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The Never Prayer

by Aaron Michael Ritchey (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 38 ratings · 25 reviews

The Fury of Heaven. The Desires of Hell.

A Broken Girl.
Shattered by the death of her parents, Lena knows she is not handling her sorrow well - keeping to herself, running drugs, risking her little brother. But she'll do whatever it takes to keep her disintegrating family together.

Two Lost Souls
Lurking on the edges of the afterlife, Chael and Johnny Beels have spent centu...more

Paperback, First edition, 272 pages

Published February 9th 2012 by Crescent Moon Press (first published January 1st 2012)

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Jan 27, 2013 Christine Ashworth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, gothic, paranormal

This book sucked me in from the very first page. I read it at work, while making dinner, and long into the night. It was un-put-downable and when I had to put it down, the story stuck with me until I got back to it.

This story is about Lena, a girl living on the edge of hopeless. The only thing anchoring her to the world is her young brother Jozey. Seven months have passed since her parents died at the hands of a gunman. Her Aunt Mercedes has custody of the two of them, but there's no snow fallin...more

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Oct 23, 2012 John K. Patterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer by Aaron Michael Ritchey is a YA urban fantasy novel that hits harder than most in that genre. Teenager Lena’s parents died in the aftermath of a car crash, and she is trying to support her little brother in a small Colorado town that is facing hard times of its own. Lena is desperate to bring in money, even if it means being courier for some drugs at her high school. Things go from bad to worse when she winds up in a tug-of-war between a demon and a “fallen” angel as they try t...more The Never Prayer by Aaron Michael Ritchey is a YA urban fantasy novel that hits harder than most in that genre. Teenager Lena’s parents died in the aftermath of a car crash, and she is trying to support her little brother in a small Colorado town that is facing hard times of its own. Lena is desperate to bring in money, even if it means being courier for some drugs at her high school. Things go from bad to worse when she winds up in a tug-of-war between a demon and a “fallen” angel as they try to influence humans, pushing them toward good or evil.

I liked how Ritchey keeps Lena’s head above water in terms of social status. She’s unique, and a lot of people feel sorry for her or don’t like her, but she’s not a complete outcast, and can adapt well enough to move through the various cliques of her school. He also does a terrific job at giving us reason after reason to care for Lena’s plight without turning her into a pitiful mess. She is simply trying as hard as possible to provide for what’s left of her family, and that makes her a character worth cheering on.

You also have to admire his willingness to admit that doing the right thing is often the most painful. There are consequences you may not want when you make the right choice, and he pulls no punches in having his characters glean that lesson. The book is kept intriguing along its journey, even when you realize the trajectory it’s taking, and it hit me with a strong ending I did not expect, but played fair with the rules Ritchey had established.

If there was a complaint I had, it’s a minor one. Lena seems very quick to accept that she’s part of a supernatural conflict. Even though the angel is revealed in a dramatic fashion right beforehand, most likely she would still have a harder time taking in the change of circumstances. But that’s hardly anything but a nitpick, so don’t let it stop you from picking up a copy of Ritchey’s remarkable debut novel. This book is dark, thrilling, and thought-provoking, and I am more than happy to recommend it to you. I can’t wait to see what else Aaron has in store.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Khelsey Jackson rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer is about Lena. She just loss her parents 7 months ago and an accident. Now she has to help find money, and there is only one way she knows how. The red purse, the only thing is someone or something is play tricks with her. Every time she sets it down is vanishes. Her life changes when she make a run for her boyfriend a boy helps her.
When she meets Chael and Johnny Beels. One is good and wants what’s best for her and the other is bad and wants her to fail. She is trapped in the m...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Book Whales rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally posted @ Book Whales

I was fortunate enough to be given a copy directly from the author. I’m always drawn to angel stories and the blurb sounds exciting.

This book is a bit slow for me in the beginning. There were loads of grammatical errors. But I still pushed it through and finished the book.

The story is about a broken girl named Lena. She had lost both of parents and lives in poverty. She makes money by dealing drugs. Then two lost souls or should I say, two hot guys turned her life...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Chris Devlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer begins:

Cold Monday
(the red purse)
“I’m not going to do it again,” Lena Marquez whispered to the red purse across the hall from her nestle of blankets. “Never again.”
All of her other purses, scarves, and belts were just shadows hanging from hooks on both sides of the bathroom door, but in the glow of the cracked Thomas the Train nightlight, the red purse glittered. Each sequin like a teardrop of blood.

