The Magdalene Prophecy, Quickening

Great interesting book that kept my interest until the last page. I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in fantasy. The characters are realistic and kept me interested

While I'm Jewish, I happen to be a fan of Magdalene books and all things related to the voice of the divine feminine as she flows through history. I wasn't sure what to think when I picked this book up. But soon I realized it was a rollicking mystery, a spiritual teaching tool, and a love story, all rolled into one.

Suspense is constantly heightened. I love the complex characters. I feel the author's reverence and respect for the feminine. What a relief to finally read a book that has that quality. I am so incredibly curious to find out what happens in the next book.

The first book of The Magdalene Prophecy series is fast moving, captivating , full of action and mystery. I could not put the book down. With a controversial hypothesis about the role of Mary Magdalene as Jesus Christ's most loved apostle, her teachings and ultimately her prophecy...

It is incredibly well researched and I have to say it does make logical sense if you are willing to set aside any extreme religious views and give it a chance.

If you are intrigued to pick up this book and read it, trust me, you gotta trust your gut here! The author has an amazing knack for piling facts into creatively woven stories, and this is a spellbinding masterpiece.

Okay, where do I begin? Should I dive headfirst into the fact that it involves the other truth behind Christianity, the twisted, hidden, other part of it, or the nature of this book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as the author unveils secrets, and suspenseful incidents that catch you completely off guard as you can't even smell the trouble arising. Anyway, this is definitely a must read especially if you love to feast on conspiracy theories and wonder WHAT IF the true story was the other way around.

Are we living the Quickening she predicted? Is this Pandemic a part of Mary Magdalene’s prophecy? 😉

On another note, this was definitely an eye opener for me as I got to see the world with a new set of eyes and not everything is what it seems like.

The second book of the series is a gripping page-turner filled with deception, intrigue, history lessons, and some fascinating puzzles.

I was lucky to get the book just before the world went into lockdown. I got answers to lots of the questions I was left with in book 1 and it keep me coming up with all kind of hypotheses on how and who will surprise us in book 3. Reading it has been a joy in this time of uncertainty. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series .

The book begins with the story of Yael, a hired detective/ assassin whose mission is to solve a mysterious event involving a ransom letter delivered to the Vatican for a secret treasure that has never been documented in their library. After a series of clues and tragedies, Yael finds herself involved in many adrenaline rushing, frenetic “twists and turns” in her search for the said treasure. Leaves the reader questioning many facets of the secret treasure – Where it is? What it is? Is it real?
In its entirety, the book is thrilling! Suspenseful! Riveting! Exciting! Energetic! Unique! Fascinating! I really liked it! From the first paragraph, I was fully involved in the content of the plot, the characters, feeling the energy between the words and emotions between the spaces of the words. The consistent, adrenaline rushing flow to the story, absent of any pause, kept me wanting to read more. Intriguing! Just when I felt I had guessed what was occurring in the vigorous plot, a new “twist” in the storyline eliminated previous conclusions. With all the twists and turns to the plot, along with all characters involved, there is clarity in the overall presence of each aspect of the book. With each page, it kept me fully engaged. I did not want to put it down!
As a spiritual fiction, I found a deeper meaning along with Divine Feminine energy, infused in its entirety and added more energy to the storyline.

Finding aspects of myself in Yael, was evident and made the story even more intriguing. I travelled with her, within and externally, feeling her emotions, being a part of her personal “story”. Many parts of the book one thinks a certain event or situation was happening, only to become aware there was a deeper message hidden.

Clear your schedule when you are reading this book, as you will not want to stop until it ends. Even then, you will want it to continue. Definitely, a must read. And is so depicting of the current time we are in. Very timely! You might want to refer to it a Divine timing.

The imagination of the story line and its characters was ingenius. Such creativity! I commend the author, Shams Tabriz for this exciting, highly articulate “masterpiece”. I relate it to sitting on an intricately woven tapestry, interwoven with the most luxurious colorful threads, taking you on a “magic carpet ride”. Truly fascinating! So inspiring! Imaginative!
I would, highly, recommend this as a Netflix movie. Would be wonderful to see it on a big screen.

