The Cloisters is a story about a young graduate student, Ann Stillwell, who wants to escape her stifling life in a small town and take a coveted summer position at The Met in NYC. However when she arrives, she finds her original position is no longer available and so she is offered a job at The Cloisters, a gothic medieval-themed museum, archive and garden. Ann meets Rachel Mondray, who also works at The Cloisters. Rachel is wealthy, accomplished and stylish, and she quickly takes Ann under her wing, helping her to adjust to life in the city and work at The Cloisters. Their research at The Cloisters takes them back in time to Italy in the middle ages, searching for clues about the use of tarot as a divination tool. Ann also becomes aware of an undercurrent at The Cloisters - of secrecy, hidden passions, and a connection between the curator Patrick, Rachel and the gardener Leo, which she cannot quite understand. Over the course of the summer, Ann becomes the fourth in their little group and is pulled into their secretive and surreal world.

I didn't know what to expect of this book since I have seen very mixed reviews on it. However I can say that I enjoyed this book immensely and actually have a bit of a book hangover now that I'm done. I would consider this a dark academia book and certainly a slower pace as more of a character-driven drama. If you are a fan of a quick pace with thrills and chills you won't find them here. However there is much to enjoy - a thoughtful appreciation of atmosphere and subtle, yet revealing conversation between characters. The storyline reveals itself to you slowly, throwing out hints of what is to come. The conclusion didn't really come as a surprise to me, but rather feels inevitable and right, as if it should not have ended any other way.

For a debut novel, this was exceptional in my opinion. 4.5 stars.