Lena is a girl with too much on her shoulders; raising her little brother aft...more The Never Prayer begins:

Cold Monday
(the red purse)
“I’m not going to do it again,” Lena Marquez whispered to the red purse across the hall from her nestle of blankets. “Never again.”
All of her other purses, scarves, and belts were just shadows hanging from hooks on both sides of the bathroom door, but in the glow of the cracked Thomas the Train nightlight, the red purse glittered. Each sequin like a teardrop of blood.

Lena is a girl with too much on her shoulders; raising her little brother after the death of their parents, trying to keep her depressed aunt going to pay the bills. Walking the knife’s edge between hope and despair, survival and doom. She loses faith and helps her boyfriend sell drugs, hoping to keep her family together.

Into the breach come two boys; dark, angry Chael who chastises Lena for her desperate choices and sunny, smooth Johnny Beels who tells her what she wants to hear. As she eludes the police, reassures her brother and dodges the slings and arrows of high school life, she finds it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between good and evil, heaven and hell.

Will she be able to work it out in time to prevent disaster? And at what cost?

Aaron writes in an intensely poetic yet stripped down style. He vividly evokes the desperation of a dying town; the hopelessness, the cold, the barren landscape.

Avalon was crammed into a jagged valley, surrounded by the Mosquito Range mountains too steep and wild to ski. Mount Calibum and Ablach Peak rose like craggy hands up to the dark lavender sky, the sparse snow like vanishing white veins in gray skin.

All of his characters ring true. Lena’s brother Jozey, a perfect rendition of a little boy who’s lost his parents but not his love. The aunt, bearing Lena’s blame and her own burdens with a quiet resignation, perfectly drawn. Lena’s high school friends, whether popular or scorned, are sympathetically portrayed, real down to their pimples.

The love triangle is fully realized but it doesn’t dominate Lena’s story. The spiritual and theological aspects are there, they’re present, but there’s no preaching or pontificating. If you’re a fan of Supernatural, the Castiel Years, Chael and Johnny Beels’ struggle over souls might be just your thing.

I look forward to more stories from Aaron Michael Ritchey. (Full disclosure: Aaron is a friend. His book is still wonderful.)
(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 The Book Tart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by The Queen of Tarts
originally posted on http://thebooktart.com/new-fiction-re...

The Never Prayer is a paranormal YA novel with angels and demons, good and evil, despair and most of all- hope. It is a fast paced novel. I fell into the story and didn’t look up till I was finished. I loved Lena and wanted to see her succeed. She is making some poor choices because she feels she has no options left. Her parents have died and she and her little brother are staying with their aunt who can’...more Reviewed by The Queen of Tarts
originally posted on http://thebooktart.com/new-fiction-re...

The Never Prayer is a paranormal YA novel with angels and demons, good and evil, despair and most of all- hope. It is a fast paced novel. I fell into the story and didn’t look up till I was finished. I loved Lena and wanted to see her succeed. She is making some poor choices because she feels she has no options left. Her parents have died and she and her little brother are staying with their aunt who can’t afford to keep them. Lena starts to run drugs. It’s all tied up with the red purse she uses for deliveries. She always promises herself it’s the last time, but when the end of the month rolls around and her aunt tells her they need more money or they’ll be out on the street… She pulls out that red purse.

The town of Avalon, is so well described. I live in a Colorado mountain town myself and recognized elements of her town. Avalon is struggling, there are boarded up shops on main street and the town is praying for more white gold aka a good snow season to help them get back on their feet. Her high school has the populars ie. the Paladins, the unpopulars are called the Heretics and the lowest of the low are the Untouchables. Lena floats between the Paladins and the Heretics because her childhood best friend, Deirdre, is the queen of the Paladins and her drug dealing boyfriend, Santiago, is a Heretic. The descriptions of the different cliques were engrossing and I enjoyed that the author introduces you to individual people in these divisions. It’s a quiet commentary on the dangers of bullying and people sticking with the status quo.

This book is about choices, about little nudges that can influence decisions you make. It’s about pushes that can cause you to lean one way or another. It’s about courage and sacrifice. There are a lot of complex issues brought up in this story… It begged me to get involved, to give a damn and care.

