Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sanctus - Simon Toyne - Review AND Giveaway

Modern day Turkey - the city of Ruin. Above the city of Ruin is The Citadel - a mountain enclave that houses a group of monks named the Sancti who have protected their secrets for thousands of years. And suddenly one day high on a mountain above The Citadel is a man, standing with his arms outstretched - in the shape of a cross. The world sees him....and sees him fall. And to another group who have been patiently watching the Sancti for hundreds of years as well, it is the sign they have been waiting for.

One group is determined to protect their secrets as much as the other group wants them exposed to the world. Caught up in the conflict is journalist Liv Adamson, the sister of Samuel, the fallen monk.

I enjoy conspiracy thrillers and with Sanctus, Simon Toyne has penned a thoroughly entertaining one. I liked that the two main protagonists were female for a change. There's lots of action and although the plot line is not new, Toyne has put his own twist on it. The promise of discovering what the mystery sacrament was kept me turning pages til the very end. Some plot points seemed a bit far fetched - most notably the reason that the sect did not discover that Samuel had a living relative. But you know, I really wasn't looking for a hard and fast fact based read when I picked up Sanctus.  What I did get was what I expected - an entertaining read. Readers with strong religious beliefs may not enjoy Toyne's alternative views. But fans of James Rollins, Steve Berry and of course, Dan Brown will enjoy it.

Sanctus is the first in a trilogy. I am very curious as to where Toyne will take the characters after the last 40 pages of Sanctus. I'll be picking up the second volume. Sanctus has been translated into 17 languages and will be published in 27 countries!  Read an excerpt of Sanctus or listen to an excerpt. You can find Toyne on Twitter and on Facebook.

And if you'd like a chance at the first book, I have a copy of Sanctus to give away courtesy of William Morrow Books. Simply leave a comment to be entered. This one is open internationally. Ends Saturday, November 26 at 6 pm EST.


25 comments:

ouryummymummy said...

always enjoyed books of this genre. cant wait for it in manila

Naomi said...

Thanks for this giveaway internatiolally!
I watched youtube,I'm following by email and follow Toyne on facebook!!Thanks for the information.

Marjorie/cenya2 said...

The storyline of this novel sounds fantastic. I would love to read this book.

cenya2 at hotmail dot com

traveler said...

Many thanks for this intriguing giveaway.saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

This book sounds compelling and special. Thanks for this chance. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Liz said...

Sanctus sounds interesting, from geographical location alone.

Thanks for chance to have.

Lukey Here said...

Sounds like a good one, count me in.
teresa[dot]lukey73[at]gmail[dot]com

bermudaonion said...

I do love thrillers and I'm intrigued by the fact that this has female protagonists.

Myra C said...

This sounds like a great read. Thanks for the giveaway!

myra0502 at yahoo dot com

Kirsten said...

This book looks great! Thanks for the giveaway!
kessna6 at yahoo dot com

christa @ mental foodie said...

Sounds like an interesting book!

cytljjb @ gmail com

Literary Chanteuse said...

Sounds rather interesting. At first glance I thought no but after reading the post I'm intrigued. Count me in!

Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com

ChristasBooks said...

I'm reading this one right now and I'm really enjoying it. I really enjoy the choice for a female lead.
It's a refreshing change from other books in this genre.

Mel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mel said...

I would love to read this book. Your description sounds intriguing.

Sue Farrell said...

I like this genre---but so often only men are involved. Therefore, the fact the 2 females are leading characters in this book really has me interested.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

In Julie's Opinion said...

This book sounds really interesting to me, and definitely like something I would enjoy reading! Thanks so much for the giveaway :)

jwitt33 at live dot com

Unknown said...

Do I need another book to go along with the hundreds I have now? No, but its like chocolate candy; once one consumes one piece, one can't stop. I'm dreading the end of the Flavia de luce series, but anticipating the thrill of another wonderful author with an exciting series. A mystery about historical secrets is even better. I want it.

Mystica said...

Would like to be counted in for this one! thanks for making it open to all.

Kelly g said...

I always love reading new books

Natasha Areena said...

Definitely enter ! Thank you
thebookish96(at)gmail(dot)com

Sophie said...

Any book which opens with a quote from Emerson has me intrigued

Amber said...

I'd love to be entered! Thanks for the review and giveaway :)

ayoung3360@hotmail.com

Suzie B said...

I love a great thriller! Thanks for the review and giveaway!
sbabij2 at shaw dot ca

Amy said...

Thanks for giveaway. If still open I want to enter.