The Cloisters by Katy Hays









The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Submitted by Heather Groom Branch Manager for Sullivan Gardens Public Library

    Katy Hays delivers a genre bending debut with The Cloisters. Hays takes on the classic moral conundrum: are our fates laid out before us, or can our destinies be changed by our choices? She doesn't split hairs with philosophical rhetoric, but packs in a heady combination of magic and legend to fortify this explosive story.

    Ann Stilwell arrives at the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art with the intentions of diving into her work and putting her past behind her. Upon arrival, she is transferred to "The Cloisters", a Gothic museum and garden full of lush flora and medieval art. Her co workers are Patrick, the curator specializing in, of all things, the history of tarot. Rachel Mondray is the museum's curatorial associate and Leo Bitburg is caretaker and cultivator of poisonous plants. Surrounded by this quirky, eccentric cast of characters, Ann plunges head long into their controversial theories. Interest turns into obsession when Ann breaks a cryptic code in a 15th century deck of tarot cards, and Patrick becomes adamant that he can prove his theory that medieval tarot can accurately predict the future. Ann is along for a wild, twisted ride, and she is the only one that can change her destiny.

    Dark Academia collides beautifully with Magical Realism in this non stop book. Hays has done intricate research on art, history and arcane magic but this novel is never dry and never reads like a textbook. She cultivates the presence of the environment with breathtaking accuracy. Her M.A. in Art History brings refreshing knowledge about her subject matter but the prose like quality of her writing brings the reader out of reality and into the magical space in which she is creating. It's hard to believe that this is Hays first book. Fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Penner and Rachel Hawkins will love this magical mystery penned by an exciting debut author!

The Cloisters can be checked out at Sullivan County Public Library.
Also request this title on Libby or Hoopla!




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