Two new characters come into Lena’s world. Johnny Beel, “call me Beels”, is charismatic and charming. She’s drawn to Beel. His sense of danger and playfulness and his hunger for… life. And Chael, the guarded guy who defies labels. He’s intense and protective. When she first meets him, she feels like he is judging her and the choices she’s making. She’s angry, scared and lost and he’s voicing some of the things she’s thinking about herself. She wants to avoid him. And yet there’s an attraction and when she gets past his tactless honesty she sees that he genuinely cares. I loved watching the relationships unfold and seeing the hearts of the individuals revealed.

There’s a bigger fight going on than what’s on the surface. It’s not simply a fight for the girl.. or maybe it is. It’s a battle between good and evil for the hopes and fears and ultimately the future of everyone in the town of Avalon and especially Lena’s future. I loved seeing Lena wake up to the choices that were available to her. I was wrapped up in the drama of Lena, Chael and Beels. This story got to me. I cried and sighed and enjoyed the ride.

and I’m a bad poet!

I would recommend The Never Prayer for readers ages 16 and up. There are some intense situations in this story. There’s drugs and violence and a scary close call. This book also (thank goodness! lol) includes a love story, but I won’t tell you between whom. Read the book!

♦eARC provided for review
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Apr 26, 2012 Bonnie Ramthun rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer is a fresh, fast-paced and exceptionally well written YA novel. In the dying town of Avalon, Colorado, a half-empty high school serves as the arena for a battle between good and evil. The Never Prayer is original and striking, from the drug running Lena to the outcast Untouchables who have a much better time at their lunch table than the groomed Paladins do at theirs. The intensity builds in every scene as Lena and her friends confront natural and supernatural challenges that se...more

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Aug 09, 2012 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nichole

Originally posted on www.yareads.com, Reviewed by Nichole

The Fury of Heaven. The Desires of Hell.
A Broken Girl. Shattered by the death of her parents, Lena knows she is not handling her sorrow well – keeping to herself, running drugs, risking her little brother. But she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her disintegrating family together.
Two Lost Souls Lurking on the edges of the afterlife, Chael and Johnny Beels have spent centuries manipulating events, one pushing for good, the other sowing ch...more Originally posted on www.yareads.com, Reviewed by Nichole

