Counted With the Stars

Counted With the Stars

Connilyn Cossette

Bethany House

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?

     I was first drawn to this book by its beautiful cover- those stars are simply gorgeous, and when I saw the hieroglyphics trailing along the bottom edge, I knew that the synopsis was sure to intrigue me even before I read it.

     I'm a little wary when it comes to Biblical fiction because I'm not always keen on making stuff up about Bible characters. I've certainly read a few good ones, but generally I tend to avoid them. However, what I loved about this book was that it was about completely fictional characters set during a specific Biblical event- the plagues of Egypt. (There was one appearance by a Bible character, but it was well-done and was one of my favorite parts of the book)

     My favorite parts were definitely those set in Egypt, although I really would have liked more- it seemed a little rushed and I would have liked the book to focus a little more on life during the plagues. There was a lot of talking about things. These weren't done horribly but did seem a little like information dumps, especially when you're someone who's already familiar with the stories and/or theology these moments are trying to tell. The writing itself was pleasant, although nothing that really stands out from the rest of the Christian fiction market (although it was written in first person, which is a little rarer in that genre). Overall, though, my favorite aspect of this book was by far the setting. It made the book stand out to me, and has put this author on my to-watch list.

Rating: 8

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.