved captor. Every perspective feels lived-in, deeply real, like your own breath syncs with theirs. There’s trauma here, yes. And betrayal. And grief that blooms like bruises. But also resilience, so human and searing you want to stand up and cheer.

This book doesn’t slow down to hold your hand, and thank God for that. Buffini trusts her readers. She gives you pain and poetry in equal measure. She gives you girls who fall in love and boys who flinch from their fathers’ legacy. She gives you queer awakenings and the weight of bodies deemed disposable. She gives you villains who smile like saints, and heroes who barely recognize themselves in the mirror. It’s heavy, yes. But it’s not bleak. Torchfire is about fighting anyway.

And then there’s Swan. Volatile. Gorgeous. Deranged. The kind of villain who makes your stomach knot with fascination and dread. Buffini writes her with such precision that you don’t know whether to pity her or pray someone stops her. Maybe both.

Is this a YA book? Technically. But it’s more honest than most adult fiction I’ve read this year. Buffini doesn’t just ask who we are. She asks who we become when the world tells us what we’re worth - and we decide not to listen.

By the end, I was breathless. Furious that I couldn’t turn the page into book three. Certain that I’ll be rereading this entire series the moment it’s complete. If Songlight lit the match, Torchfire is the inferno.

This book doesn’t let you walk away untouched. Nor should it.

I thoroughly enjoyed stepping back into this world. Eagerly awaiting book 3! 5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and the author.

“I’m the number-one mind-twisting whore of Northaven”

I really enjoyed stepping back into the world of the Torch Trilogy. It doesn’t feel like a filler-book with Second Book Syndrome, it deserved every page of the book and has really effectively set up the story for its conclusions.
In this instalment, we get new POVs and the world grows so much more. Not only do we have characters travelling from their homes, we literally get a new view of the world (I can’t expand on more without spoilers, but it’s so fun!) so the story feels so much bigger.
I loved the new characters we were introduced to - some had different beliefs that were so drastically different to the rest of the characters that you couldn’t see them ever finding peace. But I did love revisiting characters from the first books as their beliefs became so much stronger.
There was some LGBTQ+ rep in this, including the introduction of a transgender character, who was handled really sympathetically.
This book definitely felt like a dystopian. Corrupt politicians and segregated societies, and characters who (struggle to) find hope in the darkness.
I cannot wait to read the final book in the series!

I was looking forward to reading this, the second book in The Torch Trilogy, and once it got going, I wasn't disappointed. This book tells its story of what is happening to different, interconnected people on the same timeline. I found it exciting and really wanted to know what was going to happen next to the characters.

This is a good fantasy story, set in a world engulfed in conflicts about the way people are treated, those who communicate with Songlight and those who don't. It's a fascinating look at the way diversity within communities can be seen differently.

It is a four star read for me because of the first person narrative, which, with so many characters, can become confusing. Other than that, it is a fascinating story and one I did enjoy. I do, however, need to know what happens next!!

My gosh what a follow on!
Songlight was easily one of my best reads of last year so I was very excited to be sent an invite to read the sequel!

The story picks up right where it left off (I needed to give myself a bit of a reminder of who and what was happening again). Lark has now fled her hometown along with her mother and Heron Mikaine, Nightingale is still disguised as a chrysalid and her chapters are often the most tense. I find Sister Swan's character often the most interesting, reminding me slightly of Serena Joy in the handmaids tale. She has power and influence and is often brutal to do what she has to survive at times appearing to lack any empathy, however is also at the mercy of the men in control and being used by them.

The new characters in take the book in a new, slightly more sci-fi direction as we meet the Sealanders. In contrast to the world developed in the story so far, the Sealanders dehumanise those without songlight rather than with. So we get to see the issue from another perspective. Petra's character is a bit younger, less experienced and idealistic than the others. This annoyed me a little at first but I think is necessary to show her character development as she begins to learn more about the world and politics involved within her own community and the wider world.

I am looking forward to the conclusion! Thanks to the author and Faber & Faber for the ARC.

This is the second gorgeous instalment in Moira Buffini’s trilogy, which began with 'Songlight'.

The world set up in the first book features a form of telepathy called songlight, which can be used to find other telepaths, or ‘Torches’, and communicate in images and words. As in the first book, Ayland and Brightland are at war. One values songlight, and gives their Torches important places in society, while the other fears their ability to manipulate the minds of others, and routinely sends them to be lobotomised and used as mindless servants.

In 'Torchfire', the three strong and engaging women at the centre of the first book are joined by Petra, a girl with strong songlight from Sealand, a previously insular society with advanced technology. Petra is traveling with her parents on an airship, exploring the world after the Great Extinction. Her father is a cartographer, and her mother is a scientist, both keen to see Petra matched with Charlus, the son of the airship captain – something Petra is determined to avoid.

When the airship’s exploration reveals unexpected evidence of songlight on the continent below, the crew is drawn into the war, and the complex political intrigues set up in the first book. Their rescue of two fugitives during a mission to the ground brings all the story threads together.

Petra’s story is told alongside the continuing stories of Lark, Nightingale, and Swan, and of Petra’s brother Piper, Kingfisher, and other characters on both sides of the conflict. As their various stories converge, songlight becomes essential to their survival. The second half of the book dials up the political intrigue and physical peril, brings heart-breaking betrayals, and puts familiar characters in impossible and emotionally devastating situations.

