The Library was sent a copy of THE ATHEIST'S PRAYER by Amy R. Biddle for review as part of her virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Amy will be awarding a signed copy of The Atheist's Prayer, and a free subscription to Underground Book Reviews' Weekly Newsletter to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can see the other stops on the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/04/virtual-nbtm-review-tour-atheists.html
Years later, on the other side of the country, no one in the southern city of Jefferson is concerned about fairies or fairy-worshiping suicide cults. Except for Candy. She might not have proof, but she's damn sure it's going to happen again.
The problem is, Candy is a coke-dealing stripper and the only person who will listen to her is an alcoholic mall Santa named Hank, who's only listening because, well...she's hot.
There are seven days until the next eclipse.
It's hard to believe that this is Amy Biddle's debut novel. It is poignant, funny, suspenseful...you name it and this book touches on it.
The main characters are Candy, a drug dealing stripper, and Hank, an alcoholic mall Santa Claus. Candy discovers that some of her customers are part of a fairy-worshipping cult who are planning a mass suicide. She and Hank band together to try to stop it--especially because there are a couple of kids involved.
These are not stock characters-- they are fully drawn. Besides Candy and Hank, there are Kevin, a questioning seven-year-old and Luna, a cynical preteen. They all have their strong points and their flaws.
The story itself is fast moving and engaging. This author is definitely someone to keep an eye on. I'm looking forward to her next offering. Good job!! 4 stars.
“Oh, my God,” said his mother when she picked him up. “What happened?” The car smelled of new textbooks, and there was a pile of them on the backseat.
“I don’t think the boys at school liked my clothes,” said Kevin. This was true. It wasn’t why they were all muddy, but he was sure no one liked them.
“Did they hurt you? Do you want me to talk to someone?” she asked.
“Luna made them go away,” he said.
“Hunter’s daughter, from church?”
Kevin nodded.
“Well, that was nice of her. Maybe she felt bad for tripping you. Still, if it happens again I’m going to say something.”
Kevin hoped she would say something about letting him wear jeans, but they merged onto the highway in silence. Kevin watched the white dotted lines on the road as they were sucked under the car.
“What did you learn in school today?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.
“We came from monkeys,” he said after some thought.
“Oh, no,” said his mother, shaking her head.
“E-vo-loo-shun!” He sounded out the word, feeling smart.
“Sweetie…” she started. But Kevin was already on a roll. He had learned a lot, he realized.
“And, I’m a bass-turd,” he said. “Because I don’t know my daddy.”
“That's a bad word, Kevin!” she snapped.
Kevin felt guilty but he didn't know why. He also wasn't sure why his mother’s face was so red or why she stopped the car on the side of the interstate. Traffic was whizzing by and Kevin could feel the energy deep in his bones.
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