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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In Lana Christian’s Survival Secrets, book two of The Magi’s Encounters, the Wise Men leave Bethlehem by another route, with knowledge of Yeshua that could place the child in great danger if it reaches Herod’s court. Akilah leads the caravan into the Wilderness of Paran, where water is scarce, and Tallis is taken from the group for a hidden mission at Machaerus. Far away in Persia, Akilah’s cousin Farzaneh travels to Adiabene after the death of her husband Ihsan, searching for the Jewish faith he kept secret from Magi society. Her questions bring her to the Levite Elyakim as threats around Akilah’s family continue at home. With the caravan trying to reach Egypt, both Akilah and Farzaneh must decide which secrets protect life and which can no longer remain hidden.
Lana Christian’s Survival Secrets is brilliant biblical historical fiction, written with the conviction that faith is tested in the ordinary hour when hunger enters the road. Christian turns the Magi’s journey home after Bethlehem into an adventure shaped by sincere spiritual searching. Her historical detail is excellent, especially in Egypt, where Metariyeh becomes a place of refuge as an abandoned farm shelters the caravan before Akilah discovers one of the gold wafers given to Yeshua. The biblical elements are solid, like the way prayer belongs beside the daily search for food, because belief speaks most powerfully through lived need. Farzaneh is the finest creation here; her anger toward Akilah gives every question about Adonai a distinctly human truth, while her faith remains fully her own. Rashidi has an epic arc as the Alexandrian temple leads him to reconsider what he accepted since childhood. Readers of biblical historical fiction should absolutely read this book.
