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.

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.