THE BLUE MOON NARTHEX REVIEW (SPOILER FREE)

Title: The Blue Moon Narthex
Author: N.J. Donner
Goodreads rating: 3.77 stars
My rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: YA, fantasy. steampunk, historic fiction
Coming out on: 7th-Feburary-2017
Series or Standalone: Series (Book 1)
Format: Paperback
Source: Sent by author

Goodreads synopsis:

     The balance of good and evil has been left in the hands of a thirteen year old…

     Since the beginning of time, Karmanic matter worked silently and unassisted keeping good and evil in balance, until growing greed in the world meant Karma couldn’t keep up. As World War I rages, the secret Karmanic Sovereign Legion works behind the scenes to help Karma.

     A suspicious train accident and an odd stone-shaped object that belonged to his father thrust Cole McCarthy and two schoolmates into the middle of this battle to keep dark forces in check.

     With only the powerful stone, a letter, and grandfatherly Norm to guide them, the trio must unravel clues and tap into unknown strengths to discover who Cole’s father really was and keep themselves and those they love safe.

My thoughts:

I was quite exhilarated to receive this ARC because it was my first ever advance reader copy. Also it came with a lot of book swag and in a box. It was fun receiving the ARC! 

Contents of the  ARC box.

Lets jump onto the review, shall we?  

You jump, I jump, Jack.😅

The story started stereotypical which lead me to thinking it would be predictable. The world building was phenomenal.10 points to that. 👏👏Even though at some points the story takes the reader to predictable plot but Donner's style of writing grows on the reader. His writing style is easy to read with no clogging.  But at some points it's  bit vague. The story was indeed a page turner with a hint of magic. You will find yourself completely hooked onto the story if you get absorb into the elements of the story. Regardless of age, this book is for all to enjoy. It's Middle Grade fantasy novel but it made me feel home because sometimes you have to step back from YA fantasy dose and need to feed your soul with some of the similar books you loved before. After finishing it, it left me with mix emotions, I love some parts and some parts I think were unnecessary. One thing is promising, this series have a lot of potential. I am really looking forward to next books. 

The Good:

• The writing was fast paced and targeted. You can definitely feel a smooth flow in the story.

• The friendship between the characters is brilliant and reminds me a lot of Harry Potter Golden trio.

• The plot is amazing and distributed in chapters elegantly. When one conflict is solved the other conspiracy starts to take place. It will definitely keep you on hook after finishing every chapter. 

• Loved the concept of Narthexes. It was a definitely anew concept for me. At first I couldn't get it but later I found it unique.

• The world building was amazing in every aspect. It was very similar to Harry Potter. 

• The details about Coroseum were intriguing and intricate. Every single part was described elaborately. It definitely give me so much Steampunk feels!

The Bad:

• According to the blurb on the book it promised a lot of adventure but most of the time the protagonist spent in sulking which looks overly done. 

•I hate to say but at first I love the HP vibes but it started to wearing off after quarter past story. The inspiration from HP is good but it would've been better if they keep it to minimum level so the original contents of the story could flow.

• Even the sports knitted in story from HP. That Slider Tournament part was overly done. It was strictly following the Quidditch events from HP1. I think it was unnecessary.

• The main characters were derived same as Harry Potter series. Cole, an orphan, lost boy. Sophie, a nerdy girl. Britten, a happy-go-lucky-guy. One cannot help but feeling Harry Potter characters alive in the series. Even Draco made the appearance too.😅🙃

• The book was set in WW1 according to first page and dates. But there was nothing significant about it in the while story. Other than mentioning The Great War at some points. You cant say what time period it is.

• The protagonist was in early teens but acted like 8 years old. 😒 The decisions taken by adults regarding him were pen-forced by author. If this factor was taken into consideration, the story would have more potential.

Overall a fast paced read with a twist of steampunk/sci-fi elements and with lots of potential to cover. I am excited for the next part of the story. The ending was kind of a cliffhanger. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!!😭

Would I Recommend?

Yes, I definitely recommend. If you want a historical fiction with a twist of steampunk/sci-fi with the elements of fantasy, it's for you.😊😊