Just starting this oneβ¦. Trying to catch up on my endless #ARCs ! π€¦ββοΈ
Feeling good about this so farβ¦ Dark Academia is usually totally my thing. π
Ruthiella I‘ve heard good things about this. The premise is intriguing! 3d
The Cloisters | 
Just starting this oneβ¦. Trying to catch up on my endless #ARCs ! π€¦ββοΈ
Feeling good about this so farβ¦ Dark Academia is usually totally my thing. π
so-soThis was an interesting premise and the location draws you in but the story fell a little flat. It was a very slow build and it was obvious early on who killed Patrick. I did like the twist of Ann's reasons for coming to the cloisters. The ending was well done though I had guessed about what might have happened to Rachel. A gothic read. #Netgaley 3*l
Lots more than just one #secret here. Not all littens agree, but I'm enthralled so far. It's so fun to read about places you've been. I'm about halfway through, where Ann & Rachel are at the Morgan #Library. Pics are from my visit last March. #JanuaryJazz #NYC @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pick#ARC #Netgalley #Cloisters
Random words review β Atmospheric, immersive, mesmerising & transporting
Fair warning this is a slow paced character driven story it is not a page turning thriller. This is a book to immerse yourself in and enjoy the scenery as the ride slowly progresses.
Full review here https://thereadersroom.org/2023/01/27/the-cloisters-by-katy-hays/
panOk, I had to put my puppy Jethro to sleep on Sunday and this book was an affront on every aspect of my life.
I was SO excited to read this book, however, the plot was subpar, the characters were obnoxious (not in a good read way), and the dialect felt like if a 3 year old wrote it. Do not recommend 2βοΈ #botm
pickLoved this first novel by Katy Hays. Anne gets an internship at the Met in NYC. She is learning how to live away from home and is immersed in the history of tarot cards. I love that I had to look up items that I didn‘t know and the ending is perfect. Fate and fortune are part of life.
pickThis was a quick, interesting - if not overly complicated - audiobook. The characters weren‘t particularly likable and the main character was surprisingly gullible and went along with more than I would think a supposedly super intelligent person would fall for. However it does have a somewhat unique premise and interesting use of tarot cards and kept me listening until the end. πππ
My sweet friend, thank you for this lovey holiday giftβ¦everything I need to read the fabulous book! Coffee and sugarβ¦.you know me too well. π€£π Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful 2023!
@Chrissyreadit
pickI just finished this dark academia novel and it was a wonderfully crazy ride! There were a few twists I didn't see coming and it was gripping enough that I ended up finishing the audiobook on my couch, because I didn't want to wait until tomorrow.
What other dark academia novels do you love? I'm pretty obsessed with them right now. π₯°
pickMy favorite part of this book was the setting. I‘m intrigued by these gardens specifically maintained to grow and cultivate ancient plants - I didn‘t know that was a thing and I really want to visit this place! The mystery part had some fun twists, too.
pickI really enjoyed this book. It is set at the Cloisters which is part of MOMA, a place I'd love to visit. Ann gets a summer job there where she spends her time researching tarot cards, dating the hot gardener and trying to piece together who murdered her boss.
#WinterReadathon @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader #Booked2022 #DarkAcademia @Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage #WinterCosy @PuddleJumper #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
pickI struggled to get into this book but I kept pushing and managed to finish it. I did enjoy the book once it got my attention and the ending did make up for the struggle at the beginning.
panI LOVE dark academia with my whole heart. Sadly, if I had to pick a most disappointing, most anticipated book off of my list, this would be it. While it is DA, whoever decided to compare it to The Secret History and Ninth House should be fired. I felt like there wasn't adequate character development to explain the motives of the characters. Overall, it just fell flat. ββπ«
pickβοΈβοΈβοΈπ«
With a great setting and exquisite vibes, this slow burner (but maybe a little too slow?) assesses ambition, privilege, and fate vs. free will. It definitely has intriguing elements, but it‘s not a βnewβ story - I wasn‘t really surprised by the direction it took. I also wish some aspects had been developed more. #BOTM
I‘m nerd‘ing out tonight. I treated myself with a ticket to βCocktails and Conversationβ - a Read with Jenna event. It includes an interview with the author of The Cloisters, a cocktail tutorial, a tarot card reading, and small group book discussions. This whole event is just bringing me such joy. π€β€οΈπ
Jenna‘s production company will be making a tv show based on the book. Wahoo!
pickThis is a wicked, ingenious, and deliciously shocking ride of a story. Great characterizations and and absolutely awful/wonderful/crazy plot. #DarkAcademia at its best. So, so good!
pickThis was an interesting take on a coming off she story in The Big Apple ππ I liked it because it was reminiscent of Sweet Bitter only with a gothic spin. It was definitely not a typical thriller but I liked the premise. I want fully engaged in the book though, distracted by Thanksgiving.
