This was tough to get through. I see the premise, I see the idea (sort of), but this juggles between being a story a child would come up with, and an actual sci-fi story. It is though to read, understand and admire as I do not know where the author wants to go with this book.

Topher Kaler is the author of three novels. The Secret was published in 2021 and is the first novel in his Serendipity series. It is the 46th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as PG. The generation ship Apple leaves Earth for a planet named Eden. Those on board have a challenging journey, but after almost 50 years arrive at Eden. The original crew age and die. Their children take the helm.

Their life on Eden is threatened by an approaching asteroid. A new spacecraft is built and christened the Lifeboat. A group of 120 kids from eight to seventeen are selected. They leave on the Lifeboat to find a safe haven. Their journey comes across other colonists from Earth, some good, some not. Along the way, some choose to stay rather than continue their quest.

Remains of early Earth civilizations are found on their travels. The crew is confronted with one challenge or test after another. They find then follow a set of clues that leads them to discover an unexpected truth, a secret with implications for all mankind.

I enjoyed the 5.5 hours I spent reading this 325-page young adult science fiction novel. This is clearly a young adult novel. Science sometimes gets shoved aside for the sake of storytelling. The chosen cover art is eye-catching. I give this novel a rating of 3.3 (rounded to 3) out of 5.

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I really enjoyed The Secret!

I'm not a huge fan of Sci-Fi, but I believe this is a very easy read for people who want to read the genre but are otherwise overwhelmed by all the science jargon.

There isn't a lot of that in this book and it can feel like a middle grade book as the characters are all really young, under 16, but I forgot a few times that they were kids.

They go on something like a scavenger hunt on various planets for tablets that hold clues to a secret and that felt very like Indiana Jones at times. All in all I really enjoyed it and feel like it's target audience are young teens and older people who want to try branding out into the Sci-Fi category

Rating reason: DNF
I struggled with this book for 30 pages and finally had to give up, this title simply isn't one I can get into.

Review:
The writing fluctuates between reading like a Middle Grade story and serious SciFi saga. Sections will go from verbiage that underscores age in a repetitively "younger is better" fashion to humor that falls flat because of the seriousness of the situation. The teen characters are consistently hyped up and included in situations they shouldn't be in, while the adults approach any scientific discussion with dialogue that reads like it was pulled from a SyFy movie. I don't feel the author stuck the landing on where its target audience ks, as these issues make it read much younger.

TLDR/Summary:
This book is for you if you're looking for a Middle Grade read, that sticks its tongue out at the adult scifi.