The Cloisters is the dark academic fantasy debut from author Katy Hays. Released 1st Nov 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in July 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats. It's especially handy in this case for finding character and historical artist/artwork names quickly in the text.

This was definitely one of the "it" books for 2022, and it is a compelling and interestingly complex story. Real places and actual historical events provide the scaffolding for a story of fantasy, conspiracy, and paranormal inescapable dark fate. The whole narrative has a distinctly edgy Gothic vibe and readers will find themselves tensing up for jump scares which mostly don't materialize.

The character driven narrative is meticulously and lushly imagined, and more impatient readers (who aren't art history nerds already) will want to bring copious amounts of patience, or resign themselves to slogging through the minutiae including botany, art history, tarot, and the intrigues inherent to medieval and renaissance court life.

The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 10 hours and 16 minutes and is well narrated by Emily Tremaine. She has a neutral East Coast US accent and is easy to listen to. There are some slight difficulties with the broad range of non-US accents of some of the academic characters, but overall, she does a good job with both male and female characters of a variety of ages. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four stars, for readers who enjoy labyrinthine stories.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I chose to read The Cloisters by Katy Hays for three reasons. First, when we travel through NYC we avoid traffic by going up the other side of the Hudson River. From one of the lookouts there is a plaque that lists the sights that are visible across the river and The Cloisters was one of them. Next, the book description mentioned that Tarot cards were going to play a part in the plot. Lastly, the plot sounded like it would be a suspense story with maybe an occult-ish vibe.

It turned out to meet my expectations. I learned a lot about The Cloisters and I've added a link to the site of this museum for those who might want to check it out if they get in the area. Tarot cards are one of the major plot drivers the other threads wind around. As to the occult magical aspect, I never could quite decide just how real it was supposed to be taken since it fed the plot but was never clearly real or imaginary to the characters.

The story is from the point of view of Ann Stilwell, who managed to get an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She hoped she could do well enough to get recommendations to get into a good graduate program. Since the college she attended was a small local liberal arts school with a decent reputation she hope this summer placement would give her a chance. However, she arrived in New York City, moved into her apartment, reported for orientation, and learned the position was no longer available. Luckily, she was picked up to work at The Cloisters on a research project that was related to her studies. It seemed almost too good to be true. From her first day at The Cloisters, she can't believe her good luck. This was exactly the type of work she always wanted to do.

However, it doesn't take long for readers to get the feeling that things are not quite as they seem, even though we're going on Ann's thoughts. Ann feels she is finally in control of her life but, even looking at it from her view, it seems she's being manipulated to some degree—or maybe this reviewer is overly suspicious.

The plotting is very tight and information seems to be all out in the open but over and over there are twists that change the whole way the events and people should be viewed. Who can Ann trust? Can we, the reader, trust Ann? What is going on? Or, is everything just as it is portrayed? The author even pulls the rug out from under the reader in the last chapter—so do not ever look ahead.

I haven't read such a twisty, convoluted, and engrossing story in a while. Things move a bit slowly at first setting it all up but then things get very interesting.

An eery, mystical story that had me intrigued from the first chapter, The Cloisters is a gripping story that will have you turning the pages just to see what happens.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katy Hays is a startlingly brilliant writer with an impressive command of numerous Classical languages and a seemingly unlimited knowledge of arts and antiquities throughout the Ages.

As one intrigued with history—especially Renaissance, Medieval and earlier; as well as all things esoteric and mythological, her debut novel, “The Cloisters,” a contemporary fiction set primarily in NYC’s famous museum of the same name, kept me spellbound from page one.

It’s a mystery about obscure Italian Tarot cards dating from the 1400s and the academic debate regarding the origins of Tarot and this specific deck in particular.

The academic controversy surrounding Tarot is in its original purposes. Were the decorative cards designed just for card games? Or were The Tarot Decks purposely created for divination? If so, did the Face Cards of the Major Arcana represent very specific things for a reason? These and other scholarly facts on the subject are woven seamlessly throughout the novel.

All of these ideas are founded in the historical record, and are truly fascinating for history buffs, theologians, linguists, antiquarians, art enthusiasts, astrologers and of course, Tarot readers.


