Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There is so much I love about this deck that I almost don’t know where to begin. Let’s start with the kit. For years, Llewellyn has produced beautiful decks in flimsy boxes that don’t protect the cards. Not anymore. This deck came in a beautiful set with a sturdier box with a magnetic closure that unfolds across the front. Inside is a blue ribbon you pull to remove the book and, under it, the cards. Do I still wish the deck itself had a smaller, fitted box like literally every other brand of tarot deck? Sure. But the box for this set was an impressive improvement over the boxes I’ve bought from Llewellyn for years. The book itself is in full color on glossy paper. Each card is reproduced full size next to the text about it. I love this so much! This has to be the most beautiful companion book for any deck I own. I only wish my older decks came with books like this. The writing itself is lovely. I’ve been a Deborah Blake fan for years, which is how this deck originally got on my radar. A lot of times when you’ve been buying tarot decks for years you don’t bother much with the book. This book is worth reading. Each card has a concise statement, for the Six of Swords it’s, “Anyplace but here.” Then on the next page it has a short meaning, “Sometimes you just have to get gone. Try not to take your troubles with you.” You could probably get a good enough sense of the card with just that, but she goes on to describe the card: “This witch isn’t going to spend one more minute where she is. She’s already on her way, with only a few necessities, because time is of the essence and sometimes it is better to get out with nothing than to hang on to things or people that are weighing you down. But she’s not travelling alone. It isn’t clear if she is helping her traveling companions or if they are helping her, but either way, they are in this together. An acrcane gesture to summon the wind and they’re off into an unknown future. All she knows is that anyplace will be better than whatever it is she’s leaving behind.” followed by a “Things to Consider” definition: “Sometimes there are situations you simply can’t fix: unhealthy relationships, jobs that beat you down, dangerous or unproductive circumstances. If you’re dealing with one of these, you have to ask yourself if it is time to cut your losses and just get out. And there is no shame in asking for help to do so, if you need to, or maybe someone else needs your help to escape their own bad situation. It’s okay to lend a hand, as long as you are sure you’re not going to end up carrying burdens that don’t belong to you.” I don’t know about you, but this is much more helpful than the tarot books I learned with, which ranged from big long detailed explanations for each card that went on for twenty pages or more each to books which described each card in a thesaurus of random words in the hopes that one of them would spark something. This book tells you something concrete about what each card might actually mean to you in a reading. The cards themselves are styled after kitschy retro witch postcards, so if that’s not your thing you probably won’t care for all the pointy hats and black cats. Witchy kitsch is one of my favorite things, so needless to say I love the illustrations. This is a bright cheerful deck with an upbeat outlook. In the Tower, for example, the proactive witch has burned this down on her own; she’s no victim of things falling apart but a player in destroying what wasn’t working to create what she wants in its place. If there’s one thing I wish were different about the deck, it’s the cardstock. These are fairly thin and it took some getting used to shuffling them without sending them flying across the room. In short, I love this deck. It’s a new favorite and I look forward to using it again and again for readings of all kinds.