Zenabelle
Guardian of the Forest
A resourceful, steadfast heroine learns to observe, listen to, and protect the natural world in the perspective-driven fantasy novel Zenabelle.
Zeina Iyamah’s mission-driven fantasy novel Zenabelle brings attention to environmental protection.
Zenabelle, who feels reverence toward nature, sets off to study at the school of the Coniferous Emerald. There, eager students hold the earth as close to their hearts as Zenabelle does. She and her classmates seek a peaceful way of life that honors the environment. In the course of her studies, Zenabelle develops a mission to protect the world’s forests from human interference. Through various wild woodlands, sacred sanctuaries, and meetings with territory officials and others of influence, she works to protect the planet.
Zenabelle is a resourceful, steadfast heroine who learns to observe, listen to, and protect the natural world. Several tests await her at the Coniferous Emerald, such as building a shelter, starting a fire with minimal tools, and foraging for water. Each trial hinges on a lesson of leveraging patience rather than force. Zenabelle passes these trials and proves herself, all while helping her fellow students. Later, her determination to preserve local wildlife and their habitats shines as she joins various leagues—some by invitation, some by seeking them out—to prevent the overreach of industry. She also attends meetings with others of status to speak for nature, opposing matters of wealth and state at the cost of wildlife.
The tale is sparse when it comes to elements beyond Zenabelle’s mission, though. She is joined on her adventures by several others, including Skye, a traveling knight who seeks to stop his kingdom from flooding, and animal and elemental spirits like the wolf Wolfinto, whom she rescues and befriends. These characters are underdeveloped on their own merit; they act as guides and occasional comrades to Zenabelle alone. And the worldbuilding is of similar depth—functional but limited. The most detailed descriptions are devoted to the natural world rather than the handful of kingdoms that are mentioned in passing, giving minimal shape to Zenabelle’s society but vivifying features like a living river that shifts and bends to the will of its guardian spirit and the medicinal barks and berries of sacred trees.
The plotting is somewhat inconsistent as well: Around the novel’s halfway mark, modern technology is introduced, with conservationists using drones and digital sensors to monitor natural pockets of forests yet untouched by loggers and other human industry. While these elements are used to complement Zenabelle’s spiritual goals, functioning in a manner that’s similar to her meditation practices and connection to woodland spirits, they also clash with the established setting and tone. Still, the story gets its points across. Indeed, as time goes on, Zenabelle confronts her destiny with aplomb, effectively standing up for those without voices of their own.
Zenabelle is an inspiring fantasy novel in which a determined young woman undertakes knowledgeable missions of environmental conservation.
Reviewed by
Brandon Pawlicki
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
