Real Talk Tarot by Juanita Londoño-Gaviria

The tarot deck for our day, Real Talk Tarot—complete with a guidebook and keepsake box—speaks to our present-day icons and struggles with updated illustrations featuring relatable archetypes and scenes.

Let’s be real; modern life can feel surreal and disorienting sometimes. This tarot deck, updated from the classic Rider Waite version, is perfect for everyone from novice to expert who is looking for guidance in today’s world, which often feels like it’s on fire.

Each of the 78 cards is connected to today’s world by characters and situations you might encounter any day. Some of the illustrations are lighthearted, like the King of Cups depicted as a handsome barista, and some are less so, such as the Seven of Wands represented by a heated political protest in the streets, but each card is true to the experience of life today while staying true to its original tarot meaning.

The beautifully illustrated, highly giftable deck comes with an interpretation guidebook so beginners and experts alike can read the cards. The deck and book come in a beautiful keepsake box.

Whether you are looking to add a unique deck to your collection or are just beginning your tarot journey, Real Talk Tarot is the fresh take on tarot that you need right now.

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A quick history lesson before we get into the review. Tarot began as a card game, no different from poker or Go Fish, in Europe in the 15th century (ish, dates are hazy.) It didn't start being used for predicting the future until around the 18th century. The most popular version is the Rider Waite Smith; most decks use those ideas, interpreted to suit the theme of the deck. There are plenty of non RWS decks out there, but beginners are usually advised to start with RWS as they can then apply their skills across literally thousands of decks.

A tarot deck is divided in 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards divided across four suits. Cards in the Minor Arcana can be pips...so the seven of wands would literally show seven wands...or pictorial...so the seven of wands would show, probably, someone defending themselves against seven wands. Beginners are advised to chose a pictorial deck, as they're easier to learn, but of course they don't have to.

I'm leaving out a lot of nuance, but this is enough for our purposes today.


Please note, this was given to me as an ebook and images of the cards. I can't speak about the size or feel of the cards, although I do plan to look for this deck when it's published. Many thanks to Quarto books, who sent me the images when I contacted them, as there are none in the book and I was eager to get a few samples to see what they looked like - I asked for one or two samples and they sent me images of the entire deck! Forgive the black lines at top and bottom, that's part of the screenshot, not the actual cards.

Real Talk Tarot was designed specifically as a modern deck for modern readers. The cards are all designed to look like a phone screen and the characters are modern. The images are minimalist and clean.

Let's start with the deck. The cards have this detailed design on;

You can see that it's fully reversible, meaning that until you turn the cards over you won't know if they're reversed or not. This is not a big deal to me, but some readers find that knowing whether a card is reversed or not can alter the feel of the whole reading.

Here is the Hermit, my spirit card (not my significator!) Look at the lovely plain lines and simplicity here, the cosy comfortable feeling. This is very much the modern version of 'getting away from it all' and it fits beautifully.

I'm also very fond of this Sun, and that's not usually a card that jumps out at me! Just look at this. It's like all the best bits of all the best teen movies.

This is a pictorial deck, meaning the Minors are fully illustrated. Here's the Seven of Wands, traditionally interpreted as standing your ground or standing up for your beliefs. See how beautifully it's been translated to a modern idea? These are such clever cards.

The deck also features a variety of body shapes, colours and genders. Here's the Queen of Cups, traditionally a motherly, caring figure.

The book has a wonderful section that gives one or two keywords for each card - a brilliant place to start if you're just setting out! - and goes on to feature two cards per page with a brief upright and reversed meaning. I actually liked the short, to the point style, as it saves getting bogged down in too many details. Court cards are mostly described as situations rather than people, although the people do show up every so often. The book doesn't feature any of the card artwork, but there are some beautifully laid out spreads to try. There are also tips to learn the deck by number and element as well as the keywords. I found them so useful! As well as the lists of keywords, each card has a brief phrase attached to help you remember them, which I loved. For instance, the Hermit's phrase is 'Let's talk self care and "me time" ' which is so perfect for the card! Seven of Wands is 'Fight the good fight' which, again, matches beautifully. If you learned just these phrases, you'd be able to do a pretty good reading.

There's also a little marker on each page to tell you which suit you're in. They're not exactly tabs, as they're all in the same spot, but it would help you flick through and find your place more quickly for sure.

All in all, this is a lovely, modern deck. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on the cards to see what they feel like in my hands, but going on images alone, I think this will be a really useful, helpful deck. I can't wait to see it in person.

Real Talk Tarot publishes on the 21st September, 2021. I received a free copy of the guidebook and am giving an honest review.