Katy Hays' The Cloisters is an intoxicating debut that blends art history, mysticism, and psychological suspense into a darkly alluring tale. Set against the backdrop of a shadowy, enigmatic museum in New York City, the novel explores ambition, obsession, and the secrets hidden within the arcane world of tarot.

The story follows Ann Stilwell, a recent college graduate who unexpectedly lands a summer position at The Cloisters, a gothic museum dedicated to medieval art. Ann quickly becomes entangled in the lives of her colleagues, particularly the magnetic Rachel, whose charm hides a dangerous ambition. When the team stumbles upon a mysterious deck of Renaissance tarot cards, the discovery sets off a series of betrayals and revelations that blur the line between history and fate.

Hays’ greatest strength lies in her atmospheric prose. The Cloisters itself becomes a character, with its labyrinthine halls, lush gardens, and air of foreboding. Hays captures the haunting beauty of the museum and the way its medieval artifacts echo the novel’s themes of fate and power. The oppressive summer heat, coupled with the tension between the characters, creates a simmering unease that propels the story forward.

Ann is an intriguing protagonist, an outsider with a complex past that shapes her hunger for belonging and success. Her relationships with Rachel, Patrick, and Leo are fraught with tension, as layers of manipulation and deceit are gradually revealed. Rachel, in particular, is a standout—a femme fatale figure whose charm and ruthlessness make her both captivating and terrifying.

The character dynamics are rich, but at times the secondary figures feel underdeveloped compared to the magnetic pull of Ann and Rachel. Nevertheless, their interactions deepen the novel’s exploration of how far people will go to achieve their desires.

At its core, The Cloisters is a meditation on the interplay between free will and determinism. The tarot cards serve as a potent symbol, raising questions about whether we shape our own destinies or are bound by forces beyond our control. Hays weaves these philosophical musings seamlessly into the plot, making them feel both thought-provoking and deeply personal.

The writing is lush and evocative, filled with vivid descriptions of art and nature that draw the reader into Ann’s world. Hays’ background in art history shines, lending authenticity and depth to the narrative. However, the pacing can occasionally falter, with some sections feeling overly detailed or slow compared to the novel’s taut suspense.

While The Cloisters delivers an engrossing story, the conclusion might feel predictable to seasoned readers of psychological thrillers. The novel’s twists, while satisfying, lean on familiar tropes of the genre. Additionally, some readers may wish for more exploration of the mystical elements, which remain tantalizingly ambiguous throughout.

The Cloisters is a richly atmospheric and thought-provoking debut that will appeal to fans of dark academia and psychological thrillers. Katy Hays crafts a vivid, unsettling tale of ambition and betrayal, leaving readers questioning the nature of fate and the cost of achieving one’s dreams. With its compelling characters and evocative setting, The Cloisters is a haunting exploration of power, art, and the secrets we keep.

This was a book that I had enjoyed however expected more from this.

I loved the storyline and was intrigued by this however it just did not span out the way that I thought it would.

However, I did enjoy the gothic vibes that the story gave and hope to try it again soon.

An old, formidable museum. Its specialty - Gothic and Romanesque periods. A young, fresh-from-uni intern, Ann, who gets drawn into a quest: research on - and search for - an ancient and long-lost deck of Tarot cards. A couple of enigmatic and eccentric museum researchers. And then - a murder.

For a fan of Dark Academia - what's not to love, right? It seems to tick all the boxes.

And yet, it was shockingly empty of substance. The mood was there, yes, and I'm a sucker for a mood, but as it turns out, a book for me cannot stand on the mood and beautiful descriptions alone. So very little happens in this novel!!! It honestly felt like watching a snail sleep. And he's not even snoring, so there's no stimuli whatsoever. Even the discovery of the murder was anticlimactic.

One might argue that not a lot happens in The Secret History, either. However, Donna Tartt's novel is full of constant DRAMA, due to the fascinating presentation of the characters.

