Bad days aren’t uncommon, but when things go bad for Pearl Sterling, they do so quickly and steeply. On one bad day, she loses her job, her home, and pretty much everything of any value to her. These losses leave Pearl with two terrible choices: match up with a boorish rich boy, or try to find a nearby castle that no one in town can see.

Rescue, the first book in F. E. Greene’s By Eyes Unseen fantasy series, is about two days in Pearl’s life: in the first, things go very wrong, and in the second she begins the process of leaving her old life behind to live among quirky and compassionate followers of a mysterious king. While Pearl herself largely remains the focus, several other fascinating and even atypical characters are introduced and developed along the way. This book kicks off a series, so it’s mostly concerned with world-building and introducing the players, but there’s quite enough here to hold a reader’s interest throughout this story and the ones that follow.

Best for: Young adults and older.

Discern: One character who essentially portrays Christ.