The Cloisters

Our recent team and MMD Book Club discussions about Dark Academia inspired me to listen to this 2022 novel about a recent college graduate with a tragic past who travels from Washington state to New York City to take a summer job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When she arrives, she finds she is no longer needed—but is rescued by a curator at The Cloisters who has an opening. This outsider quickly falls in with the enigmatic group of curators and support staff at the museum, and becomes absorbed in their dangerous extracurricular pursuits involving rare artifacts and tarot cards. When those pursuits turn deadly, they all face terrible decisions in the aftermath. If you need characters you can root for this isn't the book for you, but I loved it for its intriguing setting, strong sense of place, and moody fall vibes. (If this sounds good, don't miss Ginger's post featuring 20 Dark Academia novels for moody fall reading.)