DNF @ 8%

I wanted to give this book a chance, and a part of me feels like I didn't since I stopped so early. There were reasons for that, however. First, the writing is extremely repetitive and poor. There is hardly time to breathe or connect to the characters. Second, it feels like an action sequence from any of the Assassin's Creed games. Just makes it seem like the author played a lot of those. Third, when more than one character have "tears in their eyes" or "tears streaming down their face" on the same page, I will groan and will want to throw the book across the room. I had to stop reading for the fear of damaging my Kindle.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with a copy, but I feel like I have better books to give my time to.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Luke Gracias for this ebook for an honest review.

This story begins with a nun been chased to a very public suicide in a small Spanish town. Thousands of miles away in Australia Siobhan Russo is told that the nun was her mother Denise. Once a successful TV journalist she vanished without a trace years before. Siobhan travels to the convent her mother had been living in looking for answers and there finds her mothers confession, a story of murder, torture, rape.....and deals with the devil himself.

Firstly don't let the cover put you off. Yes it looks demonic and creepy but this story is much more than that. It's a story about a woman who is wronged in the worst way imaginable and left helpless gets the chance to get revenge and get her life back. But that chance involves a deal with the devil and gambling her daughters soul. It's a well thought out and conceived story, and held my attention throughout, although it must be said during the last few pages my eyes glazed over a bit - too many dates and locations. There are a few warnings about the subject matter, regarding torture and rape and they are pretty nasty scenes but it doesn't ever feel gratuitous or for some sort of sick titillation.....it's part of the story but is not lingered upon too much. It finishes quite suddenly and hopefully the author is planning a follow up.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code you'll probably like this too. Do not be put off by the cover or warnings (unless you're particularly sensitive), this is well worth a read.

Spectacularly dark, suspense filled masterpiece!

The Devil's Prayer is the darkest and most thrilling horror page turner I've read this decade.
Stunning storytelling accompanied by intriguing, fabulous writing and detailed historical research.
Amazingly fast paced with a brilliantly descriptive narrative, super dialogue and vividly rich three dimensional characterization of both main and minor characters.

The highly evocative background descriptions contained within the narrative provide a fascinating sense of place and atmosphere. A feast for reader senses!
The multitude of settings encompassed within The Devil's Prayer are breathtakingly unique and beautifully rendered ranging from: the hidden passageways in ancient convents and medieval monasteries, to historic cathedrals and ossuaries decorated in human bones.

The Devil's Prayer plays host to the most horrifying and sinister atmosphere I've ever encountered. Most pages either sent shivers down my spine or raised my heartbeat volume to thunderous levels- the ultimate hallmarks of a horror masterpiece.
Almost every single page had either Siobhan or Denise breathing air thick with the most palpable tension in literary history- and me experiencing it all along with them.
Every page I turned left me feeling the knife edge Denise was living and bequeathing to her eldest daughter after her death - The Devil's Prayer oozes spine tingling suspense.

But there were a few aspects of the story that didn't quite fit.
The rape scenes were gratuitous, highly explicit and occurred more than once- with the same victim and different perpetrators. Multiple rapes weren't really necessary to enhance the story.

The supernatural origins of The Codex Gigas (The Devil's Book) and the immense scope of the devil's power are both emphasized throughout the book.
If the Devil was powerful enough to write the entire The Codex Gigas text in a single night, why would the Devil chose to 1) only produce a single copy of Devil's Prayer- a 12 page instruction manual teaching his heir how to bring about the reign of Satan on Earth, 2) leave it with humans- trusting them to keep it secure and intact, 3) spend hundreds of years devising intricate schemes to ensure the 12 pages find their way to the Devil's heir.
It would be a lot easier to a) have multiple copies or b) teach the heir himself or via his minions and get her to memorize it all.

Luke Gracias is a writer of the highest calibre, such an amazingly skilled writer.
His writing transcends all the usual genre classifications.
Master of so many genres: horror, historical fiction, thriller, mystery,supernatural and fantasy.
His official title truly is storyteller extraordinaire.
I can't wait for the sequel.

I hate to compare but this book has nuances of the Davinci code with supernatural twists but not in your typical way. In fact, its uniqueness kept it very interesting as there were stories within the story. Many others have outlined the storyline so I wont. I originally worried that this would be more of a 'horror' tale or creepy sci fi, but instead dealt with the supernatural aspect in a very believable way. My only disappointment is that I wished it hadn't ended as I would have liked to read more about what happens next. Can the author keep the same twisty story and feel should he continue it in a follow up novel or would it be a completely different kind of read to move on with the story? I know I'd buy a follow up to see!

