Wow, I don't even know what to say. This book took me longer to read, because of the amount of truth detailed throughout. And then of course I had to Google all these locations as well. The amount of research Mr. Gracias did is monumental. The book loosely reminded me of Dan Browns Robert Langdon series, as well as the National Treasure movies. Well done Luke! Now onto the second book!

An Australian horror novel full of mystery and history a lot different then I’m used to but I did enjoy it in the most part

Thank you netgalley for a copy for an honest review

Well researched, somewhat graphic. I think this series would make a good set of films, but personally I found the writing a little stilted at times which was off-putting. On film, this would be cured, although it is not a cheery book, so I think it would take a certain kind of reader/watcher to get the most from it.

Not the best book out there, but it was not easy to put down. Would I recommend it, probably not, But I wouldn't outright pan it if I was asked about it.
This book had an interesting premise with two sisters pitted against each other. One represents the "selfless"people in the world, while the other represents the "selfish" people of the world.
I liked how the author's method of the bounce back and forth between past and present through the mother's diary. The plot line moved along well enough. The situations were believable enough (or wishing it was believable -- spoilers ; ) ) that you can find yourself cheering for Denise.
As a standalone book, it was good enough. Unfortunately, I also read the sequel that just turned me off to the entire series. I was not turned off by the second book's preachiness, but more by the way the story was delivered.

Mind blown. I started this earlier tonight and I could not turn the pages fast enough. I have rarely read such an amazing blend of horror, thriller, historical fiction and though — note the trigger warning — not for everyone, I will be recommending it to anyone willing to take a chance on a book that has left me reeling. Different than most of my usual favorites, I am left without the words to describe what I’ve just finished. Of course I went directly to the related website indicated in the back of the book, and watched the trailer, looked at all the gallery of photos of actual sites described in the narrative, and desperately long for the movie that is meant to be in production.

In the meantime, read this if you dare. I’m off to start the sequel.

My apologies for neglecting to read and review this for so many years. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-book ARC.

An exciting book that races around the world, similar to Dan Brown or Steve Berry. Definitely more of a religious tone than Dan or Steve and the author provides some historical context to the story afterwords. I can't wait for the next book to continue the story.

Excelent work.I'm really happy that i read this book, although it took me some time.Good writing.I'm curious about other titles by this author.

DNF 45%

Ich hatte große Hoffnungen für das Buch aber ich konnte mich nicht dazu aufraffen, den Rest des Buches zu lesen.

I know I read this book and typed a review to it, but it has since disappeared. I intend to read this one again very soon, because I found it well done and interesting.

Unfortunately I don’t think this book was for me. I do like horror novels, but I was unable to finish this book as I ended up losing interest in the storyline. I am intrigued by the ideas though, and I would still consider reading future books by this author!

This was a very unique and compelling tale. It is dark, and gory in parts. It is not for the faint at heart as there is brutality, rape, etc... However it is very well written and you won’t stop reading once you start.
Many thanks to Australian ebook Publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cover – A parade of mysterious hooded monks, wherein the leading man is holding a big cross – coupled with the name of the story, manages to pique your interest.

Title – “The Devil’s Prayer” – Given the fact that I have a zero knowledge about the Christian faith and history, the title managed to bring about the interest required to pick up the book and go on to read the blurb. For someone who has to get attracted to the title and cover enough to actually pick it up and considering reading, this one does a good job.

Plot – The plot starts off with nun Denise, being chased by some hooded monks and her very public suicide. This starts off a series of events which starts with Father Jakub visiting her family back in Australia and giving her elder daughter Siobhan her message and a key.

After giving it a lot of thought and getting a nod from both her Nanna and younger sister Jess, Siobhan travels to the convent where her mother lived. The moment she arrives, a mysterious red monk threatens her to leave immediately for her own safety.

Siobhan instead decides to move forward and know what exactly had happened which compelled Denise to abandon them suddenly. Once she reaches the convent, she manages to get to the “Vault of Confessions” and ultimately the diary left behind for her, which not only chronicles her mother’s life but also a part of “The Devil’s Prayer”.

In between escaping her mother’s enemies who now know the pages are with Siobhan, she starts unraveling every aspect of her mother’s life. The betrayal of her closest friends, that had left her crippled and mute; her subsequent deal with the Devil himself between saving Siobhan’s soul and getting her revenge – Siobhan finally gets all her answers and begins to understand her mother’s situations.

The ultimate secret is revealed and the onus finally lies with Siobhan if she would finish what her mother had started – to save the world from the Devil, or to choose a totally different path.

Characterisations – Though the character sketch of the main persons are very well etched, some of the supporting ones felt under described.

Favourite Quotes – A couple, which a thoroughly agree with.

1. the silver scars ripped open to reveal the raw grief underneath.
2. “Religion is the oldest business in the world. “We sell faith. Faith is being sure in what we cannot see and being certain in what we live for. The greatest fear of the human race is loneliness. Religion offers you God as your companion, to be with you all the time, wherever you go.”
3. For the existence of God and the Devil are intertwined: one does not exist without the other.

What I loved –

A good thriller after a long time, the pace was fast and does justice to the concept and the genre. The author plays with his words which had at least me, able to imagine the scenes happening right before my eyes.

The element of surprise was the way story ended on a high note which would keep you guessing what would happen next.
What I did not –

I guess nothing much, except a couple of places when going through that fateful night in Denise’s life – things happened way faster than would have been good. The scenes were too confusing. That was the only point where I had somewhere lost the interest.

My Take – Overall, a very good book, I liked the story; recommend reading this one.

Posted on my Goodreads shelf 6/12/2017

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Description: While watching a news story about a nun committing suicide in front of thousands in Spain, Siobhan recognizes the nun as the mother who disappeared six years ago, leaving her and her younger sister behind. In her travels to learn more, she discovers the dark secret her mother has been keeping all these years and why she eventually left. [Trigger Warning] This novel does contain brutality, rape, sex, drugs abuse and murder.

