ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Pamela can read the future in the cards. Among her clientele are a few supernatural beings that roam the human world. A wishing cat in love with his owner, a vampire hoping for redemption, and a cursed fairy all seek Pamela's advice and wisdom in this first volume in the series. The stories are suitably creepy in a gothic, Twilight Zone-ish way and include the typical melodramatic hooks of "girl-anga." The artwork really makes this anga stand above the crowd, however, with floating panels and symbolism obviating the usual heavy shadows used to conjure dark moods like those of these stories. While the basic style remains typically manga-ish, touches of greater realism point up the emotional peaks. The look and feel of The Tarot Café should appeal to Gothic Lolitas and Japanese Fruit-fashion fans.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Park (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Les Bijoux) presents a new series that is part fantasy, part horror and entirely intriguing. Pamela reads fortunes at the Tarot Café, helping a series of supernatural beings process lost loves, karmic traps and other mysteries. Her cafe attracts a vampire who meets—and betrays—his one true love over and over again; a puppet master whose greatest creation has fallen in love with him; a cat who changes into a person for love of his mistress; and a fairy trapped in the body of a young girl. The volume combines clear artwork with amusing dialogue and heartfelt situations; each chapter comes off as a fairy tale or fable, and is pleasingly imaginative as such. But it's difficult to engage with the book at times, because Pamela's own character is such a mystery. Her conversations with her clients and others in the lulls between stories are intriguing and deserve to be extended in upcoming volumes. Park's artwork is stellar, whether she is using b&w contrast to illuminate the horror of a vampire's appearance or crafting scenes that represent a story's emotional center. Already a bestseller in Korea, this series should be popular in the U.S. as well, particularly among tween girls, for its creativity and fantastic elements.<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC""> (Mar. 30)

School Library Journal (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Gr 9 Up-This book consists of four episodes, the last of which is less compelling than the first three. Tarot-card reader Pamela has the ability to read supernatural beings, and each segment tells of a problem that the tarot reading helps to solve. In the first, a wish-fulfilling cat must make the ultimate choice for love. Next, a vampire needs help coming to terms with his past. A fairy has to help a human in order to lift a curse in the third, and, in the last, an alchemist discovers true feelings where he least expects them. Each episode is a story in itself, but the final episode doesn't come to a satisfying conclusion. The black-and-white manga-style illustrations are clear and expressive and fully complement the text, and the tarot cards are interestingly drawn. As each one is turned over, its meaning is explained. The stories are mostly about adults, but they will appeal to older teens as they move quickly and are engrossing. Suitable for public libraries or high schools. Ronnie Gordon, Brooklyn Public Library, NY