✳️ IN ADDITION FOR TAROT ENTHUSIASTS:

Hays graciously includes at the end of “The Cloisters,” spreadsheet graphs with the 15th C. Italian Ferrara Deck Interpretations for the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana (both upright and reversed readings).

TheBookMaven

Story about girl who get a lifetime oppertunity to work in elite museum in NYC. This museum is not like any other it is full of tarot cards and spirituality. When you play with spirits they might get you or if you dont beiliev in it evil people will get you

3 stars

This book had so much promise especially because I love and fiend over dark academia and I was frankly just disappointed. It was too pretentious about itself but not in a critical and interesting way unfortunately. It was also SO slow and I really disliked the main character. Please get Ann away from Leo I'm begging. I think this would have been better if it had been more focused on the library.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Really enjoyed this novel. Story was very interesting and engaging. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Highly recommend!

A glorious slow burn of a novel, ‘The Cloisters’ by Katy Hays had me from the first page. Viscerally atmospheric with Dark Academia vibes, this story was thrilling, twisty, and full of mystery. I loved it. Highly recommend!

Although I tend to love academic settings, I had a hard time getting into this one. It’s more of a slow burn mystery, which I do not prefer. It did pick up once the book continued on. This was just okay for me.

I did not finish reading this book. I was almost 50% through and couldn’t get interested in the plot. Nothing much seemed to be happening and I found it boring . I appreciate the advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley.

The Cloisters is often compared to The Secret History, and I get that; there are many similarities. However, in my opinion, The Cloisters is a superior read. The characters are more developed and I felt like the story moved along at a much better pace.

I loved all of the gothic-y vibes and the sneaky way Hays educated us without it feeling like you were being taught something you didn't know.

I would highly recommend this book

I was destined to love this book because the Cloisters is one of my top five places I ever visited. I enjoyed the gothic feel of the book and I can tell the author is a natural storyteller. There were some parts that did drag, but I think a slow pace works for this type of mystery. The art history tie-ins were among my favorite parts and I was more into that aspect than the characterizations. I think fans of The Secret History would really enjoy this one.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I picked it because I have an interest in tarot, so that drew me in. I found the characters a bit flat, and the location the same. I loved the role of tarot and the reference to art history though. this really reads like a first novel to me, but if she writes more, I will definitely give another book a chance. This seems rather "surface level" but I believe depth will come with more experience writing.

The Cloisters was a really well done novel filled with all the drama and intrigue you'd expect to surround a Gothic Musuem.


Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This book was great to read and very atmospheric. It follows a recent college grad, Ann, who gets an internship at the MET. However, due to a glitch in which she almost has to go home, Ann ends up working at the Cloisters and studying tarot instead. The book is tense, dark, and you can't trust anyone. If you like dark academia, you'll love this!

This dark academia book follows Ann Stillwell who begins a summer apprenticeship at The Cloisters, a museum that houses medieval and Renaissance era art and manuscripts in New York City. Ann quickly becomes embroiled in a dark and mysterious game being played out by other employees of the museum.
I had a very hard time getting drawn into this story and typically I would have moved on without finishing it. While it was very atmospheric and I enjoyed the descriptions of The Cloisters, I found the plot dragged a bit and I didn’t connect with Ann very much.

Atmospheric, dark, and twisty. This was such a fun read, especially if you're as obsessed with tarot as I am. Bonus points if you've ever spent any time at the actual Cloisters Museum in Manhattan.

Are our lives predetermined by fate or are we in control? Ann gets a job as a summer intern in the research department of The Cloisters, a historic museum, working with the curator on his research of tarot cards. Originally a sceptic, she quickly becomes engrossed with the work. But will her life be determined by the cards she reads for herself or is everything a result of the actions she's taken in her life that brought her to this place. An interesting concept and question.

This book’s setting and mystery were so fun! I loved getting into the art world and a unique look at the darker side of this industry.

The Cloisters is one of those dark academia books that is currently all the rage. Add in the gothic vibes, plants, New York, and the MET, and it’s definitely got my attention. The only issue is I struggled to keep my attention focused on the storyline, and in the end I just felt it wasn’t for me.