Tarot Deck Reviews

I buy a lot of tarot decks. It’s part of my job and it’s one of my passions. Obviously I have access to all Llewellyn and Lo Scarabeo decks. But there are plenty of decks published every year by other publishers or that are self-published. Like most of you, I don’t have an unlimited tarot budget, so I have to pick and choose. I think I’m pretty similar to most tarotists when considering purchasing a new deck. I check out images available online, read tarot forums, and check them out in person when possible.

I also read reviews. Different reviewers have different styles and include different sorts of information. Just like with movie and restaurant critics, I’ve learned which reviewers mesh with my taste and whose reviews contain information I look use in the decision-making process.

And guess what? I also write reviews. A lot of reviews. Such as these: The Manga Tarot http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/23756, Tarot of Reflections, http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/24292, and Tarot of the Magical Forest, http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/23806 .Naturally, I write reviews that are ones I’d like to read. My reviewing style has been greatly influenced by my friend and colleague, Riccardo Minetti, the editor at Lo Scarabeo. He says that a good review should be first and foremost a study of the deck. A good review is more than someone’s opinion. It is an informed opinion.

I first try to give an overview of the goals of the deck. The creator had something in mind when he or she designed the project. Even if a deck doesn’t make sense to me at first glance, I try to find the goal and then try to ascertain to what extent it was achieved, attempting to be as objective as possible. Then I give more personal responses, such as how I reacted to the art and how it worked for me as reading deck.

These reviews take a lot of time and I hope they are useful. Maybe you could let me know what you think of them or give me ideas of how they could be more useful.