I got to the end of this book and was instantly devastated to wait for the sequel. The premise is a delightful reimagining on the typical western narrative about Egyptology. The main character's are endearing with the will they/won't they driving the story forward. I can not wait to read the next one!

As someone who recently read and loved Divine Rivals and discovered the authors connection to this novel I had very high hopes. I hope both of them continue their journeys together because this did not disappoint either. Ibañez crafted a spellbinding novel that seamlessly blends historical fiction and magic, offering readers a riveting exploration of love, loss, and the enduring power of ancient mysteries. It is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and I need everyone to read it immediately.

This was a unique book set in the past, where explorers are exploring even further past, and mainly in Egypt. I loved the female lead of the time where she actually seems realistic for the time. I love that there are some ideas about "bad guys" challenged successfully. What the River Knows was not what I expected based on the title and cover, but I went in blind and ended up really happy with it.

WHAT!?! Four words in a telegram have me scrambling to know what happens next.

This book was so good, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

First, I thank Netgalley for providing me a copy to review.
Second, I apologize for being the person to give this book a low score.
The setting, the historical idea, the whole entire premise was promising and it remained there. I am mostly disappointed about how Whit and Inez was presented. Redundant narratives everywhere that it is not appealing anymore. There was very little mention of how the Nile or Eqypt itself which seem to be the heartbeat of the book. I know that if I want to read about Egypt that I might as well read a history book but, the place is vast and beautiful that to use it as setting and disregarding what it can offer was just sort of lacking in the book’s personality.
The main characters, Whit and Inez, I find it very hard to like and root for them! They failed to connect to me . If one is familiar of the movie The Mummy, I feel like this book was half inspired by it and the inspiration faded.

Okay so I’ve been holding onto this book for months. Months! Let me tell you I’m only glad I didn’t read it sooner because book 2 is no where in sight.
This one was soo good! I thought the story was unique and full of twists and turns.
The tension between Inez and Whit was so good! I enjoyed the story and how it developed.

That ending. Wow.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez is a wonderful historical fantasy with mystery and romance elements set in 1800s Egypt.

I borrowed the audiobook from my local library. We follow the dual perspectives of two main characters, narrated wonderfully by Ana Osorio and Ahmed Hamad. I also ended up selecting the hardcover as my Book of the Month choice for November because I had high hopes I'd love it as much as I loved Together We Burn.

Inez lives in Buenos Aires and only sees her parents occasionally, as they are often in Egypt working with her mother's brother. When she receives word they are missing and presumed dead, she travels to Cairo to figure out what happened to them, against the wishes of her guardians.

The publisher blurb does not lie that this has major The Mummy vibes. The author notes that she incorporated real history within the novel. I think the ruminations on colonialism gave it additional depth for me. This is YA that leans New Adult as our main character Inez is about to turn nineteen. I love her love interest, Whit, and they have amazing banter.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I have greatly enjoyed both of them! Her prose is lush and highly consumable, and I love the way she writes headstrong female main characters. She's also a wiz at describing scenery in a way that made me feel like I was standing right beside Inez. Ibañez is quickly becoming an auto-buy for me.

Be forewarned that there was a major cliffhanger at the end. I can't wait until the sequel in this duology, Where the Library Hides comes out next December.

If you, like me, had an obsession with ancient Egypt when you were a kid, please run, do not walk, to get a copy of this book.

Tropes in this book include: forced proximity, rivals to lovers

CW: violence, firearms

What the River Knows
A Novel
by Isabel Ibañez

I am obsessed! Love ancient Egypt, love adventures, & really enjoy romance. Read this and fell in love with the characters so much that when it released I purchased my older adolescent a copy. Ibañez is such a talented author and is an automatic buy. Don’t hesitate get yourself a copy of What the River Knows.

📚Release date October 31, 2023📚

❤️Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, & the brilliant author Isabel Ibañez. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

AH THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD

This was so unique and immensely captivating. I am so glad there's going to be a sequel!

A immersive mix of ancient Egypt, archeology, intrigue, mystery, and swoon-worthy romance, this book is an absolute stunner that kept me guessing, gasping, and obsessively turning pages.

And excuse me, WHITFORD HAYES? My new and forever book boyfriend??? Ultimate 'touch her and die' energy and I am SMITTEN

(For real, at one point he says, "Touch her again and I will end your miserable life" RIP ME)

I am going to be thinking about this one for a long time. A truly masterclass novel.

A big thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS is out now.

