I did enjoy reading this book, it as beautifully written with a very strong sense of atmosphere. The beautifully described Cloister sounded wonderful and the ability to be drawn into that atmosphere quite understandable.
The characters were quite odd and really I never felt that I understood any one of them. Patrick seemed to have a ghost-like quality and Rachel, far too many dimensions to her to be clear at all. Ann did seem to be a curious character who seems to have little idea of where she was going in life yet with a burning ambition. Everyone seemed to live on fresh air as they never seemed to need food.
However it was a good read

This review has been posted on Waterstones

I quite liked this but it my oh my it dragged on a bit. I loved the descriptions of The Cloisters itself, the gardens and plants. I found the history within it interesting and original, but the actual plot got a bit overwhelmed by everything.

I wanted to love this and really enjoyed the start. Great descriptions of the buildings but the storyline just failed to grab me and I found myself feeling uninvolved with the characters.

A coming-of-age story with a dark undercurrent reminiscent of The Secret History.
Ann Stilwell has moved to New York to take up a research post. Upon her arrival she learns the post no longer exists, but a chance meeting sees her seconded to The Cloisters, a gothic museum. Under the tutelage of the curator, Patrick, Ann is tasked with research. What she is looking for is not immediately apparent, but it is linked to ideas about fortune and fate.
Drawn slowly into the world, it’s evident that nobody is quite what they seem. Ann’s academic curiosity soon becomes obsessive. She is warned about Rachel, the graduate who takes her under her wing. But it soon becomes clear that Ann is not quite the naive ingénue she depicts herself as.
A slow burner. The atmosphere builds slowly, developing in a very unexpected way.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication and look forward to sampling more by this debut author.

I usually love things that are dark academia - however, I have a tendency to compare everything to the Secret History which I love!

I found this was a good read- a curious professor, an exclusive “club” and an elusive “friend”. However, I found the other girl to be written in a way that was just too elusive to try to make that character more interesting. I found it hard to connect to.

Atmospheric and addictive, this is dark academia at its finest. A compelling protagonist, and a plot which keeps you guessing, this novel takes all of the necessities of the genre — lethal subterfuge, occultist tropes, morally grey male deuteragonists, an enthralling female rival — but without any of the “easy guess” plot stereotypes. Each time you think you’ve figured it out, Hays superbly subverts the reader’s expectations.

I can’t wait for her next novel!

‘The Cloisters’ follows Ann, who finds herself on a graduate placement at The Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As Ann finds her feet, she meets a number of enigmatic colleagues, Patrick, Rachel and Leo, all outwardly welcoming but also somewhat secretive. As her research project into Renaissance fortune telling progresses, so do her relationships with Rachel and Leo, leading Ann down a path and into a deadly web from which she may not be able to escape…

I really love this kind of book. It falls into the ‘dark academia’ genre, and can most certainly hold its own standing alongside the now-classic ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt and, a more recent favourite of mine, ‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins.

The setting is fantastic. I was particularly drawn to the descriptions of the museum, its collections of medieval art and architecture, its gardens and its library. I wasn't aware until finishing the book that The Cloisters was a real place but, upon seeing photos of the gardens, it was exactly as I imagined it; testimony to the author's skill.

Katy Hays also does an excellent job of making the reader feel claustrophobic. From Ann wanting to escape her small home town, to the close heat of New York, to the maze of a museum and the walled cloisters themselves. Even when Ann manages to find space, for example in Rachel’s apartment, there is still the sensation of her being like an insect trapped in amber.

At times it feels like Ann is the victim of a toxic friendship with Rachel but, as the novel progresses, we find that this may not quite be the case and that her ambition burns just as strongly as her friend's. It was this plot line, as much as the one about the tarot cards, that really had me hooked and delivered an incredible conclusion to a remarkable novel.

I am inordinately grateful to the publishers and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of ‘The Cloisters’ in return for this review.

‘If Death was in the cards, would you want to know?’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers Bantam Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Cloisters’ by Katy Hays.

The main character and narrator of this debut novel is Ann Stilwell, who arrives in New York City with hopes of spending her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden that houses important medieval and Renaissance collections. Like many impressionable fictional graduates before her, Ann is drawn to an elite circle of academics who are caught up in power games and toxic relationships.

The leader of the group is the museum's curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of the Tarot holds an important key to unlock secrets. Ann is eager to leave her past behind as well as to gain the approval of Patrick and her new colleagues. Then she makes a discovery of her own that changes everything. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Novels that feature the Tarot and Renaissance esotericism are always a draw for me. So given its themes, including a mysterious 15th Century Tarot deck, ‘The Cloisters’ should have been totally my cup of tea.

However, despite the intriguing premise, atmospheric setting, and stunning cover art, I struggled to feel a sense of connection with the novel, especially its characters. Perhaps it was partly Ann’s scepticism, though I understand how that attitude would be relatable to most readers.

