Become an Exceptional Tarot Reader: The Card Meanings & Skills You Need to Ace Every Reading

by Ethony Dawn, Theresa Reed (foreword)

A culmination of Ethony Dawn's 20+ years teaching tarot, this book takes you through each step of becoming a confident, successful tarot reader.

Meticulously crafted so that each chapter builds on the one before it, this book caters to various learning styles and personalities, ensuring that you'll have a practical and enjoyable experience. Ethony Dawn provides interactive exercises and essential advice that teach you how to expertly read the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot for yourself and the people in your life.

This exceptional guide presents a clear and concise learning path so you can grasp the fundamentals of tarot reading with ease. You won't feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of cards, and you won't need to memorize their meanings. Ethony debunks tarot myths, shows you how to care for and get to know your deck, and covers tarot-adjacent subjects such as astrology, numerology, and the fool's journey. This book is what you need to unlock the secrets of tarot.

Genres: Tarot

416 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2025

Reviews

[Shari Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Becoming an Exceptional Tarot Reader” by Ethony Dawn is an accessible and in-depth tarot resource.

“Becoming an Exceptional Tarot Reader” is a text about tarot and learning to read the cards. It’s a book that approaches tarot as a sacred tool.

Although “Becoming an Exceptional Tarot Reader” is a thick text, the content is broken into manageable chunks of information that are easy to digest. Ethony provides tarot spreads ranging from one-card up to a twenty-four-card Year Ahead Spread and a twelve-card Zodiac Wheel. She provides useful exercises to help card-slingers connect with the tarot. Ethony discusses each card in terms of upright and reversed meanings. This book even provides helpful journal prompts.

“Becoming an Exceptional Tarot Reader” by Ethony Dawn is a recommended resource for tarot readers.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick impressions: If you want to learn how to read Tarot, and you need an accessible book that is practical and down to earth, this book is a great choice.

(Full review including additional reading notes on my blog soon.)

[Poetstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, and I am learning so much from Ethony. If you know Ethony, she is a firecracker! She is very articulate in the way she presents the information and knowledgeable enough to know that it is all up to your interpretation of the tarot. "Pay attention to the cards" she says. "Study all the things.". 💜

[Terri Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethony has am amazing teaching style. This book is great for beginners to learn basics, but also for advanced readers to learn layers and nuances. Packed full of information written in an easy to digest format.

[Michelle Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethony is great at getting you to understand the cards in a way that you can apply them to multiple readings about CEOs topics. This is my go to reference book.