Merry meet!
I found myself buying The Wild Unknown Tarot a few weeks back. I was at a general store (think Ocean State Job Lot, Christmas Tree Stores, or Home Goods) and was very surprised to come across a tarot deck. It was the only deck they carried (and was a crazy good price!), so naturally, it had to come home with me 
Iāve spent some time with the deck and done enough readings with it that I think Iāve got a pretty good feel for its energy. The following are just my personal thoughts on how I feel about the deck, its messages, and how well it works for me.
Without further ado, here are my personal thoughts and tarot deck review of The Wild Unknown Tarot.
THE ART
The art on the cards, done by artist Kim Krans, has a wholesome sketch-like style with an eye-catching balance between black, white, and color. This a very nature-based deck with all of the cards depicting animals, natural landscapes, or tarot symbols (pentacles, wands, swords, and cups). Iād hesitate to call this an element-based deck as, while there are occasional references to elements, the focus of the cards is on animals and scenes in nature.
The deck has an interesting style that uses both monochrome and bright colors. āDarkerā cards tend to be in black and white, while more positive or inspiring cards are much more colorful. This helps the reader get an instant and instinctive feel for the card as soon as they see it, which can help guide readings naturally.
THE ENERGY
The energy of this deck feels generally positive and encouraging. That being said, it doesnāt sugarcoat the difficult cards. Cards that portray challenging times or situations - such as the Three of Swords, Ten of Swords, The Tower, etc - reflect those hard but important messages in both their card descriptions and artwork.
READINGS
While there are some similarities to the standard Rider Waite deck, the art in The Wild Unknown depicts animals and objects instead of people, and has its own symbolism at play. It focuses on colorful expression over traditional card design. So while being familiar with traditional card meanings can always help, this is one deck where the deck specific guidebook and/or your intuition are necessary.
THINGS I LOVE
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The Artwork - Letās be honest, there are very few tarot enthusiasts out there who would buy a deck if they didnāt like the art! The style of the cards called to me in how itās almost deceptively simplistic, where the longer you look, the more meaning you find in the lines, symbolism, animals, and colors (or lack thereof). The cards are pleasant to look at and I enjoy reading them.
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Meaningful Colors - I know I mentioned it above, but the way color is used in this deck to portray emotion is really neat.
THINGS I DONāT VIBE WITH
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No Reversed Meanings - The Bry of many years ago who was just starting to learn tarot would have been deviously pleased with a deck that doesnāt have Reversed meanings. Now, with a bit more experience under my belt, I think using only upright meanings is like only using half the cards - it makes it more difficult for the divine to communicate the things you need to hear. Rider Waite reversal meanings can still apply, of course, as can using the inverse of the upright or doing intuitive readings, but for a deck with specialized art, itās disappointing to not have the reversals, too.
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Gender-Based Cards - While the Kings and Queens are often associated with masculine and feminine energies, this deck takes it a step further and assigns the Pages as ādaughtersā, the Knights as āsonsā, the Queens as āmothersā, and the Kings as āfathersā. As per the description, the Mother of Cups only portrays a woman, the Son of Pentacles is about a boy, etc. As someone who believes everyone regardless of their gender has both masculine and feminine energies, I think restricting cards to certain genders limits readings.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS DECK?
Overall, yes - if the artwork calls to you, Iād say go for it 
Iām on the fence about recommending this one to beginners. I think using a Rider Waite deck or a deck that closely resembles Rider Waite is much more helpful to someone just learning the cards as it prevents having to re-learn meanings that are specific to a stylized deck. That being said, you do you! This deck is relatively straightforward and doesnāt use reversals, so in that sense, it could be welcoming to someone learning the basics.
Have you used The Wild Unknown or a similar deck? If not, is it something youād be interested in exploring?
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Blessed be 
Enjoy tarot decks? Here are some additional deck reviews in the forum:
Iām glad you like it, Bry!
And I think Iām following in your footsteps with it - Iāve been using it intentionally to try to connect with it, but when I need a quick reading itās not the one I instinctively reach for. Perhaps Iāll bond with it more over time! 
Do you perhaps have an Ollieās store near you? They donāt always have tarot decks, but when they do, they are cheap! 
