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Chakra Wisdom Oracle: How to Read the Cards for Yourself and Others
Chakra Wisdom Oracle: How to Read the Cards for Yourself and Others
Tori Hartman | 2017 | Mind, Body & Spiritual
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s quite possibly a little known fact that I used to review a lot more new age, self-help books and products in the past, hence the name ‘alternative’ in my website address. So when I saw this available for review it reminded me of those days, and I jumped at the chance of reviewing this – “How to Read the Cards for Yourself and Others (Chakra Wisdom Oracle) Tori Hartman“. Tori is a professional intuitive following a near-death experience some twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, this whole book is built around a set of Tarot style 49 mystical fable cards, revealed to Tori, which do not come with this book. It also focuses on The Chakra Wisdom Oracle Toolkit, which I also do not own. But there is an iPhone app! You can also go online and try them out there for free (an online shuffler).

I really must get these cards… they look gorgeous and after reading all about them I am definitely curious. I also quite like the idea of the toolkit too. Chakra Wisdom Oracle Toolkit: A 52-week journey of self-discovery with the lost fables.

The book itself explains what the cards mean and how to interpret them. You learn about the Great Servant and the 17 Great Spirits of the Council, which all relate to chakra coloured cards, with different aspects and teachings on. It’s written in a concise and well laid out format. There are also some handy quick reference tables to help simplify the teachings, plus reading techniques and meditative journaling are also covered.

With 320 pages, it is quite full on, which in my eyes is a good thing. It doesn’t skimp on detail. Plus, if you visit Tori’s website there are now courses you can take up to train you how to use these cards even further, and more in depth.

I can recommend this book to anyone who is already a fan of spiritual guides and tarot cards, or if this is something that just appeals to you, (there’s a reason for that) just try it out and see. If you’re dedicated enough you can learn so much more by repeated use to better your understanding of what these cards are telling you and how to read them fully.
  
    Questeros

    Questeros

    7.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    Tabletop Game

    Questeros is a fun, strategic, trick taking card game using a fantasy based 78 card tarot deck...

Born To Be Wilde (Immortal Vegas, #3)
Born To Be Wilde (Immortal Vegas, #3)
Jenn Stark | 2016
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
*Read as part of the 1-3 boxset*

I was more into this than the previous ones, the series is now starting to progress at speed, with more players coming into the game in relation to the tarot cards and their representatives. Very interesting concept, although I admit I know nothing about it at all, so Sara's explanation when she reveals her picks are rather interesting.

The thing that started in book 1 with Sara and the Magician progressed quite a lot in this one, and I have to say I was excited for it happening.

Cannot wait to read book 4.
  
    Dreams of Gaia Tarot

    Dreams of Gaia Tarot

    Lifestyle and Book

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    The Dreams of Gaia Tarot is for those who desire unity within themselves, their relationships, and...

Questeros
Questeros
2021 | Card Game, Fantasy
You know that messed up deal when you are just chillin’ in the forest doing goblin-y things when you are caught and forced into a life of servitude by the king of the realm, and then when he needs someone to go on a dangerous quest he calls upon you, the now court jester, to fulfill said quest? Doesn’t that just chap your hide? Such is exactly the setting in which our hero(?) finds themselves in Questeros, or more fitting, Ero’s Quest (the solo adventure variant).

Ero is the goblin court jester from the open who has been “chosen” to quest about the land to rid it of the ne’er-do-wells of the realm. In this solo adventure mode of Questeros the player will be donning the visage and character of Ero as they travel about developing their skills and having encounters with powerful beings. It is up to the player to guide Ero through the kingdom and rid it of the foul that is plaguing it.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T


To setup the solo game, fondly and ingeniously-named “Ero’s Quest,” follow the rulebook to divide the tarot cards into their specific stacks and splays so that it roughly imitates the photo below. Draw a hand of five cards from the deck and the game may begin.
On a turn the player has a choice of seven actions that may be performed in any order. Each action may only be performed once per turn and when the turn is over the final action is Rest. To use the Develop action the player will place a card from their hand onto the Blades, Staves, or Orbs stacks in next-numerical order. This increases Ero’s attack and spending power. To Puchase cards Ero will spend Orb cards to look at the spent Orb value worth of cards from the draw deck, add one to their hand, and place the others at the bottom of the draw deck. At times Ero will need to Forget cards from hand in order to make room for more cards to enter it via the Learn action. Forgetting simply discards cards from hand while learning draws cards into hand from the draw deck. Recover is used to stand any kneeling/turned/rotated cards into an unused state by destroying cards of higher value from hand. As stated previously, to Rest is to end the turn by discarding the top card of the draw deck to setup the next turn.

