TORCHFIRE by Moira Buffini
Welcome back to the world of songlight — where telepathy might save the world... or burn it down.
Pre-Reading Thoughts
I loved the first book, but full disclosure: that was a year ago, and I’ve read a lot since then. No recap here, so I was scrambling a bit — but once I got my footing, I was ready to dive back in.
Post-Reading
As I thought...
High stakes, big feelings, complicated loyalties — this one doesn’t hold back. Elsa, Nightingale, Piper, and Rye are each dealing with their own personal nightmare, and it’s all so tense. The addition of the Teroans (and their deeply creepy coloniser energy) ramps everything up.
It surprised me by...
How well it built on the first book without losing its emotional core. I didn’t expect to be quite so drawn into Rye’s airship story, but it had that “mysterious machinery + big destiny” vibe that really works for me. And Nightingale’s arc? Devastating in the best way.
Music Pairing
🎵 Featured Song: “No Light, No Light” – Florence + The Machine
🎶 Vibe Album: Ceremonials – Florence + The Machine
🎧 Artist Rec: Aurora
Vibe Check
🎨 Colour Palette: Indigo, silver, flickering gold, rebel red
🎬 Soundtrack: Echoing choirs + distorted frequencies + propeller hum
🌪️ Season: Winter
🧠 Mood: Hope vs helplessness on a battlefield
👃 Scent: Cold steel, crushed petals, and smoke
Tarot Pull
🔮 Judgement - Tarot of the 78 Doors
Judgement calls us to face our past, take the lessons we need and discard the rest. In this card, some people are unable to do that - they're clinging to the past, literally falling with it. Clinging to the past is an easy way to fall short of your goal, like some of the characters in this novel!
For fans of:
📖 Scythe
📺 His Dark Materials, The 100
