Moira Buffini’s dystopian debut novel Songlight (Faber & Faber) was crowned the winner of this year’s YA Book Prize at a ceremony held at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) on 21st August.

Set in an oppressive post-apocalyptic future where those born with the rare telepathic gift of songlight are hunted down, the story follows two young women who have formed an incredible telepathic connection, despite the distance between them and the growing dangers surrounding them.

Although Songlight is Buffini’s debut novel, the plot had been in her head for many years, inspired by reading John Wyndham’s The Chrysalids as a teenager. In an interview for The Bookseller, Buffini describes Songlight as ‘a book about our need for connection with one another, about love, resistance, rebellion, resilience’. Songlight is the first volume in The Torch Trilogy.

The YA Book Prize was launched in 2014 by The Bookseller to celebrate great fiction for teenagers and young adults, and encourage more young people into reading. The winner is selected by a panel of expert and teenage judges who are asked to pick the book they believe is the best written and that they would be most likely to share with young adults.

Commenting on this year’s winner, Rachel Fox, Programme Director for the EIBF’s children’s and schools programme said: ‘With a captivating storyline, this novel masterfully explores themes of identity, acceptance and the many forms of love. Packed with mystery, intricate politics, heartbreak, and betrayal, Songlight is an unforgettable journey that will keep you hooked until the very last word.

Fellow judge and author David Almond OBE called Songlight ‘a wonderful book by a wonderful writer’, adding: ‘It’s gripping, emotionally moving, philosophical, political, strange, action-packed. Set in the distant future, it has deep connections to the world as it is today.’

See the full shortlist for the YA Book Prize 2025 here.