Title: The Hidden Code

Author: P.J. Hoover

Pub. Date: September 10, 2019

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Eleven years ago, Hannah Hawkins’ parents disappeared while traveling abroad. Presumed dead, Hannah and her uncle are shocked when a letter from her mom arrives right after Hannah’s sixteenth birthday. By piecing together cryptic hints from the note and other clues left behind, Hannah realizes her parents disappeared while trying to find the mysterious Code of Enoch. An artifact they believed could hold the key to curing disease—or creating it—Hannah’s parents had been determined to destroy the Code, no matter the cost. Now with the help of her uncle, her best friend, and another cute but not entirely trust-worthy guy, Hannah sets out to discover what happened to her parents and if the Code of Enoch is real.

This will be a short spoiler free review!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun adventure read and I’m always down for an Indian Jones/Lara Croft/National Treasure kind of story. It was a little predictable and made for a pretty easy read. Once the ball starts rolling, it doesn’t stop until the end. This almost felt like a prequel to Lara Croft, since Hannah and her family basically have a very similar backstory.

I will say that I had a little bit of a hard time in really buying into the story, simply because of the character’s ages. I’m pretty sure that the main character is 16 and basically following in Indy’s footsteps…granted there is an adult figure with her, but he ends up not doing much at all. It almost felt like it had been written as a New Adult book and then the characters were aged down to fit a YA market. While, I did enjoy the book, I might’ve bought into it more if the characters had been slightly older, more independent in their own rights. Rather than them being stubborn teens, who think they know better than the adults in their lives.

I definitely hope that there is a second book, because I felt like I was finally getting to know the characters by the end of it. I really liked the group dynamic and relationships between them. If you’re looking for a fun adventure heist, you’ll definitely want to check this out! Out September 10, 2019!