Counted with the Stars is the first in a new book series from Connilyn Cossette. The book is her first novel, although she’s won awards for short fiction stories previously.

Set in ancient Egypt, Counted with the Stars is a Biblical, historical fiction novel. The story takes place during the time of the plagues in Egypt. It is told from the perspective of Kiya, a young Egyptian woman.

Kiya is the daughter of a wealthy Egyptian man. She’s led a rather pampered life with servants at her beck and call. She’s engaged to a handsome and also wealthy young Egyptian warrior. Her life of ease ends, however, when her father calls her into his chambers and informs her that he has been in debt to his friend Shefu and things have gone badly with his merchant ships, leaving him unable to pay the debt. To pay the debt, Shefu has agreed to take Kiya as a servant and allow her mother and handicapped brother to remain free and safe from being sold into slavery as well.

Thrust into the life of the slaves she once commanded, Kiya is sad and bitter. Shefu’s wife Tekurah is especially cruel to Kiya. Although she doesn’t beat her, she takes every opportunity to ridicule her. Kiya’s only friend is Shira, an Israelite girl who is the handmaid to Tekurah.

Shira shows friendship to Kiya, even taking the blame with Tekurah when Kiya drops and breaks an expensive box. The two girls begin to meet at the Nile early in the mornings when they go for water. Shira tells Kiya of her God and of the history of the Israelites and how they became slaves in Egypt. Kiya also meets Shira’s brother, Eben, and is strangely drawn to him even though he resents all Egyptians after his father was killed by Egyptian soldiers.

When strange plagues begin in Egypt, Shira and Kiya begin to talk of Moses, the man who has come back from the desert to face Pharaoh and ask that the Israelites go free. As more and more of these strange things happen, Kiya begins to believe Shira’s stories of her God a little more.

Finally a day comes when Shefu calls Kiya to him and tells her that she must run to warn her mother and brother and get them out of Egypt and to Goshen to stay with the Israelites. A new plague has been promised, and this time all of the firstborn sons are going to die. Kiya’s brother is the firstborn. Even though she doesn’t understand why Shefu would warn her and help her, she flees, stopping to get her mother and brother, to Shira’s home and waits safely with her family while death comes to Egypt. This is the beginning of a new life for Kiya; a life that includes a new relationship with Shira’s brother, Eben, along with many evidences of the power of the God of the Israelites.

Although I love historical fiction and often love Biblical fiction, I’m always a little wary of fictionalized stories based on Bible characters and events. It’s hard for an author to write a great story but still make sure that Biblical references are accurate. This author does it very well.

Many of the events of the story take place away from central Egypt and Pharaoh’s palace. Her main characters are living in the time period and experiencing the plagues and events surrounding them, but they aren’t characters directly from the Bible. This gives her a little space to develop the characters and their setting well without portraying any events inaccurately. The Biblical characters and events that do make their way into the story are very accurate to the Bible.

The characters in Counted with the Stars are wonderfully developed. Kiya is a compelling and interesting heroine, and her change and growth over the course of the story make her a very dynamic and believable character. Peripheral characters- such as Kiya’s mother and brother- are also developed well as the story goes along.

I loved the fact that Counted with the Stars came from the point of view of an Egyptian girl. It’s difficult to imagine sometimes how the plagues would have affected the people of Egypt. We know the outcome of the story for the Israelites. But what about their Egyptian neighbors? This story raises that question and gives some ideas about what the Egyptians may have thought and experienced throughout the plagues.

I’m extremely glad that this is only the first book in a series. I came to the end wanting more. I can’t wait to see where Kiya’s story takes her. I’ll look expectantly for other books in the series.

—Product review by Leah Courtney, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August, 2016