I really enjoyed this book, all the ancient Egyptian history and magical elements loved it. It was a little slow at first but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. Also that cliffhanger, I need the second book NOW. Can't wait to read more about this story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

*
Summary: Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: this was a really unique new fantasy YA series! I have never read a book set in ancient Egypt and I really enjoyed ! I found Inez to be a really dynamic and unique character. This one was packed with magic, adventure, pyramids, romance, and so much more! Overall a very quick and fun fast paced read which will be turned into a book series so that is cool! Looking forward to reading Inez next adventure, thank you @macmillanusa and @netgalley !
*
QOTD- what is the setting of your current read ? Mine takes place in Derry Maine so I guess you can predict which author I’m reading 🤪
*
#whattheriverknows #isabelinez #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookobsessed #booklover #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #booknerds #bookworm #bookwormsunite #readerlife #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readersgonnaread

A lovely breath of fresh air to a favorite genre of mine. The world built is detailed beautifully and I was instantly hooked. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a “booktok” recommendation. This is a story and world I’d love to revisit.

This book was a weird one for me. It was very hard for me to get into the book and then about halfway in I was intrigued. Then the ending just made me mad. I don't understand what happened in this book and ending it on a cliffhanger through me over the edge..lol.

I wish I could say what was missing for me to make this book a more enjoyable read for me but I can't explain that yet.

For me this is still a decent book so I give it ⭐⭐⭐.

Inez Olivera wants to join her parents in Egypt and escape her mundane life. But when they are murdered, she may be the only one to solve the mystery as to why. What the River Knows is a who done it and is set in the rich Egyptian history. The plot has the same essence as the movie The Mummy and incorporates the history of Egypt well. Wher this book falls short is the depth of the characters and deeper dive into the history. Nothing was uncovered that could have been a spark that led to more interesting facts about that period. The characters were morally grey which did add to their depth but it still felt shallow to really understand them as individuals. THe plot speed was a very slow pace and so was the romance.

I really, really want to love Ibañez'... The premise of her novels is always so strong. Yet this novel was a slow start, lacking the promised adventure . I also found that, while the book may be supposed to point out the problems of the taking of artifacts from the cultures and places of origin, it didn't really hit that point well due to all the smuggling. I do hope that Ibanez continues to publish and grow as an author, because I think she could be something special one day.

I loved the Egyptian setting in this book. It was so interesting and created the perfect backdrop for an adventure. The pyramids and the treasures in them came to life. It made me want to trade there and see for myself. There’s just a touch of magic throughout the book which worked well in the historical setting.

Along with the setting, I really enjoyed the romance. It’s slow burn with plenty of push and pull. It takes its time developing. The scenes with Inez and Whit were filled with banter and tension. Inez is naive and impetuous. Because of this, she gets herself into some pretty interesting situations. And Whit! I wanted more of Whit.

There were several twists towards the end that I didn’t see coming. I’m very interested in where this is going in the next book.

This book contains scattered strong profanity and passionate kissing.

The only thing Inez has ever wanted is to be close to her parents, however they keep disappearing off to Egypt with their own priorities. One day when Inez receives a letter claiming that her parents had journeyed off on their own and were assumed to be dead, she takes matters into her own hands. She books a trip to Egypt to see what was so intriguing that it keep them from their own daughter and gets caught up in a heist to find the lost tomb of Cleopatra.

I enjoyed the setting of this one a lot, I'm fascinated by Egypt and tombs and anything of that nature. It was giving Indiana Jones vibes in a way as well. If you enjoyed the movies Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, or Night at the Museum I think you would enjoy this book.

I also enjoyed the found family aspect of this book. We uncover more about her family along the way and I was shocked with each reveal.

Overall, a really fantastic adventure fantasy novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read bad author insertion fanfiction of The Mummy?

Pre-reading:
Unpopular opinion, I think the cover is hideous. I fucking love the Mummy. I’ve heard such mixed things about this book. And y’all know me. I’m a hater at my core.

Thick of it:
Please don’t open a book with homework. What is this? My brain is so small. I will not be consulting a timeline to read your book. I get pissy about indexes and footnotes. Don’t do this to me. (You literally never need this table.)

It’s a no from me, dog. What is this passive voice already?

OK, fanciful, whimsical magic is great, but shit if you don’t balance it out with like weapons. Humanity’s not just gonna use magic for funsies.

You’re genuinely going to name a character Elvira in this Monster Mash economy?

