The Cloisters': Renaissance magic, dark academia mingle in debut

The Cloisters': Renaissance magic, dark academia mingle in debutDebut author Katy Hays's The Cloisters' is a noir novel exploring the power of history and the dark side of academia.

by Carmen Coetsee

20-02-2023 16:24

in Books

The Cloisters' is a debut novel from Katy Hays. Image via Twitter @izzieghaffari.

Debut author Katy Hays has entered the book world with a bang with the release of her first novel, The Cloisters. Mixing history, magic and dark academia, Hays captivates with a thrilling story about the power of the past.

--

The novel is set in New York, at the intriguing museum called The Cloisters. The museum the novel is named after actually exists and houses The Metropolitan Museum's impressive collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

Set against the backdrop of this gothic museum, The Cloisters explores the dark underbelly of academia, making this novel perfect for fans of the dark academia theme!

CHECK THIS OUT: BOOK QUIZ: 2023's most anticipated books - WIN R500 vouchers!

--

THE CLOISTERS': DEBUT NOVEL HAS SOME HITS AND MISSES Image via Twitter @BookPageTurner. This debut novel is a bit of a mixed bag. Some elements of The Cloisters are intriguing, while others fall a bit flat.

First, the positives; the setting of this novel is just sublime. As a fan of gothic architecture, Hays' descriptions of The Cloisters were wonderful. The reader was transported to the dark hallways of this incredible museum. The Cloisters centres around history, dark magic and the dangerous side of academia. Readers who enjoy dark academia themes in their reading, will love this novel.

Towards the end of the novel, a delicious murder mystery creeps out. Even though this mystery appears a little too late in the story for me, it was a fun and intriguing twist.

--

Power, obsession and dark academia converge in this outstanding debut from @heykatyhays, perfect for fans of The Secret History.

Coming January 2023. If death was in the cards, would you want to know?

Pre-order #TheCloisters here: https://t.co/SRRM8H2o8l pic.twitter.com/63QT2Hjz56

Transworld Books (@TransworldBooks) December 19, 2022

Even though this novel does get some things right, there are also things that didn't work in this novel. The characters are all a bit flat. Our main character, Ann Stilwell, and most of the other characters, are very one-dimensional. They don't match the complexity of the setting or the plot. Because of this, the story drags. I agree with many readers online who said that this book is very slow and the twist at the end cannot make up for the pace.

There are also many elements in the novel which are hinted at but never explored. This leaves the reader with many questions and gives the story a few plot holes.

So, even though this novel has some hits and misses, I still think it is worth reading if you are a lover of dark academia and beautiful descriptions.

SYNOPSIS THE CLOISTERS' What starts out as a story in the scholarly setting of the medieval art collection at the Cloisters Museum in New York, becomes a genre-bending mix of academic obsession, ancient darkness, and human frailties in this impressively unputdownable debut Amazon Book Review pic.twitter.com/6dTlqHx3XF

@PenguinBooksSA (@PenguinBooksSA) February 12, 2023

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.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers' more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

ALSO READ: Silence of the Shadows': SA author wins esteemed literary prize

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Katy Hays is a Californian, writer, and cake aficionado. In addition to writing, Hays works as an adjunct Art History Professor teaching rural students from Truckee to Tecopa.

She holds an MA in Art History from Williams College and pursued her PhD in Art History at UC Berkeley. Her academic writing has been published by Ashgate, an imprint of Routledge.

When not writing, Katy is a skier, cyclist, trail runner, and-well, reader. The Cloisters is her first novel.

The Cloisters is published by Transworld Publishers and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R306.

Are you a true House of Zwide' soapie superfan? Take part in our quiz and WIN R1 000 in cash!

LINK:	https://www.thesouthafrican.com/culture/books/book-review-debut-novel-...
	See more stories from thesouthafrican

Most recent headlines