Sold into servitude to cover her family's financial disgrace, Kiya's life of Egyptian luxury is replaced by enslaved humiliation. When plagues begin to ravage Egypt at the hand of the Hebrews' mysterious God, Kiya has a slave's-eye-view . . . and if joining the Hebrews will save her older brother from death, so be it.
Thrust into the Exodus alongside a people that despise her and a God she does not understand, Kiya is caught between loyalty to her family, her feelings for the Hebrew who is stealing her heart, and a question—could Kiya ever have a true place with these people she has come to love?
Counted With the Stars is an elegant Exodus depiction from a fresh and thought-provoking perspective. Seeing the Hebrews' escape from Egypt through the eyes of an Egyptian truly enriches my appreciation for God's limitless mercy and power. The well-known account takes on new colour when we're thrust into the midst of a frog infestation or bearing the brunt of the Hebrew's understandable resentment of Egyptians. This perspective brought out some new details from the story that I really enjoyed pondering.
Content Notes: we discover that during her brief engagement, Kiya has been intimate with her betrothed. Several men regard her lustfully, and one even goes so far as to kidnap her, but doesn't end up following through on his threats. Kiya's romance with the enigmatic Hebrew Eben is sweet and restrained—their feelings for each other have plenty of time to percolate, and when they do, don't go beyond kissing.
Between the elegant writing, fascinating angle, and message of God's mercy to all, I truly enjoyed this clean read and am allured by the rest of the Out from Egypt series.