Torchfire drops us right into the fray where Songlight left us off. We learn that long ago, the Great Extinction splintered humanity, setting mankind on two distinct yet frighteningly similar evolutionary tracks: one grows into their Songlight/"truevoice", the other tries in vain to grow away from it. Most harrowing is that despite this extinction-induced crossroads, both grandfather and nurture systems of oppression in their own right; a harsh yet somber reminder that oppression is a specter that walks near to the shadow of civilization… Especially when said civilization has failed to learn from the mistakes of its past. Those timeless, perennial maxims about how “history is a flat circle” and how “🎵the history book on the shelf is always repeating itself🎵” ring ever true.

There are so many things to love about this series, but I’ve managed to identify a few reasons why this series is, in a word, just so dang good:

* Buffini does a lot of things in this series, and she manages to do all of it astonishingly well. You can see where she draws inspiration from - there are evident traces of The Handmaid’s Tale, Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, just to name a few - and she extracts their central themes and blends them together to create a refreshingly provocative story. And she does a DAMN GOOD job of it, might I add.

* Multi-POV stories often suffer from the fatal flaw wherein one or two characters are irksome, forgettable, or have a narrative voice that is less preferable to the others. This is not true for Songlight - there is no single POV that I dread to read, there are no groans to be heard when I see which name pops up next at the start of each new chapter. I sink deep into every character’s unique story with each chapter, and I still hold excitement for where the others are going to go next. I was so absorbed in each character's journey that I didn't feel like I had to rush to get back to a more interesting POV or to a subplot that I cared more about. They were all interesting!

* Each character is imperfect. Some commit some downright horrific acts. And yet my heart aches for each and every one of these characters, even if they’re more than a few backward steps into the territory of "morally grey." Systems of oppression don’t create identical victims. Some build up their armor, and others sharpen their blades. Others are cut down. This book is a shining reminder that survival is worn differently by everyone, and that oppression doesn't create "bad people," but rather, places vulnerable people into situations where they have to deal with the cards they've been dealt in the best way they know how.

* The plot is always moving. Buffini isn’t loading you up on useless filler. Every plot beat is vital to driving the story forward. We’re constantly hurtling towards the destination, even if we’re out of breath the entire ride (and boy, am I gasping).

Buffini has never heard of second book syndrome. She is immune to it, in fact.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy!

Torchfire picks up directly after Songlight finishes, so if you haven't read the first book, start there first. This one won't make sense without it.

This book features a multi-pov cast that spans a few continents of this world. Action takes us from Lark's rural home, to the capital city with Swan and Nightingale, to an airship from across the world. With everyone in motion, we get a good idea of the politics and moving pieces that drive the plot and the war.

Fans of young adult dystopias and fantasy are in for a good time, with the caveat that the dystopia is dark and a lot of sexual violence is implied, if not shown directly on page. Murder, violence, and war crime are all common place, so brace yourself for a tense time.

A question the book asks is if characters who have committed horrific acts are redeemable. I feel it's likely that each reader will have to tackle this issue on their own, but a drawback for me was that I didn't find the characters redeemable when the narrative was strongly implying that they were. Your mileage will likely vary depending on how likable you found those characters versus the seriousness of their actions.

Don't come into this book expecting a resolution - there's one more to come before we find out what happens to the characters and this world.

I recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoy magic and telepathy, but who don't mind reading darker subjects in the context of a dystopia.

3.5 stars

I stand by the fact that this absolutely did not need to be 537 pages. The first third dragged enough that I considered DNFing, but I was so curious as to how the greater political landscape would unfold that I ended up toughing it out. I would say the last third made up for it, overall, but you can’t front load a slow plot otherwise readers will drop like flies.

I think there was a little too much instalove / suspension bridge effect for me (there’s like a love hexagon going on because some people think that other people are dead so they start loving new people). I think the most interesting perspectives here were Petra and Rye because they showed us something totally new rather than just an escalation of the previous book. The other characters made it easy to forget that this is a post-apocalyptic society after the fall of human civilization as we know it.

I think all in all, this book was more honest than its predecessor. It called war crimes war crimes and genocide genocide. It was less “fictional dystopia” and more mirror of reality.

And now it’s time to wait and see how this all ends

Wow! The 2nd installment in the Torch trilogy was fast paced, engaging, and heart wrenching. The story picks up immediately following book 1: Lark is on the run with he mom, Heron Mikane, and Kingfisher. Rye has escaped the chrysalid house and is hoping to escape to freedom in Ayland. Piper is still fighting his feelings of betrayal towards his family as well as trying to understand how to accept himself as gay. Nightingale is stuck with Swan playing her "dolly" while she tries to navigate the death of Peregrine and the new dictator Kite. We also get a new perspective from a 3rd party that is neight Brightland or Ayland, "Petra", who is on a scouting voyage from over the seas. This 3rd party brings a LOT more into the picture.

I really am enjoying this series and feel it is great for older YA readers. I would definitely check triggers warnings before you read this, as it deals with some pretty heavy topics. Most of the women in this society are abused in some way and have absolutely no power, which makes it really difficult to read some parts. There are also a lot of LGBTQ characters as well who are suppressed in this society, and they are also fighting for freedom and for the right to be their true selves. I think the author did a great job navigating such heavy topics in a way that could be understood by a younger audience.

I really enjoyed the fast pacing and the multiple point of views constantly switching back and forth made it so I never felt the book was getting stale. As soon as something exciting happens with one character, it's on to the next one, and you're eager to know what's happening with all the perspectives. The one thing I didn't really jive with were the love interests. I'm not a big fan of kingfisher. Without spoilers, I like Rye's love interest, but I felt like there was no chemistry, it happened too sudden and there wasn't a second for any feelings to grow between them. I'm not really sure if Nightingale is supposed to have a love interest - it keeps being hinted at but I really don't think she has feelings for anyone yet. And Piper and his love interest seem too volatile together- I think they're just too different. The one couple I ship is Heron and Curl!!! Other than that, I really enjoyed the 2nd installment in this series and CANNOT WAIT for the final book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars