Alright, so I now have 2 copies of this deck. I have one on the way via a trade, and since I loved the reading that someone did for me via an exchange, I went to Barnes & Noble today and bought it for the retail price. I wanted it that bad! Plus, like WolfyJames mentioned, dark colored cards show signs of wear easily.
I like the card stock. Although this is a Llewellyn deck as opposed to a Lo Scarabeo deck distributed by Llewellyn, the card stock feels like the Lo Scarabeo - sturdy, smooth and has a lovely sheen over the matte finish.
More than anything, I can't believe I actually like this deck
. It feels like it should be cheesy, but after experiencing how it read, I'm sold. I love the colors, the costumes, the scenes. It aims to seduce and succeeds at it.
ETA: I am removing this comment: "It's a digital deck, but since the cards are dark, it works for me." It's not a digitally enhanced deck. I wasn't sure at the time of this post and that is what I meant when I said it was digital. His painting technique is extraordinary!
I just separated the cards to lost the ones that I loved versus liked and ended up with about 60 cards that I loved. That's huge for me. I love all of the Aces with the suit symbol and roses with the suit color, the liberated Fool, the sexy and determined Magician with his tools creating his spell, The High Priestess with the shining Moon above, the large deep-rooted tree behind her and her gorgeous white dress. I feel the need to ask for help from The Hierophant, I can see the result of forbidden love and temptation in The Lovers, the task at hand that The Hermit has when seeking answers and the difficulties that may present themselves, holding him back. The simplicity of The Wheel of Fortune is perfect, and helps me associate that with the Aces as well. I love The Hanged Man, Death (amazing!), The Tower, The Moon, The Star and The Sun. I love all of the cards in the Grails (Cups) and Skulls (Pentacles and most of the Knives (Swords); Scepters (Wands) is my least favorite. And the Prince of Grails looks
exactly like
Brian Viglione, drummer from The Dresden Dolls (one of my favorite bands) - see the attached card image. Cheesy I know. I'm virtually gagging myself as I type this.
Monday is a holiday here in the US, so I am going to plow through the book. My other decks (Steampunk and Housewives) are going to be put aside right now. Like I mentioned earlier, the reading for me was an emotional one and I really want to work with some of the cards.
I don't own any other Vampire decks. I just never connected with the artwork save for Place's Vampire Tarot, which I traded away since I disliked the card stock. I don't see this deck in the same vein as the Bohemian Gothic; they offer very different experiences. The Tarot of Vampyres is a display of romanticism and erotic vampire lore. Sure the deck is based on a legend, but the cards spill stories and appear to be a well thought out Tarot.
My wine is ready tonight. Time to play
.