The first book in the series “The Magdalene Prophecy” had me glued to my kindle from the very start.

Although eight out of ten books I read are nonfiction and I would not consider the underlying theme of religious history one of my go-to topics, this book was one of my favorite reads in a long time.

The story is far more than a mystery thriller that revolves around historic events and religion. The books main character, Yael, is initially introduced as a tough private detective/assassin/fixer who is hired to handle a highly critical mission that could have far reaching consequences, not only for the people directly involved.

The author artfully manages to develop and progress the characters through captivating deep dives into their background stories, always leaving enough room for thought and the reader’s own interpretation of the events and the protagonists’ motivations.
Also, the way Shams-Tabriz manages to trigger the reader’s imagination by describing scenes, settings, capturing feelings and fleshing out dialogs, is poetic and powerful.

The further you progress, the more faceted the book becomes with its overarching topic of spirituality and its strong feminine characters.

Overall, the story never feels long-winded and there is a refreshing balance between plot and character progression. Finally, there is the great mystery and puzzles that will keep you guessing and enraptured in the story.
The second book in the series is top of my reading list!

376 pages

4 stars

This book is very well written and plotted. The ending brings Yael to a broken old man who, thinking she is someone else, begs her forgiveness. It is a very dramatic and exciting scene. Yael finds emotions she hasn't used in a long while.

After a slow start, the book picks up speed. We meet several interesting people along the way.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial forforwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

A great, enjoyable read.

An enjoyable read for everyone who likes page-turning, breathtaking, thrilling reads. It will keep you on the needle from the first letter to the last.

It’s a strong, tightly woven story with very convincing -and frequently under threat- protagonists, mixing religion and science, that makes you want to find out what is going to happen next. And with a fair amount of research put into the story -the description of the symbols and history is amazing.

The author knows how to intertwine history, thrill and treasure hunt so perfectly that one cannot let his eyes let off the book!

This book is exciting from the start, I was captivated within the first paragraph!

There is suspense in this book created by one surprise after another, and delicious twists and turns. I enjoyed the element of mystery and was intrigued by the bits of history woven through a well-told story, along with a subtle uplifting and comforting quality, it left me with a sense of hope.

I’m intrigued to continue on to the next book!

I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of The Magdalene Prophecy. The descriptions of Rome were accurate and brought me back to the Eternal City.

A thought provoking thriller that kept me turning the pages. Intricate plot twists that made me question what this life is all about. Perhaps Shams is a fortune teller? He is certainly a skilled story teller!

Shams-Tabriz has authored an edge of your seat book filled with intrigue and mystery. As the divine feminine moves throughout the history of Christianity, Mary Magdalene life, prophecy and teachings have grabbed the attention of authors and readers like myself and this is a welcomed read.
Yael ( the novels sleuth) is investigating a ransom demand received at the Vatican. With few clues to go by and time running out we enter into a fast paced mystery. Complex characters, twists and turns jump off the pages which makes this an exciting read.
Many thanks to. NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unashamedly written in the tradition of now classic books such as the “Da Vinci Code” and “The Celestine Prophecy”, the Author Shams Tabriz has produced a more than worthy new entry into the genre.

“Quickening” is a breathless, heart-stopping Tour de Force - spiritual action/thriller/spy novel - a curtain raiser I assume, to a much larger story to unfold.

The events gather momentum right from the off and had me glued for page after page. Chapters are short and the storyline is tight, although characters have been given enough space to come alive. Only minutes into my first read, I was immediately struck by the Author's elegant and sophisticated use of the English language, which
came as a pleasant surprise and was indeed very much appreciated

As I was quickly progressing through the pages and chapters, the expectedly dramatic events culminated in a worthy crescendo, leaving me scampering for a copy of Part 2, which I knew would lead to a tie up of several loose ends.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed “Quickening”, Part 1 of “The Magdalene Prophecy” Trilogy and would strongly recommend this book to anyone, who has an interest in
spirituality-based suspense stories.

