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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Very, very underwhelming. The characters were so flat. The dialogue clunky. For the first half of the book I struggled to figure out what the plot was. The descriptions of New York and its neighborhoods were so cliche, for example the first time the main character visits the Bronx: "It was my first trip to the Bronx, and it was vibrant and loud - car stereos and music spilling out of bodegas, people on stoops laughing and playing music of their own, a cacophony or a symphony, I couldn't decide." [p115].
By the time the plot started in the second half, the main character's choices made no sense at all. None of the characters reacted to things the way real humans would react..
In the last third the book turned into a sort of thriller style whodunnit? Except that the person who did it was revealed by another character immediately, so the last section of the book was just the main character not believing it until she eventually did.
By the time the plot started in the second half, the main character's choices made no sense at all. None of the characters reacted to things the way real humans would react.
Spoiler
Near the end of the story, she has been in a relationship with Leo (the sexy gardener from the Bronx) for the majority of the book. She figured out that he stole a figurine from the cloisters so she IMMEDIATELY reports him to the police even though she knows it will make him a primary suspect in a murder investigation. Then afterwards she talks to him and is basically "Oops sorry, I don't think you did it after all."In the last third the book turned into a sort of thriller style whodunnit? Except that the person who did it was revealed by another character immediately, so the last section of the book was just the main character not believing it until she eventually did.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book should be called a slow-burn thriller because from the moment you step foot in the Cloisters with Ann, you feel the secrets bubbling up. The past haunts every corner, and the chess game being played is almost completely unseen until you realize someone has called out “Check.” I am amazed by the story Katy Hays told within these pages while also giving a complete history of the power of tarot. I so enjoyed it, and I kind of wish I could read it for the first time again.
medium-paced
Enjoyed the atmosphere, the characters, the plot, the twists! There were times I questioned if the FMC was going to be more of main character in her life and was glad when she took more charge.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fairly conflicted feelings about this one. On the one hand, as an academic who is obsessed with literally a whole bunch of the history described in this book, I loved it. On the other, the plot felt stunted and slow at times but too fast at others.
I love myself a dark academia book and the setting being the Met Cloisters in New York City was *chef’s kiss.* I also loved the tarot card aspect, though I thought it could have been taken further.
What bothered me the most was the pacing. The book is short and covers a whole summer and each scene they cover is very in depth but then it fast forwards weeks ahead and it feels like we miss a whole bunch of character and plot development that could’ve made the story much more dynamic and full-bodied.
The climax was also comically dramatic when it wasn’t supposed to be and then simply skipped over the second half of the scene. The author instead opts to retrospectively fill us in on what happened and it made the ending just…lukewarm. However, there was a twist that made me gasp and I should’ve seen it coming.
Mostly, a mixed bag of history an wannabe thriller.
I love myself a dark academia book and the setting being the Met Cloisters in New York City was *chef’s kiss.* I also loved the tarot card aspect, though I thought it could have been taken further.
What bothered me the most was the pacing. The book is short and covers a whole summer and each scene they cover is very in depth but then it fast forwards weeks ahead and it feels like we miss a whole bunch of character and plot development that could’ve made the story much more dynamic and full-bodied.
The climax was also comically dramatic when it wasn’t supposed to be and then simply skipped over the second half of the scene. The author instead opts to retrospectively fill us in on what happened and it made the ending just…lukewarm. However, there was a twist that made me gasp and I should’ve seen it coming.
Mostly, a mixed bag of history an wannabe thriller.
This was INCREDIBLE!
It all felt so dark and atmospheric, almost hypnotiisng in the way it completely pulls you in. The entire mystical, oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere worked so well with the setting, and all the characters were so well fleshed out and developed.
It could be a bit slow but in a great way, you needed to be absorbed in it. I do think the end was a bit... over the top at points but still not enough to diminish how much I enjoyed this.
It all felt so dark and atmospheric, almost hypnotiisng in the way it completely pulls you in. The entire mystical, oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere worked so well with the setting, and all the characters were so well fleshed out and developed.
It could be a bit slow but in a great way, you needed to be absorbed in it. I do think the end was a bit... over the top at points but still not enough to diminish how much I enjoyed this.
i wanted to love this one because the concept was so interesting, but it fell flat for me. i just felt like i was missing something the entire time i was reading this and i didn’t really like how the reveals were done. this one DRAGGED on for me during the middle portion of it. it was a quick read though.
