i do not normally read a lot of historical fiction but this book really caught my attention.
i thoroughly enjoyed reading this, it did not take me long i just wanted to keep reading.
The history and the plot was great and very well thought out, the characters were likeable and unique.
If you like the Da Vinci Code you will really enjoy this book.

Great descriptive writing of the rarefied world of the Met and the Cloisters in New York. I enjoyed the book but did find the main characters a bit underdeveloped, a bit wooden. Anne wasn’t particularly nice and Rachel was intriguing but enigmatic. Thought it had all the elements of a really good read but only made it to a good read.

The Cloisters drew me in with it's interesting premise of Ninth House plus The Secret History as I thoroughly enjoyed those books. Indeed, I feel like one thing the book has done well was capture the same atmosphere that Ninth House and TSH have, but also still be unique. I also liked the focus on medieval art. When it comes to dark academia, I don't think it's explored that much.

What this book lacks is some depth and it also needs work on the pacing. It's a very meandering book, and while I don't mind it in some books, this book isn't that long, so I expected the pace to be faster. It took a while for things to get started and there were a few moments I felt bored. There were some twists and turns that were worth it, but otherwise the dragging pace made it not very enjoyable. I feel like the whole idea for this book is great but the execution was not well-done. Maybe a couple more pages and better pacing.

I enjoyed The Cloisters. Ann, the main character, was interesting and her move to New York and her attempts to fit into a new environment were well described. I can see why there were some comparisons to A Secret History, but it is quite different. I also enjoyed the atmosphere created around the museum.

I was excited for this book: it’s Dark Academia, so of course I was!
I definitely enjoyed it, and I was intrigued enough to finish — I wanted to know what was happening. But I found the pacing a little off; usually with slower paced books there’s enough character development/interaction to balance that out, but I didn’t find that the case here.
The implications of fate also became a little tiresome, to the point where it felt like a bit of a cop out.
I would still recommend this, especially for someone interested in dark academia, tarot, fate, or mystery — but it just wasn’t my favourite.

I loved the prose and perfect writing style for this story. I was sucked into an almost mystical world seeing ‘The Cloisters’ through the eyes of naive Anne. The world of museum historical research as a summer intern. She finds her original post inexplicably no longer exists, but is thrilled to accept an unexpected alternative rather than return to her dull home town. But as she settles into her new role she will find historical arcana, occult, and especially tarot, are going to muddy her world and life, and she has a lot of growing up to do, fast, if she is to survive this experience. Thank you to Random House Uk, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

An atmospheric, brooding novel set in and around The Cloisters - a gothic replica that forms part of the Met Museum in New York - this novel is packed with arcane curiosities, sinister plants and academic unpleasantness. Hays' strength is in visual language; she describes the mock-Medieval setting in lush and evocative detail, and each of the tarot cards examined by the characters is vividly depicted in her writing. I don't know much about tarot, but felt very much invited into the cards and their various meanings. Unfortunately I found the plot less intriguing, and the character of Rachel in particular seemed to remain one-dimensional rather than developing in any surprising new directions. I would be keen to read future books by Hays, as I may enjoy a different story in the same writing style a bit more.

Ann is escaping her small town life, having achieved a prestigious summer fellowship at the Met in New York on her first day she's told her place is gone, but then she's unexpectedly offered an opportunity at the Cloisters, a related museum, working with the charismatic Patrick and Rachel on a project around 15th century tarot.

I think I was expecting something more supernatural around the tarot, but instead this has more psychological and Secret History overtones. Ann comes from a very different background to the wealthy Patrick and Rachel, and some of the tension comes from clashes of understanding about how their worlds work. I was also expecting more about the curation and research side, which didn't really come up as relevant - apart from the old tarot cards.

It's a fairly slow paced book, which it has to be due to the nature of the story, but that does mean it took a while to get into it. It was definitely worth reading though.