The characters in The Cloisters are either dull and one-dimensional or irritating. The MC falls in the latter category, being the poor, wide-eyed rookie, whose entire shtick is that she's shy and awkward. The book drops many statements to this effect: "I wondered how it must feel to be so secure in a position that it didn’t matter if you listened to your colleague’s corrections." Etc., etc.

2 stars for the character of Rachel, who gave off "Du Maurier's Rebecca if she was alive" vibes, which I enjoyed.

I found much to admire and enjoy here, and although I ultimately didn't really enjoy the book, I think it was a case of 'it's not you, it's me'.

This is definitely a case of 'it's not you, it's me'; I was drawn in by the lovely cover and appealing plot description, but this book made me realise that no matter how hard I try, I just don't like 99% of things labelled 'dark academia'. But if you do like dark academia, then you'll like it.

A great academia mystery. Made me want to visit the met and New York generally. The characters weren’t very likable but the story was interesting.

Ann arrives in New York, seeking employment at the Metropolitan Museum and is surprised when she is assigned to the Cloisters, a gothic Museum with an specialist interest in medieval art

Ann is meets, and is drawn into, a small circle of researchers and she is drawn into their inventions and theories... some could say obsession around a lost set of Tarot Cards.

As Ann finds herself embroiled in the group, personally and professionally, she needs to figure out her place and who she can trust...

I really enjoyed this book, a great book in the dark academia genre and a decent amount of intrigue and twist and turns you keep you guessing

This book sounded right up my street - dark and dangerous - and oh my goodness, what a beautiful cover!

It is a definite slow burn - we get a lot of time to meet the main characters and yet they are still shrouded in mystery. You get the impression that none of them are to be trusted and that nothing is as it seems at The Cloisters.

The book is certainly atmospheric, but I was more than ready for some action. However, when it came, it wasn't quite what I expected and the reveal was less surprising than I had hoped.

An interesting idea that held promise, but didn't quite deliver for me, personally.


Thanks to the author, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

On second reading, The Cloisters is even darker and more fulfilling. After her father's tragic death, Ann Stilwell ends up at The Cloisters 'by mistake.'
It's a museum of renaissance era antiquity, and a sort of renaissance architectural pastiche. The story could easily be set in 16th century Florence amongst the Medici. Ann falls under the spell of enigmatic Patrick, rootless Leo and It Girl Rachel Mondray. There is theft and betrayal and murder, and it's absolutely brilliant. It's like a Donna Tartt book without the fat.

Picture this: you're cozied up on your favorite armchair, flipping through the pages of this charming novel. What really hooked me were the characters. In a nutshell, "The Closters" is like a warm hug on a chilly day – comforting, uplifting, and totally irresistible. So grab a cuppa and dive in. You won't regret it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The first quarter of this book sets the scene of how Ann starts her role at the museum, and introduces the characters: Ann, focused on her career path as she struggles to manage financially, her mother, not coping after the death of her husband, Leo, a colleague, Patrick, her boss and Rachel, an established team member she works alongside. The relationships are shown to be somewhat twisted among these flawed characters. The museum itself sounds beautiful with exquisite descriptions of the building and its contents, I found it fascinating.
That said, the story progressed so slowly that I found it difficult to stay engaged. Nothing seemed to happen for the first 25% of the book so I gave up reading it, and I think it will be one of those books like Marmite: you either love it or hate it.

The Cloisters is a delicious, atmospheric novel which follows aspiring academic Ann as she begins to work at The Cloisters, a medieval museum in New York. Whilst putting together an exhibition focused on the occult, Ann realises that her workplace and colleagues will introduce her to a much darker world than she previously envisioned.

Hays weaves in historical references and details seamlessly. Whilst this might become tedious and boring to those who don't really care for history or art history, and who care more for a fast-paced plot, the historian in me delighted in the detail and care she had taken. Dark academia books should have details of the academia, otherwise they fall flat, not fulfilling the first basic premise of the genre. Including the history and academic process made the book feel richer and more developed. This book is a slow-burn, but one that rewards the reader with a very satisfying ending.