Is English not the author’s first language? If it’s not, full pass. If it is, what the fuck kind of sentence construction is this?

Yeah, we had this all-powerful magic, but we just forgot. We’re silly like that. Oh, this world-building is in shambles.

Lol, we couldn’t keep track of which objects were magic and which weren’t so we just destroyed them! Girl.

Oh man, The Last Letter. All caps.

Oh, this writing style is horrible.

Oop, she’s got special eyes. Look at her. Look at Mary Sue, everyone. Isn’t she so talented and special?

Girlypop lives in Buenos Aires. Sam does not know where that is. Sam is an ignorant slut. (Listen, I’ll rag on a book all day, but I also won’t hide that I’m probably legally an idiot.)

Uh, Papa will take what he can get. He’s not the one makin' and birthin' those babies.

Any other girlies’ brains auto-correcting this bitch’s name to Amarantha?

Imagine your boss is like you have to come watch me and my daughter be theater kids.

So help me god, if she’s telling me how many bedrooms this house has and we leave this country immediately- (Lmao why do I even bother protesting.)

When does this book take place again? Would there have been unmarried 19-year-olds at that time? (Could I Google this? Yes. Am I going to? No. History nerds sound off in the comments below.)

Immediately sus of Ricardo. He did it. (And then immediately not sus of Ricardo because the book said he’s our main character and suspect! And I’m like whatever the book immediately tells me is a lie lol.)

Would she be able to travel alone safely at this time? I feel like no. I feel like I can’t travel safely now. Very lol but not lol.

Oh, his wife and child are dead? I bet he’s definitely not trying to bring them back to life. (Uh, ask me in book 2.)

Why would you not learn the language?

She said Rick O’Connell.

This is The Mummy fanfiction.

Oh, not the YA alternative swearing. She really says Wednesday? Are you joking? I have to read a whole book of this? (And there’s literally no need because every other character curses all the time.)

The banter is so bad that it took me a minute to figure out why he was emphasizing triumphant.

Also, you know what I don’t fuck with? The idea of a man saying make me force you. So many other ways to phrase that. Usually that phrase is something so bad.

Tarbooshes

It’s like this book was made with an overactive thesaurus. It’s so bad.

Effendis

Minarets

SJM and her rude gestures.

Lmao, Flynn Rider at the market much?

Brougham

Pashas

Beys

Oh, there's art in the book. That's fun. (Tell me that portrait wasn’t reused. They photoshopped out an arm, and they were like look, a brand new graphic!

What's the orgasm rom-com because they're doing that. (On this episode of Samantha has seen almost no movies, but she knows enough about pop culture to make jokes.)

Firman

How often do you think they think about the Roman Empire?

Dead brother lol. (Wrong!)

Girl, I get it. You think he's hot. Please stop.

Wow, I love when an author has to spell out her plot and not trust the audience to find it in the very obvious fucking letter she just gave them. She’s like oh my god, did you catch that he was up to suspicious shit? And the audience is like uh yeah, we’re not blind. She’s like did you also catch that Whit is a hottie? And the audience is like jesus christ, give it a rest.

Girlypop, you forgot to pack tampons and condoms for your romance. Lol. But I guess if she forgets the condoms, she won’t need the tampons. Maybe she’s just being efficient.

Why bother to include the graphic of the list that adds nothing to the story?

Like she's obvi seeing Cleopatra, no?

This is so random, but I'm picturing the Nimona guy as the uncle, and if you're like Samantha that's a cartoon, I didn't ask for this brain.

Piastres

Galabeya

This book said all in on the instalove.

Hey Benny!

I love tahini.

This book is much funnier if you picture her cutting the lemon like Kendall Jenner and her cucumber.

Unending salt would be so valuable. Are you joking?

Dahabeeyah

…horny jail.

I don’t think this author gave a single shit about how crocodiles actually work, but I’ll let it slide because cliche and horny.

Horny jail. Girl, getting wet does not mean he’s practically naked. Come on.

Literally, a Hinge date requisite is asking men if they have friends, and homeboy doesn’t, so girlypop, run away.

Samantha, horny jail. We’re different girls because my instinct was like yeah, go ahead. Try and drag me.

This book really can’t decide what it is because the plot? Bad. The writing? Bad. The romance cliché as fuck, but it’s the stuff that always works, so I’m like wait, do I like it? But I think it’s just I love Brendan Fraser.

Why the uncle kinda hot though? Again, we’re different girls.

This author has never heard of show don’t tell lol.

