I’m new to reading about and studying Tarot, so I don’t have much to compare with but this book was so neat and I was surprised by what I learned! I thought this book was going to be a “how to” guide, and that it would be like little guides about each card, but what I didn’t expect was the full tale/ story behind the cards!! I also had no clue previously how connected all the tarot cards in a deck are and how they relate to one another.

I never knew before how much art goes into reading and interpreting tarot cards, and it really was a fun hobby read. I even bought a deck of tarot cards to have fun while reading through it! Thanks NetGalley, Leaping Hare Press and Allison Davies for the arc for me to read and review voluntarily.

This books tells 5 tales following the cards of the tarot, one for the Major Arcana, and four for each suit of the Minor Arcana. It has been an enjoyable read for me, and sometimes insightful as the author’s interpretation of the cards may differ from my understanding. The tales are simple and easy to follow, I would recommend this book most for relatively early tarot learners.

Probably the only thing that is lacking for me in this book is that the tale of the Major Arcana felt rather fragmented, jumping from card to card, as opposed to the Minor Arcana tales which are more seamless. Other things of note include the author’s view on the suit of sword is quite different from other books I have read, and that some depth from each card have been shaved off to accomodate the creation of these simple but meaningful tales.

eARC provided by NetGalley & Leaping Hare Press.

This was very interesting to read. I never knew all the meaning of the Tarot cards and I definitely didn't know the back stories. This was very good and very well researched.
I just reviewed The Tales Behind Tarot by Alison Davies. #TheTalesBehindTarot #NetGalley
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I really enjoyed this book, the pictures and the story behind each card gave depth. I felt this was a perfect quick read for me and it was interesting. I enjoy reading about tarot and would read this book again.

What a fun twist of ways to interpret tarot. I enjoyed reading the history behind each card and each having their own mini tale to tell, this has helped me better understand how i can interpret the stories behind my own deck. I only wish there was slightly more themes and directions the cards hold as they’re are a bit too direct for my liking and can find that it wouldn’t relate to my life at all if i pulled that card so wouldn’t be much use as a guide book if intended as such

Such an interesting way to present the tarot. I feel that this would be a helpful way for new practitioners to learn the cards and themes of the major and minor arcana.

I found this really interesting, I don’t know much about tarot cards, so to me this was fascinating.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Very lavishly designed and illustrated, full of fun information while not overstaying. I would recommend it easily, though I had hoped it might be a bit meatier than it actually managed to be. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity with this title.

If you like using the tarot this is a lovely book which gives the story behind each of the cards and the links between them. With illustrations from the Rider Waite tarot deck this gives us insight into how to read or view the cards. Easy to understand and a joy to read, this would make a lovely gift for the beginner or advanced reader
This is a great reference book to keep on your shelf and go back to again and again

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review

I have been looking for an excellent reference book to go with my tarot cards and this is the one that I will be using! It is so much easier to remember what a card means once you have an understanding of the story being depicted on the cards.

tl;dr: It's a cute idea for a book. Simple, not deep or expansive, but not a bad companion/resource for beginners. If you're intermediate or more familiar with the cards, this book would likely not teach you anything new, but could still be entertaining.

Not tl;dr:

The author writes up a story for cards, a literal Fool's Journey, as the Fool himself (the cards/book is cis-het) travels across the land and comes across all the adventure, characters, and wisdom in each card. The suits then have their own individual stories from ace to king, starting with the pentacles (three sisters learning about wealth and abundance), swords (a young apprentice experiences heartache for a prince who rejects his crown), cups (a young woman and man search for family, meaning, and love), and wands (a man works to see his idea to fruition).

Each major arcana card has: the RWS artwork, the title/name of the card, several keywords, an about three page story, and a final phrase of wisdom from that card. The minors have card artwork, a few keywords, and about a page of story per card. I do wish the minors had a final summarized phrase of wisdom like the majors did though.

While I think this book is unique and a nice twist on the standard tarot books, and can work quite effectively as a way to help learn the card meanings, I did have some nit-picks. The stories themselves felt too short and lacking. Especially for the majors, while despite being more lengthy than the minors, didn't have much in the way of detail or direction, and was very repetitive. Several cards seemed to have mixed themes from cards that came after them as well. So with the Fool learning lessons with each card, it felt weird to have him learn/understand lessons that should come from cards he had yet to visit. In that sense, it feels like another round of polish and slight rewording could catch a lot of them, and make the lessons more thematically relevant to the card you're reading.

I also was a bit bothered with the Hierophant specifically. The author limiting the meaning to spirituality and prayer only, and effectively ignoring the core element of "teacher/tradition" I think loses a lot. It's a card about mentors and ancestral wisdom, not just faith. (Mostly my own personal nit-pick, just because it's upsetting to see how hated this card is in the tarot community, just because of the religious imagery.)