I received this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Luke Gracias, and the publisher for this opportunity.

What does a suicidal nun, a winning lottery ticket, a paraplegic and a centuries-old missing prayer book have in common? This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but is actually the start of this queer and extraordinary tale.

I was initially a little disappointed with this book. The knowledge the author imparted was phenomenal and the author was clearly well-versed in the history of the subjects covered. However interesting this was, it read more like a non-fiction than a thrilling tale, which I wasn't anticipating. But once this initially dense first section had concluded the thrills and suspense began to take hold of the plot.

This became a dark and gory read and the author held nothing back in his portrayal of the immoral and the traitorous. This raw depiction of each horrifying scene is what made this come to life, in all its grim glory. The geographical settings and the historical fact were also written of so evocatively and sublimely that I felt I re-lived this book, rather than read it.

This is a superb and original book but is definitely not one for the faint of heart, due to some of the brutal and possibly triggering topics covered. The cliffhanger ending had me eager for a conclusion to this epic tale. With none yet announced I am struggling to see how this ending is fair on the poor nerve-wracked readers!

The book did not captivate me, unfortunately. I am a huge fan of mystery and suspense, but the story was too convoluted and it was difficult to get the action happening on this one. I failed to get to the end of the book because I just, simply, could not continue reading it any longer.

This book was on track to getting 3.5 to 4 stars from me, until I reached about 80% of the way through and things started to feel rushed. Prior to that, it was an exciting thriller that had me hooked.

The story of Denise/Sister Benedictine is one of tragedy. She faced horrible circumstances and after a choice to take revenge, no hope of redemption. The flashbacks that featured her story were compelling, but slowed down whenever the narration was placed back in Siobhan's POV. There was far less character development with her, which I felt was odd since she was supposed to be the narrator. Regardless, I enjoyed it until I was nearing the end. There suddenly was a lot of history crammed into a short section, which was fine as I thought it was leading to some kind of resolution or new revelation. It didn't. After finishing the book and subsequently finding out that, no, it is not the first in a series, I was incredibly frustrated. My rating is now a firm 2, and that is only because I found most of the book compelling.

A Compelling Novel packed with thrills galore
An electrifying novel which will appeal to a very large audience of readers. And deservedly so.
Reminiscent in style to "The Da Vinci Code" and with a few vague similarities to the original "The Omen" film, Luke Gracias draws on real historic facts to construct a fictional novel which is a delight to read. From the title you might suppose that this novel is purely a demonic horror story. Not at all. This novel is about much, much more. The book contains an element of several genres mixed together brilliantly in a highly readable, educational and appealing way.
I would describe it as essentially a novel within a novel. In real time we are kept engrossed by a quest by Sister Benedictine's daughter, Siobhan, to learn the truth about her mother's disappearance some 7 years earlier. The daughter's quest is fraught with danger and thrills galore. She succeeds in getting her mother's "confession" which was written by her mother in the hope that one day her daughter would find and read it. It contains Sister Benedictine's explanation of the reason for her disappearance (she deserted two young daughters leaving their Grandmother, Edith to bring them up) and the circumstances of her "suicide". The confession explains to Siobhan that her mother, after making a binding agreement of her own free choice, was effectively deceived and her disappearance was a consequence of events over which she had lost control. She contends that predestination determined her experiences, actions and the rôle she had to play.
Initially dubious, Siobhan reads in the confession a tale of dreadful misfortune: of innocence, the greed of others, murder and vengeance. But often vengeance comes with a price attached and this was the case for her mother.
The novel has many themes but the one which stood out for me was the damage caused to the environment by mankind and the consequences thereof. The author's background is as an activist on environmental matters and his knowledge and concerns for Mother Nature show clearly through. The manner in which the author weaves his concerns into the book are original.
The novel is also exceptionally educational: featuring remarkable research by the author. As I read I recognised, through my own historical reading, the depth of knowledge made available by Gracias to the reader.
For lovers of apocalyptic books, horror or challenging thrillers, this book is a must. If you enjoyed Dan Jones's "The Da Vinci Code", in my opinion, this is a much better novel: containing more eye opening and lesser known historical truths. As I mentioned above at times there are semblances to the "The Omen" film.
I thoroughly recommend this novel for all to read as a compelling, original and inspired work of fiction.
It falls into my must read pile of books. It will transport you to a different time and place and serves as a total escape.
I just can't wait for the inevitable sequel.

This book is very well-written and researched. However, it totally bogged down at the end and lost all feelings of possibility to me. Unfortunate, because I definitely thought it was a unique premise.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a 3.5 stars or 7/10.

