There are three books in the Out from Egypt series, and I will give you a glimpse into each below:
A book worth reading, the first of the Out from Egypt series by Connilyn Cossette. Five stars!
Kiya is a young Egyptian woman who has been sold into slavery by her father, in order to save the rest of her family. She works for a cruel woman, alongside a Hebrew girl, Shira, who tells her about the Almighty God of the Hebrews. Readers experience the biblical plagues through the eyes of Kiya and Shira, and follow along as these two women become aware that this invisible God loves them personally.
Again, 5 stars for this excellent story that takes us into the heart of the Hebrew people and their God.
This novel follows the story of the former Egyptian slave, Kiya (see review of the first book, Counted With the Stars, above), as she travels with the Hebrews out of Egypt, but focuses on the former Hebrew slave, Shira, who befriended Kiya while under the same cruel mistress.
Shira has told Kiya about the God of the Hebrews, and in this second volume of the Out from Egypt series, Shira must learn to depend upon this God in practical ways. Faced by betrayal, disloyalty and fear, Shira journeys through the desert of her own self-doubt.
An excellent biblical fiction, this is a story of God’s love and forgiveness, a reminder that Almighty God longs for us to be His, to follow Him and receive His help and blessing and hope. The author portrays the characters realistically, in a setting that is foreign to the readers, but brings us into the life of the Israelite camp under the shadow of the Cloud.
Wings of the Wind is the third and final book in the Out of Egypt series by Connilyn Cossette. This series has been a renewing read for me, featuring biblical content sensitively and as accurately handled as possible, with strong takeaways.
This third book, set in the fortieth year of Israel’s desert wanderings, and shortly before the fall of Jericho, features Alanah, a young Canaanite woman rescued during the ravages of war, and Tobiah, the Israelite warrior who saved her. As per Torah law, Israelite men were required to marry a woman taken in war, so Tobiah, against the wishes of his family and friends, marries Alanah, rather than sending her to her death in the wilderness.
That’s the only part of the plot that is anywhere near expectation, and one aspect that makes it a great read. Alanah and Tobiah face many tense situations and misunderstandings in their life together, life-and-death events, and matters of the heart.
During the course of Alanah’s struggles and lostness, she discovers that the God of the Hebrews is much more than the gods of her people, which she neither loves nor trusts. One of my favorite parts is when she first tastes manna. It becomes one of the pivotal occurrences of her new life, one she sees as a direct provision from this Hebrew God.
There are a few characters from the previous books, but since almost everyone from the older generation died before entering Canaan, these are few.
A definite recommendation to readers of biblical/historical fiction, with 5 stars.
NOTE: I hated to leave the characters of this series, so borrowed another book by Connilyn Cossette, only to realize that she carries on the story of the Hebrews in the Promised Land with her new series: Cities of Refuge.