This is a really great, officially licensed tarot deck, excellent to have as a functional deck for creepy tarot readers, or as an art deck for fans of the Nightmare Before Christmas. The art is by Abigail Larson, with the guidebook written by Minerva Siegel.
Reviews & Posts
Potions, Elixirs, & Brews: A Modern Witches’ Grimoire of Drinkable Spells
What a fun, fast read! Baby witches today are quite lucky (and by that, I only mean “witches under age 30” — no ageism here, I know baby witches can be quite knowledgeable and experienced!) TikTok and other social media platforms where this author is an established influencer help baby witches find their people and forge strong bonds to work their craft together — this was not always such an easy task, so in that regard I think baby witches today are quite lucky, because some of those influencers go on to write books like these. I wasn’t aware of the author’s status when I requested book or began reading, so keep in mind my review exists separately from their social media platforms.
The Truth Is We Are Perfect
This collection of poetry is infused with spiritual intention, and it’s easily one of the best poetry books I’ve read during quarantine. I’ve read and re-read it several times, following my first Writing and Ritual workshop with Janaka Stucky and Pam Grossman.
This is a tremendous collection for poets, those concerned with matters of the spirit and soul, and where those two identities converge.
Twelve
“There is power in the fact that they enjoyed pleasure for pleasure’s sake and never apologized.”
I’m already a fan of Andrea Blythe’s work, and I’ve been meaning to preorder this (which I will now be doing promptly, as the layout and section art is very attractive and I prefer my poetry chapbooks in print.) However, seeing it available as an ARC, I couldn’t wait to get a sneak peek.
The Halloween Oracle
This is what I would call a great “starter oracle”, hence 4 stars as opposed to 5. There are 36 cards in the deck, and like many decks produced by Blue Angel, they’re a bit bigger than average, with a glossy finish. This makes shuffling a bit difficult if you have smaller hands. The approach to Halloween images and themes is on the general side, which makes the deck accessible — hence, my description as a “starter oracle”. The cards contain a keyword phrase on them, so you don’t need the guide to perform a reading, and at a page or less per card, the guide doesn’t offer much depth or added context — which is fine in a starter deck.
Myths & Mermaids:
I’ve had 4 different oracle collaborations featuring the art of Jasmine Becket-Griffith, and without exception, they are all wonderful additions to any collection. This was my first of their collaborative decks, so it holds a special place in my heart, as a Florida girl with a special affection for the Weeki Wachee mermaids.
The Vampire Tarot
Beautiful deck, very glossy card stock. The cards are slightly oversized but still easy to shuffle. The glossy finish of the cards makes the shuffle a little slower, but it’s not disruptive to using it for a draw. The back of the cards have a stylized, sort of classic vampire image
Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers
This is an easy read, a beautiful coffee table book, an a solid reference book on a topic that I’ve never seen a book dedicated to covering. I could easily see this at home in a florist shop, and equally at home on the bookshelf of a Green Witch, a poet who loves to write about flowers, or someone who just really likes flowers.
Fearless Tarot
This is a great addition to any tarot student’s collection. It’s good for tarot readers of any experience level, but will be of particular use to new tarot readers and tarot readers looking to make the transition to reading professionally.
WitchCraft Cocktails
I really love reading cookbooks, but to be honest, I’m a harder sell for mixology books because I’m pretty clueless about alcohol. Basically, I know it gets you drunk and sometimes it tastes better than other times! I usually only go for themed mixology books, like Tequila Mockingbird and Gone With the Gin. So taking a mixology book and fusing it with elements of witchcraft and paired crystal magic — that part was actually an easy sell for me.