Overall, I found ‘The Cloisters’ well written with great attention to detail, especially to the practices associated with museum curation and art history. It was a slow burn though did pick up as it progressed towards the conclusion. Despite these qualities and my enthusiasm for its subject matter, it remained for me an okay read rather than firing up my enthusiasm on a deeper level.

An atmospheric, slow burn story of one summer, a research project gone wrong and a girl looking for her place among the exhibits at the Cloisters museum.

I've actually enjoyed this book - I liked the dark atmosphere, I liked all the morally gray, mysterious characters working at the museum, and I liked the development of the main character, Rachel. The main mystery took time to take shape, but I didn't mind it. I enjoyed being in Rachel's head, slowly peeling off the layers of the people, connections and agendas everyone had at the Cloisters, understanding them better and better, and gradually seeing Rachel in a new light as well. It was a solid, creeping, mysterious story and I'd definitely recommend it.

Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval and Renaissance collections.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum's curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling.

Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick's more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future . . .

Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly-told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power.

This was a great read, I loved the gothic vibe of The Cloisters, the sweltering heat of a New York summer and seeing how Ann settles into this new life away from her small hometown upbringing. There was a murder mystery, stealing, lies, romance, intrigue, obsession, power, manipulation and ambition. Most of all though there was the idea of fate. This was explored and touched on throughout the story, with things at the end linking right back to the beginning. The history and uses of tarot cards was fascinating and clearly well researched. The characters were interesting and the setting of The Cloisters was fantastic, so well evoked you could smell the lavender in the gardens. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

3.5 stars

Ann Stillwell is desperate to escape her hometown in Washington after losing her father suddenly. When she gets accepted onto a summer programme working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she jumps at the chance and heads east. Upon arrival however, she is instead assigned to work at The Cloisters, a museum renowned for its Renaissance and Mediaeval collections.

Working alongside Curator Patrick Roland and fellow researcher Rachel, she gets drawn into the world of the occult and tarot. Convinced there is proof that tarot was used in the 15th century to divine fortunes, Patrick sets them on a quest to find the elusive deck and thereby cementing his place in academia.

The atmosphere and setting of this novel is immaculately drawn, using the gothic structure of the museum to set the tone. It’s dark, it’s forbidding and it’s oppressive, with Hays cleverly using the heat and the humidity of the New York summer to add to the claustrophobic feeling. I loved the historical aspects of this book and you can tell that Hays is passionate about her subject matter and clearly knows her stuff.

Where this book fell a little flat for me was the pacing and the characters. Ann is a small town girl who comes across initially as naive, being swept along by the novelty and excitement of her new world. Even when things become blatantly obvious to the reader she seems blind to it and this was a little frustrating. None of the characters are particularly likeable and although this isn’t a problem in and of itself, it does create an issue when one of them is supposed to be universally admired and beloved by others.

The theme running throughout this novel is fate; are we beholden to the cards we’re dealt or do we have free will? Are our lives predetermined no matter what our choices are and if so, does that mean we are less responsible for the choices we do make? While The Cloisters didn’t quite live up to my expectations it certainly had me questioning my own morality and made for an interesting read.

The Cloisters

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York, she is overjoyed to leave her small town behind and start her summer placement at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Due to a misunderstanding, she ends up being assigned to The Cloisters, a smaller, mysterious, gothic museum and garden. She soon learns the importance of the collection and the devouring ambitions of the researchers as they investigate the history of art and the use of tarot cards...

The Cloisters has everything you would expect in an excellent dark academia novel with gothic surroundings, priceless artefacts and researchers obsessed with their subjects. Their academic curiosity leads them to investigate Renaissance fortunetelling, including astrology, dice and tarot decks. The fact that they treat the topic seriously, analysing the ideas of free will and destiny, creates a specific atmosphere in this book. Another fascinating feature is the dynamics between the characters in this novel. For Ann, her summer at the Cloisters is a first step into the world of professional research, and her future depends on her performance. For others, their investigation might lead to a discovery that would establish their position within the competitive academic world. Without any spoilers, I think we all know where dark academia plots with desperate and overambitious characters lead...

Ann Stillwell arrives in New York expecting to spend the summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself reassigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum known for Medieval and Renaissance art. She is welcomed into the small circle of charismatic but dysfunctional researchers, and drawn into their ongoing research into tarot. But then there is an unexpected death and Ann finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power and ambition.

To be honest, I didn’t love this book. The subject material is intriguing and the atmosphere is really tense and mysterious, but I found the plot and the characters very disappointing. I didn’t like Ann, Rachel, Leo or Patrick, which made it difficult to empathise with or particularly support any of them. My lack of connection with any of the characters was then detrimental to the story, because I simply wasn’t invested in the outcome.

