Reviews - The Cloisters | The StoryGraph

5.95k reviews for:

The Cloisters

Katy Hays

3.34 AVERAGE

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

2.75

mysterious 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

A very weird book, which is normally a good thing for me but I think for this one it more just felt like it wasn't sure what it wanted to be and ended up being oddly jarring.

The Cloisters follows our MC Ann as she gets a job working at the Cloisters in New York, and gets drawn into the world of tarot. This started off very literary and atmospheric, a rich gothic setting and hints of fantasy with the tarot elements. I was expecting it to develop into a more gothic fantasy type story which didn't really happen, it didn't really develop into anything until our first plot point kicks in about 70% through. I'm not totally against low-plot books but this one tried to jam all its plot in the last chunk in a way that didn't really match the tone of the setup.

It felt a bit like the author had an idea for a summer thriller, but this wasn't enough for a full novel so she took another idea of this rich gothic setting and just merged them together. There are some connecting themes of fate and academia, but the tarot element felt a little underdeveloped and it just felt quite inconsistent.

I did enjoy quite a lot of this book: the atmosphere in the setup is very impressive and immersive, and when the mystery plot element finally kicked in that was initially very compelling. But my overall feeling I'm coming away with is disappointment a a tinge of irritation.

If you're a big fan of the Secret History and want another summer thriller crossed with dark academia, you might really like this, but be prepared for a lot of setup and a slightly disjointed plot.

Content Warnings

sofiamey's review against another edition

1.0

dark mysterious slow-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: Complicated

kitkatpanicattack's review against another edition

3.0

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

I would like to thank my AP Art History course from senior year of high school for helping me understand all the artistic terms. I would also like to thank my religious upbringing for my lack of knowledge and belief surrounding tarot cards.

vidalikestoread's review against another edition

No idea how to feel about this book. 3 stars feels right, not a fantastic book, not an awful book, somewhere in the middle. I would read another book from this author.