annieb123's Review of The Cloisters

by Katy Hays

The Secret History meets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel . . . the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards lays bare shocking secrets within a close-knit circle of researchers at New York's famed Met Cloisters museum.

'Beguiling and atmospheric, an entrancing and gripping tale.' KATE MOSSE

'Glamour, power, seduction, ambition - The Cloisters has it all. I adored this deliciously gothic, beautifully written novel.' LOUISE O'NEILL, author of Idol

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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.

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'Dark and enigmatic . . . The Cloisters captured me from the off. . . a story of academic obsession, Renaissance magic and the ruthless pursuit of power. Captivating in every sense.' SARAH PEARSE, author of The Sanatorium

'Elegant and atmospheric and suffused with brooding menace.' LUCY CLARKE, author of The Castaways

'Sultry and sinister . . . teems with sexual tension, the secrets of divination, and scholarly obsessiveness . . . jaw-dropping.' SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary

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Early readers are obsessed with The Cloisters

'The Cloisters does for tarot what The Secret History did for Greek class'

'I loved this tale of tarot and obsession'

'If you like museums, art, mystery, and dark academia The Cloisters will be a satisfying read for you'

'A dash of history, a pinch of gothic, and enough surprises to keep me guessing.'

'This is academia gone to the dark side and then some!'

'Beautifully written, with fabulous descriptions and a gorgeous gothic setting, it's a gripping read. I loved it!'

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Cloisters is the dark academic fantasy debut from author Katy Hays. Released 1st Nov 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in July 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats. It's especially handy in this case for finding character and historical artist/artwork names quickly in the text.

This was definitely one of the "it" books for 2022, and it is a compelling and interestingly complex story. Real places and actual historical events provide the scaffolding for a story of fantasy, conspiracy, and paranormal inescapable dark fate. The whole narrative has a distinctly edgy Gothic vibe and readers will find themselves tensing up for jump scares which mostly don't materialize.

The character driven narrative is meticulously and lushly imagined, and more impatient readers (who aren't art history nerds already) will want to bring copious amounts of patience, or resign themselves to slogging through the minutiae including botany, art history, tarot, and the intrigues inherent to medieval and renaissance court life.

The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 10 hours and 16 minutes and is well narrated by Emily Tremaine. She has a neutral East Coast US accent and is easy to listen to. There are some slight difficulties with the broad range of non-US accents of some of the academic characters, but overall, she does a good job with both male and female characters of a variety of ages. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four stars, for readers who enjoy labyrinthine stories.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

9 June, 2023: Started reading

9 June, 2023: Finished reading

9 June, 2023: Reviewed