Astraea
My deck arrived today, and I love it. It's actually a Fournier deck, printed in Spain and distributed by Llewellyn, so the cardstock is wonderful (typical of Fournier) - slippy but not slippery, thick enough to be durable but flexible enough to shuffle with ease. The cards are neither matte nor glossy, striking a nice balance between the two.
While I do not find many correlations between the artwork and specific cards (only the Major Arcana and Courts are illustrated with animals), the paintings are so beautiful that it doesn't bother me. The animals' faces are alive with personality, intelligence and purpose, and I find it easy to relate to them in an oracle-deck kind of way. The pip cards are gorgeous, too. Even though there are black borders with gold designs around the cards, I don't find the deck fussy. To me, it's utterly charming and I think it will be easy and enjoyable to read with.
While I do not find many correlations between the artwork and specific cards (only the Major Arcana and Courts are illustrated with animals), the paintings are so beautiful that it doesn't bother me. The animals' faces are alive with personality, intelligence and purpose, and I find it easy to relate to them in an oracle-deck kind of way. The pip cards are gorgeous, too. Even though there are black borders with gold designs around the cards, I don't find the deck fussy. To me, it's utterly charming and I think it will be easy and enjoyable to read with.