Does lack of critical thinking skills count as a content warning?

Before we start: I'm writing this as someone who is half Egyptian and spent 6 years in the Egyptian school system getting Egyptian history shoved down my throat.

This book got on my bad side from the very first page, which is "a (broad) timeline of Egypt":
639: Arab invasion of Egypt
1798: Napoleon's expedition to Egypt

Wikipedia calls Napoleon's "expedition" what it actually was: an invasion. For a book that's supposed to be against colonization, the author has a funny way of showing it. My bullshit radar was immediately on, and once that happens, it's rare that a book manages to recover.

The second strike had to do with a description related to the Fajr prayer:
Dawn came outfitted in rosy streaks of light that penetrated the thick gauze of the mosquito net enshrouding my bed. Dimly, I heard the last sounds of the Fajr prayer drift into my bedroom from the open balcony.

So, as a Muslim, I'm glad the author decided to not erase the fact that Egypt is a predominately Muslim country, but here's the thing: mosques perform prayers when the prayer time starts, not when it's close to the end of the timeslot, and for Fajr that is the break of dawn/astronomical dawn. As someone who has been praying Fajr for decades, trust me, there's no light to be seen. Once again, Wikipedia does get it right, so it just makes me wonder why the author, the editor, or anyone, really, didn't bother to fact check any of this.

At this point, I was rolling my eyes a lot, and the main character didn't help. Inez makes one bad, ill-thought-out decision after another. Consequences? She's never heard of the word. She's also been obsessed with Egypt for years, and has spent a lot of time learning to read hieroglyphs, but she couldn't be arsed to learn any Arabic so that she'd be able to communicate with the locals.

I didn't hate everything about the book, though. It's very readable, and I liked the parts where they were discovering ancient tombs, as long as I could manage to ignore how ridiculous Inez is. But this plot has more holes than a chunk of cheese. It's tied together by relying on Whit to keep readers distracted enough to not notice how much of this is convenient handwaving. And sure, he was a decent enough distraction, up to a point. But this entire ridiculous drama could've been avoided if Inez and her uncle had had ONE honest conversation. I guess that would've been too much of a stretch, though.

Writing this review brought my rating down, I was being too generous.

After being informed of the mysterious deaths of her parents in Egypt, Inez finds she has inherited a fortune & a mystery. She travels to Egypt to find out what happened to her parents. In the process,, she meets her estranged uncle, & his enigmatic, attractive assistant.

So disappointing. I was excited for this book. I was looking for more like Raiders of the Arcana. And this was getting marketed as “The Mummy meets Death on the Nile”. And instead I got a book full of weird pacing issues, inconsistent characters, & a romance I was actively rooting against by the end.

It was a good thing I was invested in the mystery of Inez’s parents because I was not interested in Whit or the rivals to lovers thing with Inez. And I was so interested in how the fusion of historical fiction and fantasy was going to go, and I felt that that was also underdeveloped.

I had been planning on rating this a little higher, but the epilogue pissed me off so much. There’s cliffhanging, and then there’s leaving literally everything unresolved and introducing a new character in the epilogue that changes everything I thought I knew about the story, and not in a way I liked.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc.

This was a very fun read! I like how it was reminiscent of Indiana Jones! I loved the exotic Egyptian setting and the slow burn romance! I can’t wait to read the sequel!

I love the setting and the characters. The plot was fun with lots of twists and turns. I'm excited that there is a sequel.

**DND @ 50%**
This is not a fantasy book guys. This is historical fiction with the bad attempt at trying to be a historical fantasy. The whole magical objects things is mentioned but it is only convenient that the main girl deals with it and has "visions" when she is in Egypt with her uncle and the "love interest." (Don't get me started) I have no idea how the publisher didn't catch this. If you're going to have the main girl experience the effects of the magic, open the book with it! If you just drop it in there are a few chapters into the book, that's not only jarring but makes the protagonist into Mary Sue territory. Plus Whit is not "boyfriend material." He is a drunk, carries a knife, he has killed people (it's obvious in a scene that he's done it before) and I did read some spoilers about him and there's some of his back story that doesn't help him either. Plus if her uncle actually cared about her safety, he would have explained WHY he didn't want her coming to Egypt. I'm sorry but not telling the truth when she makes this huge journey, knowing what I read ahead later is very stupid. This plot hinges on an uncle who actually does not keep his niece safe. Plus there's no tombs and going into them by the end of part two. This book takes a long time getting to what's promised. Inez was also not a person I really cared about. She felt like a social justice warrior from our time put into an 1800's setting. The author also felt like she was forcing her and Whit to like each other; it never felt organic. A long enough rant though. The covers are beautiful but the story in here really needed some better editing to make up on the magical objects promise. Another hyped book bites the dust