I couldn’t stop turning the pages, and I can’t wait for the final book!

I thoroughly enjoyed Songlight and so I was extremely happy to have received an ARC for Torchfire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oftentimes when I find a five star book I have such high expectations for the second book that it never lives up to my lofty hopes. This was not true of Torchfire. This book was equally amazing.

Moira continued to pull me into her story with her complex characters, questionable decision-making and frustrating political turns. As per Songlight, this book was a mastery of plot pacing and I barely had a chance to guess at any plot twists and turns as I was bodily dragged along for the ride.

The introduction of more POVs and characters in this book somehow failed to detract from the overall story (as I feared it was at risk of doing) and I was equally happy to read each new chapter. All these threads were gradually drawn closer together to weave a story that made sense, if still a little discordant for my liking and I have been left dangling for the outcome in the final installment. Hopefully these off beat threads will eventually come together in a satisfactory harmony though one never knows where Moira will take us next.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review*

I'd just finished the first book in the trilogy and loved it. On a whim, I thought I'd see if the second book was available as an ARC and have never hit the 'Request' button so hard!

The first book was a rare 5/5 for me and I was a little nervous that the second book might be disappointing after such a good start. I'm so pleased that it was just as good as the first and I can't wait to read the third one whenever it's released.

Strong, believable charcters fighting back against opression in all their different circumstances. Bravery, loyalty, friendship and even a bit of romance.

Absolutely amazing.

I loved Songlight - it set a great foundation for the characters, politics and world-building. Torchfire took the story to the next level.
I absolutely devoured this book, staying up until the small hours, telling myself only one more chapter (who was I kidding)!
The multiple POV'S works - so clearly done it isn't overwhelming or confusing; it adds to the story.
I cannot wait for book 3.

First of all a huge Thank You to the publishers and also Netgalley for the opportunity to read and Arc of this book.
5 stars definatly, i rated book 1 at 4.5stars but this was just that little bit better. I was worried this book might get 'middle book syndrome' or whatever people refer to it as lol, like it would just be a filler to get you to book 3, but its not its so much more.
The story is continuing(obviously) from book 1 and i feel there is a lot of plot and character development in this book, and i especially like the character developments.
Torchfire has muliple POV's, most we met in book 1 (Songlight, if you havent started this series) and in book 2 we are also joined by Petra, who i think im really starting to like already.
For anyone who may be interested there is also some LGBTQIA+ representation as well.
Overall a great 2nd book which i will be buying(to join book 1) when its released.

This is the second book in Moira Buffini's dystopian trilogy. I loved the first instalment, Songlight, giving it a rare 5* rating. This second book is just as good. The same key protagonists appear as in the first book - Elsa Crane and her former love Rye Tern, and Nightingale (Kaira), Elsa's friend who she communicates with from a distance via Songlight. Joining the cast of important characters we also have Kingfisher (from Ayland - a territory at war with the people of Northhaven and Brightland and thus in theory a sworn enemy of Elsa and Rye but who has come with the aim of bringing peace), Heron Mikane (Elsa's husband in name) but who has a close connection to Elsa's mother Curlew (Curl). Piper Crane (Elsa's brother) has a stronger part too - and becomes a more likeable character as he recognises and struggles to overcome his own prejudices/propaganda fed to him since birth. We have the enigmatic Zara Swan - sometimes good, sometimes evil, and clearly vulnerable to the evil of Lord Kite. And from across the seas we also have Sealanders - most notably Petra - one of few sealanders to have a good heart and be able to see past the prejudices of elite Sealanders (those with songlight).
In book 1 we see those with songlight (Torches) discriminated against, considered inhuman - in this book we see how the Sealander Torches themselves can wrongly use their powers to subjugate those who lack songlight. Set against these two harsh and unpleasant regimes we have the Aylish - who it seems, welcome all and treat all equally.
This was a book which I raced through - lots of tension, teen romance and a plot line that really draws you in whilst at the same time using key characters to call out injustice and highlight where prejudice is evident. Left as before on a cliff edge - can't wait to read the next instalment and find out what happens next. Massive thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC.

Torchfire by Moira Buffini is a brilliant and intense read. The writing is sharp, the characters are strong, and the story pulls you in from the start. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and beautifully told. A powerful piece that stays with you long after the last page. Highly recommend!

A great follow up from book 2, really interesting. Love when a 2nd book in a Trilogy can stand on its own and not give middle book syndrome. Excited for book 3!

I had very high hopes for Torchfire, as it is the second book in the Torch trilogy and I really loved Songlight, well my expectations were exceeded! This book was amazing! I was constantly on the edge of my seat!

In this book, we got to see more of the world it is set in, exploring it in greater depth, as well as meeting new characters and experiencing their POVs, which I found really exciting. This book was both equally amazing and heartbreaking at times. Buffini is such an eloquent and talented writer that I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't put the book down.

The characters were also really well-developed, which was great because it made me feel more attached to them. It was also interesting to see part of the book written differently from a traditional format. Near the beginning, we get a diary entry from a new character we haven't met before, which I thought was a brilliant way of both introducing this new character and giving us, information without overloading us-while still showing the passage of time.
I cannot wait for the third book. I strongly encourage people to read The Torch trilogy. Songlight was great, and Torchfire was even better!