Many thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Katy Hays for the advanced copy of The Cloisters via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

I was drawn in by the absolutely beautiful cover of The Cloisters and the dark, atmospheric promises of the synopsis.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the book itself.

It was very obvious that the academic content of the book is something close to the author’s heart, and something they wanted to share with the world. However, it was not shared in a terribly gripping way and lead to me skim-reading at times.

The promises of academic obsession, sinister atmospheres and sexual tension fell flat for me. The academic interests were tedious, the atmospheres were repetitive and the sexual contents were awkward. The male love interest was awkward and the other possible sexual tension character…was that sexual tension? It certainly did not strike me as such.

Overall, unfortunately the book fell flat for me. Even the ‘ah ha’ moment didn’t inspire me and it’s not left any imprint on my brain at all, which has saddened me, as I had such high hopes for it!

Moods: dark, mysterious, reflective
Pace: slow-medium
Character development: weak
Plot or character driven: plot
Diversity: low
Trigger warnings: Abusive relationship, Alcohol/drug abuse, Death, Death of a family member, Mental Illness, Murder, Poisoning, Suicide
Rating: 3/5

'The Cloisters' starts as pretentious as I expect from a dark academia novel and I like the writing style. Sadly the book has some flaws, that hindered my enjoyment. Although the particular eras of art history are obviously well researched, they are often presented from one character in an info dump, instead of an organic discussion.
It's also not clear what draws the main character into Patrick and Rachel. Supposedly they're all charismatic, but we don't ever see them being that. Conversations are skipped, bonding time is skipped.
Besides the setting and the aspects of grief, which I really enjoyed, there's nothing pulling me into the story. The main character is so bland, none of the intrigue transfers to the reader and I struggled to get even 30 percent in. Overall just not enough character work, not enough academia for my taste.

I can't rate this book higher than five stars, which is a damn shame. Dark, gripping, and ridiculously readable - this is a The Secret History for the 2020s, delving into the world of academia and exploring the history of fortune telling. Utterly brilliant

This was a wild ride and I LOVED IT. Twisty, so full of vivid architectural, historical and artistic imagery it delivered on every level. I loved the depiction of New York and the clever pacing. A brilliant novel.

I couldnt put this book down and read it in one sitting. I loved it it was deliciously dark and so well written. I loved the front cover too.

"We are, you see, both masters of our fate and at the mercy of the Moirai— the three Fates who weave our futures and cut them short."

The Cloisters is the dark academia I've been longing for!

It is beautifully written and thrillingly paced. I felt the tension and claustrophobia from start to finish like I was there myself, walking under the gothic arches of The Cloisters. Ann's obsession became my obsession. I desperately wanted to be a part of their candlelit tarot readings and get lost in the belief that our fates are written in the stars.

I also loved how at the end of the book there's a guide to reading tarot. I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy upon release!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I felt sure I was going to really like this.
Drawn in by the cover and sticking around for the tarot, tense relationships, and the claustrophobic Cloisters.
It fell a bit flat for me.
There were chapters I thought great, others just dragged.
Unfortunately though, it went exactly as I thought it would, so held few surprises.
Never the less, the world of the Cloisters itself was somewhere I'd love to go again.
A setting I'd happily read about again