The Fury of Heaven. The Desires of Hell.
A Broken Girl. Shattered by the death of her parents, Lena knows she is not handling her sorrow well – keeping to herself, running drugs, risking her little brother. But she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her disintegrating family together.
Two Lost Souls Lurking on the edges of the afterlife, Chael and Johnny Beels have spent centuries manipulating events, one pushing for good, the other sowing chaos. Now these two desperate souls have taken human form to play a dangerous game of hope and despair with Lena trapped in the middle.
The Ultimate Sacrifice Lena must maneuver the shadowy realm between angel and demon, love and lust, good and evil, until she finds the courage to see the truth and make the ultimate sacrifice. When do we struggle to change the world? When do we let go and embrace life’s broken beauty?
After losing her parents in a tragic accident, Lena has went off the deep end. She is now solely responsible for her three-year-old little brother, Jozey, is running drug deals for her boyfriend, Santiago, is hiding from the police, and is being stalked by two boys the town of Avalon has never seen before. Quite frankly, it’s surprising that Lena hasn’t ended up in a mental institution with all the stress beating down on her.
Slowly but surely, Lena begins to unravel the mysteries that surround her. And it is up to her to decide her path. Which way will Lena lean toward…good…or evil?
I received The Never Prayer a few months ago, and it took me awhile to get around to it simply because I have stacks of books everywhere. Once I picked it up, though, I instantly became addicted to Lena’s life. I felt so much sympathy for everything she had went through, and I just wanted to see her get her happy ending.
One thing that was really confusing to me was the concept of the paladins, heretics, and the untouchables. I felt that more explanation was needed for those three groups. Ritchey mentioned a few times that they were “cliques”, but I did not find that to be enough information. It almost seemed as if the paladins and heretics were in separate gangs, but I had a really hard time imagining the paladins to be associated with such a thing. The untouchables probably made the most sense to me. In every school, you always have those kids who are ignored and deemed outcasts. So, I understood that concept. I just wish that there would have been more background information for those aspects of the story.
The character of Lena INFURIATED me! I just wanted to grab that girl and shake some sense into her. I understood her pain. If my parents died, I would go off the deep end. I might be a grown adult, but I am not afraid to say I still want my mommy. Even though I would be an emotional basketcase if I lost my parents, I would not start selling drugs or my body. Quite frankly, I would be way too afraid of my moms ghost coming back and kicking my ass.
There were just so many times that Lena broke my heart. Likewise, there were so many times that I wanted to smack her. I felt as if Lena was the very best part of the story, but I would have gotten rid of the angel aspect. I wanted to see more of Lena healing and grasping a sense of reality. While that did happen, I felt as if the angel aspect took some of that away from me.
I was a little confused by the character of Lena’s little brother, Jozey. There were quite a few times that I felt that he acted older than a three year old. I have two nephews (1 & 7), and one niece (3), and Jozey had a much…broader…vocabulary and talking ability than a three-year-old. Three year olds can talk your ear off, but they often pronounce their words wrong. They also have noooo attention span. Jozey didn’t really seem to have this problem. He kind of reminded me a lot of my oldest nephew, Brysen. While I did love Jozey’s character, I often found my brow crinkling when I heard him speak and pay such close attention to everything.
Now, let’s get down to the angels. Chael and Johnny Beels are the two angels/demons who come into the school very early on in the book. Let me put this simply: I liked Chael and I HATED Johnny Beels. It wasn’t that I just hated Johnny Beels because he was a creeper, I hated the way he talked. It was really difficult for me to read his lines. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Chael…even though he also had a slight creeper effect. I wish that there would have been more romance in the book, though.
You may laugh, but this book really reminded of the movie Winter’s Bone, starring Jennifer Lawrence. The two are nothing alike, they have completely different story lines, but they have the same feel to them. So, I think fans of that movie will really enjoy this book. I would recommend this book simply because I really enjoyed watching Lena’s growth. Again, I wish there had been more of that, but I was thankful it was in there to begin with.
Pages: 272
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Publication Date: February 9, 2012
Rating: : 2

Teaser Quote: “The cold demon sprouted wings, sprouted claws, then dove toward them with his sword a super nova of light.”(less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer is a beautiful story of a lost girl who finds hope in a world full of despair.

Mr. Ritchey did an excellent job of blending themes to create a story with depth and meaning that truly made this story worth reading.

His writing style is elementary and simplistic, which is refreshing but also slightly lacking. The main character needed some sense knocked into her, but I understood how opposing powers were toying with her and pulling her in different directions. Sometimes the dialogue...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Tara Fuller rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer was such a unique twist on angels and demons. Not what I expected at all when I picked this book up, but I loved it! The real life struggles that Lena go through give it a contemporary feel with just the right amount of paranormal. Aaron has a way with painting a picture with words. I could see every detail of the town. Every distinct quality in every character he introduced. I loved the deceptive differences between Beels and Chale. How he turned the dark vs. the light angle on...more

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May 01, 2012 Robert Hultman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: yal

That was 260 pages of poetry my friend. There are many things I would love to say. Let me suffice it to say that it was refreshing to read a YAL tale that held fast to reality in all of the important ways while keeping a non-supernatural-guy hooked and hooked some more with the most likely of all "supernatural" realities. I am inspired to pray again and to "march for good". I am hearing your lines in place of the Italian in "O Mio Babbino Caro". I am still loving the experience of reading your b...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Michael Haspil rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recently, I've been on a run of books that have challenged my preconceptions that young adult fiction is 'just for kids'. I'm happy to say that "The Never Prayer" fits right in with the other works forcing me to rethink my views. It is superbly written, chock full of adventure, and at times branches into philosophical ideas. When I first started it, I thought it was a cross between "Winter's Bone" and "This Present Darkness", but it is so much more than that. The prose is pitch perfect and captu...more

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Sep 30, 2012 TJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Read this review in InD'Tale magazine!
http://indtale.com/reviews/never-prayer

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Sep 12, 2012 Diane Jewkes rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a story that will stay with you even after you finish. The characters are richly detailed and multi-dimensional. You feel the desperation of teenagers; trapped in a small town, thinking there is no way out. You feel their fear and you see that pivotal point where they begin to understand that high-school is not the pinnacle of their lives. The supernatural elements only enhance how these characters see themselves. I highly recommend this book and I'm glad I chose to read something out of...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Cory rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: young readers who like paranormal angel stories

Recommended to Cory by: chris devlin

Shelves: 3-stars, reviewed, kindle, mythology, paranormal, romance, suspense, angels-and-demons, dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover, arc-or-review-copies

First of all: Don’t let the cover trick you.