I didn't think I needed an Indiana Jones-esque book about a teenage girl who travels on her own from Argentina to discover the truth about her parents' death, but this hit the spot. I loved every moment of this book, I loved the romance, the mystery, the backdrop, it was beautifully done and I've already read the sequel and man, do I wish there was more of it.

When Inez receives word her parents have died in a tragic and mysterious way, she follows them across the world to the place that captured their hearts, and frequently left her alone to travel to… Egypt. She had heard so much about this mysterious and magical place, and after receiving a ring in the mail from her father, she realized the old world magic was real. Her parents had been on an expedition to find Cleopatras’ tomb, and she gets caught up in the search too while she investigates her parents’ deaths. But there is something sinister happening in Cairo, and she’s going to find out what it is!

I loved this!! I loved the setting, the little doses of magical realism, the Cleopatra mythology, the adventurer vibe throughout the book! I loved her banter with the MMC and how clever and fearless Inez was. The Mummy was one of my favorite movies growing up so I was so psyched when that was in the description. This was definitely a cute, cozy YA mystery book but one I’ll definitely be excited to read again! 4/5 stars!

Unfortunately time lapsed on this and I was unable to fit it into my reading schedule so I will have to refrain from commenting and reviewing on it.

This book blew me away. The writing is captivating and beautiful. I finished it within two days because I could not stop thinking about it. Since finishing this book I have been left yearning for the next one. The main character is strong and passionate and empowering and her romantic interest is complex and layered. Their banter is fantastic and well curated. I loved all the historical references and would recommend this book to romance readers and fantasy readers alike. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

This book had everything. ANCIENT EGYPT, family secrets, a smart and brave FMC, an MMC with a troubled past, dubious motives, and almost unhealthy heaps of tragedy that brought some very real feelings to the table. I was on the edge of my seat.

The felt like I was in Egypt making discoveries alongside the characters and could feel the dust and heat and fear and longing that plagued Inez. Ibanez always does a fantastic job setting a scene and a story, and the world building around magic felt so very subtle that you could see the artifacts actually existing here.

I usually have a really hard time with books that set out to break my heart over and over, but the raw emotions made the spicy, dramatic bits all the more delicious, and the pull between Inez and Whit is what kept me going. I definitely will need to pick up the sequel asap, but I am not sure I can let Ibanez keep breaking my heart yet. I know the adventure isn’t over for me, though, and there is still so much to discover!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this eARC to review. All thoughts are my own.

5/5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book. Although I didn't use my ARC copy (I've been under extreme time constraints for months now), I absolutely ADORED the audiobook narrator. She really brought our main character to life, and brought so much emotion into the story. This was such a fun ride, and had so many twists that I wasn't anticipating in the slightest (other than Inez's mom being SKETCHYYYYY. I can't wait to start the next book, because I NEED answers on where the heck her father is (he HAS to still be alive), and I need to know what the HECK my sweet baby Whit is doing cuz honey you canNOT BE A TRAITOR ISTG.

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀/5 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌: Adventurous

𝒯𝒶𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑒: A divine exploration. A deadly secret. A desire she can’t escape.

𝒪𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑒: A letter changed my life.

HUGE thank you to St. Martin's Publishing for the ARC!

Let me tell you—𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈 felt like it was written just for the little girl in me who was obsessed with Egypt. I mean, we’re talking full-blown, shrine-in-my-room, memorizing-hieroglyphics, daydreaming-about-excavations obsessed. If it had tombs, mummies, or even a whisper of an ancient curse, I was all in. So naturally, when I heard about this book—historical fantasy set in Egypt, with a fierce heroine and Mummy-esque vibes? Say less.