A hugely enjoyable read. The Cloisters is set in New York City, predominantly in the the Cloisters Museum at the very tip of New York. It is part of the Met, it is a replica medieval set of cloisters and it houses spectacular and priceless medieval works of art, including the Unicorn and the hunt tapestries. The Cloisters is a satisfying mystery with poisoning, glamour, romance, secrets, lies, art works, the tarot, academic discoveries and murder. If you like dark academia this will have you at the first page. If you are not a fan of that genre you will enjoy this darkly atmospheric thriller regardless.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for an advance copy for me to review.

I have never been to New York, and had never heard of The Cloisters, where this novel is set. The research into The Cloisters brings the setting alive. The author seems to have done the background research and has really brought the setting which makes the novel an enjoyable read.

Although, from my reading of the synopsis the novel was not what I expected. From the synopsis I was expecting a delve into the Dark Arts. Maybe the tarot would summon a demon or something supernatural like that.

Without giving to much away this was almost like Cluedo. The professor in the library and a list of suspects
I never expected the world of academia could be so backstabbing.

Once I got the fact that I was reading a novel that was not what I was expecting I rather enjoyed the whodunnit theme. I did find the main protagonist Ann a bit to much like Ms Marple, I half expected her to turn up in tweeds but maybe that for me was just the Cluedo whodunnit theme. Or maybe it was that compared to Rachel, Ann was just a bit, less interesting.

All in all a good whodunnit mystery, and I was left with he feeling that we might get more from Ann in the future.

Love this!

A mysterious museum in New York that holds a secret or two

This is academia gone to the dark side and then some. You'd think museums were safe places but the world the author has created from this - and it's a real place!! - is quite something. I have to go there even if a page of this is true.

What a read!

I really enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised by it. It's compared to The Secret History which, I think, is a brave thing for the publisher to say because TSH is obviously hugely popular. It's also one of my favourite reads. But I was impressed. Hays' writing is very good and even beautiful in places. The level of knowledge and research that has gone into the book makes it shine. I'm even looking at the history of Tarot myself now!

For me, I found the twists fairly obvious, but I would say this is because I'm currently doing an edit on my second novel and I'm primed to pick out red herrings etc. That said, it didn't make it less enjoyable for me.

I will definitely look out for more books from Katy Hays.

Thanks to marketing manager Louis Patel and Bantam Press for the early proof of this title in return for an honest review.

I was seeing this everywhere on social media that it got to the point where I wanted a copy just because of the cover, it drew me in and I absolutely loved it. They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I think it’s perfectly acceptable to do so. This instantly captured my attention and got me interesting the book. It hooked me instantly and made me even more excited to read it. I mean, there are butterflies on the cover and I have a phobia of butterflies but I’m willing to overlook that, just this once.

I love the attention to detail with the description of the museum and it’s architecture and the art. It shows a clear love, passion and fascination for the subject, not only from the characters but also by the author herself.

I’ve always wanted to visit New York and The Met and The Cloisters, so this book gave me the chance to live my travels vicariously through it.

I was initially wary and suspicious of Patrick and of Rachel and my suspicions were not unfounded. They had their good points and they were interesting to read about but the was definitely more going on with them than first seems, and you’ll be surprised and shocked by the things that they do. I was on the fence with the main character of Ann for a while. I liked her and she was a good narrator but she always seemed a bit dithery, never fully in or fully out. A bit naive. But then again, she represented the reader very well, learning as she went along, always one step behind. And I enjoyed reading about her passions. I didn’t like Leo very much. He got under my skin and on my nerves pretty quickly and didn’t do much to rid me of that feeling. I felt he was a bit of an outsider, desperate to be part of this world, and just had a very suspicious nature about him.

There are a number of other characters like Ann’s mum and colleagues Moira and Louis, and Detective Murphy…but this was Ann and Rachel’s story for me, everything was just there to help them along.

