Originally reviewed at Christa's Hooked on Books 
 Santus is the first book in a proposed trilogy and I found it a lot more thoughtful than other books in this genre. Simon Toyne didn't just write a thriller based on Christian ideas and beliefs, he created a whole new world for the story to take place in. There was so much more detail put into Ruin. It felt like Rome and Turkey and so many other places all rolled into one. As a result you didn't feel like you were reading just another book about Vatican conspiracies. Because of this fictional world it felt like there was so much more to the story than that. 
 I also loved that the main protagonist was female. It's nice to see a strong independent female have a starring role in a thriller, not simply serve as a sidekick to the leading man. What's more is that she didn't even have a sidekick! Not that she was alone for the whole novel, but there was never someone she was completely dependent on. I felt this made the other characters more versatile and allowed for more twists to occur throughout the story. Including the amazing twist at the end! Totally didn't see that one coming. 
 Despite all these great twists, however, there were times when the book felt really long and dragged out. At times I found it difficult to stay motivated and I actually stopped reading for a little while. After a bit of a break I was able to get back into it again, but as a result it took me longer than it should have to read. My other complaint is that the chapters were broken up in an odd way. They felt more like scenes, instead of full chapters, and it made some parts (especially parts heavy on the action) feel choppy. 
 If you like books like The Da Vinci Code than I definitely recommend Sanctus. It was smart and interesting and had a great cast of characters. That being said, it's no Da Vinci Code, so I don't think it will appeal to many people who don't already read that genre.