Overall the book has strengths and weaknesses. I found the card stories and interpretations interesting and insightful. Doing rituals as prescribed, well, not my path at this moment. I did feel at times reading them that I was not on the inside, like I needed to read and study more on rituals and ceremonial magic before being able to use the book. That element is not for beginners. In the end though, I did like the book as it has some very useful material. By the way, the list of resources at the end is worth a look.

For libraries, I'd say for public libraries with small Tarot collections this may be optional. Those with larger collections and maybe a good pagan community in the area may wish to consider acquiring it. At the moment, unless requested, I would not consider this for our library. Yet I am still glad to have read it.

(Full review on my blog 9/22, linked)

Finally, read this book... I have been dabbling in tarot cards for a while now. I found the explanations to be thorough and thought-provoking. The guidance was spot on and dare I say that I thought my readings were spot on and downright accurate it was scary. (in a good way) Love this !!!

The most fascinating part of this book was the comparison between the Rider Waite and Aleister Crowley decks. I recommend adding this one to your tarot shelf.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review*

This book was a solid read, just not really for me. I feel that this book is best suited for someone new to tarot who is looking for the ceremonies and rituals that resonate most with them to discover their practice. Advanced tarot readers may not connect with this book as much (which was my case, but YMMV.) Which is not to say that there aren't new tricks here that an old dog couldn't learn; it just seems like the book I'd be more interested in if I was new to the practice or intending to take tarot reading to a professional level, because the approach to tarot in the book is more like a tool of ceremony/ritual, with the end goal being manifesting, removing, redirecting or un-blocking energies.

Ritual ceremonies and practices are better thought out and more detailed for major arcana than minor arcana, which is not a surprise but is always kind of a disappointment, because there's a lot of substance in the mundane and everyday, as well as life's big sweeping changes.

I'm not sure about how I feel about the blanket attitude of "reversals aren't significant" but to each their own -- I think it's more of a case-by-case basis with each deck (and each reader).

I feel that for social media engaged baby witches and cartomancers, this good is a solid pull because most of the rituals are pretty easy to plan and incorporate into daily readings and admittedly would probably be good social content.

This one wasn't for me, but that's not any failure of the book or the author, I just wasn't the right reader. I hope that this review helps this book's ideal reader find it!

TL:DR -- Best suited for new tarot readers or tarot readers going pro. If you want hands-on social media friendly rituals and ceremonies to pair with your tarot readings, this book is for you. If you're more advanced, introverted or solitary in your tarot practice, this book might be a little overwhelming and/or hard to connect with.

More informational and not one of the "keyword" type of books. It does compare the Waite and Crowley decks which could turn some people off it not working with only one of the decks. OVerall nicely done and a decent reference.

This had me viewing the tarot in a different light. We are taught or at least I was taught to read things negatively but this is really a good resource. I really enjoyed reading the books and will apply it to my future readings not only for myself but for others as well. I've already recommended the books to others.

Fascinating book. Very informative and easy to read. Information presented in a clear, concise manner. This book really helped me in getting a better grasp on tarot. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Even though this copy of the book has no pictures, isn’t formatted very well (pages run into each other and sentences sometimes split between rows), and you can’t access the table of contents, it appears to be a very detailed and well written book, quite suitable for beginner and advanced tarot enthusiasts. It goes into a lot of details about the major and minor arcana. I’ll have to see the completed work to determine if it is a reference suitable for electronic media or not. Thank you Katalin and Llewelyn for the preview. I’m a huge fan of Llewelyn and have purchased a number of books and tarot decks from them.

As someone who has worked with the Tarot for around 10+ years I will say that this book is not for those who are advanced unless you are only grabbing this for the ceremonies or are looking for a refresher course. However, if you are new to the ways of the Tarot then I totally recommend this one. It had great descriptions for each card and was very easy to understand.