It’s a slow burner which makes it more unnerving, thrilling and captivating. You end up on the journey with these characters, discovering things at the same rate. There’s a deeper understanding in this book of loss and grief and love. It’s got real heart in it, slightly more than I naively expected from a book centred around - for want of a better word - magic. There’s hidden truths and lies. Is anyone telling the truth? Who do we believe? Can we trust our narrator?

I want aware that Dark Academia was a genre but I’m here for it. It merges intellect with entertainment and a dark thrill. I wonder how much about the mystical and divination and tarot cards is functional and how much is true, how much Katy had to diligently research to make it sound so convincing and very real, without it feeling like an instruction manual to the reader.

15th century art and books is such a niche topic to write a novel about and yet it really works. It really makes you think about how much you believe in. Do we believe in fate or destiny, do we believe our future is set, our deaths are set, or do we believe we change things? Your opinion at the start of the book may well not be your opinion by the end.

At the I did want it to be more…more involved, more frenzied, just…more, but then I would appreciate the intimacy of it. I think overall, it’s right where it needs to be. The slower pace lures you in, the subtlety of the thrills and the lies are so exquisitely done that I think a faster pace would ruin it. Don’t see this as me saying it’s slow. It’s not. It’s a slower paced start, which I like, it gives us time to learn about our characters and helps us settle into the narrative. But somehow, it’s quick at the same time and you’ll find yourself flying through it.

The final few chapters were very visual and I could almost see the movie adaptation in my head.

I completely lost track of time whilst reading this. I even missed dinner one night because I couldn’t tear myself away. And let me tell you, it takes something special to distract me from food!

Such a promising debut and it starts Katy’s writing career on a high.

The writing was very atmospheric and with the New York City backdrop mixed with a gothic museum which has medieval style buildings and gardens so lots of visuals to play with it. It is a slow burn story so it took me a minute to get into it. Brilliant characterisation as most were complex and mysterious 👀 Ann starts working at the Cloisters one summer and meets a small circle of interesting characters including the museums curator Patrick, Rachel who studies the history of the Tarot, and Leo who tends to the gardens and all the magical plants 🌱 Did I like Ann? 🤔 Hmmm, not sure but there we go 😆 I spent most of the book working out if Rachel was okay or actually a back stabbing bitch. A great character 😂 Patrick was in his own world and Leo provided the romance with Ann and an intriguing storyline. No spoilers 🤫 As the story unfolds, there are many unexpected twists (I love a good twist 👏🏻) and this eerie tone and tension bubbling under the surface 😅 If you liked The Secret History and enjoy gothic vibes, definitely check it out. An impressive debut!

Unfortunately, this wasn’t really for me.
It’s not a bad book at all. It’s well written, clever and an intriguing concept. A pretty impressive debut in many respects.

I normally love a dark academia type story. At first, I was so pulled in by all the scholarly references, particularly from the ancient world. But, after a while the plot just seemed to be dull and slow to me. Nothing much seemed to happen for ages and even when it did it was almost too subtle. I didn’t feel that ‘must keep reading’ urge.

Maybe a large downfall for me is that I couldn’t really engage with these characters. None were overly likeable, and even though that can sometimes make for an interesting story, I wasn’t invested in this case. It meant I didn’t overly care about their fates.

This review feels kind of harsh. There were some great bits. The atmosphere and setting are great, the concept is intriguing, the theme of fate running throughout is interesting and the writing very readable. It just didn’t do it for me. I’m sure many others will get a lot out of reading it though!

It is written in the cards …. or is it?

Superb book, I really enjoyed reading this.

Ann Stilwell heads to New York to work for the summer as a curatorial associate, this is her chance to break free from her restricted home life. To prove she has a lot to offer.
Things don’t go to plan regarding where her placement should have been. Ann is going to work at The Cloisters instead.