The surface-level-ness of the stories, mostly with the majors, was disappointing, but if I turned off my more critical side, it was still a neat way to go through the cards. And for beginners, I think this can be a great way to help get familiar with the meanings and understand the story-like nature of the cards.

I probably sound more negative than positive, but overall they were cute stories to read. And I did enjoy how the author brought in the lessons and meanings with each card and weaved things together. I liked the minors more so than the majors, just because the majors felt more disjointed, but I'm still glad I read the book. (Had the minors been similar to the majors, I would've given this book 3 stars. But the uniqueness of the minors kept this book interesting.) The layout and organization of things was nice too, and I appreciated the introduction walking you through the history of tarot (THANK YOU for acknowledging the artist! Shockingly RARE in tarot books/the community!) and the open-mindedness of the cards meanings/interpretations. The author also brings in the imagery of the cards too, along with symbols and their meanings, which I think could be helpful for beginners as well.

I think this book is quite beginner friendly. If you've been struggling with the meanings of the card, connecting things to IRL situations, and the like, this book might be worth checking out. It approaches the cards in a way that's not commonly done, by having these fantasy stories to understand and journey through the deck with. I think that makes it more creative and fun, and you can easily transfer these ideas into making up your own stories with the cards, which the author does invite you to do :)

Note to the author/editor:
The Five of Wands shows the Four's artwork.

The way started learning tarot was by drawing a card a day and then studying it with the little book that came with the deck. Alison Davies' The Tales Behind Tarot takes that disjointed method and stitches together the ENTIRE story of the tarot, moving from card to card in a epic narrative that makes sense of the entire deck, and each of the individual cards. The layout is fantastic, with full-color illustrations of each card from the Rider–Waite deck, and then a multi-page deep dive that explains the card's meaning and contextualizes it's place in the larger Hero's Journey. This is a great book for beginners and seasoned tarot readers. It would make an excellent gift. ]

Thank you to to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group –Leaping Hare for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful book for those beginning on their tarot journey, or even someone who need a refresh. The author provides over arching themes for each card, a thorough journey through its meaning, and for the major arcana - she adds in an overall summary of the card’s meaning. I think the only thing that could be missing is a little blurb on what each suit of each of the minor arcana means to help with memorization.

this is very educational, especially if you’re just getting into taro and want to learn more about the background and what each card means. I loved the in-depth information as well as the pictures showing which ones it’s referring to.

I have absolutely no experience with Tarot, but have always been intrigued by it. I find the decks beautiful and mysterious, and now I know the stories behind them. This was sn entertaining read, and I imagine informative for those that read Tarot. I recommend it to the curious, and those looking to learn more about the Tarot cards specifically.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great idea for a book, these stories really have helped me to have a deeper understanding of the cards and has helped me to remember their meanings better. The stories are interesting and do a great job of weaving the cards together. This is a great book for someone interested in learning more about Tarot.

I have had very little exposure to tarot besides things that mention it in popular culture. I didn't know that there were stories behind the different cards, so it was interesting to read through them all.

What an interesting book to add to one’s library. I’ve never read a Tarot book like this: a linear story that walks us through each card, presented them as connective tissue, seamlessly transitioning from one scene to the next. I’ve seen the Minor Arcana presented that way in books, but never the Major. I was familiar with The Fool’s journey, but this author seemed to take more liberties with the storytelling, which I thought was interesting and entertaining.

The forward was poorly written—not the best first impression for a reader. Kind of think the book could have done with it. However, the introduction was lovely—brief, straight-forward, soulful. I love how the author emphasized the Tarot as more than a “fortune-telling” tool, but rather a tool of insight into one’s past and present. A problem-solving tool. The tone throughout was welcoming and warm; not a drop of pretentiousness (which can sometimes surface in books like these). The narrative voice felt like an old soul and a new friend, inviting me into their world with open arms.

Reading through the stories, I felt like a kid reading fairy tales before bedtime. I could even picture myself reading these stories to my daughter when she was young, perhaps allowing her to hold the different cards in her hands while I read through the scenes. This felt like an adult reference book with “children’s book” energy, which I thought was quite charming. If I saw this book in a bookstore, I would probably buy it for that reason.

I am definitely getting this book when it is released. I have read quite a few tarot books and although thorough the meanings never stick with me. This is the first time I remember the meanings because now I get it! The stories flow so well that I had a hard time putting it down. Such an easy read that I recommend to anyone struggling to read the cards. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I Love this book "The Tales Behind The Taro". Alison Davies dose a beautiful job of walking us through the traditional Rider Waite tarot deck. I'm fairly new to the cards, and learning what they mean can be a daunting task. I have read several books on the subject, but this book has been a game changer for me. Each card has a story that links the deck as a whole saga. It's entertaining and easy to remember. It's also a visually beautiful book, and a joy to read. This is a book I will look to often. If you want to learn the cards, or want to know them better, this is the book for you. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book!