The Tales Behind Tarot: Discover the stories within your tarot cards (Stories Behind…) by Alison Davies

The Tales Behind Tarot: Discover the stories within your tarot cards (Stories Behind…) Reviews

• 
  Dee

  4.5*
  
  This book opens the mind to the individual meaning behind each tarot card. Between the major and minor arcana we are introduced to a story which takes us on a journey to help us understand how to read or view these tarot cards.
  
  This is a cleverly told story with illustrations from the classic rider waite tarot deck which are beautifully detailed. I love the key word meanings and easy to understand storys. Perfect for a beginner or experienced reader alike. Also i admired the mention of the Egyptian link to further explain just how old and precious this practice is🧡.
  
  Many thanks to the Author, Edelweiss+ and Leaping Hare Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
  
  Due 25/5/23
• 
  Kate Henderson

  Such a brilliant idea for a book.
  There are tons of tarot books that focus on how to read and decipher the tarot. This book tells the story, and looks at the links between the cards.
  really informative, and truly original!
  
  Another element of knowledge to add to a card reading.
• 
  Claudia Fernández

  I found the stories in this book to be a bit more basic than I expected. Although it is nice that they are short, I wouldn't have minded them being longer and a bit more intricate. They do a good job at illustrating the main motifs of the card, though, so in that sense they are well-done.
  This book is nice for anyone who would like to familiarize themselves with the Tarot, but do not expect for it to bring anything new if you already know about this topic.
  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC.
• 
  Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading)

  Thank you to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC! This review is entirely my own.
  
  This is a very interesting take on how to learn the meaning of the Tarot cards. Memorizing the meaning of the cards is the hardest task when it comes to learning how to read Tarot, and I picked this book up hoping it would help me with those tricky cards that I can never seem to remember. This method definitely helped, particularly by linking the cards together rin a single story rather than each having their own individual tale. It truly is taking a basic memorization technique and applying it to a very large number of cards. This book was not quite as helpful for me, who already had a basic understanding of a majority of the cards, but would be very helpful for a beginner. I would highly recommend this to those looking to pick up the cards for the first time.
• 
  Daveann

  This beautifully illustrated book is a must for anyone wanting to learn the traditional Rider-Waite tarot cards. The short stories for each card gives their meanings more depth. I highly recommend this reference book as a keeper for your library. Thank you to NetGalley!
• 
  Mellissa Bushby

  An interesting and enjoyable read, this isn't your usual 'how to decipher' tarot, but rather tells a story about the meaning behind the cards. Which makes more sense to me, because the,tarot after all are not about telling you what will happen, but rather the options open to you when finding yourself on a certain path.
  
  3.5 rounded off to 4 stars.
• 
  Lucille

  So cool.
• 
  Sam

  I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
  
  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 :)
• 
  Laura

  This book is so much fun! I checked it out from my public library because I just got my first ever RWS deck. I have been reading each of the stories in this book out loud to my family as we go through the deck together. It’s a great way to bond and my son has become super interested in the Tarot!! Will definitely be purchasing a copy of my own!
• 
  Srivalli Rekha

  3.7 Stars
  
  One Liner: For beginners and intermediary tarot readers
  
  Tarot cards have myriad interpretations. It can be overwhelming for new readers to understand the meanings, interpretations, and symbolism of each of the 78 cards in the deck. This book explains the history/ story behind each card to help readers understand and connect better with the deck and the art.
  
  My Thoughts:
  
  The book is a little different from other works and presents the story behind the cards rather than the meanings. The symbolism and meanings are interwoven into the stories, and this makes things easier if you have an idea about how the cards look (Raider Waithe Smith deck).
  
  There isn’t anything deep or intricate in this one. It works well for beginners and intermediary readers learning to connect the cards and tell a story (reading individual cards is easier, but combining them and seeing the patterns takes practice).
  
  
  
  The Major Arcana has Fool’s journey, and the Minor Arcana have individual stories for each suit (cups, pentacles, swords, and wands). I like the Pentacles story the best, though the others are decent, too (nothing wow).
  
  These are pretty much surface-level versions. You need to dig deeper to learn and look beyond the standard Christian/ Western interpretations, especially with cards like Hierophant. The book should work as one of the many stepping stones to familiarize yourself with tarot cards.
  
  To summarize, The Tales Behind Tarot is a good book to gain some insights about tarot cards and understand how we can connect the cards to tell a story. The book doesn’t deal with reversals.
  
  Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group –Leaping Hare, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
  
  #NetGalley #TheTalesBehindTarot
  
  ***
  
  P.S.: If you have the electronic version, read it on a computer/ laptop. It can get messy on the phone.
• 
  Jordan

  The Tales Behind Tarot is a wonderful introduction to the meanings of the cards. Unique from all other tarot books that I've read, Alison Davies creates beautiful stories for each suit that take you on a journey from the Ace to King, providing deeper meaning for each card individually and context within the entire deck.
  
