Moira Buffini won the £2,000 (about $2,695) YA Book Prize, which celebrates fiction for teenagers and young adults from the U.K. and Ireland, for her dystopian debut novel, Songlight, the first volume in the Torch Trilogy, the Bookseller reported. The winner was named at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in a ceremony hosted by writer and activist Laura Bates.
Rachel Fox, children and schools program director at the festival (which is a partner with the Bookseller on the prize), said the winning title "pulls you into its brilliantly imagined world from the very first page and refuses to let go.... 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."