Review by Kelly Jarvis: The Tapestry Unravels: Weaving Old Tales into New by Lynden Wade

In the Author’s Preface to The Tapestry Unravels, Lynden Wade invites readers into her world of magic, legend, and fairy tales written for adults, and each of the twelve stories that follow unfurl with enchantment, reweaving old narratives into new. The first three stories, A Patchwork of Puddles, The Web and the Wildwood, and The Emperor’s Mistake all engage with sewing imagery, setting the tone for the way Wade’s collection stitches together well-loved tales with creative new explorations of human life, deftly establishing the artistry of storytelling as a magic all its own.

The Tapestry Unravels features plenty of stories set in far-off fairy tale landscapes, but some tales bring magic to contemporary settings with nixies that lurk in bathtubs and mobile apps that allow young, sheltered daughters to transport themselves to enchanted ballrooms. Fairy Tale aficionados will find reworkings of The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and The Snow Queen, but the collection also holds references to classic poems like The Lady of Shalott and Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, along with captivating explorations of folklore and folktale. There are prophetic birds, fairy abductions, and trapped princesses, but each story contains a twist, allowing characters like aging housewives and fairy godmothers to have adventures all their own. Of particular note are Listen Hard and A Prophet in his Own Country, two distinctly separate tales which are beautifully woven together, and The Goose and his Girl, a heartfelt romantic reworking of an ancient animal bridegroom tale. As I made my way through the collection, I found each new tale to be one of my favorites, though Turn to Me, which poignantly explores both the depth of devotion and the beauty of creating new art from slivered fragments of material, will always remain nestled deep in my heart.

And, if the stories themselves are not gifts enough, Wade, in collaboration with cover artist Emma Howitt, has given readers a stunning visual tapestry to accompany her tales. Characters and scenes from each of the twelve stories are displayed on the front and back cover, and I found myself joyfully searching the detailed illustration each time I finished a tale. At the end of the collection are story notes which explore Wade’s personal inspirations and point readers back to the traditional tales from which her stories have come. Wade also provides an inspirational note titled Write your Own Fairy Tale which encourages readers to unroll and reweave stories of their own.

I read a lot of fairy tales and I read a lot of books, but The Tapestry Unravels has found a special place of honor upon my shelves. It is a treasure chest of folkloric writing that sings with inspiration, and it is a must-read for anyone who looks for magic in the world. I love it! You can find it here.

Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly, The Chamber Magazine, The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/