The Cloisters is a mystery novel that is written with such flair and finesse. The location is an open door into another world.
The Cloisters is a fantastical story set in magical location. There was so much that I loved about this story. Museums have always held that intrigue for me. It’s the only place that you truly feel as though you are walking through the hallways of time. Beautiful jewels to the right, ancient fossils to the left. It’s a place where your imagination can run wild and I definitely got that feeling whilst reading The Cloisters. The cover is absolutely stunning and upon reading the blurb I knew this was a story that deserved my full attention. History and tarot cards. So many questions flying through my head, what’s the connection and what kind of journey is it going to take us on?
So tell me, just who wouldn’t take the chance to work in a beautiful location trying to decipher the code that is a 15th century deck of tarot cards that may just hold clues to predicting the future?
Ann Stilwell escapes her hometown of Walla Walla to work as a curative associate in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Somehow her position doesn’t materialise but ends up working within The Cloisters under curator, Patrick. It isn’t what she initially signed up for but she’s happy there’s something for her because she does not want to go back to her insignificant life back home. Her father passed away a year ago and her mother isn’t doing very well. It’s suffocating to Ann, and she just needs the distance. Her mother is clingy and overanxious about her being in New York. She can’t deal with it.
Whilst working at The Cloisters she is introduced to Rachel, an IT rich girl that seems to have it all, including a strange obsession with Ann. She immediately wants to be her friend, or does she? Her motivations always came across as odd, she reminded me of ivy that clings to the walls for way too long, once its there its almost impossible to break free. Ann also strikes up a relationship with the edgy gardener who really has a penchant of poisonous plants. He’s everything she isn’t and isn’t the type of boy that she’s used to. He’s dangerous and there’s always an air of mystery, and what’s with his strange relationship with Rachel? I had lots of questions by this point and my head was going in a certain direction, it turns out I was right.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and is a format that I’ve enjoyed in the past, however, I just didn’t feel like there was any element of surprise. I had worked out what was going on from about 50% through. There was no intake of breath, no shock factor that made me absolutely love it. I ended up just feeling that it was a good story but lacking in the things that make a good story an amazing one. I loved the atmosphere, the morally grey characters and interesting tropes but the lack of mystery as it were was disappointing.
The Cloisters is a fantastical story set in magical location. There was so much that I loved about this story. Museums have always held that intrigue for me. It’s the only place that you truly feel as though you are walking through the hallways of time. Beautiful jewels to the right, ancient fossils to the left. It’s a place where your imagination can run wild and I definitely got that feeling whilst reading The Cloisters. The cover is absolutely stunning and upon reading the blurb I knew this was a story that deserved my full attention. History and tarot cards. So many questions flying through my head, what’s the connection and what kind of journey is it going to take us on?
So tell me, just who wouldn’t take the chance to work in a beautiful location trying to decipher the code that is a 15th century deck of tarot cards that may just hold clues to predicting the future?
Ann Stilwell escapes her hometown of Walla Walla to work as a curative associate in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Somehow her position doesn’t materialise but ends up working within The Cloisters under curator, Patrick. It isn’t what she initially signed up for but she’s happy there’s something for her because she does not want to go back to her insignificant life back home. Her father passed away a year ago and her mother isn’t doing very well. It’s suffocating to Ann, and she just needs the distance. Her mother is clingy and overanxious about her being in New York. She can’t deal with it.
Whilst working at The Cloisters she is introduced to Rachel, an IT rich girl that seems to have it all, including a strange obsession with Ann. She immediately wants to be her friend, or does she? Her motivations always came across as odd, she reminded me of ivy that clings to the walls for way too long, once its there its almost impossible to break free. Ann also strikes up a relationship with the edgy gardener who really has a penchant of poisonous plants. He’s everything she isn’t and isn’t the type of boy that she’s used to. He’s dangerous and there’s always an air of mystery, and what’s with his strange relationship with Rachel? I had lots of questions by this point and my head was going in a certain direction, it turns out I was right.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and is a format that I’ve enjoyed in the past, however, I just didn’t feel like there was any element of surprise. I had worked out what was going on from about 50% through. There was no intake of breath, no shock factor that made me absolutely love it. I ended up just feeling that it was a good story but lacking in the things that make a good story an amazing one. I loved the atmosphere, the morally grey characters and interesting tropes but the lack of mystery as it were was disappointing.