Sunday, April 10, 2016

Review: Counted With the Stars by Connilyn Cossette

About the book:
 
Counted With the Stars by Connilyn Cossette
Out From Egypt: Book 1
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?
 
My review:
 
  
I was hooked the moment I learned about Counted With the Stars. A novel about an Egyptian taking the Exodus with the Hebrews was an exciting premise that I was eager to dive in to.  I was not disappointed! Cossette’s writing was beautiful and captivating, her characters intriguing.
            
 Kiya’s life has spent her entire life in comfort and wealth, always attended to by slaves of her own. Her swift fall from mistress to slave is heart wrenching, as is the sense of total abandonment she feels from those who should have protected her. Her friendship with Shira slowly opens her eyes to the Hebrews’ strange desert God as he brings the plagues down upon Egypt and sets his people free.
             
The romance was quiet and much more secondary to Kiya’s love story with God. There is a satisfying end for Kiya and Eben along with a promise of much more to come with the other two books to follow in this series. The second novel is Shira’s story and a must read as far as I am concerned.
             
The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and drew me to the story just as much as the fabulous synopsis. This debut was truly enjoyable and I’m so excited to read more from this author. I would absolutely recommend this book to fans of Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews and Jill Eileen Smith.

  *I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. *