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jescasreading's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The initial premise really pulled me in! Tarot and dark academia?? Sign me up!! But I found the storyline quite predictable? And sadly a little boring. I was intrigued by the history of Rachel, and even though she seemed very dodgy I quite liked her character. I found the others a little boring? Overall it was an ok book! But it wouldn't be a book I'll reread in the future.
I did like the academia setting and I imagined the grounds and garden were stunning! I liked the mentioned of tarot and knowing the meaning behind the cards, there was a very useful section in the back of the book telling infomation about tarot.
I did like the mystery of who could have unalived Patrick even though I predicted pretty early on who it was.
I did like how Rachel did it in the best interests for Ann, I could tell that she had a lot of love for Ann and I feel she didn't want Ann to go down the same journey that she went down.
I did like the academia setting and I imagined the grounds and garden were stunning! I liked the mentioned of tarot and knowing the meaning behind the cards, there was a very useful section in the back of the book telling infomation about tarot.
I did like how Rachel did it in the best interests for Ann, I could tell that she had a lot of love for Ann and I feel she didn't want Ann to go down the same journey that she went down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Drug use
Moderate: Death of parent
abiyy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’ll admit that I wasn’t initially sold. Especially in the beginning, the plot is a bit slow and the character exposition feels onerous. But it lays critical groundwork for a spectacularly told story that leans into how the choices we make shape our path. The characters are complex and you truly come to understand their motivations and desires. I was surprised by some of the plot twists later on, except also not at all because wow they made SO much sense. Reading the final few chapters felt like finishing a puzzle and realizing you’ve got pieces in the wrong spots but now seeing where they actually go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Blood, and Car accident
amhud1030's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Classism, and Death
bristleconebby's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide
dancing_dryad_85's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is a book about intuition, women in scholarly fields, art and its subjective nature as well as tarot. It is a story of people: regret, love, lust, loss and a quest for knowledge. It has a weight to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Grief
The book has an underlying current of interpersonal manipulation that is aided with wealth and privileges.bookmaddie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
A quick read that loses steam once a death occurs, making the lack of characterization obvious.
I found the artistic/tarot card mystery more compelling than the who-dunnit mystery that takes up most of the latter half of the book. The art history aspects shined in this story, and as we got away from that, the writing felt rote and unsurprising.
My main gripe is with characterization. The main character, Ann, is drawn with barely any personality, only developing some sense of agency (and cynicism) at the very very end. This comes as a shock, as almost no time is spent in any serious way developing Ann’s personality or showing how she changes because of her whirlwind summer. It all felt very surface-level and unsatisfying. The writing about NYC felt so naive, too.
Admittedly, I skimmed the last third of the novel, just wanting it to be done by that point.
More of a 2.5 star, really. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced digital copy. Sorry it took me so long to get to it!
I found the artistic/tarot card mystery more compelling than the who-dunnit mystery that takes up most of the latter half of the book. The art history aspects shined in this story, and as we got away from that, the writing felt rote and unsurprising.
My main gripe is with characterization. The main character, Ann, is drawn with barely any personality, only developing some sense of agency (and cynicism) at the very very end. This comes as a shock, as almost no time is spent in any serious way developing Ann’s personality or showing how she changes because of her whirlwind summer. It all felt very surface-level and unsatisfying. The writing about NYC felt so naive, too.
Admittedly, I skimmed the last third of the novel, just wanting it to be done by that point.
More of a 2.5 star, really. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced digital copy. Sorry it took me so long to get to it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Drug use
faitelle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dark academia is an interesting genre for me; a former unhappy, mentally-ill academic who 'escaped'; I take an odd comfort in the fact that someone else has seen behind the façade...even if fiction contains a lot more murder than you find in most real departments.
The Cloisters is in a way the perfect Dark Academia book; deep in atmosphere, with secrets & agaendas winding all the way through it. The pace is slow, so it probably isn't for everyone, but that's purposeful, & it helps build tension all the better.
Definitely a 5* read for me.
The Cloisters is in a way the perfect Dark Academia book; deep in atmosphere, with secrets & agaendas winding all the way through it. The pace is slow, so it probably isn't for everyone, but that's purposeful, & it helps build tension all the better.
Definitely a 5* read for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Murder
clareehebert's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident
blissofalife's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved the writing style & the history & art references throughout! I appreciated that it didn’t open with a murder, leaving me wondering who would die and who would do the deed. As a tarot-curious person, it was fun to read more about them and catch references! I’ll have to reread this in a few years when I have a better grasp on tarot, though the author does a superb job of explaining meanings as the story goes.
And the prologue? Damn. Gorgeously written, with a similar feeling to the final pages. Would recommend, I hope Hays writes more books! I would definitely read more.
And the prologue? Damn. Gorgeously written, with a similar feeling to the final pages. Would recommend, I hope Hays writes more books! I would definitely read more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Car accident, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Sexism and Suicide
bessadams's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, and Murder