Celebrate Spirituality with Chronicle Books (Tarot & Book Review)

It’s time for another Celebrate ____ with Chronicle Books post! And this time I’m reviewing a tarot deck and magic book that I think complement each other very well (not only because they share the common subject of dealing with spirituality, but also because they share the same aesthetic and therefore look fantastic together)!

Name: Mystic Mondays Tarot
Creator: Chronicle Books
Illustrated by: Grace Duong
Format: Deck
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Distributed by: Raincoast Books
Publication: October 2018

This tarot deck was kindly provided by Raincoast Books, in exchange for an honest review.

This vibrant tarot deck, featuring bright artwork, holographic card edges, and foil exterior, offers fresh interpretations of each of the major and minor arcana in a standard tarot deck. With a full-color guidebook that describes the symbolism of each card, Mystic Mondays is full of positive vibes that invite you to start fresh any day of the week.

Title: Everyday Magic
Author: Semra Haksever
Type: Nonfiction
Genre: Spirituality
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Distributed by: Raincoast Books
Date published: October 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books, in exchange for an honest review.

No longer the stuff of broomsticks, black cats and cauldrons, witchcraft is all about self-care in a modern and often confusing world. This is the perfect book for all women looking to channel their inner power, make positive changes in their lives, cleanse, heal, and embrace a little more spirituality. Semra will teach readers how to make bespoke spells, construct an altar, create manifestations, moon rituals, gratitude meditations, and more. Blend some oils to increase your luck, use a candle manifestation to break a hex and get over past lovers, or make a special blend of tea to stay calm.

Featuring information on crystals, tarot, herbs, oils and much more, this is a book on cosmic assistance that is accessible for everyone. When you are happy and positive on the inside, it makes you glow on the outside, and Everyday Magic will help you do just that.

I found this tarot deck to be very interesting. When I requested it, I had only seen what the box that holds the cards looks like (like in the photo above), so I assumed that the illustrations on the cards themselves would be black and white as well. Well, the back of the card did turn out being black and white, but the faces of the cards turned out being quite colourful (like in this photo from the Amazon.ca listing). And don’t get me wrong. The illustrations are quite lovely! I was just surprised to find that they weren’t black and white. The thickness of the cards is also interesting, because they are definitely thicker than the card stock used for regular tarot and playing cards. And I think that this is mainly done because it helps the metallic edges of the cards stand out better. My photo does an awful job of showcasing that though, so here is another photo from the Amazon.ca listing to better show you what I mean about the edges.

I am not the best shuffler with a regular deck, so the thickness of these cards definitely makes it a little harder for me to mix the cards up properly, but I think that getting that metallic shine on the edges definitely makes it worth it. So, maybe I won’t use these for readings so much as maybe for display purposes (because they are quite beautiful and just overall quite pleasing to look at). As for the book that I will be talking about in this review, Everyday Magic: Rituals, Spells and Potions to Live Your Best Life, it is not made by the same artist or the same creators as the tarot cards. Both items are sold by Chronicle Books (and Raincoast Books in Canada) though, and I thought that their aesthetic and they subject matter work really well together, so I figured that it couldn’t hurt to review them together like this! (They look like they go together, don’t you agree?)

Just as with the Mystic Mondays Tarot Deck, I am really happy with the aesthetic of this book as well as the contents. I love the way in which both the exterior and interior were designed, and I also love how many useful rituals, spells, and potions were fit into such a small book. Everyday Magic isn’t tiny, but it’s also certainly not a large hardcover tome either. Overall, I do recommend both the tarot deck and this very handy book of spells (if you will) to those who are already into this sort of spirituality, or those who are just starting to learn. I also recommend them to those who love that B&W aesthetic like me!