Zpěvozář – Buffini Moira (2025)

This Czech-language novel is the first volume of a dystopian fantasy trilogy about the power of friendship. Elsa is used to hiding many things from others: her feelings for Rye, her dislike of a world ruled by men, and above all her gift of songweaving. She keeps this third secret buried deepest, since it could cost her life. In Brightland, people with the gift of songweaving are called nonhumans and are hated by the public. Rye is the only other person Elsa knows who can use it, and their shared bond has brought them together. One terrible day, however, Elsa’s world begins to collapse, and she does not know whom to ask for help. Then Nightingale appears. The girl with the mysterious nickname is not actually anywhere nearby; her songweaving has been drawn to Elsa’s profound grief. Neither girl has known that songweaving can connect them, but after an initial mistrust they become friends at a distance. Elsa lives in a remote coastal village, while Nightingale lives hundreds of miles away in a city teeming with cruel inquisitors responsible for exploiting its people. Both girls suddenly find themselves caught in a war that threatens their very existence.