The public historian in me did want to slap both Ann and Rachel for the way they talked about the visitors to the museum. There are no likable characters in this book, but they are incredibly compelling, well-fleshed out and interesting. I loved the dynamics between Ann and Rachel, it's toxic and twisted, but understandable too. It can be hard to navigate writing a relationship like theirs that feels authentic, but Hays managed it masterfully.

4.5 stars.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC!

If you know me then you know I love dark academia novels and this one didn’t disappoint. The Cloisters sounds like a heaven, a museum filled with old rare artefacts and books. Ann stumbles upon a summer internship there by chance… or was it? Her colleagues Patrick and Rachel are pulling together research around tarot and its origin, can cards really tell us our fate?

With love triangles, mind games, drugs and a death or two, the cloisters is a thrilling novel that any dark academia fan should read

Sinister simmering exploration into the worlds of art, academia and the occult, especially tarot cards.

Ann is finally able to leave the small town she grew up in to work in New York for the summer. When she arrives she fears she will immediately be sent home, but instead is given a job working in an area called The Cloisters which happens to be very relevant to her background.

She senses tensions between the other members of staff and is gradually drawn into the machinations, unsure who to trust.

This writer has a background that clearly shows in this story. It builds suspense straight away. It’s clever, eery and very much a page turner. It has echoes of The Secret History but not in a bad way. It just oozes academia and mixed with the occult and murder means it is a fantastic book.

This was dark, atmospheric and suspenseful: quite frankly, it was everything I wanted in a read. It’s impossible to start this without getting sucked into the world of The Cloisters, and although fiction, I felt I learnt so much from this. Definitely one to add to your shelves for dark, candle lit nights. 4 stars from me, not because I didn’t wholly enjoy this, but because I do seek out this type of novel and as such, they need to be outstanding to break apart from the others I’ve read. Katy Hays is an author I’ll keep an eye out for, for sure.

"The Cloisters" by Katy Hays is described as a novel that blends elements of "The Secret History" and "Ninth House." It's a sinister and atmospheric story set in New York's famed Met Cloisters museum, where the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards reveals shocking secrets within a close-knit circle of researchers.

This book is so so slow
The writing was just so repetitive and I couldn’t get into the story
Not for me.

Although the twists at the end were shocking, it was quite boring throughout.
There didn't seem to be much of a plot, and usually the characters are interesting enough to carry the book but unfortunately for me the characters weren’t gripping enough to make me want to keep reading. I kept putting it down and dreading picking it up again.
I usually love dark academia but this one didn’t work for me unfortunately

This is an atmospheric novel based around the discovery of a mysterious ornate medieval deck of tarot cards that divides and brings together a small group of expert researchers at New York’s famed Met Cloisters museum.

I’ve been trying to find words to sum up this book but it is the rich, heavy, foggy, humid heat of the story that makes everything seem hazy – the lines between what is real, and what is a dream, blurred: the enigmatic gardener who grows belladonna, henbane and other such poisons or medieval medicines, the cloistered researchers experimenting with medieval tarot, the draw of the city and the juxtaposition between an airless sublet and a doorman building apartment filled with treasures. Death. Bereavement. Suspicion. All the while the aspiration of the researchers at the forefront and yet seemingly a mask of a truer ambition.

Breath-taking. Sumptuous backdrop, intriguing objects of art, archives and manuscripts. Full of history and yet, also, the future.

Compelling. Prose that describe an unusual environment beautifully, bringing it to the mind easily both as an organic living place and as a ‘mausoleum.’

Spell-binding. Both evocative and dazzling, the story leads you down paths of intrigue, desperate to solve riddles of both glittering objects, and the people researching them.

Spine-tingling. Sinister, secretive, seductive. Fate is a central theme to this tale, and it leaves the reader wondering about what choices we really do have in life.

I highly recommend The Cloisters by Katy Hays.