With loose references to real life people and real events, The Devil's Prayer is a story littered with taboo subjects that might be offensive to some readers. Please do not read this historical thriller with horror and supernatural themes if you're easily offended.

Whilst, reading this story I felt that it would make a great film. With some scenes being very reminiscent to some of Dan Brown's stories, in so much as chasing by religious secret sects was involved, etc.

A Nun commits suicide in Spain and in Australia her daughter Siobhan, realises that the Nun is in fact her Mother who'd disappeared years ago. As Siobhan decides to try and uncover the truth behind the Nun's apparent suicide.  She travels across the World to find out where her Mum had been in the years that she'd been missing.

It's not long before Siobhan finds herself embroiled in trying to keep parts of The Devil's Prayer that she is in possession of safe from those that would rather have it.

On the whole I enjoyed the story, but at times I did feel that I was floundering with it. If you like religious themed stories then grab a copy and let it take you on a roller coaster of a ride.

The Devil's Prayer is a book that never really managed to get me in its grip, it might be one of the reasons why it took me such a long to finish it. The story is about a young woman that follows the story of her mother who suddenly disappeared without any notice. Years later her mother dies under mysterious circumstances which is the first news they ever get of her. This is where the story unfolds.

For me the book can be cut into two parts. The first is where the daughter goes to the places where her mother died, the second is the part where she reads the diary her mother left behind for her.
The first bit I found a bit dull and it nearly brought me to the point where I wanted to put the book away. There is nothing wrong with it, the writing is solid and enjoyable, but the story just didn't manage to get me interested. Just at the point where I was going to give up I started the part about te diary. The story truly picks up there and gets very enjoyable. How the mother makes a pact with the devil and murders her former friends one by one is great to read. If the book could have kept this pace until the end my personal rating would have been much better. However when the 'friends' are dead the story slows down again and a great mist descents. At this point the story changes from a tale of revenge into a lot of talk about old religious papers. It is very similar to the Dan Brown books, I never enjoyed those either.

For me personally this book wasn't a great succes. This doesn't change the fact that the writing is solid and it contains a deep story. If you liked the Da Vinci Code this is definitely something for you.

A well researched book which much to my surprise found totally addictive.
The age old good against evil and human greed but most importantly the lengths a mother will go to protect her children.
Shades of Dan Brown and the DaVinci Code come to mind.
A real page turner my only disappointment was the unsatisfactory ending what happens next . I just hope there is a sequel.

"The Devil's Prayer" has many of the great things that reminds me of a classic horror novel or movie: A suicide by a nun (in a faith where suicides automatically go to Hell), a Giallo film (where the focus is an investigation into killings that cannot be explained), a little bit of Dan Brown (like the secret societies reminiscent of "The DiVinci Code"), and of course the Devil. The action revolves around the suicide of a nun and her two children whom she abandoned suddenly when the oldest was in her teens. The mystery of her demise becomes the main focus of her oldest daughter, Siobhan, and a diary the explains most everything. Most of this novel flows well and moves quickly and is highly entertaining. It is highly entertaining, and like some of the others have said, if you go into this without knowing too much about it, you will most definitely enjoy the speed of the story unfolding. The only real flaw that I see is that the last twenty or so pages turns into more of a history lesson than plot movement, and the story kind of grinds to a halt because he is trying to spend the time tying up the loose ends. In the end, it is an enjoyable, fun story and worth the time.

I received an ARC of "The Devil's Prayer" from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book had me skimming the first few pages. I wasn't too sure. After chapter 1, I was hooked. I love this book so much I'd rush through my responsibilities just to get back to reading it. I did have to go back and reread that first chapter. Bravo!

The Devils Prayer by Luke Gracius is not only interesting, but it never fails to surprise. At a time when many novels follow predictable, well-trod paths, Gracias keeps readers guessing right up to the end.

The tale begins in Spain with delicious, haunting, cinematic prose. Readers first meet Sister Benedictine as she self-flagellates during the festival of Maundy Thursday. One might believe the action takes place centuries ago; however, it actually takes place in the present. The author employs his copious knowledge of history to build realistic, authentic activity that is sure to draw readers into the action. Soon, desperate to evade red monks who are stalking her, the mysterious Sister Benedictine is off on a nightmarish mission that revolves around a Bible and a key.

Soon, the plot drops out of the frame and readers are taken to Australia where they meet Siobhan Russo, a young woman struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her mother, many years ago. Then, Siobhan finds that her mother has passed on, at a convent in Spain. At a memorial for her mother, an enigmatic priest hands Siobhan a Bible with a key in it, and Siobhan embarks on a search for answers.

