Now Read: “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot & Torment Vol. 1”

With a variety of twisted tales inspired by the Tarot’s Major Arcana, “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment Volume 1” is a wicked treat.

As we go through life questioning our choices and needing guidance, we sometimes turn to unconventional methods to steer us through uncertain waters. We can seek help through the supernatural, putting our choices in someone else’s hands and believing what they tell us. Can we truly know and trust they know what they are talking about?

In Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment Volume 1, we have a series of tales that make us think twice before trusting our fate to pictures on a card.

Mo Moshaty has graced us with an anthology of tales that will send shivers down our spines and make us wonder what could be around the corner in our lives and how the supernatural can take over at any point.
No stranger to horror—with experience as a writer, producer, and lecturer in what seems to be everything horror-related—she knows exactly how to keep the reader hooked from the start.

Clairviolence Volume 1 brings us eleven macabre tales centered around the theme of the tarot card selected.

The first tale plunges us headfirst into the dark, twisted tale of The Devil: The Fever Man.

Setting the pace of the anthology, this story brings us to the heart of a couple dealing with the loss of their newborn. Mo’s writing style brings you closer to the heartbreak and emotions the couple is engulfed in throughout this tale before releasing an eerie figure haunting them. The descriptive writing brings the supernatural being to life and is enough to haunt your imagination.

We get many varied stories, from ones centered around historical events to futuristic tales, from stories told in first person to those told from a third-person perspective.

The tales also vary greatly in length. The Hermit: Magic Hour is five short pages of uncomfortable, depressing, self-mutilating horror.

My favorite tale was The High Priestess: The Severity Of Things. This one really drew me in. It follows a young man stuck in a dead-end, low-paid career with a partner who wants to live a high life and spend his money to make herself feel wealthy of sorts.

Reading this gives you the frustration of wanting to shake the guy to see sense, then again the story takes a supernatural turn but moves away from his relationship and onto someone else’s relationship. No spoilers now. You will have to read it.

It reads like these tales were written at different stages in Mo’s life. Perhaps one was written a few years ago, and the next was written more recently as her writing journey progressed. I could be wrong about that, but you get the sense of each being written with a slightly different voice from a different perspective. There’s such a uniqueness between the stories and style of writing, and some are much stronger and more deranged stories with the power to haunt you.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Clairviolence Volume 1. The artwork of each chapter/tale is quirky in its own right. Kudos on this.

My only criticism is that I would have loved more atmospheric descriptions to pull you in rather than concentrating mainly on the dialogue of the stories. At times, some of the conversations felt more like I was reading a screenplay or script. That’s just me, though; everyone enjoys different writing styles.

I look forward to Volume 2 and the horrific tales of the other tarot cards left in the pack.

Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment Vol. 1 hits soon! pic.twitter.com/t2eTnrihYu

— Mo Moshaty (@MoMoshaty) April 12, 2024