If you are new to Tarot and are looking for a resource for learning card meanings, this is it. This book has comprehensive descriptions of all major and minor archana, plus it is loaded with ceremonial suggestions. While I did not connect with the ceremonies, I did appreciate the card descriptions and know I will be referring to this guide for more insight into the cards I pull. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
It is important to mention that I am coming to this book with nearly 21 years of Tarot Reading experience and 5 years in the professional industry.

One important aspect that this book covers right off the bat is that sometimes you can ask the Tarot about a certain subject (like career) and it doesn’t seem to address your topic at all (by talking about relationships, for example); the writer stresses that learning about the link is the most crucial part. I also like that the author doesn’t believe in the need for reversed cards, a point of view I’ve had since the beginning of my journey.

The point of this book seems to be about using Tarot as a ceremonial tool for manifestations, removing blockages, etc. The author weaves ancient practices along with her own. I immediately have a bias as I believe the story painted by Tarot is enough to clear blockages and assist in manifestation, and no spellwork is necessary, but let’s read on…

“Traditionally, a master or teacher gave tarot cards to a student who was deemed ready,” - I’d like a source of this quote because it’s nonsense. There seems to be a lot of reference to ‘regulations’ for starting to use your tarot deck, which I also think is nonsense. Just pick up a deck and start working with it. This book is very “witchy” and may resonate with other people who use spells and rituals, but I personally do not believe in giving offerings to my Tarot Cards. As I’ve emphasized many times, the cards themselves are not magic, they are just a tool; you are magic.

This book also runs through each card like a story which may be very helpful to first learners. Along with each card there is a ‘ceremony’ suggestion (eg. for The Magician, plant a seed). The descriptions are very thorough and well written. In the Minor Arcana, the author runs through the numerology and then the individual cards. The ceremonies associated with the Minor Arcana are okay, but for example, Ace of Pentacles suggests finding a stone and then asking for the stones permission to take it with you. Listen, I know we are all connected and all have energies, but I’m not asking a stone for permission to take it. A little bit of these ceremonies are too “woowoo” for my liking.

I find the Court Cards section to be very well done and thorough which is often missed by other books.

If you like the idea of rituals and ceremonies (and have the time to do one for every card you pull every day) then you’ll love this book. If you want some detailed walkthroughs for the energies of each card, then you’ll love this book.

Will you memorize everything after you read this book? No, you’ll always have to go back and reference it.
Would it be my go-to for Tarot? No.
Would it be something I buy? No, but only because it’s not my style to incorporate ceremonies with my tarot, as I find it unnecessary.

Filled with anxiety? Thinking about taking up reading tarot cards, or just curious about the world behind them? Author Katalin Jett Koda has created a guide that works well for both those new to the practice of tarot, or those interested in picking it up. Even the introduction to the book provides a wealth of information, personal preferences, and other details from Koda. For example, while some folks read tarot differently when cards present upside down, Koda has other suggestions.

Experience the Mystery of the Tarot is designed more for those who use the Rider-Waite-Coleman style tarot, or the Thoth tarot. Koda goes into deep detail for individual cards and their meanings. For those who are brand new, reading the book through all the way may seem a little overwhelming. There's just so much information, meditations, ceremonies and options. Experience the Mystery of the Tarot is a book designed to grow with you as you continue to practice.   Koda gives some great food for thought about why she practices a certain way versus others that may be more popular. She encourages readers to have separate decks for difference intentions. Is one of these for personal readings? Do you want to use this as a practice deck with others? Is this deck just for providing readers to others? 

Experience the Mystery of the Tarot is enjoyable and fascinating, even for those interested in the psychology behind the world of tarot.

This is an amazing book, I was not aware that there was so much depth in the tarot, the details of the book will take a long time to remember, this is a journey through psychological and spirtual influences. It is the best book I have read so far on the tarot. For example the author says that in ceremonial tarot you obviously need a ceremony, and goes through what that ceremony may entail. The author also suggests laying out the cards on the wall, or floor because seeing the major arcana on your wall helps you to get a sense of them as a storyline. These are just examples of what is fascinating in the book. I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who wishes to delve deeper into this subject.