I mean, looking at that cover I get the feeling someone simply just rushed through their brush selection on Photoshop, threw something together wildly, added some creepy font(s) et voilà, el cover.
Meh.
I had a look at the books on the publisher’s page and they pretty much all look that way so it seems to be their “style”.

Anyway, let’s talk about what is more important: The story!

We accompany Lena through a difficult week. One of many difficult and - le...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

YA story set in high school with a teen dealing with massive loss and social high school drama.

To be honest, I'm not a big reader of YA, and I never liked, and did a fair job of avoiding, high school drama even when I was in school oh so long ago. Despite that, I enjoyed this novel.

Mr. Ritchey's prose are poetic and lyrical and beautiful and fulfilling. Never Prayer is also chock full of wisdom and philosophy to live by. Three cheers for starving demons, and for lonely monks writing novels.

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Feb 04, 2013 Veronica Roland rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was coerced into buying this book by the author. (Yes, I am as prone to the temptation of the red purse as the main character, Lena, is.) I might have been a little angry as well, until I read the book.
The first line sets up tension that builds and builds. I was hooked in that one sentence and was hard pressed to set the book down. It haunted my thoughts when I wasn't reading it. I really appreciated that the good wasn't all knowing and infinitely powerful, as happens in so many books of good...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Hildie McQueen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just finished The Never Prayer. Wow, I have to say that this story kept me captivated. A totally different take on a teenage girl who is raising her little brother. She is a strong heroine that will have you standing up and cheering for her til the end! Bravo Aaron Michael Ritchey, you touched my usually untouchable heart!

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Oct 27, 2012 Joanne Brothwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Never Prayer ventures into dark territory; grief, loss and high-risk adolescent behaviour rooted in desperation. With impeccable writing, a fabulous plot and quick pacing, you will be both entertained and educated with these wonderful, intense characters and thought-provoking themes. Highly recommended!

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Nov 23, 2012 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to be given a copy directly from the author. I’m always drawn to angel stories and the blurb sounds exciting.

i did enjoy the novel and the choices the protagonist had to make during the novel and it kept me reading wanting to know how it ended

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Jan 06, 2013 Heather Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

I really enjoyed this book. The main character wasn't some perfect girl recovering from a tragedy, but flawed with anger and pain that is reflected in some poor choices. Her love for her brother (and some help from an angel) helps her to find hope. A good YA read.

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Dec 03, 2012 InD'Tale Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-may-june, genre-ya, rating-4-star

Reviewed by TJ Mackay in the premiere issue of InD'Tale Magazine, May 2012.

Her review is right here.

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Apr 21, 2012 Andrea Petersen-leskovar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome. New and exciting and different.
Great twists and turns. Couldn't put it down.

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Oct 14, 2012 Audra Keith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book! Love the characters. Could not put it down!!

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Oct 13, 2012 Constance Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful book that pushes the reader to ask the tough questions about life. About right and wrong choices.
Highly reccomended.

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Oct 15, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful imagery! great story arc. detailed characters.

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May 16, 2013 Sheri Duff-Merz is currently reading it

May 11, 2013 Ashley Bazer is currently reading it

May 08, 2013 Erin :) marked it as to-read

May 07, 2013 Jessica marked it as to-read

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About Aaron Michael Ritchey

Aaron Michael Ritchey was born with Colorado thunderstorms in his soul. He's sought shelter as a world traveler, an endurance athlete, a story addict, and even gave serious thought to becoming a Roman Catholic priest. After too brief a time in Paris, he moved back to the American West and lives semi-comfortably with three forces of nature: a little, blonde hurricane, an artistic tornado, and a bea...more

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Quotes from The Never Prayer

“I'm not going to do it again," Lena Marquez whispered to the red purse across the hall from her nestle of blankets. "Never again.” — 1 person liked it

“Before her parents were killed, Lena hadn't minded school. She had even liked some of her classes. Now school was just watching the clock tick.” — 1 person liked it

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