Deck review: Dark Wood Tarot mini by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson

Small enough to fit in a pocket or a purse, you can carry this fun miniature deck everywhere. Abigail Larson's captivating illustrations help you gain a richer understanding of yourself as you journey into the wood. Based on the classic Rider-Waite deck, this mini tarot leads you through the darkness and into the light that reflects your hidden talents and personal power.

This is the mini edition of the Dark Wood Tarot. Cards measure approximately 1.7" x 3".

Dark Wood Tarot mini is available now, published by Llewellyn. You can see the unboxing and flickthrough videos on TikTok.

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This is my third mini deck, but the first one where I didn't already own the regular deck. This meant I came into this deck not knowing what to expect, and also I don't have access to the LWB (although I have seen a friend's, briefly, and it's gorgeous.)

As the mini deck doesn't come with an LWB, I won't be talking about it at all in this review, just the cards themselves. As mentioned in the description they're about three inches tall, perfect size to carry around. They come in a box that opens at the top. They have this lovely reversible design on the back:

In general, the artwork is quite dark - not evil, just dark, subdued colors. The characters are all in woodland, and there are shadows and creatures lurking everywhere. It seems like this would be quite a depressing deck, but it actually reads beautifully, and the cards are full of hope. There's no tinting for the different Minors as you get in some decks, these are all the same.

Majors have their name at the bottom and the number, in Roman numerals, at the top. Minors have their name written across the bottom. There is a frame around the image on each card, but the image often continues out of it anyway, which is intriguing! I don't think I've ever seen a deck do that before.

Here is a small sample of the deck:

In readings I've found this accurate, and it cuts straight to the heart of things; there's no softening or gentleness with this deck, it just tells it as it is. My guinea pigs - er, querants - loved the artwork as well, describing it as 'sharp and strong'. This is definitely a deck I'll be keeping on hand for when I need a reality check - and hopefully at some point I'll get the regular deck and access to the LWB!