  The major arcana follow the journey of the Fool, the first card of the deck. His journey has its ups and downs, but by the time he reaches the final major arcana- the World- the Fool has changed for the better. He has learned a great deal and completed his quest. While all of the major arcana cards are depicted as a part of the Fool's story, they also include individual themes and summaries at the end of each section, helping to give the cards meaning beyond the Fool's journey- in ways you can interpret into your own life and readings.
  
  Each minor arcana are their own story, told from beginning to end through the cards of each suit. Each card has their own themes given, representing the meanings that you're likely to see in other tarot dictionaries, but also includes a piece of the larger story.
  
  I also loved that an index was included at the very end. This mentions each card and it's placement in the book, but also common themes that you can see overlap with certain cards.
  
  One small issue I noticed is that the image for the Five of Wands card is the same as the Four of Wands. Hopefully that will be fixed before it's published, because I definitely plan to purchase a physical copy of this book for my own collection!
  
  I received this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Andrea

  This is a useful addition to the many books about tarot and I think it is most helpful as an aide to memorising and understanding the consensus meanings of the cards. An experienced tarot reader probably won't need it, but beginner-level readers? Definitely. I haven't been reading for a long time, but I read regularly. Yet I find there are some cards (looking at you, Star and pretty much all the Aces) that I just don't 'get'. I think that incorporating the cards into stories helps considerably.
  
  I have read before about the 'Fool's Journey' through the Major Arcana, and I particularly liked the Major Arcana stories in this book. Also included here are stories related to each of the four suits and these introduced a range of interesting characters that relate to the characteristics of the suits. Again, this is very helpful in gaining an understanding of the suit, and card, meanings.
  
  I reviewed an e-book, but the physical book looks to be beautifully illustrated and with a lovely cover. The stories use the Waite-Smith deck so the images and symbols discussed in them will obviously be different to readers of different decks. However, I wouldn't let this put you off as the bones of the stories can be understood in relation to any deck (at least those based on Waite-Smith). I think it would be interesting to use them as springboards into meditating on the cards and writing your own stories too.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book for review.
• 
  The Sassy Bookworm

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  
  The Tales Behind Tarot by Alison Davies is a captivating book that brings the stories and symbolism of each tarot card to life. Whether you are new to tarot reading or have been practicing for years, this book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the cards.
  
  Alison Davies takes readers on a journey through the tarot, introducing us to all 78 cards in the deck through short stories. Each card has its own unique story filled with rich symbolic meaning, making it easy for readers to grasp the essence of each card. The book also provides key words and themes to help readers understand the meanings of each card.
  
  The stunning illustrations throughout this book enhance readers’ experiences while flipping through these pages. They are visually stimulating and provide additional context to enrich your understanding.
  
  Overall, I found The Tales Behind Tarot by Alison Davies to be an insightful and engaging read that will benefit any tarot reader looking for new perspectives or anyone interested in learning more about tarot symbolism. It truly delivers knowledge which empowers individuals who want to decode and apply wisdom into their everyday lives. With its beautiful cover art, short but meaningful stories about each tarot card, and helpful insights provided along with them make this book perfect for beginners or those wishing to dive deeper into their practice alike.
  
  **ARC Via NetGalley**
• 
  Sara Landricombe

  This was a throroughly wonderful and different approach to learning tarot through story. As a lifelong fan of beautiful tarot cards this book has definitely helped me to grasp a better understanding of the cards from this unique perspective. Instead of ruching to Google meanings I will be more inclined to reflect on the imagery of the card and think on how that corresponds to my current situation or the question being asked. I will remember the stories from this book and perhaps come up with a more modern version whilst allowing myself time to evaluate the original stories themes and meanings and work out how that all applies in the grand scheme of things.
  
  I highly recommend this book to beginner and intermediate tarot readers and enthusiasts alike as there is always something to be learned from the tarot cards and it is always a good idea to learn from multiple perspectives and interpretations.
  
  It’s a 4⭐️Review from me - I would definitely buy this as gift for a like minded friend without question.
  This review was made possible by #netgalley & #quartopublishing #leapinghare #thetalesoftarot
  All appreciated - never a chore.
  
  www.Instagram.com/thedeadrosesbookclub
• 
  Books Tea Magic

  Highly enjoyable and fun to read on the heels of our Book Club book, The Cloisters. I’ve read a few tarot books and yet I invariably learn something new with each one. I’m familiar with the cards, own several decks yet always find a new perspective — true to its title, this book specializes in stories.
  
  Take the Major Arcana in The Tales Behind Tarot — Alison Davies addresses the fear and uncertainty some may have of these cards showing up in a reading. She asks that you reflect on the images, symbolism, and consider the life lesson within. After all, the Major Arcana cards represent the cycle of life at every turn.
  
  Diving into the card meanings in a story telling way, allows us to master subtle nuances, like weaving in the ouroboros in the Magician’s tale — there are also succinct keywords associated with each card (and a brief summary for the Major Arcana.) Truly brilliant format.
  
