A Story of Love, Desperation, and Hope During a Great Biblical Epoch
Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all.
To save her older brother and escape the bonds of slavery, Kiya flees with the Hebrews during the Great Exodus. She finds herself utterly dependent on a fearsome God she’s only just beginning to learn about, and in love with a man who despises her people. With everything she’s ever known swept away, will Kiya turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?
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What an amazing debut!
I’m not a big fan of Biblical fiction, but I had heard quite a lot of good things about this story that piqued my interest, so when it came up as free on Kindle I got it. I’m so glad I did!
For me, Biblical
Fiction has to closely match the Biblical account, and if real Bible characters are used, then they need to act in accordance to their character in the Bible. (I know that sounds obvious, but I have given up on several stories that didn’t match the Bible’s portrayal of the character, scene or occasion.)
Connilyn Cossette has done this. I could see that as I read. I also appreciated the note at the back that told of the research she did and if the historical accounts didn’t match the Biblical account, she didn’t use it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Counted with the Stars. I felt like I was Alice in Bibleland, having just walked onto the scene of the Plagues of Egypt and seeing it all come to life before my eyes. I also “saw” the Israelites as they started The Exodus, and journeyed with them through the Crossing of the Red Sea.
I have known this account as written in the Bible since I was a child, but reading this book brought 
some background knowledge of Egypt and its gods that brought a whole new meaning as to what God was exactly doing and why those particular plagues were chosen. (I had no idea that frogs were so important to Egyptians, and that they actually had a goddess with the head of a frog!)
For me, it was fascinating to see an Egyptian slave’s perspective of the plagues and how they felt during this time. I also hadn’t considered that they often weren’t aware that Pharaoh had had a warning from Moses until the plague had arrived, and that the news was passed on by word of mouth.
I’m also not a big fan of 1st person, as it can limit the story if not done well. In this instance, the 1st person worked really well, and while there were times when I wished I could have known what was going on elsewhere or what someone else was thinking, I do think using the 1st person narrative was a good choice.
I am definitely interested in continuing this series!
I highly recommend this story to parents wanting to give their teenage daughters a good story, which also will enhance their knowledge of the Bible and give the Biblical account new meaning for them.
Parents and grandparents will also enjoy reading this story. It’s a book to span the generations and provide some interesting discussions afterwards.
~ Wendy Sparkes ~