I was caught up in the story the moment I read the description, there was no warm up time needed. Which is good because it doesn't entirely give you time to warm up; from page one it pulls you in and does not let you go.

The way the story is told is just amazing, you never know what's going to happen until you turn the page. The entire story is pretty awesome, totally intense and full of so many unexpected turns you won't be able to read it fast enough.

This is one of those books that makes me wish I could say more and go on and on but there are so few words to describe everything it truly is. It's one of those simply complex stories; done just right. I loved the theme, the plot, the entire point and the entire story. I definitely want more Luke Gracias can easily become a favorite author.

When I first read the blurb of this book I was desperate to read it - Why would a nun commit suicide? Why had a mother abandoned her children? What exactly is The Devil's Prayer?

To be honest I was expecting a mystery thriller with supernatural undertones. I could not have been more wrong.
This book is entirely unexpected. In a very good way though, it far surpassed my expectations. It does start off slowly but wow - you soon find yourself in an incredibly fast paced tale that twists and shocks constantly.

I enjoyed it immensely. The shifting of the voice telling the story is natural, the differences between them enough to make it obvious who was narrating. The two main female protagonists become incredibly sympathetic as the story moves along and the descriptions of various locations were detailed enough that you could easily 'see' them without the minute that bogs down some novels. Some of the scenes are brutal and deal with subject's that are very delicate. I felt that the author dealt with these incredibly well and, as someone who could be labelled 'sensitive' to some, it never felt gratuitous.

So why only four stars? Well, there are a few nagging issues that grew rather tiresome.
The main issue has nothing to do with the story itself - rather it is a huge formatting flaw. Every word that is written in italics, usually the foreign names of things or places, is tiny. About half of the size of the normal font. I do not need glasses but squinting constantly left me with a slight headache and a huge amount of frustration. It's always nice to know the real name of things so I nearly always took the time to look. Unfortunately that meant that the flow of the story was somewhat spoilt.
One other minor niggle was that I felt that some characters deserved much more of a back story than they got. At one point the motivation for one of the later characters is being explained then it suddenly turns into a detailed historical description and then back to one of the main protagonist's again. That was a shame because it would have been very satisfying to have learnt more about the actual character.

Overall I would definitely recommend this novel - I just hope that the migraine inducing formatting is sorted out!

I'm not sure how I would even categorise this book but I did enjoy it. I found the first three-quarters of the book brilliant and the different layers of stories being told within each other was an interesting format. I lost my way a bit with the last part due to all the historical and religious references but those subjects are not my strong point. Would make for a good movie!

3 - 3.5 stars.

A very well written novel with a story that kept me reading. It has obviously been well researched and that adds to the story. I hope that there is a follow up to this book. I would definitely read more of this story.

The Devil's Prayer is a compelling and intriguing novel blending historical fiction with religious treachery and deceit. It is fast-paced and deliciously dark, making for the kind of psychological thriller you don't want to put down. Siobhan's search, and the fearsome truths awaiting her, provide quite the wild ride.

The novel is well-written and edited, though I found some of the writing to be a bit more pragmatic than artistic. For that reason it doesn't flow as well as it could, but the intrigue of the story and the detail more than make up for it.

Someone please tell me a sequel is planned, as it ended too soon with so many questions unanswered!

A fabulously intriguing book, in the vein of The Omen or The Da Vinci Code but with far more connection between past and present.
Fascinating insights into the life of an ordered nun though brutal and frightening, with mystery, intrigue, murder and the battle between good and evil forming the basis for a brilliant piece of literature.

Couldn't put it down and wished I had read this book sooner. Have recommended it to my blog followers.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆
3.75 stars
The Devil's Prayer was a departure from my normal type of book.
This was a story within a story within a story that grabbed my interest from page one and held on until the end.
I will say I wasn't able to read this at night, as it led to bad dreams, and during the day I found myself considering the what ifs.
Dark, brutal, insane – these are the first words that come to mind when trying to describe this story.
Devastating, frightening, serious – are the second thoughts that come to mind.
Hopeful is the final feeling.

We start by learning the history of The Devil's Prayer and how Herman the Recluse sold his soul to avoid death.
Then we immediately dive into the life of Sister Benetictine, who is on the run...
Last we meet Siobhan and her sister, Jessie, who've been abandoned by their mother, or have they?

The classic dichotomy of Good vs. Evil, God vs. Devil is ever present through these pages. At what cost would YOU go to save the life/soul of your child? Is that even a question?
I loved how the story was based on true items, people, and events – these factors increased the authenticity of the story.

This book was mostly an enjoyable read due to how quickly you are pulled into the story. It starts with secret rooms and mysteries that ready like an action movie. Then the pace changes to more of a drama while holding your interest. As with other books of this style you are treated to a back story rich in Religious and Historical intrigue.

Siobhan (the protagonist) learns of her lost mother's death and that sends her from Australia to many beautiful locations to learn why her mother left her and what lead to her death. The author moves smoothly between modern times and the back story being read by Siobhan from her mother's journal..

Spoilers follow:
Through the unfolding of the story you learn that Siobhan's mother gave birth to the Anti-Christ. Due to her mom's deal with the Devil Siobhan is the only one who can stop the end of the world.

My only complaint is that the book ends with the major plot line unresolved. I have done some research and cannot find indications that the author will continue the story. If there is a sequel in the future then I would be more likely to recommend this book, but as it stands I do not like to refer incomplete stories to my friends.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and provide honest feedback.