  Overall this is one of the better books, using stories to unveil the meaning of the tarot cards, with just the right amount of info in an easily consumable layout.
• 
  S R Austin

  A mixed bag. Not the best tarot book out there, but an interesting concept nonetheless. The Major Arcana should have been more engaging. I thought the author would use more creative liberty. I did pick up a few new insights and meanings from the stories. Overall, the book kind of serves as a dull reference that is trying to be a bit more spicy and unique. It's a bit hard to say on whether or not this works as a reference book. I've been reading tarot for a year now and I'm not sure I would have liked this when I started the craft. If anything, the meanings of the cards and the combined stories would have left me feeling more loss than before.
  If you're a beginner or seasoned learner, you can give this ago. It might suit you better than it suited me. If you learned tarot mostly from YouTube videos and online forums, this might not be for you. If you learn better with books, then have at it!
  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Lirya Rigel

  Not really what I was hoping for, I thought it was going to explore the history behind tarot, maybe some interesting facts about the cards.
  The main problem with this is that the writing format is the same in every single chapter, making it really boring to read. It would have been better to have a different story for each card (I understand how long that would take and how difficult it would be), but the thing is: protagonist meets someone, learns something, moves on. Protagonist meets someone, learns something, moves on. Repeat 78 times.
  The journey of the fool might have some potential as a work of fiction, but there needs to be more thought behind the structure of it. I believe the writer might pull off a regular guide to the reading of the cards as well, without the story. The insights about every card were really interesting, but the repetition ruins it, and I can't really remember anything specific about any card.
• 
  Arkasha

  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.
• 
  Edie

  The Tales Behind Tarot did exactly what it set out to do and I am grateful for the chance to read it. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC.
  
  In an effort to keep my mind nimble and continue to grow as a person, I am prioritizing learning new things. Whether it is a new recipe to cook, new music to listen to, new body movement to explore, or something like tarot, I want to remain curious. This book was very helpful to me as a tarot novice. I learn through story and the narrative structure made understanding and remembering the cards easier. I read through the book with a favorite deck, seeing how the story works with different imagery. This was exactly the resource I needed. I can't speak for people at different stages in their journey, but for me it was the right book at the right time.
• 
  Kristen

  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.
• 
  Robyn

  This book of the stories behind each tarot card is a must have for experienced and novice tarot lovers. It discusses the story arc of the major arcana but gives detail on common interpretations and meanings behind the cards. Author Allison Davies does a great job of offering the stories in a simple yet informative style.
  The full color illustrations are pretty and it’s an easy title to pick up and read in any order, based on the card you want to read about. This would make a great gift for any tatie lover.
  If you are ready a digital copy, I’d recommend a larger surface like a tablet vs a phone. Having color as an option is also a must.
  Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy of this book. This was given in exchange for an honest and fair review.
• 
  Shay Vande

  Fantastic for beginners. This book doesn't go into the convoluted correspondences, parallels, relationships, and extra symbolism in the cards, but that's the point.
  
  I found it incredibly helpful for me to get a wider scope on the overall story arcs of the suits, especially the Major Arcana, which helps me relate the cards to life and memorize their archetypes better.
  
  I'm sure there will be some interpretations that readers won't agree with, including myself, but it's a starting point for the newly interested to build up some context for themselves.
• 
  Beth

  What a great way to "learn" the meanings of the tarot major and minor arcana. Simply reading about the meanings and trying to remember them (or refer to a book) while doing a reading is super frustrating and slow going. But this book uses stories to explain the meanings, within the context of the Fool's Journey (major arcana) and a different story for each minor arcana suit. The happenings and characters in the stories help explain the meanings behind the cards, and make it so much easier to remember and understand.
• 
  Sarah

  This is a beautiful book and wonderful companion for anyone who is beginner or at an intermediate level with Tarot cards. It contains information on the Theme of each card, but also transforms the information for each suit into a short narrative. These are the "tales behind the tarot".
  
  The book is filled with stunning illustrations, bright colours, and aside from the narrative, it is also beautiful to look at. I rate it 4 stars.
• 
  JadersCorner

  ARC NETGALLEY REVIEW
  
  Right in the beginning, the origin of Tarot is a more modern version, and religious based belief. As with a lot of current books, this book is just again a copy of ever other tarot want to be clout author.
  I’m qualified to say this as I’ve been reading for 30+ years and am a 6th generational tarot trained by my ancestors.
  DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS UNLESS YOU FOLLOW THIS WESTERN AMERICAN CLOUT CONCEPT
• 
  Aimee

  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.
• 
  Kate Tavitian

  I have been dabbling in tarot for a few years and have constantly needed a reference book to decipher my readings. This book has helped me being remembering the meaning behind each card by giving me insight in the the story behind it. I will still keep this book on hand for reference but I have enjoyed learning more about the stories behind the cards of tarot.
• 
  Belle

  Very cool! I enjoyed this. The stories are just the right length to satisfy and not be overwhelming. The artwork of the cards feels very traditional - but I'm still an amateur so I could be totally wrong about that!
  
  *Temporary access to free e-copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Melissa

  3 stars trending toward 2.
  
  I like the idea of using a story to talk about the major and minor arcana to help people learn how to remember the card meanings and use them to interpret spreads. But the stories are extremely fairy-tale oriented (including a couple where women are really not well-treated imo). and tied to the Rider-Waite deck.