The rest of the tale bounces back and forth between Sister Benedictine’s history and Siobhan’s quest for truth. Why did Siobhan’s mother disappear without a word? What does this all mean for Siobhan and her sister? Not only are the girls in danger, but their souls are at stake.

The characters are well-drawn and likable, and the settings are extremely interesting. The convoluted, intertwined plot lines work well together to create a pleasant read.

Unfortunately, the superior prose that graces the beginning of the novel stagnates toward the end with a patch of authorial intrusion that does not serve to propel the plot and comes off as a history lesson. Luckily, it can be skipped without losing anything. The tale ends with a teaser that portends a possible sequel that will be welcomed by many readers.

When reading this I was transported through words to some of the most beautiful churches imaginable., had my heart broken, became truly terrified. I just wish the story wrapped up (i.e. finished at all) or that I knew book two was on its way.

A great novel about the story of the film by the same name.

Chilling, highly engrossing, rip-roaring tale. This one had me awake nights, reading way past my bedtime!

The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias is rated as historical/horror fiction. I had a bit of a problem putting it into a specific category.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-three year old Siobhan Russo, and her seventeen-year old sister Jess, lost their mother six years ago. Denise Russo went out the door and never returned. When Siobhan recognizes her mother as the nun who committed suicide by hanging herself from a bell tower, in front of thousands in Spain, she has many questions. At the funeral service, Siobhan meets Father Jakub, who knew her mother as Sister Benedictine, and who came to give Siobhan her mother's bible. Searching for answers, Siobhan boards a plane from Australia and heads to the convent where her mother had been living. There she discovers her mothers' written confession, where she had recorded the details of her "deal with the devil". She tells of the brutal rape and betrayal of her friends which ended up leaving Denise paralyzed. To be healed, and to get revenge, Denise makes her deal with the devil, but ended up wagering Siobhan's soul.

In Siobhan's search, she learns of The Devil's Prayer, an ancient text that, if read by the wrong person, can unleash apocalyptic mayhem on the world. The pages are in the back of her mothers confession. Unfortunately her mother had enemies, and they know Siobhan is in possession of those pages. Extremist monks are after her, and although Father Jakub says he is helping her, she doesn't really know who to trust. As she reads more and more of her mothers diary, her disbelief starts to lead to terror. And then there is Jess....

Luke Gracias writes very well, and I really liked the way the story was told, alternating between present-day with Siobhan, and the past being told through her mothers confession. The characters really came to life. The research the author did was extensive, and on his website, he has pictures of many of the places he visited.

One of the things things I did not like was the depth of the history which was related. We went from present day back to 1222. Too many historical dates, people and place names. I understand that some information regarding the origin of the Devil's Prayer and Bible had to be told, but it was too much....way too much. Part of that may be that I do not normally read historical fiction. As well, there was a lot of detail provided about each town/convent/monastery that Siobhan visited. Again, too much detail. I guess the final problem I had with this book (apparently other than its length), was that it didn't end. Nowhere was I told that there was going to have to be a sequel, but now there had better be! (the author has since assured me that there will be).

Anyway, without the reasons given in the above paragraph, I would easily have given this book 4 stars, because the story itself and the writing was really good.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded up. Overall, I'm afraid this just wasn't really for me. First the good. The writing was well done, in the historical sections of the book, and it's clear that a lot of research has gone into it. (How accurate it all is, I have no idea - religious history is about as low on my knowledge list as it gets.) And the underlying plot points - revenge, deals with the devil, lost pages from ancient texts - were interesting.

What made it not work for me were a couple of things. First, it felt like two really different stories/writing styles. The story of Denise, the dead nun, as told in diary form, was not nearly as well written as the historical sections. The dialog felt somewhat stilted to me (maybe just the Australian/US difference?). And this story was filled with pretty brutal scenes, and I'm fairly used to reading murders, etc. I also thought some details were missing that should have been revealed sooner - like Siobhan's father, and her early years. And honestly, I wanted more about Jess and what she was like. Then, the story seems to really switch gears, and the last 1/3 or so is filled with historical information about the monks and Catholic church back in the 12th and 13th century. This part of the story, as noted above, was written better, but ultimately for me was not terribly interesting. A little too much history - felt like a well-written religious history lesson.

And finally the ending - or non-ending. I had no idea from the description that this was going to be a series. I really expected to get some sort of resolution to at least part of the story, and was ultimately disappointed when that didn't happen.

I am clearly in the minority here - there are many, many 4 and 5 star reviews, so if you are a fan of religious history, and don't mind the brutality of the present day part, it may work better for you.