I purposely left out the final action choice, Encounter, for a specific reason. Ero’s Quest is won when the entire deck of 21 Encounter cards is defeated. Each of these cards depicts a person or persons that Ero meets in his travels. Some require Ero to give them cards in order to pass. Some require Ero to succeed in battle against them in order to progress. In either case, Ero will need to get through the entire deck before his draw deck runs out in order to win the game.

Battle in Ero’s Quest is turn-based, where the Encounter persona attacks first, thus handing Ero wounds immediately. Wounds are suffered by spending Cups cards in value of the wound taken. For example, the Assassin is a value of 12, so they immediately wound Ero for 12 damage at the start of the encounter. Ero will spend a value of 12 Cups cards to simulate damage taken. Ero may then attack with a combination of available Blades, Staves, and any Ally cards obtained – one of each per attack turn. If the Encounter is defeated, Ero lives on. If the Encounter is not yet defeated, the battle continues with the Encounter card dealing damage and Ero responding with damage until one is defeated.


As mentioned earlier, the Encounter deck contains 21 cards with six of these being combat encounters. Ero has a ton of work to do and when each turn requires a card to be discarded before a new round may begin, they also have an in-game clock ticking and ticking each turn. However, if Ero is able to Develop their skills and overcome all the Encounters, the game is won and Ero becomes a Hero.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and many items are not fully completed in this version. That said, what we were provided is a large stack of tarot-sized cards, a first player Ero token (for multiplayer games), and a large pad of scoring sheets (also for multiplayer use). The cards are great quality and feature some really excellent artwork (on the cards that have the completed artwork on them). I do like the art style employed here, as I am a fan of fantasy themes, and I know that the game will probably ship with similar iconography, but may also be color-coded for ease of reference. All in all I believe Questeros is headed in the right direction for components, and a successful Kickstarter campaign may improve that even further.

The gameplay for the solo adventure of Ero’s Quest is really decent and engaging. So often I have found myself crunching numbers in my head and attempting to utilize my horrible card-counting “skills” to determine my next actions to take. Turns can be very intense and fruitful, or very frustrating and minimal, especially when you are waiting to draw that 3 of Blades so you can place it on the 2 of Blades sitting there, but it just won’t come up. And here you are sitting with the 4, 5, and 6 of Blades in hand and a Necromancer staring right at you awaiting combat. That is the definition of frustrating, but games usually take less than an hour, so even if an entire game is chock full of these turns, you can always setup a new game quickly and hope for better luck.

I like this one. I really do. It is interesting, has a great theme, so many delicious choices, and multiple ways to use the cards for game modes or tarot decks or even RPG FATE decks! On versatility alone I would rate this one high. If you are looking for a little card game to satisfy your mid-weight solo thirst, then check out Questeros. If you need a tarot game in your collection (as I look at mine and see no others), consider this one. It takes up very little shelf space, but looks great on the table and offers a great little solo experience. I have yet to beat the solo adventure, but Ero is calling my name for another go, and I might just have to give in. Again. And again.
  
PP
Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles, #1)
Kresley Cole | 2012 | Dystopia, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
The plot (0 more)
It's a bit cliche in the romance department (0 more)
Good begining
Kresley Cole has created an incredibly complex and surprising story line in this book. With romance, danger, relatability and a new take on Armageddon this book is the starter of the Arcana Chronicles. The book as a whole incorporates just enough romance to be relatively intriguing while not overpoweringly sappy. The series focuses on the growth and development of a 16 year old who is thrown into a world she literally dreamed of, and not in a good way. With zombies and superpowered teenagers based on tarot cards things are bound to get a little crazy. I recommend this book (and the series) to fantasy and fiction lovers.