As evidenced by my start and finish dates on this novel, it took me some time to read it. This was not fully the book’s fault; I did start around the holidays, which are always busy. However, the book, for me, started out a little slow, and the flop from Denise’s journal entries to Siobhan were a little jarring at times. This did not entice me to pick the book back up that often to finish.

However, once Siobhan got into the meat of the journal entries, I found myself interested in what Denise was experiencing. The author was obviously very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the information they imparted within the story. However, at times it felt almost more like a history lesson then a novel.

The novel felt a little disjointed; the portions that dealt with Denise and her quest for revenge kept me reading and interested. However, it sometimes felt like the author spent too much time on smaller details when sharing the wealth of historical information and it re-tracked from my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the novel and would be interested in reading the sequel.

The Devil's Prayer has a fast-paced, action-packed start but weirdly did not grip me immediately. I was interested but not flipping pages or staying up past my bedtime. However, once the narration switched to the past with just bits of the present woven in- I could not put it down.

Beyond good and evil, beyond religion, Luke Gracias masterfully wove history and lore with gripping storytelling to create a novel about the lengths we're willing to go to in order to protect the ones we love.

As they say, the devil is in the details, and that is certainly the case with this story. The meat of the story is the confession, the history of where Siobhan's mother has been and why. The why was truly what gripped me the most. Remaining spoiler-free, the major inciting incident had me literally losing sleep until I had digested most of the book to see if my mystery-loving brain had figured it out.

I'm not sure how I expected the story to end and without spoilers, it has a very open ending. I don't know if the author was leaving wiggle room for a follow-up but it wasn't a frustrating cliff. It felt natural to me, though I can see how some might be annoyed by this type of conclusion. So reader be warned if that's a pet peeve. But for me, it seemed a good place to disembark.

The opening chapter left me breathless and totally hooked, from the sheer amount of background detail and the introduction of the catalyst character, whose very existence led to the creation of this book.
After hearing that her long lost mother had become a nun and committed suicide, Siobhan, her eldest daughter, goes to the convent to learn the truth.
What exactly was her mother’s secret? Why did an ordinary mother decide to abandon her family and become a nun?

After a riveting opening, we are taken several steps back, almost losing the rhythm of the story. Then Siobhan starts to read her mother’s journal.
What happens to her mother was extremely hard to read, so emotionally charged was the graphic description. Left severely abused and paralysed, the mother’s ordeal is over, but her recovery will take a long time.
Suspicion eats away at her; could someone she knows have been responsible?
The story continues, possibly too graphic and round about then I began to wonder if a mother would really write such things in a letter to her daughter.
Just when I was beginning to wonder about the plot, the story moved on. She had fulfilled the pact she made with the devil, so what would happen now?
We are not destined to find out just yet, and the last section of the book was beginning to read more like a documentary, far too many facts and figures. And just how many of them are true?
Right at the end, I realised this was only the beginning; there would be another part to this story, probably far more exciting than this one…
Although this was a riveting read, the format of the kindle copy I bought was faulty, with annoying font changes here and there. This was not the reason I only gave it a 4* review however, that was because the cliff-hanger almost had me screaming!`

I had a hard time getting into this one, but once I did it was a fairly enjoyable horror story. I would tell anyone who is not instantly hooked to keep going, the story grabs you.

I don’t know what to say except this book managed to freak the hell out of me. Forgive me my pun. As expected the book had a dark twist and the ending when you just feel like it’s turning for the better takes a complete turn for the worst. Read at your own discretion.

[Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.]
This book is very good until about 3/4 of it. Then it blows up mysteriously.
As other reviews have noted, it spends a lot of time building the case of the story, in a constant flashback based on the diary found by the main character's daughter, with very detailed descriptions in a story of love, sex, friendship (or so...) and vengeance. But at the end the conclusion is rushed up senselessly, like there is an idea to go on with another book, although this was supposed to be a one-shot.
Another thing I don't like (ever) in a book is to find inaccuracy in local names. If you want to write a book set in a different country, please check thrice the correct spelling or if an expression is actually used. The Madrid rail station mentioned is Chamartin, not Charmatin...

This book changed directions so many times. The first half is completely different from the second half. At first the book was about a girl winning a lottery and her friends deceiving her. Then it turned into a thriller when she made a deal with the devil and killed all of her ex-friends. Then there was lots of environmental stuff. Then it turned into the movie "The Nun" (The starting gave me serious 'The Nun' vibes). Then it turned into history lesson which i skipped. I didn't read much after 80% because it was totally unnecessary. The ending was also very unsatisfying. I'm not sure if there is going to be a sequel but I'm sure I won't read it.

Received it from NetGalley...on request.
I abstain from reviewing new books as I lack patience and perseverance, but the blurb of this book sent to me via email caught my fancy. And I was in the mood to read about the strife between evil and good.
The story started good - a nun, Benedectine, who runs away from a sect of monks and commits suicide, who is later recognized as Denise, the woman who, one fine day, ran away from her two daughters leaving her old mother to fend for them. her elder daughter Siobhan, a young journalist student sets off to the monastery in search of the cause for her death... and learns more than she bargained for.
Then follows a convoluted story - in present and past, often with tidbits from remote history and biblical times thrown in. Got to know a lot about the old Christian beliefs on good and bad, God and devil.
There were many extraordinary happenings in this book which marred the simplicity of a tale well told. Too much violence, and too many weird happenings is what, in my opinion, deflected this story from a reasonably enjoyable one to a slightly tedious one.
All in all, I persisted as I wanted to know what happens in the end, ... but the end was disappointing.
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