This is a short one specifically because the offering is the guidebook associated with the cards, and there are no useful visuals of the cards themselves. I like tarot for the beauty of its artwork, so this was unfortunate for me specifically. The guidebook itself is a useful read into tarot but doesn't contain much that I haven't read before in other such guidebooks. Part of my love for tarot is the inspiration the cards give me, and that's a very large missing element here. At best I can give this 3 stars with a fervent wish that the cards themselves are wonderful.

I’ve been reading tarot since I was about 17, so somewhere around six years. It took me four to five years to really trust my readings, but I’m confident reading for friends now. I don’t have a Rider-Waite-Smith deck, but that’s what I started studying before I had any deck at all. I’d still recommend that to new readers. What I do have is a Shadowscapes Tarot deck by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. I’m in the market for a second deck, but the Fountain Tarot is not for me. So please take into consideration that this review is on a guide to a tarot deck that I don’t own and have never used or held in my hands. That’s probably why I couldn’t finish the book.

If you’re drawn to geometric shapes, the kind of art that’s popular in museums and galleries right now, spiritual geometry, or anything along those lines, I’d highly recommend this deck and the guidebook to you. The artwork (by Jonathan Saiz who has a super cool website) immediately made me think of New York and art majors. There might even be some postmodern styling in there (if only because they’re taking something old and making it current), but as I’ve said in my review of The Scarecrow Princess, my art expertise is nil. If this is your first deck, the book provides you with enough information (and tips) to get started (but again, I still recommend studying the Rider-Waite-Smith deck first, even if you never use it or buy it). I’m not a fan of shape-centric art. If you aren’t either, then this deck is not for you.

So about the book (which is by Jonathan Gruhl).

The beginning is wonderful. It explains relations between the cards in a way that’s very personal and easy to understand. It describes the major arcana as the figures the Fool meets on their journey, making your interpretations the consequences of taking or not taking their advice. It states correspondences between the suits, the elements, etc. It also breaks the major arcana down in a similar way, grouping them all into the physical, spiritual, or ethereal. They’ve added a Fountain card to the major arcana, which has its own category. There’s instructions on how a number of useful spreads included as well.

However, after reading this and very much enjoying it, I found the interpretations of the cards very hard to get through. Certainly, this is at least partially due to not actually owning the deck. It’s also due to the interpretations themselves, though. I found many of them very uncomfortable (I made it from The Fool to The Sun) in a way that if I were using them for a reading on myself, I’d probably decide that I’m useless and give up on ever doing anything better than working the cash register at a grocery store.

They’re not outright negative! However, they have something I felt when reading modernism/postmodernism (specifically works by writers like Gertrude Stein, Mina Loy, and Jean Rhys – not Virginia Woolf, Ezra Pound, or Baudelaire… I’d love a Baudelaire tarot deck!). Eventually, I gave up on finishing the book, although there were a few gem descriptions, such as The Fool and The Magician (which helped me finally understand reversals solidly enough to utilize them).

I know there’s people out there who adore all of the things that I just complained about. If you’re one of those people, you’ll love this deck. And even if you’ve never reader tarot and don’t plan on it, you’d still probably enjoy interpreting the artwork.

Fairly simple review for this one considering it is only the booklet featuring the meanings of the cards. For all those familiar with Tarot the book won't really give you any more information than what you already know. However, i did find the addition of the Fountain card intriguing and as a Tarot user myself the card makes a lot of sense in terms of the overall journey of the Fool and i am sure there will be plenty of readers out there who will appreciate this card. I haven't had the opportunity to use the actual deck but i must admit, the pictures provided suggest an elegant looking set of cards. The art looks very well done and adds to the decks overall aura.

This is going to be a short review since the publisher did not provide much. While I was not expecting a copy of the deck or such, but I was hoping for a bit more than what is in essence a "little white book." So this review will be short.

This is pretty much the guidebook that the publisher includes with the deck. Upon reading it, I was not terribly impressed. The book looks like any other Tarot guidebook I have read, and the meanings are fairly basic and conventional. In other words, I fail to see from the book how this deck and/or its guidebook would distinguish itself from other decks out there or their guidebook. Since they only provided the book via NetGalley without any art or illustrations to go by, I cannot judge anything other than the text provided, and on that basis, I simply cannot recommend this book.

I will note that I have seen images of the deck, and they look pretty good. But as I noted, the only artifact provided was an electronic copy of the guidebook's text, and to be honest, it is pretty lackluster.

This one was wonderful. It's been some time since I picked up a book about the Tarot and this one was a hit. I've been working with the Tarot for over 20 years and I have to say that this one was very good. It is a wonderful first step into finding new insights and finding a new path. The book was a very easy read and easy to follow. Although this is just a review of the book itself. If you go to Amazon you will be able to see what the cards look like and I have to tell you they are amazing and beautiful!!