A Fairy Story, Saving The Green asks a question most fantasy novels sidestep: what if protecting an enchanted realm and protecting the actual, physical Earth were the same task? Levanah Shell Bdolak builds her debut novel around that idea, following a heroine who learns her family has quietly served the Fae for generations — and who is about to find out what that inheritance actually demands of her.
What distinguishes this fantasy from a crowded field of fae-adjacent adventures is how directly it folds ecological concern into its magic system. The quest Merrilee undertakes is framed as both a rescue mission and an ecological one, and the novel never lets readers forget that saving a mythical kingdom and tending the natural world are presented as the same work, seen from two angles. That dual framing gives the book a sense of purpose beyond the usual chosen-one adventure, even as it still delivers the wonder readers come to fantasy for.
What Saving The Green is about
The novel opens with Merrilee learning of her Fae heritage and the family history of assisting the Fae that comes with it. That discovery pulls her into a global quest alongside a Fae King, undertaken to save his kingdom and, by extension, protect the Earth itself. Her journey carries her through encounters with ancient deities, mermaids, and elementals, and along hidden Fae pathways that trace the planet’s ley lines — the novel’s version of a map, stitched together from folklore rather than geography. Each of these encounters is given enough room to matter to Merrilee’s arc rather than functioning as a quick checklist of fantasy creatures along the way.
Running alongside the external quest is Merrilee’s own transformation. As she travels, she’s forced to reconsider her identity and her role in the natural world, and the novel treats that internal journey with as much care as its set-piece encounters with mythical beings — the external adventure and the inner one are built to resolve together, not as separate plot threads.
What makes it work
Several choices keep the novel’s ambitious scope from overwhelming its story.
Also worth a look: House of Vale: The Selection Review: A Conspiracy Thriller With Bite and The Coran Chronicles Review: A Cat-and-Mouse Thriller With Real Bite.
A mythology built with real texture
Rather than treating the Fae as a single homogenous group, Bdolak populates the world with mermaids, elementals, and ancient deities that each carry their own logic, giving the quest a sense of genuine discovery as Merrilee moves between them.
Ley lines as both magic and metaphor
Using Earth’s ley lines as the hidden pathways of the Fae world is a clever structural choice — it gives the quest a literal, traceable shape while doubling as a reminder that the novel’s magic is meant to be read as an extension of the real, physical planet.
A heroine’s arc that matches the stakes
Merrilee’s personal transformation around identity and belonging keeps pace with the external quest, so the novel’s biggest moments land as character beats as much as plot beats.
A global scope with a clear through-line
The quest carries Merrilee across continents and mythologies, but Bdolak keeps the stakes anchored to a single, consistent goal — protecting the Fae King’s kingdom and the Earth it mirrors — so the novel’s wide-ranging settings never feel like a travelogue stitched together for variety’s sake.
About the author
Levanah Shell Bdolak has said she wanted to create a story that would awaken wonder while inviting readers to reconsider their connection to nature, their own inner abilities, and the possibilities of humanity’s future. That intention runs through the entire novel: the fantasy elements are vivid, but they consistently point back toward real-world reflection rather than existing purely for spectacle, giving the book a gentle, purposeful undercurrent beneath its adventure. It’s a sensibility that fits naturally with Bdolak’s broader work exploring intuition and connection to the natural world.
Who should read Saving The Green
Readers drawn to fantasy with a spiritual or ecological throughline — the kind of story that treats nature itself as a character worth protecting — will find a lot to enjoy here. Fans of fae mythology, elemental magic, and quest narratives built around self-discovery will appreciate how fully the novel commits to its world, and the book’s accessible, adventure-forward pacing makes it a solid option for teen readers moving into adult fantasy as well. Readers who enjoyed nature-driven fantasy worlds built from folklore rather than invented systems of magic will feel right at home in Bdolak’s version of the Fae realm.
Where to get it
A Fairy Story, Saving The Green is available in paperback through ReadersMagnet and major book retailers including Barnes & Noble. Readers can also find more about the author at her website.
Verdict
Saving The Green blends a well-built fae mythology with a sincere ecological heart, giving readers a quest that feels both magical and grounded. It’s an inviting pick for anyone who wants their fantasy to leave them looking a little closer at the natural world.
Frequently asked questions
It is currently a standalone novel, told as a complete quest within its 328 pages.
It is a spiritual fantasy and ecological adventure novel, drawing on Fae mythology, elemental magic, and nature-based spirituality.
Yes. Its fantasy adventure framing and themes of self-discovery make it a good fit for teen readers as well as adults who enjoy gentle, nature-centered fantasy.
The novel is available through ReadersMagnet and major book retailers, including Barnes & Noble, in paperback.
Levanah Shell Bdolak is the author of A Fairy Story, Saving The Green, a novel she has described as written to awaken wonder and invite readers to reconsider their connection to nature.
Protagonist Merrilee discovers a family history of assisting the Fae and is drawn into a quest with a Fae King to save his kingdom and, by extension, protect the Earth.
