I've loved Ancient Egypt since I was a child. I even dressed up as Pharaoh's Daughter for a church festival when I was five or so, wrapping my white-blonde hair in a black shawl in an attempt to look Egyptian.
I'm usually leery of biblical fiction because, in my experience, a lot of the time it takes events from the Bible but skews them. There are just a few biblical fiction novels I would read again or recommend. And Counted with the Stars is one of them.
Unlike other books, this one doesn't recount the life story of a biblical main character. It creates a fictional girl set against the backdrop of the Hebrews leaving Egypt. And to make it more poignant, the author writes it in first person. Through the eyes of Kiya, we relive the majesty of Egpyt at the height of her glory, the horrors of the plagues, and the miraculous work of God.
Kiya is from a wealthy family and takes her slaves and privileged life for granted. But in one swipe her father's trading business is in debt and he sells her as a slave, taking away her fortune and her future. Forced to serve a mistress that hates and humiliates her, Kiya resolves that the gods she has worshiped have abandoned her. But in her new life of bondage, she meets Shira, a Hebrew slave who serves the same mistress but does her tasks with an attitude of joy and calm reliance on Elohim.
Through an unlikely friendship with Shira, Kiya learns the history of the Hebrew people and hears rumors about a deliverer, Moses, who has returned to Egypt and is demanding Pharaoh set God's people free. The plot follows the biblical account of the plagues striking Egypt, proving their gods are powerless. As the final plague approaches, Kiya must make a choice: stay in Egypt as a slave or trust a God she doesn't completely understand and follow the Hebrews to freedom in the desert.
First person is not my usual choice for reading material but I can't imagine this story any other way. Cossette gets you into the skin of Kiya and you experience what it might have been like to serve as a slave, having no time or thought for yourself. The horrors of the plagues were especially breathtaking, using a five senses to draw you into the panic that must have surrounded everyone. I read over the Exodus account in my Bible and Cossette did a wonderful job of keeping to the text and weaving research from archaeology into a compelling novel. I appreciated that Cossette wrote in the author notes that her final authority is the Bible and when historical scholars disagreed with the biblical account, she went with what the Bible said. Of course, there are things (like the Red Sea being frozen into walls) that are not specifically mentioned in that way. The Bible says a wind blew all night and the water became walls, making a path for the Hebrews to pass through. It could have been frozen but we don't know for sure. But the point is, nothing is impossible for God and frozen or not, the crossing of the Red Sea was nothing short of miraculous.
I came away from this novel with a sense of awe for our Creator. I've heard the events of the Exodus from my childhood and I've always been amazed but reading it like this made me think about all those millions affected, both in Egypt and in the desert. It's easy for us to read the account and think, "Wow God protects His children" but what about today? We might not see a literal cloud of protection over us, but the same God that brought His people out of Egypt is taking care of us. It gives me a desire to not just read my Bible, but consider the people involved. And praise God for His wondrous love!
I already have Cossette's next book in this series filed in Goodreads and I'm excited to visit these characters again.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced by anything or anyone.
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