I was terribly disappointed in this, maybe because I have been so impatiently awaiting another book by Natasha Mostert. Season of the Witch was my favorite (although I have read them all), with The Keeper of Light and Dust a close second.

I couldn't get into the premise; I never felt an attachment to or even very much empathy for the characters, and the plot seemed poorly fleshed out. ( )

Eloise Blake isn’t who she appears to be. She’s actually Jenilee Gray, surviving daughter of a brilliant memory scientist murdered in her home when Jenilee was five. Eloise is Jenilee in a fugue state. Her skill sets are all intact but she has no personal memories of Jenilee. Her looks, personality, everything is different.
So, is someone actually trying to kill her or are they simply random accidents?

Jack Simonetti is a poor little rich boy. His father, Leon, is controlling, manipulative, and distant. His mother died in a car accident. Jack is a wastrel, no purpose or goal. After his last less than stellar episode involving a bar fight captured by paparazzi Leon gives him an ultimatum. Jack is sent to England to help Leon’s old friend, Daniel Barone, retired scientist, recover his missing ward. That missing ward happens to be the fugue sufferer, Eloise.

DARK PRAYER is categorized under literature, mystery/thriller, and occult. All those tags apply but they don’t quite capture the allure of DARK PRAYER. The wonderful writing helps ease the fact that the mystery is a no-brainer. Even someone who rarely reads mysteries would easily figure out who is behind the attempts on Eloise’s life and probably the why behind it. But that isn’t the whole answer. Combine the writing with what you think and feel while reading. That’s where the allure lies. Ms. Mostert introduces new ideas and/or views to the table. Memory isn’t something I’ve given a lot of thought so the various opinions on memory and its effects on a person were fascinating even before you consider the religious/mystical overtones. In fact, DARK PRAYER raises thought provoking questions about memory and so much more.

As interesting as the present was, Eloise’s fugue state and Jack’s efforts to befriend and protect her, what intrigued me the most was Mnemosyne and its members.
All this brilliance focused on memory, the differences in the ways they approach it, see it, and their end goals. These five people, their actions, and their transgressions, the repercussions of which are being played out now, years later.
One of my favorite lines is when Eloise is told by a former member that her mother, Julianne, was corrupted by love. It was so utterly fitting, corrupted by love.
DARK PRAYER is thoughtful and thought provoking, making me consider things I’d never really paid much mind to. This puts Ms. Mostert at the top of my “new to me” authors list. Looking forward to seeing if her other works live up to DARK PRAYER.

Reviewed by Miss Ivy’s Book Nook Take II, Manic Readers, & Novels Alive TV ( )

A thriller that takes a little long to get to the major action part of plot, but the story thankfully begins to pick up on speed after the first few chapters. The characters are well-developed, actually too well-developed, which led to the slower beginning. I personally prefer novels that get to the point a lot faster, but after a rocky start, this book became a much more intense ride, that is worth the wait. With a main character in a fugue state, having lost all memory of her past life, and having created a complete new identity for herself, the Author managed to make a believable, yet mesmerizing story, with plenty of action.
Dark Prayer is my introduction to Natasha Mostert, and after this book, I am intrigued to find out more about her work. ( )

Reading Dark Prayer, an enthralling novel all about memory (and parkour), was a stretch for me at first. I thought the parkour segments were going to be too far out of my comfort zone because I wouldn't understand half of what was being explained, and I figured from what was first detailed that the memory bits would leave me feeling fatigued because the author would go too in-depth.

What I came to realize was that the book was actually surprisingly easy to read. Easier than I would've thought, by far. And that's what made it so enjoyable. Although this is the first book I've read for 2015, it has already made me want to read more for the year because everything just flowed so well and was so well-written. There were a great deal of quotes that I wanted to...quote...

I came to learn a lot about parkour, or free running, and reading this book made me nostalgic for my high school days when I saw a few buddies try it out. My friends, of course, were just beginners compared to these characters. Jungles, the name of the most skilled free runner of the bunch, is pretty much a ninja, and the author does a great job of describing how he (and the others) ran and climbed and jumped. But that doesn't mean the author of Dark Prayer treats you like you're automatically knowledgeable in the ways of imagining someone free running. Instead, Natasha Mostert lays the sport of parkour out in a way that is understandable to us amateurs without being condescending to those who actually have a good grip on the skill.

You could tell extensive research had to be done--both in parkour and in psychological matters. There's even a link to a real article in the Kindle edition of the book. In college, I minored in Psychology and volunteered at a traumatic brain injury rehab facility. So I like to think I know a fair amount about memory (and the absence of it). At least, I'm interested in it. The way Mostert incorporated aspects of psychology--especially regarding memory and trauma--into the life of main character Eloise was fascinating because it was realistic. However, I never once felt like I was reading a case story or out of a textbook when it came to these points.

Our main character is caught in a fugue state--this is what has caused her to wipe out all memory loss of her former and original self, Jenilee Gray, and to establish a new self, Eloise Blake. She has created new memories for herself. A new mother, a new father--circus performers. A new name. A new identity.

I've often thought how neat it would be to create a new identity for myself, leaving my past behind. But I wouldn't be me; I want my memories, all of them. The problem with Eloise, however, is that she did not consciously form for herself a new identity. And maybe there's something else going on behind the scenes. Gasp.

Now, there is another main character--named Jack--that I haven't meant to leave out, necessarily, but I just didn't find him to be that appealing. He wasn't near as interesting to me as Eloise, at least. But I can't leave out his name because 1) He's important to the story. And 2) I'm about to make a joke about him. Because if you were a free runner and your name was Jack, wouldn't you call yourself "Jack-B-Quick"?

If you read this, I hope the time flies by as quickly for you as it did for me. In a good way. ( )

I was given a free copy for an honest review.

I am a fan of Natasha Mostert, and when I saw her new book on NetGalley I hopped on it.

This book deals with memory, a subject of my favorite book of hers, Seasons of the Witch. Eloise is a woman who is in a state of fugue : Her real name is Jenilee but she is a new person in Eloise. She does freerunning to escape voices and hallucinations. Jake is a man hired to try to get Eloise to a man who says he can help her. Of course, they fall in love. But others have sinister movtives for "helping" Eloise remember her past.

This book was an engaging, fast read. It is beautifully written, and is quite the mystery. ( )