Counted With the Stars (Out From Egypt Book #1)
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4.6 • 70 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What might the people following Moses out of Egypt have thought and felt during those epochal events? In this novel from Cossette, the young Egyptian slave woman Kiya finds herself unexpectedly caught up in the terrifying plagues and awe-inspiring miracles. While serving a vengeful, wealthy woman, Kiya meets and befriends Shira, a Hebrew slave. When the plagues strike, Kiya and her family take refuge with Shira's family, then flee with the Hebrew people into the desert. Despite her growing love for Eben, Shira's charismatic older brother, Kiya must decide whether she can trust this powerful Yahweh, submit her life to his ways, and become one of those promised to the patriarch Abraham. Telling the story from the perspective of a Gentile who traveled alongside the escaping Hebrews, Cossette flips the script on the usual telling of the biblical tale in this promising debut work. Readers will smell the fear on Passover night, feel the wonder of the Red Sea crossing, and sympathize with the starving and thirsting of those escaping in the wilderness. The smart attention to detail and strongly developed characters also bode well for future installments of this Out of Egypt series.
Customer Reviews
Exceptional
This book! This series!! I actually read this book a few years ago, and have since re-read this entire series. I rededicated my life shortly after reading this book. I seldom leave reviews, not sure why, but this book has changed my life, and opened my eyes and ears to the Old Testament, so naturally after reading again for the 3rd time, I felt compelled to leave a review, hoping this book inspired more readers to give this series a try, you won’t be disappointed! The Old Testament was always so hard for me to understand, but with books such as this one, I began to pray for wisdom when reading scripture, and it’s been a game changer for me. Reading this book made the Bible come alive in ways I couldn’t imagine before, but completely could see the exodus happening in such a way now.
Honestly, you don’t need to be a believer in Christ to read these books. They’re fun, exceptionally well written, and entertaining. Quick reads, as I couldn’t put this book down. Literally read within 2 days! Give this book a try, you won’t regret it! Books like this have changed my life, as well as the many people I’ve recommended them to!
Counted With the Stars has the perfect measure of heart and history!
One of the strongest draws to this novel is it’s multi-dimensional characters. The narrative is delivered through the first person point of view of Kiya. Ripped from a life of luxury, Kiya despairs over the loss of her family as well as the hardships she must endure in servitude to Tekurah — the lady of the house. It’s not long, however, before she finds solace in the friendship of a Hebrew slave. One sacrificial act by new acquaintance Shira, followed by subsequent talks about her One God pave the way for a soul-deep friendship between the two. Shira’s faith, gentle spirit, willing acceptance of God’s good plan stirred my heart. Secondary characters like Shira’s brother Eben, as well as Kiya’s mother and brother enrich the story with glimmers of love and forgiveness.
Connilyn led me to see the events of Exodus with new eyes. For the first time, I questioned how word of Moses’ confrontations with Pharaoh would have been relayed through a nation as large as Egypt. Word of mouth, speculation, and pagan superstitions could have both helped and hurt the Hebrews by stirring up a mixture of resentment and fear towards them.
Have you ever considered how each plague was a targeted attack the gods of Egypt? I’ve done so through the eyes of a Christian, but never through an Egyptian’s perspective., I’ve read the biblical accounts numerous times and each time I’ve skimmed over God’s protection of the Israelites from the 5th plague on livestock. By doing so, God (Jehovah-Jireh) provided the sacrificial lambs of Passover. (See also Genesis 22:13-14, Exodus 9 & 12, & 1 Corinthians 5:7.) This book did for me the very thing that endears me to biblical fiction — it sent me searching the scriptures.
I’d like to conclude with a few general remarks: Connilyn’s approach to the retelling of Exodus is as unique as it is compelling. She was able to elicit from me genuine concern for Kiya’s salvation, making me worry if she would be “ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding.” In the story surrounding her brother, I detected a nod towards the sanctity of life and how God sees value in every life. Counted With the Stars has the perfect measure of heart and history!
I received this book free from the author in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.