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Title: The Oracle of the Vampire Fae
Author by: Tess Whitehurst
Artist: Mélanie Delon
Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing
Number of cards: 52
Card size: 5.5 x 3.25 in
Box size: 6.25 x 4.75 x 1.5 in approx
Guidebook pages: 125
Purchased or gifted?: review copy gifted by Llewellyn
Absolute favorite card: Initiation
Other favorites: (in order from most beloved): Fate Into Destiny, Elite Soldier, Midwinter, Alchemy, Assassin, Your Own World, Beautiful Nightmare, Winds of Change, New Regime, Moonlight Elixir
Notable detail:
Season: Winter
Sabbat: Samhain
Sign: Scorpio
Element: Spirit (void)
Deck compliment: Tarot of the Abyss
Collective Pull: A New Day

Add to Your Altar

First Impressions

So I’m a huge Romantasy and Paranormal Romance fan. So, when I saw this deck, I immediately thought of some of my favorite fantasy books. I thought of A Court of Thorns and Roses and the Black Dagger Brotherhood and The Serpent And The Wings of Night and a real throwback to the Immortal’s After Dark. This deck isn’t based on any of these books and yet, feels like it slots in easily. I was apprehensive about it though. Vampire decks tend to be gimmicky and weird but I’m a fan of Tess Whitehurst, having collected nearly all of her decks over the years so I had positive expectations. On my first pass, I can say I really love the vibe. It’s dark and moody but not over-sexualized or gimmicky at all. It feels quite deep and thoughtful. So, let’s dig in and see if this is one you’ll be adding to your altar.

The Packaging

So the one thing I love about a Blue Angel box is the consistent size. I have been buying Blue Angel decks for probably 12 or 13 years now and the box has been the same size this entire time which I love. All my Blue Angel boxes live on the same shelf and the fact that the box heights are all the same is so satisfying. I love to try new things but I also love a brand that knows who they are and feel no need to apologize for it.

The box itself is all black a with goldish writing. I say goldish because it's not foil which would’ve been nice to have. But in truth, the lack of foil doesn’t look bad at all. The box is really elegant in my opinion. It’s a sturdy two piece box. The top lifts up from the bottom and inside, there is a minimal print. It’s not flashy at all but nice enough.

What I don’t like is the card size. These are pretty challenging to shuffle. I can’t hold them the long way because they are too big which is pretty annoying. The cards are also a touch on the thin side, making it all the more challenging to shuffle without damage. However, I love the matte cards. The print quality is gorgeous and feels really calming.

The Guidebook

Another thing I’ve always liked about Blue Angel is their guidebooks. Unlike a lot of other publishers, they give their authors lots of space to write. Sometimes the entries have been way too long but I appreciate them all the same. This isn’t one of the longer guidebooks but the card entries still feel substantial. Inside you’ll find:

An introduction
How to prepare your deck
How to do a reading
A one, two and three card spread
And then the card meanings

I could’ve done with a little bit more at the beginning of the book, especially with the spreads but that’s just me being picky. It’s a pretty solid guidebook, certainly better than some others I’ve seen last year.

For each card, you get the card name and a sort keyphrase. You have a short interpretation at the top for quick reference and then the full card interpretation. One thing I appreciate is how most of the meanings go straight into the actual meaning. You have some which explain the images but most just give you what you need.

Last year, I said I wanted to stop explaining the card images for my own decks unless it was necessary to understand the meaning. I get wanting to explain the image, especially when as a creator, you’ve worked so hard to create the symbolism but, I think the interpretation is more important than an explanation of each card. Tess Whitehurst probably has as many decks as me if not more. I feel like this is just something you learn with experience and having made many, many decks. You learn to dig into what’s essential rather than giving a lot of filler.

Theme

The theme surprised me. I was totally expecting this to be a deck based on the whole BookTok Romantasy craze but it's not about that at all. It’s actually based on “The wisdom of the majestic Scottish race of vampire faeries called the baobhan sith (pronounced “boe-bun-SHEE).” Tess goes on to explain that this race of vampire fae feeds on abusive partners, mostly men, but anyone who is hurtful to others. I kind of love that. First of all, it gets rid of the boring “dracula” vampire stereotype and introduces a completely different version of the story.

Second, Tess explains how it may seem cruel or wrong to feed on human flesh but humans eat innocent animals everyday. It may seem morbid but this really resonated with me. I think about people who hunt animals and I always wonder how they would feel if someone put them out in a field and chased after them with a gun. I also think about how many times in history, a group of people just decided another group of people is less human and therefore, justifying the inhumane treatment of human beings which is completely bullshit and yet, has happened countless times.

At least this group preys on people who actually deserve it. Abusers, murders, attackers and the like. I’m ranting now but the point is, if you’ve read my reviews then you know that I am a fan of dark, hauntingly beautiful things and I love that group of women are not “good” in the traditional sense but are beautiful in their pursuit of justice.

*Fate Into Destiny, Assassin, Beautiful Nightmare*

The Artwork

I’ll start with the back of the cards because I’m not a huge fan of the Blue Angel’s choices for the card backs. They’re often very plain, featuring a pretty random symbol which I often find to be a lazy choice. The card backs here are not dissimilar but, I actually like it this time. It’s an all black background, very thin white border and then a giant V in the center. It’s still very simple but in this case, I think it shows a restrained elegance that matches the rest of the deck quite nicely.