The Good:
✨ Egyptian Setting & Atmosphere – Isabel Ibañez nails the immersive, sun-drenched beauty of Egypt. The descriptions are lush, the history woven in seamlessly, and I could practically smell the spice in the air. It had that grand adventure feel I crave in a story like this.

✨ Fiery, Determined Heroine – Inez is the kind of protagonist I love. Smart, headstrong, a little reckless—but in the best way. She isn’t content with being sidelined and takes fate into her own hands, which made for an exciting, unpredictable journey.

✨ Slow-Burn, Banter-Filled Romance – The tension? The banter? The grumpy x sunshine dynamic with Whit? YES, PLEASE. Their chemistry gave me life, and I was so here for their reluctant partnership turning into something more.

The Not-So-Good:
⚡ Slow Start – The first few chapters took a little while to really grab me, but once the story found its stride, I was hooked.

⚡ Her neglectful parents – I was soo annoyed with them for always leaving her behind like she was a second thought to them.

Overall, 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈 was a mesmerizing, adventure-filled journey with a fearless heroine, an intoxicating setting, and just the right amount of magic. It transported me straight back to my childhood dreams of exploring ancient tombs and uncovering lost secrets. If you’re a fan of The Mummy (1999), rich historical fantasy, and a romance that simmers beneath the desert sun, this is for you.

Happy Reading!
Ashley
www.TheTatteredPage.com

The first of this book had me in such a grip! The pacing of it kept me interested and I did not want to put it down. Then I hit the second part and had such a hard time fighting through it. I loved the world and will absolutely read the sequel because WOW what an ending!

Beautiful writing and even more beautiful story! I loved the Egyptian history and the mystery! This was a rivals to lovers and a YA read with forbidden romance. I really just loved this book so much!

I adored everything about this book. The characters are engaging, the plot is twisty and exciting, it felt like a ll my favourite genres rolled into one... and side note, the cover is gorgeous! Once I started this one, I couldn't put it down... and then had to wait way too long for the next in the series to come in from the library. After reading, I added a copy to my staff favourites shelf at my bookstore and ordered a copy for my forever shelf at home - that's how good it is!

I wanted to enjoy this book very badly. The premise sounded right up my ally. However, there were multiple aspects that fell short. First, it took me a significant amount of time to get into the plot of the book. I found the main character to be quite annoying and dislikable and I think it's hard for me to get past that because I'm a big character person when it comes to books. Maybe the MC was too young of a voice and naive for my liking. I don't recall any of the side characters whatsoever. I also found the flow of the book to be choppy and difficult to follow at times. The way in which the historical and cultural aspects of the books were weaved in almost felt info dumpy because it didn't add anything to the book for me (which is unfortunate because I was excited about that aspect of the book to get a better understanding of Egypt and the culture). Finally, the magical elements of the book fell flat for me as well. It felt as though the author didn't put too much thought into the magic system and just sprinkled it into parts of the book with no intention. All in all, I think there was a lot of potential in this book, however it ended up falling a little flat.

This book was really fun, and although I didn’t read the ARC on time, I did purchase and finish this book and have the sequel on the shelf! TWISTY!!

I was SO excited when I got approved for this. I am obsessed with anything & everything related to Egyptian culture. I loved Inez & Whit’s characters so much. I was completely enthralled from start to finish. I look forward to reading the sequel. What an excellent book!! I’ll be recommending this to all my readers!

I love The Mummy, so I was very excited to read this one, but sadly I was let down. It was so very slow that I had a hard time feeling invested. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and didn't enjoy the romance. I did like the Egypt setting, but this one was overhyped for me unfortunately.

I was so drawn into the Egyptian history in this book! As the first book in a new series, this one will leave you with more questions than answers, but it sets up the setting and the characters very well for the remainder of what I hope will at least be a trilogy because I want to spend more time in this world and with these characters.

This book has a little bit of something for everyone. There's historical fiction, a little fantasy, mystery, and even a romance.

Great book that I recommend to all!