Counted with the Stars.

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. (Apr.)