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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt like I was not connecting with the book or the characters. Upon reflection, I realize it’s because it slogged along for the first chunk of the book! I was confused if I was meant to believe the tarots had power and it was not made clear Rachel was going to be a villain until deep into the slog of the first half. By then, the book was stem rolling into a Lifetime movie! The word Cloisters was also used far.far.far too much! I am not sure if Leo was meant to be POC, lived in the Bronx so perhaps. If he was meant to be POC then these two white women pinning a murder and him being a thief was very cringe! The surprise Ann ran over her father was a tad absurd. Her reaction throughout the book made no indication of this! By the end of the book, this revelation felt like a soap opera revel without the shocked gasps. It just felt flat! I did like the authors use of imagery in some parts of the book. Overall though this is going into my what did I just read pile!!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Probably the worst book I’ve ever read. Main character was insufferable and boring. Horrendously predictable plot- if you can even call that a plot. 0/10 don’t waste your time.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set in the rarified air of a museum, the reader is drawn into the power politics, obsession, ambition, superstition, and secrecy. The oppressive humidity is a good metaphor for the stormy, dark emotions that relentlessly drive the characters toward violence.
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The way that academia is woven through this novel is incredible. Portrayed so that any reader can enjoy the story and the academic themes and understand both acutely. Amazingly well researched and beautiful in it coherence.
I wanted to love this. I saw a lot of hype & love for it, but it wasn’t for me. It was predictable & also felt a bit like it didn’t have enough to it. I wanted more from it. It felt unfinished, like a first draft.
Horribly pretentious and naïve and evil protagonist paired with caricatures of soulless academics in a setting the author thinks she understands made a book that pissed me the fuck off. Reading that she did the Williams Art History MA and is basing this idea of rare books and archives on being a curator at SFMOMA???? Girl the special collections space is not an underbelly of self centered isolated academics obsessed with discovery, yeah those people exist, but a lot of us are actually trying to do something wholly separate from ourselves and devoid of ambition and WHY do all of these books about archives try to talk about some insidious secret world of dark magic, most of us are NORMAL if not introverted dorks who just love history and actually do have a good community of friends because we are curious about the world and empathetic about community and holy FUCK that pissed me off. If you want to write about the power hungry elites that run art galleries and curate private collections, DO THAT, don’t drag archives into it. And AGAIN if this is FICTION why is it always so motherfucking DARK let’s talk about how bright and wonderful archival discovery can be???? UGH the reveal that she ******* her *** and ****** actually made me throw my arms up in resignation. Sorry Maycee.
Suspend rational thought - for example, who would tote around 500-year-old Tarot cards in their purse? - and it is an enjoyable read.