Everything about this book gives out dark, magical, mysterious vibes – and the writing style is actually good – but it is essentially nothing more than a long, drawn out murder novel and I was looking for much more than this.

Although this was a slow book, I enjoyed reading it. I'm not really into tarot cards, fortune telling and gothic vibes, but I liked the world of art and the milieu the author created. This is not a typical thriller/mystery but there were twists and turns which knocked the breath out of me. Ann's coming-of-age story, Rachel's distinctive personality, and a weird love triangle with four people are only a few of the many reasons this book is worth reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK / Transworld Publishers for an Advance Review Copy.

It has been a while since I read any dark academia, and The Cloisters did not disappoint.

The story starts off as we meet Ann Stillwell, who is itching to leave her small-town life and move to New York. She moves there as a summer intern at the Met, but due to an administrative snafu she ends up working in the Cloisters for Patrick and alongside Rachel.

It specialised in Renaissance and Medieval art and includes large ornamental gardens (the cloisters) of all kinds of ancient plants many of which are medicinal.

Ann helps Rachel and Patrick in their work researching the history of Tarot and also develops a relationship with Leo the gardener. As she settles in and becomes more involved in the research, things start to take a darker turn and it becomes clear there is a lot more going on beneath the surface.

All the relationships seem to be full of secrets, rivalries and jealousy and its not always clear who is playing who.

The descriptions of the Cloisters helps add to the gothic atmosphere as the story gains pace and helps to add to the almost claustrophobic feel at times as Ann's character tries to find her way out of the swirling tensions and increasing drama over the course of one hot summer in the city.

I found the story really compelling and enjoyed the slow, creeping build-up - a strong and very enjoyable debut.

The tag line of The Secret History meets Ninth House was a clincher for me and I wasn’t disappointed with this great new work of dark academia.
Set against the evocative backdrop of a sweltering New York, the author expertly weaves a tale of Tarot and Art History without it ever becoming boring. Freewill and destiny are at the heart, with the characters’ obsessions and ambitions spiralling out of control the deeper you become immersed in the tale. Great stuff.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

The Cloisters is a real and fascinating museum in New York. Part of the Met, it specialises in renaissance and medical art and has been constructed from imported old European churches and buildings. It also houses a large garden of ancient plants which were used in medicines.
Ann Stilwell ends up at the museum as a summer researcher and is soon drawn into the clique of Patrick and Rachel who are working on the history of Tarot. She becomes ever more involved in their work as she seeks to put her tragic past behind her. However an astonishing find of her own and the start of a new love affair, means she is trying to keep herself separate as the pair try to bind her more closely to them. Soon it becomes clear that someone is playing a very deadly game.
The Cloisters starts off promisingly but I found it lagged in the middle. I’m not sure I really cared enough about Rachel or her motivations. Once the murder happens ( this is flagged at the beginning of the book) I expected the energy to rise but it didn’t really, I had a pretty good idea who had done it and what was going to happen. It’s an enjoyable novel, not very original though. I did enjoy the descriptions of The Cloisters, what a brilliant location.

Pacy thriller based in a close snd competitive academic world. Ann is a summer intern at a medieval museum in Manhattan where she seems to arrive by chance rather than careful planning.

Friendships come loaded with jealousies and rivalries, but in the end you may be surprised at exactly who is playing who.

Loved the descriptions of the museum and the enjoyment of working there through s hot New York summer.

A rebirth ★★★★☆

Recently graduated, Ann arrives in New York to pursue her dreams of Renaissance scholarship and to leave her sleepy hometown and the loss of her father behind.

However, her place on the summer programme at the Met is quickly whipped away from her and instead she finds herself tucked away at the mysterious Cloisters museum working with the enigmatic Patrick and Rachel.

Ann quickly becomes embroiled in the close and mysterious world of the Cloisters museum. Their research on Renaissance tarot cards leads to the discovery of an invaluable deck which will bring all of the grimy secrets of the museum to light with deadly consequences.

As the museum unfurls like a hidden jewel in our imaginations with its treasures and architecture we’re pulled into a fascinating world of Renaissance research and scholarship. It made me want to tuck into an old university library and do my own research.

As Ann’s friendship with Rachel flourishes, she is repeatedly warned about her controlling and dangerous ways. However, Ann has a burning ambition and secrets of her own.

A richly embroidered and compelling novel of scholarship and ambition.

this was the last book i read in 2022 but unfortunately it wasn’t the best to end it on – by 40% i was seriously considering dnfing even though i never do because it was so slow and only by about 50% did anything happen. i’m glad i stuck with it just for the atmosphere and themes of fate and free will which i enjoyed. it was pretty predictable though and i’m not sure how to feel about the ending. just a solid 3 stars for me.