*I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 
 Cole is a 13 year-old boy who misses his father, a mysterious figure throughout the book. The story starts with Cole waiting for his dad at the train station, eager to spend the summer days with him. A tragedy occurs when the train doesn't stop and crashes instead. Soon after the tragedy, a whole different side of Cole's late father is unveiled, leading to Cole finding out his father was, in fact, part of an association which fights the evil in the world. 
 I was quite intrigued by the synopsis, the promise of a new exciting world brought me back memories of Harry Potter, which I'm positive was a very big influence on the author to write this story. The trio in The Blue Moon Narthex resembles the Harry Potter trio a lot. Cole is basically the chosen one, special, like his dad, and he is greatly skilled in sliding even though he had never done it before or had any training. Sophie loves books and seeks knowledge, but unlike Hermione, she's not adamant on following rules. Britten is not very bright, loves trouble and adventure. Britten might be the most different one from its counterpart as Ron is not adventurous, although neither has much interest in reading. 
 These clear similarities to Harry Potter, although they did bother me a little, they didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I particularly liked the world building, as the characters are not witches but something else entirely. Coreseum reminded me of Idris in the Shadowhunter world, which I quite liked. The idea of a parallel society existing without our knowledge always intrigued me. 
 However, some things didn't work in my opinion. The trio acted older than 13 year olds would and certainly thought older as well. The three main characters also very one dimensional so it's hard to relate to them on a deeper level. There's still a lot we don't know about the KSL which I think should have been explained in the first installment, such as the true extent of their powers. We know they fight the evil, they slide but what then? Neve once was mentioned any special gear created to fight, only to help them slide and prevent falls. Too many names are mentioned in the first instalment, I couldn't keep up. I only the remember a few which had a bigger impact on Cole's life, I found myself not knowing who half of those characters were and what they did. 
 I think young teenagers would enjoy this more than I did, I couldn't stop myself from comparing it to Harry Potter. I do believe it has a lot of potential, there is room for the development of both the characters and the world. 
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