The Cavendish-Novaes Tarot - surrealist tarot with extensive full-colour guidebook
Lucy Cavendish is a familiar name in oracle and tarot circles. The Australian author and witch has published several decks and books, translated into multiple languages. This deck marks her collaboration with Ana Novaes, a Brazilian illustrator who has worked with publishers including Disney and HarperCollins.
The result is a complete 78-card tarot deck with a distinct visual identity. Cavendish writes, Novaes draws. That division of labour shows: the cards have a strong artistic presence that moves beyond conventional tarot imagery.
What you see on the cards
Ana Novaes works with ink, watercolour, gouache, muralism and digital illustration. Her imagery draws on ancestral myths and the power of the feminine. The cards have a surrealist, intense quality. Colours are full and deliberate; the style is raw yet layered.
Novaes has been working professionally since 2015 under the name Ltg.Art. Her visual style is recognisable, and she brings it consistently across all 78 cards in this deck.
The guidebook
The deck comes with a 292-page full-colour guidebook. That is considerably more than the average tarot guidebook, which tends to run to around 200 pages or fewer. The guidebook is written by Cavendish and approaches the cards through her own perspective on witchcraft, spirituality and intuitive tradition.
The 78 cards sit in an inner tray with a ribbon. The outer packaging is a hardcover box.
If you are used to a spare RWS deck, the visual world of this one is a noticeably different experience. The illustrations carry a weight and presence that leaves little room for neutrality.
About Lucy Cavendish
Lucy Cavendish writes about witchcraft, folklore, sacred sites and alternative spiritual practices. She has appeared on Australian television programmes including Studio Ten and The Morning Show, and hosts the podcast The Witchcast.
Her decks and books are published in multiple languages. She combines deep knowledge of magical traditions with an accessible writing style, which has built her a broad readership.
About Ana Novaes
Ana Novaes is based in São Paulo and has worked professionally as an illustrator and artist since 2015. She combines traditional techniques such as ink and watercolour with digital methods. She has worked for publishers including HarperCollins and Quarto Group, as well as Disney.
Her work focuses thematically on ancestral myths and the feminine. For The Cavendish-Novaes Tarot, she applied that approach across all 78 cards.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Guidebook: 292 pages, full colour
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781922574701
- Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing
- Packaging: Hardcover box with inner tray and ribbon
- Box dimensions: 125 x 170 x 57 mm
- Author: Lucy Cavendish
- Illustrator: Ana Novaes
Questions we often get
What language are the cards and guidebook in?
Both the cards and the guidebook are in English. No other language edition is available.
How does the guidebook compare to what other tarot decks include?
292 full-colour pages is well above average for a tarot guidebook. Most standard decks come with somewhere between 100 and 200 pages. This deck gives considerably more space to each card's explanation.