Review: The Devil's Prayer

Title: The Devil’s Prayer

Author: Luke Gracias

Publisher: Australian eBook Publisher

Year published: 2016

How I got this book: I got this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

My rating: 4,5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognizes that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago.

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul.

As  Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she 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 horrors.

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction?

Explicit Content Warning: «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.

My thoughts:

I had no idea what to expect when starting this book. I’s only read a short description, as  it was the cover that really drew me in. The first-ish chapter was a bit heavy, and it made me a bit nervous that the rest of the book was going to be a bit boring. It was definitely not boring. The first part is important, as  it really sets up the rest of the story.

In short, this book starts with a nun, Denise, who commits suicide in Spain. A very public suicide. The rest of her family finds out, and her daughter, Siobhan, travels from Australia to Spain, to get answers. She then learns that she’s not safe in Spain, and gets hold of a book her mother write to her before she died, which tells the story about her life, and everything that led to her suicide.

Once I got really into this story, I didn’t want to put it down. Which was a bit unfortunate, as  I was on holiday in England whilst reading this, and therefore didn’t have a lot of time to read. It’s faced paced, and we move back and forth between the present and Denise’s story. Eventually, Denise’s story catches up to the present, and we understand a lot more. 

have to mention, as  a warning, that there are a lot of gruesome details in this book, so it’s definitely not for everyone. Without spoiling too much, there are rape, torture and murder scenes there are quite detailed. The author has a way of describing things in a way that makes you feel like you’re there, which is both great, but can also be a bit much in certain parts of the book. 

As previously mentioned, this is not a book for everyone. But if you don’t mind detailed gore, you should pick this up. There are a lot of interesting theories and such included, which made it unlike anything I’ve ever read before. 

This is a thrilling page-turner, that you’ll want to finish in one sitting. There are so many questions throughout the story, and it’s hard to know what to think and expect. I will absolutely recommend that you pick this up if it sounds interesting at all to you. You won’

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