I am a fan of historic fiction novels in general but I do not like reading horror stories. So when I came across Devil’s Prayer, I was both intrigued and somewhat confused about reading this historical horror thriller. The cover of the book, which depicts some sort of religious cult ceremony, enhanced my fascination further and I finally decided to take the plunge. The experience of going through this debut novel by Luke Gracias was both tantalizing and thrilling and well worth the attempt.
Devil’s Prayer tells the tale of a nun in Spain, who seemingly commits suicide in front of a large gathering. Miles away in Australia, a young woman named Siobhan Russo, recognizes the deceased nun as her mother Denise, who had left them 6 years back. Siobhan travels to Spain and reaches the convent, which had been her mother’s abode for the past some time. There among Denise’s belongings, she finds a book containing the older women’s final confessions. The book opens up the Pandora’s Box for Siobhan and she finds herself being hunted by a group of zealot monks, who want to retrieve an ancient text called the Devil’s Prayer, contained in the book and which can unleash unheard of dangers on the world.
Luke has unleashed the combined power of history, science and supernatural elements on his readers through his very first book. At the same time he has managed to maintain the language and flow in a manner that the readers feel related to the main character of Siobhan in every manner. I felt her fear, anxiety, desperation and even resolve as she faced the different situations over which she had no control. Moreover, the fast pace at which the story moved, ensured that was for one was totally engrossed in the book till the very last page.
Overall I truly enjoyed reading Devil’s Prayer and wish Luke Gracias great success as a writer.
I am a fan of historic fiction novels in general but I do not like reading horror stories. So when I came across Devil’s Prayer, I was both intrigued and somewhat confused about reading this historical horror thriller. The cover of the book, which depicts some sort of religious cult ceremony, enhanced my fascination further and I finally decided to take the plunge. The experience of going through this debut novel by Luke Gracias was both tantalizing and thrilling and well worth the attempt.
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