This was a fascinating story, lots of detailed history and a terrifyingly believable storyline, Apocalypse revisited. The book was well written with lots of interesting characters and well described interactions. The conclusion is left to your imagination. Great read.

I loved this book! It was captivating, scintillating, horrifying, tons of action and fabulous place setting and characters. It was very much a horror mystery type of story with lots of violence, but not gratuitous violence. It added to the story and made it much more complex. I couldn't put this down and would highly recommend it.

The Devil's Prayer, by Luke Gracias, whisked me away into a world of horror that genuinely scared me.

The story begins with a nun committing suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognizes the nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared 6 years ago. In search of answers Siobhan travels to the secluded convent where her mother had lived. Here she discovers Denise's final confession, a book that details betrayal, torture and her near death at the hands of her trusted friends and her subsequent deal with the Devil to get revenge on those responsible. In this desperate pact made with the Devil, she wagered Siobhan's soul.

Siobhan learns that hidden within the pages of her mother's confession is part of The Devil's Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic evil.
Can Siobhan escape those determined to get the Prayer back?

The history and theological lore is very well researched, the imagery is extremely vivid and the storyline is both spine chilling and thought provoking.

The Devil's Prayer, by Luke Gracias, is his debut novel. It is a thrilling, frightening ride and I can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Australia eBook Publisher for an arc of this novel.

This book is not for the faint at heart. In fact, it wisely comes with a disclaimer that "Readers may find its content offensive and confronting." That said, I found parts of the book to be fascinating, parts of it extremely creepy, and other parts a bit over the top. The books centers around a main character, Shioban, who is searching for the reason that her mother (Denise) disappeared eight years ago, and then recently appeared to commit suicide. The underlying basis of the story is based on facts from religious history and the book has a strong religious bent. It is the interpretation of the historical events, though, that belong solely to the author, and I loved his interpretation of the historical background. Any book that makes me want to do additional research on the historical background is a win to me, and this book definitely left me with that feeling. The creepy parts of the book were also exceptionally well done, and I enjoyed them immensely. Somewhere I saw the book described as "religious historical horror", which I must say, fits the book to a T. My only regret were in the few areas where I felt that the author went a bit over the top with his explanations and interpretations. If not for these, I would have given the book 5 stars.

Also, don't be discouraged by the abrupt ending, At first, I was really disappointed, but then I learned that a sequel is in the works and will be coming out this year. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1SVEYU6YPQVZU/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01BXR4838

The Devil's Prayer started out with a bang-a mother , Denise, sells her soul to the devil to save her daughter Siobhan"s life.
Soon after she disappears and leaves her two daughters and mother to wondering. Six years pass and a nun's suicide in Spain solves the mystery-the nun is her mother. However, when Siobhan travels to Spain to retrieve her mother's few belongings, her life is threatened. Was the diary and it's contents her mother left her the cause of violence? She initially thought her mother to be crazy in imagining that an ancient text called the "Devil's Prayer" really existed. But when Siobhan is followed by monks determined to retrieve the diary and it's contents, she is not so sure. She returns to Australia only to discover she has brought the danger home with her.

"To believe in God, we must believe in the existence of the Devil. Without the Devil, religion has nothing to offer. Salvation means nothing if there are no repercussions to evil."

Strangely enough, this is the second book I've read in recent days that deals with the Devil--the first being The Master and Margarita, which was darkly humorous. Not so this one! It comes with an explicit content warning from the author: "The Devil’s Prayer" is a historical horror thriller that contains brutality, rape, sex, drug abuse and murder. Readers may find its content offensive and confronting." So be forewarned--there is explicit, graphic violence so it's not for the squeamish.

The Devil's Bible is a medieval book, huge in size, containing 322 sheets, from which 12 sheets have been removed--supposedly containing the Devil's Prayer. If that prayer is ever read, it is said it could unleash the apocalypse.

Although the book is historical fiction, the author says about 95% of the history is true. He has obviously travelled extensively and has posted his photographs of the historic sites mentioned in the story on the web page: www.devilsprayer.com. These add a lot to the enjoyment of the story.

I'm not going to summarize the plot since that is well done in the Goodreads summary above. But the plot is gripping and exciting with lots of twists and turns. I especially liked how the author relates the current crises caused by climate change and global warming to the End Days predicted in the Biblical Revelations. Although this book comes to a satisfying conclusion, there is (hopefully) more to come. I'm looking forward to the sequel which the author says he hopes will be out in December of 2017.

I am grateful to the author and NetGalley for a free ebook copy of this book and hope the author is soon able to find a publisher for his work.

I cannot in any way recommend this book. One of the absolute worst I have ever read. Check out my goodreads review for more reasons why.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1913763663?type=review#rating_109312768

This was interesting book of jealousy, betrayal and revenge. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure that it would be one I would finish due to it's slow start. Luckily I pushed through the slow beginning and I'm glad I did, for once Siobhan found and began reading her mother's diary, I found that the story quickly picked up and became unputdownable. Siobhan's mother's confession of the deal she made with the devil and the subsequent reason as to why she left her children and became a nun was the most interesting aspect of the entire story. My only complaint is how the book ends, I really wanted there to be a confrontation and fight between good and evil at the end; maybe there will be a sequel which will deal with the subject. Upon finishing the book, I learned that it has been optioned for film and I am most definitely interested in seeing the book brought to life. In the end I would recommend this to people who want something different and a story that is anything but expected.

This book presents an unusual story line that jumps between time periods. The concept is interesting and fairly well executed. Worth your time for a weekend read.