I wanted to make a Shadowscapes Tarot Review as this is the most beautiful fantasy-inspired tarot deck that I own. Shadowscapes has to be one of the most beautiful tarot decks that I have and it’s a tarot deck I am instantly drawn to most days.
If you are looking for a tarot deck that is either fantasy-inspired, watercolour based, angelic, a pretty tarot deck or muted in colour, then this is the tarot deck that would be perfect for you.
From the artwork to the card descriptions, this is a very inspiring deck that is beautiful and surreal.
There is 2 versions available, a large book and packaging version of Shadowscapes and then a smaller, card-sized packaging version of Shadowscapes. This review is for the smaller card sized package version.
So, let’s get into the review, shall we?
Shadowscapes Tarot Review- A Beautiful And Surreal Fantasy-Inspired Tarot Deck
About The Deck
The Shadowscapes Tarot is created by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and contains the most beautiful watercolour imagery that really pulls you into wanting to use the tarot deck. Stephanie has created all of the beautiful watercolour artwork and her inspiration comes from fantasy.
Now, the guide book is written by none other than Barbara Moore, who has written a vast majority of tarot guidebooks such as Tarot in Wonderland and the ever so popular Gilded Tarot.
A plethora of prints and paintings are available on the Shadowscapes website that you can freely purchase, I would highly recommend them as they are so beautiful!
Packaging and Quality
The version I got was the deck with a small guide book, however, there is another version where you get the Shadowscapes tarot deck and also a guide book and large box packaging, similar to the decks like The Green Witch tarot. At the time I purchased it, there was only one version available.
Packaging for the Shadowscapes Tarot is the same size as the tarot cards which I prefer for this one as I like to keep it on my desk so I can use it all the time. It’s really thick card, sturdy and protects the cards very well.
Inside is the deck of cards and also a paper guide book which is easy to read but the font is a little small. However, I manage to read it fine, but some may need something to magnify it.
Cards are not very thick, they are quite flimsy and easy to bend, however, I do enjoy a lot of decks with the same scale of thinness for the cards. They are easy to use, easy to hold and also very easy to shuffle and do not clump or stick together.
The quality of the print is fantastic at purchase, they are clear but also serene in nature. You can make out everything as there is clear distinguishable lines throughout each card to make the cards more clear and less blurred together like some watercolour is.
Looking into the guide book more with the Shadowscapes tarot, it’s very basic and just a standard paper book. I would prefer a large version but I love the size of the packaging, so I will be considering getting the guidebook in a standard book size format at some point.
It is black and white, with minimal details throughout for the cards and no reversals. I tend not to read in reverse with this deck. I’d consider purchasing these cards again and getting the guide book this time, keeping the cards as more something to keep and using the cards I already have for everyday use.
Overall, I am very impressed and enjoy these cards a lot. Sometimes I like to use an oracle deck such as The Literary Witches Oracle alongside.
Shadowscape Tarot Review
Opening the packaging, I was so delighted to see the true beauty of these tarot cards. I really wanted to do a Shadowscapes Tarot review as there was so much to unpack with the tarot deck and wanted to do it justice.
The first thing I wanted to point out is that it is based on a RWS system and has many similarities throughout the deck in terms of card meanings and some of the imagery. So, we are going to go over the imagery in the deck.
Firstly, the backs of the cards is a beautiful mix of blues, lilacs and cream throughout, giving it a beautiful colour scheme and then has dots throughout,
Each of the suits for the cards have an aesthetic, they have similar imagery throughout and gives a beautiful theme for each of the suits.
Suit of Wands is full of animals such as foxes, deer and felines, a lot of amber hues throughout the suit. They are Earthen in nature and the imagery doesn’t quite match what I observe the suit of wands to be, the Fire element. Although the warm amber tones I guess could be related to fire. I’d expect a little more red I guess. Still, it’s very powerful, grounded and full of that wand energy.
Next, we have the suit of Pentacles in the Shadowscapes tarot. Now, this is very earthy and green in nature. Plenty of lizards and dragons throughout the suit. Obviously, we have pentacles scattered throughout the suit too. This is a different kind of Earth energy from the Wands, this is more alive, vibrant and full of energy, rather than grounded and powerful like the Wands.
Then we have the Swords, the card of flight. Giving that air energy with the different array of birds throughout the suit. Swans, Geese, Crows and various other birds are littered throughout the deck with plenty of violet tones throughout this suit. You pick up that air energy with it and the theme certainly shows this.
Finally, we have the water element with the Cups. True to the theme of cups, fish and mermaids adorn this suit, with a beautiful hue of blues and blue/green shades. It’s cool, flowing and certainly showing the true appeal of the cups suits.
I do really enjoy the elements of the suits and colour schemes that adorn the Shadowscapes Tarot.
Getting into the major arcana, there is no distinct scheme to this, more so the colours and imagery suit the card and the descriptions and meanings of the cards. I like there is no distinct colour scheme and rather the colours are based on the individual card.
From blues and violets to greys and greens, there is a wide range of colours throughout and makes the major arcana beautiful.
Again with the imagery, there is no distinct scheme either, rather the imagery used is based on the card separately, like for example, The World is very green, full of greenery like leaves, showing the Moon and universe, birds flying around. What you could dissect as The World fairly easily.
Each card has a very thin silver border, thicker at the bottom with the card number and name for major arcana and number/court and suit for the minor arcana.
Overall, the imagery is beautiful and it looks serene and wonderful in the Shadowascapes Tarot.
My only problem with this deck, the imagery is very intricate and a lot of it is tiny, so can be hard to detect some aspects of the cards. Given the intricate nature of the cards, they would be better on larger cards. But that is really the only fault I have with them. They are beautiful, all the same!
Reading With The Shadowscapes Tarot
I’ve got to admit that reading with the Shadowscapes Tarot was very spot on and I had a lot of fun using them. I’ve found they are the most requested cards after the RSW based decks. They are very popular! When I was researching for my Shadowscapes Tarot review, I found that it was a very popular tarot deck, even people I read for requesting it.
When I am reading with them, things are coming to me pretty clearly, I feel very in tune with this tarot deck and found there are no issues with reading at all.
Although there are times I feel this deck is not going to be relative to the question, I will choose something else. However, this is rare.
I’ve found I don’t have to choose more cards for a reading, as I get the answers from the cards I have drawn. This is great as sometimes I feel I am pulling several cards for an answer. I really wanted to point this out in my Shadowscapes Tarot review.
Using oracle decks such as Moonology Oracle Cards by Yasmin Boland is a great way to incorporate dates and moon phases into the readings.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a beautiful, fantasy-inspired watercolour deck then the Shadowscapes Tarot is really for you.
Giving the calm, natural vibes without the deck, your readings will give you purpose, meaning and guide you into a fantastic adventure with cards that really resonate with you.
Have you seen the Shadowscape Tarot yet? What do you think of the Shadowscape tarot review?