An extraordinary, compelling thriller for our times

Through the investigation of the theft of the most precious Magdalene Prophecy the author brilliantly tests the limits of what we can know for certain about the institutional powers that lead us, about those we are closest to, and by extension, about ourselves.

I felt the story to be radiant and visionary, giving a perfect balance of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of the subject. The different characters were presented in such a way as to make me think about what it means to be human. I found it interesting that when led into dangerous territory, the characters were all faced with a difficult moral choice. I also noticed that by the journey’s end, I was enriched and enlightened by the lives I had witnessed.

At first sight, the protagonist Yael seemed to be detached from her own emotions from having suffered a traumatic childhood and decides to gradually transform herself into a perfect warrior. This single decision blazed her own trail, on which she encountered compromise, ambivalence and exhilaration. How many of us are in similar shoes without looking into the details of the very life choices we’ve made that speak volumes?

Amid a host of other hidden messages, the book seemed to carry key information about the captivating exploration of divine female power. This seems to serve as a tribute to the million-petalled flower of pure, heartfelt love which points the way towards hope and a new understanding of our human identity. Needless to say, Quickening graces us with its many insights and will surely often get a second reading.

This book is pure magic and a true force to be reckoned with. 

Not only is one immediately caught up in the fast pace of the story line, with it's  extraordinary plot twists and unexpected character reveals, but just behind this excitement lies a truth that is undeniable. There is much more to the Christian story than we have been taught.

Like a matador with his bull, Shams uses his characters as the red cape to taunt,  tease and dare his readers  into the ring, where once inside, there is no turning back.

I found my entire body tingling to the truths that danced between the pages and an awakening within to a call I immediately recognized. I could not put this book down and read it in a single day.

An exhilarating read for sure!!!

“DaVinci Code meets The Secret. The Magdelene Prophecy takes you on a journey of self discovery weaved into an action packed thriller. Each turn of the page adds to the mystery within the well crafted story of forgotten religious symbols and internal reflection about the origin of life itself. A must read.”

A good mystery, thriller with good character development. Thoroughly a delight to read, and one that kept my interest to the end. Looking forward to book 2 in the series to see where the Prophesy leads.

I really enjoyed this book. It reads great and there is action and good character development. The Biblical references were spot on. Getting a fast paced novel complete with Bible history is a real treat. I will definitely recommend this book, and look forward to the next book. I was given a copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

This is a good read for anyone interested in the catholic church and the myths of their hiding the truth about Christ and his teachings. Yael is a lethal fixer-turned-sleuth investigating a curious ransom demand received at the Vatican. The problem no one will disclose what has been stolen. Yael starts investigating and discovers clues to the Magdalene Prophecy. He hopes that whoever stole the treasure will use it for good. This is book 1 and I'm looking forward to book 2, I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great sequel and a great mystery. the characters were great and I enjoyed the plotline going on in this book.

I really did enjoy this book and found the characters were very well developed; however, the first couple chapters were populated by endearing characters, then the entire book shifted to someone from a clandestine organization, a killer. Not a spoiler since you learn all this at the beginning of the book.

The story felt unfinished and there were many loose ends. They may all be tied up in book two and three, but I'm not sure I love the characters enough to continue reading. The killer does redeem herself to a degree, but I didn't love her enough to proceed with further books in the series.

This was a fast moving story a la Dan Brown. Yael is drawn into what appears to be a ransom request for two items connected to Mary Magdalene that the Church would like to keep under wraps. As she digs deeper, she realizes this is not a recent ransom but one that the trail has gone cold years ago. As she investigates, she begins to wonder of some of her clues are true and runs into many secrets. A great story that I can't wait to read the sequel.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed this mystery and really enjoyed getting to know the characters.