Customer Reviews

Secret Mini Tarot

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so tired of seeing reviews of mini decks where the user complains that they are too small. Isn't that what the word "mini" means? Should the product rating take a hit because the customer can't read? This particular deck is probably my favorite of all the minis - except maybe the Halloween Tarot in a tin. The style of the art is very clean and works well at the smaller size. If you haven't tried a mini yet, this deck's a good place to start.

I so throughly love the normal sized deck of this Tarot I just HAD to buy the mini!

All the delightful whisps of gothic greyness and exquisite expressive images and landscapes DO translate well to the smaller size. And SO much easier to tote about.

But if you do adore the Secret Tarot and only have this mini version, you must treat yourself to the larger size cards. Then the sparks and magic are unleashed.

This little deck is OK. I wish it were a bit bigger, about the size of a regular deck of cards.
The biggest downside to purchasing the small deck over the large deck is that the colors in the large deck are much more saturated and rich, and the small deck looks faded in comparison.
The pictures are original, creative, and beautiful while still allowing the reader to easily understand what the essence of the card is about, so this is a good deck for beginners or experienced readers.

This is a mini version of the Secret Tarot. The Secret Tarot is a gothic looking Tarot deck drawn by Marco Nizzoli and based on the Tharot of Marseilles and the Rider Tarot. This deck screams "Renaissance meets Gothic". Nizzoli comic book style artwork shows glimpses of a world where the bygone era is still alive, heavily influenced by a gothic flair.

Nizzoli images are inked with non intrusive outlines, and painted with low contrasting colors and subtle shadows. Nudity is more persistent through this deck than in any others, although is tastefully done at all times.

The cards are labeled in five languages. The Italian label, written with dark blue ink, is prominently shown at the bottom. The English, Spanish, French and German labels, written with black ink, are shown at the top of the card and at both side of the numeral written in dark blue ink.

The Tarot of Marseilles is evident throughout the Mayor Arcana with few nods to the Rider and Visconti Tarots. This is a deck where Justice is 8 and Strength is 11. The Marseilles tradition can be easily identified in cards such as The Lovers, a finely dressed man deciding between two different women, The Wheel of Fortune, a dog, a winged monkey and non-winged monkey around a wooden wheel, and The Sun, two naked boys standing under the sun. A nod to the Rider tradition is seen in The Fool, a traveler walking left toward the end of a cliff, and a lone nod to the Cary-Yale Visconti tradition in Death, the characteristic bony figure on a horse wielding a scythe.

The Minor Arcanas depict the story of four secret kingdoms presented in the Little White Book: The Kingdom of Pleasure (Chalices), The Kingdom of Richness (Pentacles), The Kingdom of Sorrow (Swords), and The Kingdom of the Work of Man (Wands).

I recommend this deck for those tarot collectors who like a gothic theme in a pocket size. It comes in a fitting box and includes a Little White Book.

Other decks by Nizzoli:
Secret Tarot
Dream Enchantress Tarot

I was intrigued by the Secret Tarot, but at $22.49 I opted for the mini, which is less than half the price of the full-size deck.

I like the images; the art is very good and there is just a cool, mysterious over-all vibe to this deck, but it is REALLY small and I have a hard time seeing any detail. I have the Rider Waite mini and do fine with that one, but to be fair, I am already familiar with the Rider Waite deck. Maybe if I had a full-size version of the Secret Tarot and became familiar with it, this deck would be more usable for me.

My advice is get the full-size deck first, and then, if you like it, get this one as well.