In fact, restrained elegance is how I’d describe this deck as a whole. It’s so regal I suppose. It feels very mature. The female vampire fae featured here have this badass, don’t fuck with me sort of energy. You don’t see an overwhelming amount of blood or fangs or bat wings although there are a lot of butterfly wings. It’s just so nice to see vampires being done in a different way.

“Whenever one human seeks to hurt, control or exploit another under the false moniker of protection or love, an energetic vacuum is created and an etheric imbalance is formed. But as the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. And so the boabhan sith arose naturally from his imbalance to restore equilibrium through immaculate protection and justice.”

My favorite card is Initiation. It’s such a striking image, especially among all of the other darker images. This vampire feels powerful which come to find out, that’s what this card is all about. I feel the meaning of this card is very apparent without having to look in the guidebook.

I also really like Beautiful Nightmare which is the cover image for the box. This is a very dark card in terms of color. So much of the vampire blends in with the background as though she’s sitting in a void. It makes me think about fear and the unknown. That sometimes we have to go into things blindly and hope everything works out. Sometimes all you have is a small bit of information to make a choice with. I know that sucks but it's a part of the human existence and I think this image captures that energy of feeling drawn towards something both dark and beautiful but also, really scary.

Own The Oracle of the Vampire Fae

Reading With this Deck

Reading with these cards made me a little sad if I’m being honest. I’ve done my best lately to face my grief and move through it but these cards would not allow me to do that. Don’t get me wrong, this is not an aggressive deck. It isn’t loud or mean but it does acknowledge pain, that’s been my experience.

I’ve been trying to sit with some of the cards I’ve pulled but many are things I don’t really want to confront. As always, I don’t think the accuracy of a deck has anything to do with what’s written in the guidebook. I think all decks are accurate because the cards you draw are based on your energy, not the writer’s. So yes, this deck is accurate.

And yes this deck is honest but it’s also gentle. It’s kind of like getting advice from your grandparents. It’s compassionate but you’re going to get the truth. It doesn’t really soften the message but it doesn’t yell at you about it either.

Collective Pull

I pulled A New Day for you. I could tell you this card is about light returning after the darkness and there is a bit of that here but it goes so much deeper than that. This card invites you to explore possibilities. To know that your life is in flux, often changing in small, imperceptible ways every single day whether you realize it or not. One of the greatest tragedies in life is when a person believes they need to be the same for an entire life. Why have we been taught to believe changing is a problem? People say “you’ve changed” as though that indicates a disease or something to fix. Change is the same thing as growth, evolution, and leveling up. One must learn to be ok with shifting parts of yourself if your plan is to become or do something. This card invites you to embrace change. To lean into and let that usher you to a new day. It’s only when we welcome what could be different that things are actually able to change. If you are not in a good place right now, then allow yourself to explore the possibilities of what could be and how you can shift yourself to meet these possibilities.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I chose winter for the season. This deck overall is dark and moody and also, there’s a Midwinter card which I find interesting. There isn’t another seasonal based card so I feel like the energy behind the deck is meant to be winter, rather the creators were intentional about that or not. But also, I think the idea of the vampire fae dolling out justice is a wintery energy. I know you’re probably thinking justice is more of a fall energy and I suppose that’s true. But I think justice is perhaps identified during autumn (energetically) but the consequences are felt more so during winter. What I mean by that is, autumn gives you a chance to fix things but come winter, you’re stuck in whatever consequences you have. So when I think of a vampire fae feeding on a harmful partner, I think of the point of no return. You have to face what’s coming for you now.

I chose Scorpio for the sign because really, there is no better sign for a vampire than a Scorpio, especially a vampire fae. Not to mention, the guidebook speaks of vampire fae being alchemists and shapeshifters which is also very aligned with Scorpio energy: the shapeshifter of the zodiac.

I chose Samhain for the sabbat because vampires and mythical creatures naturally align with Samhain and other realms, with shapeshifters and transformation. Plus the darker energy fits beautifully with Samhain. Not to mention, Samhain is considered the start of winter in pagan traditions which matches the winter energy of this deck quite well.

Finally, I chose spirit and more specifically the void for the element. I think the vampire component makes this supernatural enough that I just couldn’t see any other element working here. There’s influence by all of the elements and anytime I see a clear connection to all or most of the four elements, I think of spirit, the combination of them all. Also, I debated saying this but I personally believe blood corresponds to spirit more so than earth. Your blood carries information that spans thousands of years. Each drop of blood is like a little library or like the akashic records in human form.

Who is this deck for?

Fans of dark, mythical creatures will instantly find a deep resonance here. If you love the idea of moody, hauntingly beautiful images that are evocative but also incredibly elegant, then I think you’ll really like this one. It’s so elegant even with the somewhat gruesome energy of eating asshole people underneath. It has a lot of that Samhain energy but very grown and sexy too.

It’s not your typical vampire deck so if you’re looking for that, then this is perhaps not the deck for you. But, as a vampire lover myself, I can say I truly appreciate a new spin on the vampire tale so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Deck Companion

I chose Tarot of the Abyss for the companion, mostly because I wanted something that matches the darker energy of this deck. Tarot of the Abyss is completely in black and white and aesthetically, they may not be a perfect fit but many of the images in both decks are reminiscent of each other. I also really like the minimal energy combined with what I’ve been calling restrained elegance. The Oracle of the Vampire Fae isn’t a flashy deck and putting a flashy deck with it just didn’t feel right. These two decks have a cozy resonance and after using them a few times together, I feel really solid in the pairing.

Buy Tarot of the Abyss

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