Six decks, sinner. Two of them are starters — the kind I'd put in the hands of a twenty-one-year-old who said *Aunt Sinderella, where do I begin?* Two are graduates, for when the starter starts to feel small. Two are personality picks, for the niece who is a *very specific kind of niece* and you already know which one she is.
Every link below is an Amazon affiliate. You buy, Sinderella gets a few cents, the candle stays lit. *Madonn',* it's that simple.
For the niece who needs a starter
U.S. Games Systems · ~$22
The deck I learned on, sinner. The art's a little stiff and the colors are loud and that's exactly why it works — every line means something, every color is doing a job. Every book about tarot is written assuming you have this one in front of you. If you only ever own one deck, own this one. Saint Anthony for the things you've forgotten you knew.
See it on Amazon →For the niece who hates the medieval guys with swords
Kim Krans · ~$32
The Wild Unknown is what I'd hand a niece who turned twenty-one and asked me how to start. Animals, weather, old gods watching, no smug medieval guys with swords. *Madonn',* my child, it's gorgeous. Light a candle when you open it. Sleep with it under your pillow one night. It'll know you. Saint Anthony rides with this one.
See it on Amazon →For the niece who took a women's studies class and never came back
Lisa Sterle · ~$25
The Modern Witch is the Rider-Waite if Rider-Waite finally let women be the protagonists. Every figure on every card is a woman with phone, attitude, and good shoes. Same structure as the standard deck so the books still work, but now The Magician's wearing slip dresses and The Hierophant is *clearly* somebody's terrifying aunt. Pilgrim, this deck is *fun.*
See it on Amazon →For the niece who is going through it
Chris-Anne · ~$24
The Light Seer's is the deck for the year you have to put yourself back together. The art is soft, the readings are gentle without being saccharine, the colors look like a sunset over the Atlantic in October. Sweet thing — when somebody at this table has been knocked sideways by something, this is the deck I reach for. It doesn't pull punches, but it doesn't twist the knife either.
See it on Amazon →For the niece who reads myth like other people read gossip
Yoshi Yoshitani · ~$25
Tarot of the Divine is the deck where every card is a different mythology — Persephone, Anansi, Inanna, the Selkie. Yoshi Yoshitani painted the whole thing and *Madonn',* it's beautiful. This is the deck for the niece who reads about gods the way other people read tabloids. The Tower is Pandora. Death is Persephone. The Lovers are Cupid and Psyche. It's a college course in a box.
See it on Amazon →For the niece who wants the seventies witchy version
U.S. Games Systems · ~$22
Morgan Greer is what tarot looked like in 1979 — saturated, soft-eyed, slightly stoned, the kind of art that lived above a record player. Same structure as Rider-Waite, but the figures are closer up and the colors are autumn-warm. My creature, this deck reads like a Stevie Nicks album. If your niece's bedroom has a tapestry in it, this is her deck.
See it on Amazon →Affiliate disclosure · As an Amazon Associate, Sinderella earns from qualifying purchases.
"Saint Anthony rides with you."
— Sinderella · the folding table