A review by foursythia
The Cloisters by Katy Hays

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-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

3.5

3.5 stars rounded down. This was my last year's top anticipated list, but perhaps also because of that expectation, I feel let down? 

Personally I find that the plot, the twist, the character arc and the conflict has been a bit overdone for the genre already:

pretentious art circles, murder, unhinged character spiraling down their own darkness

, that is. It felt like the main/sole plus point of this book was the setting & its descriptions of it: the world of arts, beautiful medieval period of it, The Cloisters museum (I had fun diving into Youtube to see the real museum & get a sense of the vibes & how the real thing looks like), and tarot. Speaking of which, I think there's a lot more to dig & to use from tarot & the occultism part of it all to deepen the plot, or make it more.. enigmatic or intriguing. I felt like it barely scratch the surface & be left at that. Aside from that, I feel like it doesn't add much. The character writing & development could be less typical for my liking.

I'm not a big enough fan of plot twists to care how writers devise it and yet I still find it bit too comfortably predictable; so if that matters to you... this might not work. It is quite an enjoyable read though, I think you'd enjoy it more if you're just looking for good time.