Well, I'm a thriller kind of girl but I do love literary fiction as well so I'm going to give this a try. I was reading Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six and it did not keep my attention at all which is strange because it's my normal do to. I also have The Last Party on my audiobook shelve (Libby) and I could barely understand what was being says.. so all in all a bad week for some big name books for me. Hopefully this one will hit the holiday spot!
pickβοΈ βοΈ βοΈ.5 Can we talk about that book cover? π This book is about secrets, ancient diviniation, free will, and fate. Set within the real-life Medieval museum, The Cloisters, this book has a captivating gothic essence thatβll keep fans of a dark academia aesthetic turning the page. If you enjoy mysteries, art museums, and gothic settings, I recommend this book for you. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61054804
pickThis is a decent first novel, but not what I was expecting. This is touted as a thriller, but it really just reads as a mystery with a bit of an occult undertone. Tarot cards feature in this novel, but something else could have been substituted and it still would have been a fine mystery. I loved the descriptions of the museums and their artifacts and the descriptions of New York City, as well. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects 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 medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ Very intriguing!!!
panReminded me of The Cartographers.
Interesting idea. But actually meh!
There is so much author-splaining that plot and characters take a backseat for most of the book.
so-soWas in the mood for dark academia. Unreliable narrator, can see ending coming a mile away. Saving it were descriptions of NYC, the excitement of a newcomer fresh in the city, and the Cloisters itself as well as a tarot card chart appendix. Meh.
so-soAnd. If the Morgan Library Symposium was titled 'Divination in Early Modern Europe,' then doesn't that imply that the existence of divination practices had been verified? And, coupled with the 1442 manuscript, put tarot in that category?
I feel like I'm missing something.
so-soOk, halfway in, maybe this will shake out. But. They want to find proof that tarot decks were used for divination in the 15th century, right (p 67)? Ok, they're trying to prove tarot wasn't just a game that became associated with the occult later.
But then, she says that the earliest reference to cards being used for divination was in 1442 in Ferrara (p 112).
So haven't they already found proof? Aren't they just looking for corroboration? Help?
bailedI made it to 50% and just couldn‘t go onβ¦it was so booooring. Other reviews I read basically let me know there was nothing dark and spooky comingβ¦so I bailed.
Also, I am seriously obsessed with this book. OBSESSED! ππ The dark academia vibes are fantastic! I used to visit The Cloisters on my NYC trips when I lived in NJ. So it could be that my love for that museum is influencing my obsession with this book! π #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #rumpel
My Book of the Month box has officially arrived! πππ Pretty much dropping everything to start The Cloisters! ππ #botm
pickThis is a dark academia debut novel set in a real museum in NYC and although it is set in present day it has Gothic undertones. I enjoyed it and in particular loved the thought provoking ending and the moral questions it posed. The plot revolves around the search for historical tarot cards and and the parts about the cards themselves had me wishing wishing for illustrations...especially as the book cover is beautiful. A great debut novel. 3.75
bailedI just couldn‘t get into this one. Maybe if I had visited The Cloisters in New York it would have been more interesting
pickI have never been to NYC. Which is insane since I‘ve been to every state in the union but Alaska and I‘ve been all over Europe. Anyhow this story is set in NYC and The Cloisters. I now want to visit both. This was such a great story but I did take exception to how they translated some of the tarot cards. Otherwise βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
Can't wait to read this one; just announced today as Jenna's #bookclub pick. Reposting this college of the Cloisters from a past visit, originally posted 6 years ago when I first became a #litten. What a joy to scroll through old postings and reminisce about special books and this special community of readers. Thank you all. #NYC
The November Book of the Month choices are up! πππ What is everyone getting? This is one of the rare months where I am more excited for the add ons than the regular choices! I'm especially hyped for The Cloisters! ππ
November #BOTM picks!
I‘m always a sucker for stories of sisterhood, so I had to choose The Wilderwomen as my main pick. Although, honestly, I‘m more excited for my birthday add-on The Cloisters (the blurb is giving me Dark Academia vibes).
Book Mail! Received the ARC for this one today. Being a NYOONY (New Yorker Outside Of New York) the title alone had me curious. I‘m sure by the end of this one, I‘ll be well & truly home sick.
