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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
I wish i knew what the author wanted to do with this book. The plot seems really interesting and there's a lot of potential, and it was definitely an enjoyable read, but once I finished I kind of felt like there hadn't been a point. A lot of stuff happens, and a lot changes, but I don't know if emotionally I felt like we went anywhere. There is a big discussion on fate and fortune telling but it didn't wrap up in a satisfying way.
So, I guess here was my fundamental issue with this book. In the first chapter Ann, a sheltered girl from not a big city, meets the glamorous, rich, smart, beloved Rachel, and looks up to her. I as a reader did not think Rachel was that cool and so I had a hard time emotionally resonating with their bond and with any of Rachel's actions or supposed mystery. And that's a LOT of the plot. I mean, she's just rich. It's not that interesting.
I saw that the author was trying to give Ann a journey, a summer where she finds herself or at least comes out of her shell, and I enjoyed seeing that and watching Ann come into her own. But then I didn't really like the person Ann became and I was almost disappointed in her.
So, I guess here was my fundamental issue with this book. In the first chapter Ann, a sheltered girl from not a big city, meets the glamorous, rich, smart, beloved Rachel, and looks up to her. I as a reader did not think Rachel was that cool and so I had a hard time emotionally resonating with their bond and with any of Rachel's actions or supposed mystery. And that's a LOT of the plot. I mean, she's just rich. It's not that interesting.
I saw that the author was trying to give Ann a journey, a summer where she finds herself or at least comes out of her shell, and I enjoyed seeing that and watching Ann come into her own. But then I didn't really like the person Ann became and I was almost disappointed in her.
3.5
Predictable but it was a book about inescapable fate, so fair play I guess...
Who doesn't enjoy dark academia!?
Predictable but it was a book about inescapable fate, so fair play I guess...
Who doesn't enjoy dark academia!?
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think Hays has a really nice voice and obviously knows a lot about art. She implemented her knowledge in a way that was engaging and not info-dumpy.
I just cannot stand Ann as a main character, she annoyed me so much.
I just cannot stand Ann as a main character, she annoyed me so much.
i found it very boring and everyone was unlikeable
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Cloisters is an interesting but predictable read. A tale of a woman wanting to escape her monotonous life takes a summer position at a museum and gets entangled in a dark search for the first tarot deck and the mysterious lives of the people searching for it.
I believe the book suffers most with underdeveloped and unlikable characters. In a way, all the characters have the same personality traits, just in different sized fonts; secretive, self-centered, aloof, narcissistic, etc. The only character that I liked was Leo, and that's because he was the most straightforward person. Not in a way that he was honest or likeable per se, but in the way that you get what you see with him. Rachel, on the other hand, I nicknamed Red Flag Rachel, as she was the leader in the red flag parade that included the rest of the characters in this book. And I have too many thoughts about Ann to condense in a few sentences, so I'll skip my issues with her for the sake of time.
I also did not like the fact that you could not tell what the plot of the story was meant to be until it was almost over. Was it supposed to be finding the tarot deck, publishing a study,solving a murder , uncovering all the secrets of the Cloisters' staff?
I did enjoy the twists and reveals in the last 5 chapters, but I feel like they could have been foreshadowed better. Or at least been built up sooner than the last 60ish pages; it felt a bit rushed.
Overall a decent read, but with it's faults in mind, I have to rate it 3.5 stars.
I believe the book suffers most with underdeveloped and unlikable characters. In a way, all the characters have the same personality traits, just in different sized fonts; secretive, self-centered, aloof, narcissistic, etc. The only character that I liked was Leo, and that's because he was the most straightforward person. Not in a way that he was honest or likeable per se, but in the way that you get what you see with him. Rachel, on the other hand, I nicknamed Red Flag Rachel, as she was the leader in the red flag parade that included the rest of the characters in this book. And I have too many thoughts about Ann to condense in a few sentences, so I'll skip my issues with her for the sake of time.
I also did not like the fact that you could not tell what the plot of the story was meant to be until it was almost over. Was it supposed to be finding the tarot deck, publishing a study,
I did enjoy the twists and reveals in the last 5 chapters, but I feel like they could have been foreshadowed better. Or at least been built up sooner than the last 60ish pages; it felt a bit rushed.
Overall a decent read, but with it's faults in mind, I have to rate it 3.5 stars.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review of “The Cloisters”
By: Katy Hays
Protagonist, Ann Stillwell, was fresh out of college and had come to New York City for a job as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but instead she was assigned to the Cloisters, a section of the Museum that focused on the occult. She became entangled with the enigmatic group of researchers in the Cloisters who were working on an exhibition based around a rare deck of tarot cards. Ann had to decide if the tarot cards determined her fate, or did she?
The Cloisters was a disappointment for me, because instead of focusing on the tarot cards and if they could predict fate, the story focused on the relationship that Ann was entangled in. I was intrigued by the world of the Cloisters and the world of the occult that Ann was immersed in, but we didn’t get enough of that. The drama of the relationship dynamic between Ann and her associates, especially the character of Rachel, in the cloisters, dominated the plot. I wasn’t uninterested in the drama and was fascinated with how Rachel had a hold on Ann and the others in the cloisters. She was manipulative towards Ann, but she also wanted Ann’s friendship, and she showed a softer side to her personality. Ann as our protagonist wasn’t as interesting, but she was someone who was relatable. She wanted to belong and wanted her independence from her overbearing mother. She tried to escape her grief over her father’s death and the belief that she caused his death, but once she became obsessed with the tarot deck and fate, this idea confirmed that it was her fault that her father was killed and was fate at work. If the story had focused on the possibility of a supernatural element more, it would have been a satisfying story for me, but it was trying too hard to be like other Dark Academia novels and focused too much on the relationship drama.
dark
mysterious
tense
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
slow-paced