📚 Book Details
Title: The Cloisters
Author: Katy Hays
Series: Standalone
Format Read: Physical + Audiobook
Genre: Dark Academia • Literary Fiction • Mystery
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Spice Rating: 🫑
See my ⭐ & 🌶️ rating system here →
CW/TW Warning: death, murder, alcohol use, drug use, manipulation, and emotional isolation.
→ For a full list of content warnings, click here.
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📖 Book Synopsis
When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she hopes to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.
There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, including Patrick Roland, the museum’s mercurial curator who specializes in the history of tarot; Rachel Mondray, Patrick’s beautiful curatorial associate and sometime muse; and Leo Bitburg, the gardener who nurtures the museum’s precious collection of medicinal and poison plants.
Relieved to have left her troubled past in rural Washington behind her, Ann longs for the approbation of her colleagues and peers and is happy to indulge their more outlandish theories, only to find that their fascination with fortune-telling runs deeper than academic obsession. Patrick is determined to prove that ancient divination holds the key to the foretelling of the future. And when Ann stumbles across a breakthrough in the form of a mysterious and previously-believed lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.
Then there is an unexpected and devastating death, and suddenly everyone becomes a suspect. As the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide if the tarot cards can not only teach her about the past, but also about her future.
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🔥 Story Summary (Spoiler-Free)
At its core, The Cloisters is a slow-burn descent into ambition, belonging, and the quiet dangers of wanting something too badly. Set almost entirely within the shadowy, ivy-covered halls of The Cloisters museum, the story follows Ann as she navigates academic hierarchies, fragile friendships, and a growing obsession with tarot and fate.
This isn’t a fast-paced thriller — it’s atmospheric, introspective, and deliberately uneasy. The tension comes from what’s unsaid, what’s implied, and what Ann slowly realises about herself and the people she’s chosen to trust.
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💬 My Review
This book had been rotting peacefully on my TBR for nearly two years. So when my Wheel of Books (yes, that post iscoming, I swear) picked it, I sighed, committed, and said “let’s do this.”
And honestly?
Surprisingly good.
For a no-spice book, I stayed intrigued the entire time. Tarot + dark academia is such an unusual combo, and it worked way better than I expected. It actually made me want to look into tarot myself — which says a lot.
Ann’s character growth was one of my favourite parts. Watching her slowly come out of her shell, gain confidence, and realise she does belong — while also being manipulated — felt painfully real.
Rachel? 🚩🚩🚩
Could not work out her angle the entire time. Every scene with her had me second-guessing everything.
And Leo — the moody, slightly douchey museum gardener who’s not directly involved… yet absolutely is?
Classic.
But the ending though — that final twist?
I genuinely did not see it coming.
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🎧 Narrators (Audiobook Section)
Narrator: Emily Tremaine
Emily Tremaine was perfect as Ann. She captured Ann’s insecurity, curiosity, and slow unraveling beautifully. You can feel every moment of self-doubt, discovery, and tension through her performance, which made the audiobook especially immersive.
This is one of those books where the audiobook genuinely elevates the experience.
✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧
💗 Tropes, Vibes & Favourite Quote
Tropes:
- Dark Academia
- Academic Elitism
- Female Friendship (but make it toxic)
- Grief & Identity
- Obsession with Knowledge
- Tarot & Mysticism
Vibes:
🕯️ Moody & Atmospheric • 🃏 Tarot-Infused Mystery • 🖤 Quietly Unsettling • 📚 Scholarly & Introspective • 🍷 Rich People With Secrets
Favourite Quote:
“What if our whole life—how we live and die—has already been decided for us? Would you want to know, if a roll of the dice or a deal of the cards could tell you the outcome? Can life be that thin, that disturbing?”
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✨Fun Aesthetics
📸 AI Realistic Polaroid:
🎧 Spotify Playlist
📌 Pinterest Board:
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👍 Would I Recommend It?
YeYes — but to the right reader.
If you love:
- Slow-burn dark academia
- Psychological tension over action
- Introspective female leads
- Books that feel like an experience
This one’s for you.
If you want fast pacing or romance-heavy plots, this probably isn’t your vibe.
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💬 Final Thoughts + Come Chat
This was one of those reads that surprised me in the best way. Quietly creepy, intellectually intriguing, and emotionally layered — with a final twist that made me sit there like “…oh.”
If you’ve read this one, I NEED to know:
- Did you trust Rachel at any point?
- And did that ending hit you sideways too?
Come scream with me in the comments. 🫶📚
The Reading Nook 