Cute Cat Tarot
Cats
78 cards + a bonus card (The Alignment) + a small format, 199-page softcover guidebook in a sturdy cardboard box with a magnetic flip-top cover. I also received a postcard-sized copy of The Fool card along with my deck.<br /><br />The cards measure 6.9 cm wide x 12 cm long. The card stock is fairly inflexible; I wouldn't recommend riffle shuffling. The cards have a smooth, flat, matte finish. The edges are gilded in iridescent silver.<br /><br />The card back design is pink and white, and non-reversible.<br /><br />Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic in the RWS style, though there's enough variation that I wouldn't call this a true RWS clone.<br /><br />The art is sweet and family-friendly; there's no nudity to be found, and even the traditionally "dark" cards are (such as The Devil and The Tower) are rendered in an approachable, non-frightening way.<br /><br />The guidebook is better than most, and includes a section on the real-life cats that served as the inspiration for the cards, providing their photos and biographies.<br /><br />I am mildly confused regarding the name(s) of the creators/artists, as the information varies between the guidebook and the box. The back of the box, for example, credits Shela Usadi and Sonia Febyola as the <em>creators</em>, Silvana N. S. and Sonia Febyola as the <em>artists</em>, and Shela Usadi as the <em>author </em>of the text. <br /><br />In contrast, the guidebook credits Shela Usadi as the author and Sonia Usadi as the illustrator, with no mention of Silvana. Also, it isn't clear if Sonia's last name is currently Usadi or Febyola.<br /><br />No date of publication is given on the cards, the box, or in the guidebook. My source for the publication year is the Kickstarter campaign information. I was a backer at the $40 level, for one copy of the deck. I received my copy in the late autumn of 2020.<br /><br /><strong>Note</strong>: The back of the guidebook includes an Acknowledgements section, listing the names of all of the Kickstarter backers. My name is included in the list (on page 197).
Usadi, Sonia (artist)
Usadi, Shela (author)
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cutecardtarot/cute-cat-tarot" target="_blank" title="Cute Cat Tarot Kickstarter" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cute Cat Tarot -- Kickstarter campaign</a>
Self-published
2020
79 cards
English
RWS
Emerging From Darkness: A Tarot Deck for Shadow Work
Shadow work
79 cards + a title card + a slim foldout LWB in a standard, cardboard tuckbox. I also purchased the companion book; my copy of the book is signed.<br /><br />The cards measure 2.75" wide x 4.75" long. The card stock is reasonably flexible, with a smooth, matte finish. The cards are edged in silver.<br /><br />The card back design is not technically reversible, but you'd have to be looking closely to see the difference during a reading.<br /><br />Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. The Fool is numbered 0. <br /><br />The suits are Swords, Cups, Wands, and Coins. The court cards are Daughter, Son, Mother, and Father.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic and loosely follow the RWS pattern.<br /><br />In addition to the traditional 78 cards, an extra card is included at the end of the deck -- the Mother of Shadows.<br /><br />This deck was initially funded and marketed via Kickstarter. I was a backer for one copy of the deck and book; as such, my name is listed (amongst many, many others) in the Dedication section of the book (on page iv).<br /><br /><strong>Note</strong>: In addition to the deck and book, I also received a postcard with a handwritten, signed thank you note from the artist/author.
Cole, Robin L.
<a href="https://robinlcole.com/tarot-deck/" target="_blank" title="https://robinlcole.com/tarot-deck/" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://robinlcole.com/tarot-deck/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/147642179/emerging-from-darkness-tarot" target="_blank" title="Emerging from Darkness (Kickstarter campaign)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emerging from Darkness (Kickstarter campaign)</a>
Self-published
2020
Cole, Robin L. <em>Emerging from Darkness: Using Tarot for Personal Shadow Work</em>. 2020.<br /><br />This is a 230-page, softcover companion book that I purchased with the deck. The title page of my copy of the book is signed by the artist/author.
79 cards
English
RWS
Journey of the Sacred Bee Tarot
Bees
Sacred geometry
78 cards + a small, softcover guidebook in a sturdy cardboard box with a magnetic flip-top. <br /><br />A drawstring bag was also included; it is made of an unbleached burlap-type fabric with the deck's title stamped on the front. I also received a small enamel pin with my copy, which I've attached to the bag for safekeeping.<br /><br />A paper "thank you" insert was included as well, noting that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the deck will go to the "Honeybee foundation." However, when I Google searched for it, it was unclear which Honeybee foundation is being referenced. <br /><br />The cards measure 7.7 cm wide x 12.9 cm long. (Page 81 of the guidebook gives the length as 5 inches, but after repeated measurements, I find them to be slightly over 5 inches.)<br /><br />The cardstock is mildly flexible and has a very flat, matte finish, but is embellished with blue foil stamped bees on the card backs. The deck is edged in blue foil, as well. There's something about the feel of the cards in my hand that leads me to caution against riffle shuffling, as this could lead to accidental creases. <br /><br />The card back design is fully reversible.<br /><br />Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0. <br /><br />The suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Disks. The court cards are Princess, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are semi-scenic, with occasional nods to the RWS, but not enough so to be easily readable.<br /><br />On reflection, I mildly regret purchasing this deck. It's beautiful, but not usable. Every card gives me the same impression -- "pretty! bee!" -- rather than drawing me into a divinatory headspace.<br /><br />Artistically, it is extremely consistent, competent, and thoughtful. It is lovely. It would look fantastic in Instagram photos. But it doesn't succeed as a tarot deck.<br /><br />The bottom of the box notes that this is the first edition. This deck was initially marketed and funded via a Kickstarter campaign; I was a backer for one signed copy. Inside the flip top portion of the box, my copy is signed by the artist and numbered as #301 of 840. The deck itself is not signed.
