Tarot & Oracle, & Book Reviews
A review-based blog for students. The blog will focus on tarot and oracle reviews. Any books reviewed will have an emphasis on tarot or other divinatory practices.
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The Oracles
The Oracles is a self-published deck created by Libby Bove. First published in 2022, they are an intensely unique and quirky oracle set. They’re possibly limited in the audience that will be attracted to the cards — mostly because they deal with the grubbier side of personality and inadequate relationships. Yet, I still want to say it’s probably one of the best oracle decks
Winterseer Animal Companion
We’re already over halfway through winter, but I wanted to mention this lovely seasonal set by Siolo Thompson. The Winterseer Animal Companion (2021) is a decent-sized piece of kit, and this means we have a regular-sized guidebook. The box is sturdy with a magnetic clasp; and it has an insert! The cards are a good size, medium-weight, and
Shadowland Lenormand
The Shadowland Lenormand by Monica Bodirsky is a natural companion to the tarot deck of the same name. Published in December 2021, it has the same style of artwork and gold edging as the Shadowland tarot. I will forever loathe gold edging on cards I want to use, and this deck is no exception. These cards are slightly smaller than the Shadowland tarot.
The Light Seer’s Tarot
I’m surprised I didn’t review this deck ages ago because I used it extensively for months when it arrived. The Light Seer’s Tarot was/is a popular tarot deck published by Hay House in December 2019. The artist Chris-Anne Donnelly has since created the Muse Tarot (2020), The Sacred Creator’s Oracle (2021), and the Tarot of Curious Creatures(2021). It comes in a small but study box, and includes a relatively decent guidebook.
Tarot of Mystical Moments
Published by U.S Games in 2020, Tarot of Mystical Moments is the creation of Catrin Welz-Stein. The cards are on the large size, although they’re not unmanageable. They arrived in a small but sturdy box and come with a small guidebook. We have gilded edging, but this time in silver. However, thanks to the mass-market price tag
Madhouse Tarot
The Madhouse Tarot was published in 2020 by artist Eugene Vinitski and author Elsa Khapatnukovski. The uniqueness of the artwork is consistent throughout, and the quality is excellent. The cards are a smooth matte finish and will likely be easy to shuffle. The black edging has a slight shimmer, but it pairs well with
The Dark Mansion Tarot
The Dark Mansion tarot was created in 2018 by illustrator Magdalena Kaczan and Krzysztof Wasiuk, founder of Taroteca Studios. An enormous amount of thought went into every inch of the finished product. Wasiuk states that he wanted to create something that was not only uniquely beautiful but useable and intuitive.
The Dreamkeepers Tarot
The Dreamkeepers Tarot is a lovely deck published in 2021. Liz Huston spent the best part of twelve years creating the images, and I like that she talks about this process at the beginning of the guidebook. Liz self-published the first edition in 2018, and US Games published this updated mass-market version in 2020.
The Shadowland Tarot
This is the most expensive deck I’ve bought in a while, so I feel justified in being less than impressed with its shoddy box insert. Now that I’ve got that bit of info out of the way, I’ll get onto the praise. I absolutely LOVE this deck. Yes, it’s childlike. Yes, it borders on ostentatious with its, erm, blingy border. And yes, the liberal use of yellow appears almost garish
The Antique Anatomy Tarot
What is now a horrendously long time ago (pre-Covid), astro-twin Ashley sent me a fantastic deck as a gift. Considering we share the same Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and ascendant, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I loved the concept and design of the deck. One of the first impressions was how strongly I felt
The Enchanted Map Oracle
Created in 2011, The Enchanted Map Oracle is another offering from Colette Baron-Reid and Jena DellaGrottaglia. It is almost identical to the Wisdom of the Oracle, except it has fifty-four cards and the descriptions are slightly shorter. The deck is easier to shuffle than the Wisdom cards because they don’t stick together so much,
The Harmonious Tarot
Created by Walter Crane and Ernest Fitzpatrick in 2005, The Harmonious Tarot has strong Victorian-style artwork that is surprisingly feminine. The colour palette is soft, emphasising pastel shades and the minimal use of black. The imagery doesn’t always conform to traditional expression and leaves it open enough to impose your
Wisdom of the Oracle
The Wisdom of the Oracle was created in 2015, and I can see why it’s a popular deck. The artwork is easy on the eye and uses symbolic cues extensively. Before ordering, I hadn’t realised I was already familiar with the work of the artist, Jena DellaGrottaglia, whose work I first came across back in 2010 or thereabouts.
Moonology Oracle Cards
I am so impressed with the quality of these cards — they’re thick and feel like they’ll last a lifetime. The box is also solid. I love new decks for the fresh energy but hate them when it comes to shuffling, and this deck is no exception. These cards cling together, and I’ll be happier once they loosen up. I can see myself using these
The Oracle of Mystical Moments
My old regular deck isn’t working for me anymore, so I’m now on the hunt for a new one. The Oracle of Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein caught my eye, and I'm glad I now own it because I adore it. I came across her work years before the existence of the oracle; she’s a well-established artist whose work I love for being