I really enjoyed reading this book. From reading the information about it, I just knew I had to read it,
Ann, and some of her colleagues are a complex band of people, all have their own ambitions and agendas.
I liked reading about the Cloisters and the characters - there was a story unfolding in the background.
I haven’t really thought about the origins of the tarot, but have been aware of them, and the mystery that surrounds them.
A dark novel in places, but for me an absolute page turner.
I tried to forward guess as I read, but it had some twists I did not see coming.
A book well worth reading in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is at its heart a story about a twenty-something who doesn't quite fit in the worlds where she has studied, who has yet to find the PhD post she's dreaming of and who, when she is offered the opportunity to undertake research at The Cloisters, an art gallery/museum, leaps at the chance. Then her boss dies - and it's not clear who is the murderer - so the book becomes in some sense a whodunnit.
I wouldn't describe it as 'sinister' as I have seen in some reviews. There were elements of the occult and frequent references to Tarot cards (with a detailed explanation of the meanings of the Tarot cards provided at the end of the book) but I didn't find it a particularly dark book. I took a little while to get into it but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the way the book unravelled to reveal the secrets that so many of the characters were hiding. I can't say that I particularly liked any of the main characters themselves and I wasn't sure that I entirely bought into the behaviours of the main character Ann. There were also a couple of times when I found the discussion of the tarot a bit much - but I'm still giving this a 5* because this was a book that, once I got into it, drew me in. It was clear that there was unlikely to be any happy ending but the book compelled me to keep reading to find out what that ending might be. I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy.

The Cloisters is a strange book, full of contradictions and threatening atmospheres that rarely convert into actual action. I found Ann, serious and scholarly, to be a hard person to like. Her language was that of a 55-year-old librarian not a 21 or 22-year-old. recently graduated student.

Heiress Rachel was also not a sympathetic character. Both she and Ann have prodigious talents but exceedingly low emotional intelligence. Throw in some maybe/maybe not love interest - a curator and a gardner - and sprinkle with a pinch of occult and simmer. The problem was, it just doesn't simmer. It's a cold fish, this book.

The power of the tarot and the search for the earliest form of it lies at the heart of this overly descriptive and overly complex story. Every time the candles were lit and the cards were spread, I was expecting a lot more to happen than did. The link to Ann's father, the janitor who picks scrap paper out of her old prof's bin, was so tenuous as to be unbelievable.

It's a good effort and will appeal to those who love rich descriptive prose but I found it very slow, plodding, and ultimately it failed to deliver on the sense of threat and doom within its pages.

A thank you to both Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

I was offered this book as an ARC by NetGalley. Although I was intrigued by the dark academia premise and Hays clearly has an in depth knowledge of the inner workings of museums, I found that the book wasn't really for me. I think I was partly put off by the intensely detailed technical descriptions of architecture. I hold my hands up to the fact that my ability to picture a particular type of column or window style is limited and so I ended up wanting to search online for an image rather than being drawn into the story. There was also a fair amount of exposition when it came to information about tarot. I can understand that it is hard to work so much detail in and make it sound natural but there were small sections that came across as the dreaded 'info dump'. Given the level of detail and precision employed, I was slightly bemused when Hays mentions on p170 "We were in the tapestry room, where massive, thickly woven carpets depicted scenes if idyllic medieval life...". My studies of textiles have suggested that most tapestries were historically used as wall hangings to retain warmth in rooms built with stone walls but perhaps the particular textile referenced was used as a rug? Alternatively, I may have just misunderstood this sentence entirely. Equally as someone who has sailed in the past, I found it hard to believe that any sailor would skip any safety checks not to mention that the wearing of life vests/buoyancy aids is always mandatory. Unfortunately I did not find much to endear me to the main protagonist either as she seemed more than happy to slide into morally questionable decisions (to say the least) whilst trying to convince herself of her lack of culpability!

I read this book and did not feel it was for me. I think the content (tarot cards) etc is not something I am at all interested in and found it a tough read. On saying this I did like the characters and the way they were woven together and how alike Ann and Rachel turned out to be. Please do not be put off by this review. I am sure if you like stories of the occult, tarot cards, museums etc then this is definitely a book for you.