Burton, Kelly
<a href="https://sacredsoultarot.com/" target="_blank" title="Sacred Soul Tarot" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://sacredsoultarot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sacredbeetarot/journey-of-the-sacred-bee-tarot" target="_blank" title="Kickstarter campaign" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sacredbeetarot/</a>
Sacred Soul Productions
2020
78 cards
English
Other
1st edition, signed, #301 of 840
Dark Mansion Tarot, Limited Ed.
Tim Burton's <em>Corpse Bride</em>
80 cards + a title card + a "certificate of authenticity" signed/numbered card. The cards are housed in a drawstring bag that fits inside a wooden box with a hinged lid. (<em>According to the Taroteca website, the wooden boxes for the limited edition were handmade</em>.)<br /><br />The name of the deck is woodburned on the box lid and also stamped in gold on the drawstring bag.<br /><br />The cards measure 8.78 cm wide x 14 cm long. The cardstock is flexible, with a soft, matte finish that I can only describe as luxuriant and velvet-like. Seriously, these cards are a joy to hold. The cards are edged in matte gold.<br /><br />The card back design is fully reversible. <br /><br />Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. The Fool is numbered 0. <br /><br />Suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. <br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic in the RWS style, but with art clearly inspired by Tim Burton's 2005 film <em>Corpse Bride</em>.<br /><br />Two extra cards are included -- alternate versions of the Sun and the Moon.<br /><br />My copy is #282 out of a limited edition of 500. The certificate of authenticity is hand-numbered and signed.<br /><br />I'm having difficulty pinning down the publication date/year. No year is printed on the cards, box, or bag, and the Taroteca website doesn't list a year, either. However, the first product reviews of the limited edition were posted in December 2018, so that seems to have been when the deck was first available. <br /><br />According to the Taroteca site, the limited edition retailed for $139 USD, and is sold out.
Wasiuk, Krzysztof (creator/producer)
Kaczan, Magdalena (artist)
<a href="https://www.taroteca-studio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.taroteca-studio.com/</a>
Taroteca Studio
[2018]
80 cards
English
RWS
#282 of 500
Shadowland Tarot
Shadow work
Spooky creatures
78 cards with a 208-page softcover guidebook in a large cardboard shelf box with a hinged lid. There's no title card.<br /><br />Cards measure 12.1 cm tall x 6.7 cm wide. The cardstock is reasonably flexible, with a smooth, matte finish on both sides. The cards have gilded gold edges which causes the cards to stick together at first.<br /><br />The backs are completely reversible.<br /><br />Strength is 8 and Justice is 11. The Seeker (<em>Fool</em>) is numbered 0.<br /><br />Suits are Swords, Wands, Pentacles, and Cups. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />The minor arcana are scenic and follow the RWS tradition. This deck would be "readable" by anyone familiar with the RWS meanings.<br /><br />The shelf box appears and feels sturdy enough, but mine is already coming apart at one corner -- though I've barely handled it, and just received the set in the mail a few days ago. (<em>Personal note</em>: I taped up the damaged corner with some archival book mending tape to keep it from coming further apart.)<br /><br />Though all of the marketing information for the Shadowland mentions <strong>March</strong> 2020 as the release date, I purchased and received my copy from Amazon.com in <strong>February</strong> 2020.
Bodirsky, Monica
<a href="https://www.schifferbooks.com/shadowland-tarot-6885.html" target="_blank" title="Shadowland Tarot (Schiffer website)" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shadowland Tarot (Schiffer website)</a>
Red Feather (an imprint of Schiffer Publishing)
© 2020
<em>The Shadowland Tarot</em> by Monica Bodirsky -- 208 page softcover companion book included with the set.
78 cards
English
RWS
ISBN 9780764359033
Button Soup Tarot
Collaborative art
78 cards + a small format, 100 page guide booklet. The deck and booklet are housed in a loose-fitting, 2-part lidded cardboard box.<br /><br />The cards measue 11.9 cm tall x 6.9 cm wide. The cardstock is moderately flexible, with a flat matte finish on both sides. <br /><br />The cards feature gold foil stamped inner borders on the fronts; it is pretty, but doesn't add much to the reading experience. The card titles are also gold foil stamped, which is nice in theory, but in low light the gold titles nearly disappear against the black background.<br /><br />In addition to the gold foil stamping, the cards are edged in gold. The gold gilt edging works against the deck instead of in its favor, as the egdes of many cards were stuck together quite firmly at first. It took work to separate all the cards without damaging the edges in the process.<br /><br />The card back design is reversible. The major arcana are unnumbered. <br /><br />Suits are Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King.<br /><br />Some of the minor arcana are scenic and others are much less so; there are many different art styles represented.<br /><br />This deck is a collaborative project created by members of The Cult of Tarot discussion forum, and was funded and marketed via a Kickstarter campaign. I was a backer at the <span>€37 level, for one copy of the deck. (€37 is around $40 USD.)</span>
Multiple artists
Cult of Tarot (online discussion forum)
Rabbit's Moon Tarot (Frankfurt, Germany)
2020
78 cards
English
Mixed