I Read "The Cloisters" by Kathy Hays So You Don't Have To (Full Review + Spoilers)

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

Let me know what you all thought of this book! 📖💜

[@klblythe]

I’m glad I read the other spoiler comment because the ending was so confusing to me. I thought she had gone to everyone’s boat around the area and pulled all the plugs from them, but I guess it was just Rachel’s she pulled. For some reason I didn’t put two and two together that she caused Rachel’s death. Although maybe I just wanted to get it done and over with because it was such a slog to get through. I mean there’s 4 characters, 1 main character, 1 ends up dead, and 1 has been somewhat linked to 3 peoples death already! How the hell did Ann not assume that Rachel was at least a part of it?! Also the fact that she ran over her dad (which was shocking and I did feel bad, but for him to be dying and saying “go run, it wasn’t your fault” was kind of dumb

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

I’m so glad you said that. The killing dad spin at the end felt more lazy than it was shocking. The story was such a pain to follow that by that time, like you said I was ready to just be done. It just didn’t do anything for me

[@kiya1809]

I was listing to the book on libby and it was painful to keep listening to. I gave up around 70% and ended up searching for someone else to tell me how it finishes. So thank you lol. The base story with the cards had such potential.

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

I’m with you completely! Maybe we’ll find another book that sticks to the general theme! Happy reading!

[@Henry-tn1jb]

I think you are too harsh here. I agree the atmosphere is the book but I enjoyed it. I thought it wasnt as good as but ressembled say an umberto eco playing with ideas of fate and scholarship as vocation or ambition. Anns seduction into the world of sophistication was interesting as was the reliability of her narration and the way that she like rachel evades guilt by invoking both peoples fate and/or their volition (when rachel dies she chooses to go out on a ship, we also know she is fated to die: the two levels ann works at, but ann creates the conditions for her death and rachel uses the same sophistry to talk about her roommate and her parents deaths). I enjoyed it much more on all sorts of levels than you did but it was interesting to hear a perspective from someone who didnt like it. I hope your own publishing efforts are going well.

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

I loved your breakdown. Thank you for sharing!

[@newchapterasmr]

SPOILER ALERT Did you miss the last page of the book? You know, when Ann decides to remove the life vests and safety cap of the boat so that future users could drown (i guess)? I actually came here to find opinions on that, because I thought it was an ending that made absolutely no sense for the character, there were no motives for it that had been explained, nothing, it’s ridiculous.

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

I must have not put two and two together that her taking the vests out was intentionally damning the future users. The ending was insanely confusing.

[@newchapterasmr]

@@CamWilliamsonOfficial44 Or maybe I didn’t understand it correctly? But if it was indeed that, it makes absolutely no sense for Ann.. I mean when she erased Rachel’s name from their articled it shocked me, but I could see how it made sense. However that, is ridiculous

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

I took her removing the name from the article as just a closure and moving on kind of thing but yeah it was odd since she’s still out there and she did help her with all the research and what not

[@newchapterasmr]

@@CamWilliamsonOfficial44 Rachel did die though. But that was the lesser problem, I get it, but Ann removing the life vests and the ‘cap’ or whatever of the boat… there was nothing that prepared us for it, she has no motive, it was a WTF moment for me. Made me angry at the author honestly, in a book that I already disliked for the most part

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

@@newchapterasmr it was a hard book to get into. I guess I got it because I was looking for a little more in the tarot realm and less of like a very obvious murder mystery. It seemed like author didn’t quite know where to take the story or how to end it

[@enilegnave21]

Dude... Her name is Katy.... How can your review be trusted when you can't even read the author's name correctly from the cover? Remarkable. ;)P

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

Then don’t watch it

[@enilegnave21]

@CamWilliamsonOfficial44 sad reply, sir. I definitely did NOT continue watching. What an awful gaff on your part, tho, getting the author's name wrong repeatedly. And so far, the book is remarkable... very erudite.

[@CamWilliamsonOfficial44]

@enilegnave21 yet here you still are