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.

At first I thought this book would be predictable. I said to myself here comes another Angels and Demons type of book but was I mistaken. I found this book to be very intriguing. I'd often look up a lot of the history mentioned in the book and the author was right on point. Great research but yet it wasn't a history book. I don't want to spoil anything but this book is definitely worth the read. Thank you Netgalley this was one book I was unable to put down. The Devil's Prayer was a very good book.

Started well but too much violence for my liking and I didn't really enjoy the ending.

The Devil’s Prayer – Luke Gracias

A compelling story to rival The Da Vinci Code in its complexity and attention to historical detail. What starts as the story of the suicide of a missing mother quickly evolves into something else. We learn that Siobham, the now grown up daughter of the missing mother, was saved from drowning at a young age by a mysterious stranger who reappears frequently as the Mother’s passed down story unfolds. It turns out the roots of the story are in the thirteenth and fourteenth century and involve a long missing book known as The Devil’s Bible. Determined to uncover the truth about her mother’s death, Siobham’s quest takes her from Australia to Europe and the Middle East to Malaysia with help and hindrance from other mysterious priests and monks also keen to uncover or prevent the uncovering of the truth about The Devil’s Bible, as she gradually puts together the complex reasons for her mother’s original disappearance and death. A very enjoyable tale with plenty of action and suspense and a plot that you will find enthralling. I found myself unable to put this book down and was always wanting to read “just one more chapter”. A great read.

See link.

I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley for an honest review. What follows is my opinion after reading the book. . .

Okay, so, I'm a big horror fan. I love watching something that freaks me out and reading a horror is just that much better. There's nothing more intriguing than seeing the darkness of humanity mingling with the light. The Devil's Prayer looked like a horror book that I was going to love sinking my fangs into (pun intended).

Unfortunately, I was very conflicted about how I felt. The prologue was downright boring and read like a textbook. I understand why the author chose to do a prologue, however, I feel that if it was fictionalized and given proper imagery, the prologue would catch the reader better. I am a person that keeps trying until I'm either asleep or crying from boredom. Fortunately, the prologue is a quickie, but is pointless to have.

That said, the rest of the book was a challenge. Not in a "I'm freaking out" kind of challenge, but more in a "do I like this?" challenge. The story is better described as being broken down in two main stories. There is the story that the blurb states and there is the story about Siobhan's mother and how she ended up where she did. I liked one story, but I could care two shits about the other.

The one I liked was Denise's story. It is raw, disturbing, and heartbreaking. This is a woman who was loving, experienced evil, became evil, and found redemption in her future only to have something more wicked come up from her past. It had humanity all in it and I wanted more of her story.

Siobhan's story could be casted away in whatever depths the prologue should be, in my opinion. I had no reason to love her as a character and I felt she was nothing more than a cardboard vessel to bring out Denise's tale. Sure, her trying to find closure and being chased is interesting, but nothing comes from it. NOTHING. We aren't given a solid answer as to why she's being chased down and we aren't given a solid resolution. Now, the motivations of the baddies can be easily determined and another character does state what it is, but that character is just as shady and nothing comes up with that. Instead, we are left taking him at face value just as Siobhan does.

And like I stated before, we aren't given a resolution. Siobhan gets off the plane, sees the Devil, and that's the end. It's open ended. Now, I love a good horror ending with an unclear ending. This book is not one of those great horrors. If you want a great horror with an open ending, read Water Rites by Guy N. Smith or Daphne du Maurier's short story, The Birds (a story that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's iconic movie). Those stories are open ended and they are stories I will always remember (in case you are wondering, I read du Maurier's story back in ninth grade and Guy N. Smith's book back in tenth. That's well over ten years ago).

In the case of this book, I found the open ending as either the author's laziness in finding a resolution or that there is a sequel. If there is a sequel in the works, I only hope that the story is more fluid like Denise's.

All in all, I was both surprised and greatly disappointed in the book. The disappointment went on through most of the book with glimmers of surprise when it was Denise telling her tale. Take it what you will, but I didn't care for it.

The book was well written, and the characters well formed. The way that modern day and history were mixed was entertaining and engaging, More of a thriller than a horror book, the storyline fills you with the emotions of the lead character, Siobhan on her discovery of all the secrets her mother, Dianne, has left behind in the 6 years that she has been missing, including how her mother sold her soul, and how Siobhan is now in danger because of the Devil's Prayer she is in possession of.

In a tone reminiscent of Dan Brown and Elizabeth Kostova, the book will leave you wanting more, especially the final chapters of the book. It doesn't feel like there has been closer, but I hope that the ending trailed off because there is a sequel in the works.

Overall, a great book, with a lot of interesting twists and turns.

Attention catching story right from the start. Classic story about the battle between good and evil only the battle was not resolved in the end. Leaves you hanging as to which way fate will tip the scales. Loads of historical fact is presented, leading you to question the ficticious story line. Is it real? Could it be real? Is it a glimpse into what could be? I found the story line very much engrossing and was fastly caught up in the story and reading quicker and quicker to find out what happened. Although the story is dark at times, and takes you mentally to some scary places, I really enjoyed the story...and the cliff hanger. Of couse now I wonder...is there going to be a 2nd book to answer those questions.

As for the story...it is about a young woman, Denise, who has several overwhelming and life changing events happen to her. The first being the near drowning death of her 4 year old child when she falls into the family swimming pool. The second, and more significant event, is her own kidnapping, robbery, rape and beating to wihin inches of her life leaving her a quadrapeligic. The devastation continues as she realizes that this horrific incident was done to her by her own friends and fianace because they wanted her lottery ticket. As she lays in the bed, not being able to move or speak, her anger and frustration grows. This is when the Devil enters her life the 2nd time; the 1st being at the near drowning of her child. He makes a bargain with her. In exchange for the 5 souls of her friends, the ones responsible for her condition, he will allow her to move every night to kill them. After the delivery of those 5 souls, he will cure her condtion and allow her to continue on with her life. After thinking on this...seething with rage over what her “friends” had done, watching her mother go broke trying to care for her and her child, not being able to have an active part in her child's life...she is more than anxious to make the deal, but there's a catch. If she doesn't complete the deed in 5 days, then the devil takes her daughter's soul. This is enough motivation to make her continue. With some twists and surprises, she finishes her task and the devil makes good on his word. She finds out that she is pregnant and assumes it is her ex-fiance's child as he raped her when he overpowered her when she was trying to kill him. The years pass by and she is happily raising her 2 daughters. There are some odd things that happen, but not enough to make her think too seriously on it. Then she catches her 2nd daugher talking to a man that she claims is her father. On a closer look, Denise is shocked to see the devil again. Through some quick investigation and enlisting some religious help she learns that her 2nd child is the spawn of the devil. Overcome with fear, she frantically tries to make this situation right only to be confronted by the devil again and sent away never to see her family again. It is during this time she does research with the help of some clergy to try to rid the world of the devil's child, her own child. This leads her in search of the devil's bible and the devil's prayer which according to all the reasearch will save the world. All of this is told in a diary that she leaves to her oldest daughter when she takes her own life.

**I was given a digital copy of this story courtesy of Net Galley for review purposes**

Siobhan is set on a journey to find her mother's past, to discover the reasons she left her 6 years ago and the truth about her sister. Her journey leads her from Australia to Europe and Africa where she has a roller-coaster ride of discoveries which opens up her own past as well in a battle of good versus evil.

It's well written, it has speed and keeps begging for your attention.

This book knocked me for a loop. It was excellently done and kept my attention from start to finish. i could not put it down.