I’m assuming they’re hunting for a way to bring people back from the dead and the uncle wants to bring back his dead kid, and the book’s going to end with Whit betraying them all so that he can bring his dead brother back who will then be the love interest for Isadora. (Ask me in book two. I gave this book way too much credit for how much ground it would cover. Also, I think it's to cure his sister now, not his brother. I thought the brother died at war. My b.)

Girlypop you’ve known him for like two days.

I genuinely don’t know what cream of tartar is. Like I know it exists, I know people bake with it, but I have no idea what it is.

This book is so bad lol, but like it’s almost The Mummy, and I really like The Mummy.

I just don’t need constant inventories from her.

Feteer

So Abdullah dunnit since she suspects the uncle? And he's salty he's not on the museum board?

Lol, now he's a scientist. Guess he's the cream of tartar boy.

Oh, maybe lesbians! I don’t know how woke this book is. She has opinions is code for she drives a Subaru.

You’re an item for him to do all right.

This book is just inventories, and food, and horny, and ripping off The Mummy.

Wait, I don’t understand their big secret at all.
They’re like we’re doing secret expeditions!
And I’m like but everyone knows you’re on an expedition? You like hire a whole ass ship, and like pay an entire crew, and like you have to get a license to dig anywhere, so it’s like very much not a secret. Like people over in Argentina know you’re doing expeditions. What do you mean?
They’re like we don’t bring back souvenirs, so it’s a secret.

So they just described Blanche with brown eyes and then not two pages later she has blue eyes. Was this even edited?

She’s wet over the fact that he has a neighboring room? Girl, please.

Quadrille

Cuadril

Nothing like a love interest who gaslights you. This is not for me.

Asperity

She really named her villain BS like bullshit.

It’s such stilted dialogue all the time

Is he cursed to obey her uncle or something? (Unclear, but I'd go with no.)

Not the Princess Bride nonsense.

Is it not her and Mark Antony’s pair of rings that they found?

I do like the Whit chapter that’s just one sentence of bloody hell. That was funny.

That’s not Mom. Somebody has a face changer artifact.

Yeah, tell us why your gaping plot hole actually isn’t a gaping plot hole and makes total sense.

Ha ha, bottom. Samantha, jail.

Faience

Insouciant

Did she just say my uncle’s hot? Gross.

A man complaining about something being too big? I don’t believe you.

And he goes both ways. Samantha, jail.

Did they check the random shed bathtub for her cousin?

By all means, put your evil plan in writing. That's easy evidence.

He’s like OMG, you’re still mad at her? And it’s like my dude, it’s been approximately a day and she ruined his life‘s work.

I mean you don't really have to do any hard work to have those children, but go off.

It’s not a fantasy YA without a ball.

Wait, is the gun not his dead brother’s? Am I an idiot? I thought we knew it was his brother’s. (I'm a dumb dumb.)

Not my gumdrop buttons!

Not the Americans!

Literally take a shot every time they’re like go home, Dora Explora, and she’s like lol no.

I hate that that line worked on me, but it totally did.

Aaaand there’s the betrayal.

Post-reading:
God, there’s so much wrong with this book. It’s readable. I understand why it’s a book box pick. It’s very typical mediocre fare for them, but also like dear god, where was the editor?

It’s author insertion The Mummy fanfiction. If you love the movie and want an easy read and don’t mind a completely unoriginal plot, you might have a decent time with this. You're not going to have a good time, but like you could have a time.

Granted, I’ve never read or seen Death on the Nile, but I genuinely don’t see any Agatha Christie in this book.

The magic system is a joke. The plot hinges entirely on the main character randomly going to Egypt and then staying in Egypt despite basically every single other character telling her to go home.

There's a lot of filler in the book. Like we genuinely get multiple packing inventories that contribute nothing to the story. The story itself doesn't cover much ground. It feels more like act one of a book rather than an actual complete narrative. The writing is bad. It's all telling, no showing.

The romance is unoriginal and tropey, but I'm easy, and that always works just enough for me to let it slide. The dialogue and banter are stilted at best. It's instalovey. Like it’s not good, but it's serviceable because there's nothing else to this book’s bloated page count.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I've read way worse.

Who should read this:
The Mummy fans
Generic historical YA fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia- but only in that it’s historical and with Mexican influences
* The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashemite-Egyptian inspired fantasy romance, enemies to lovers
* The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty-historical fantasy adventure novel
* Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torsz-magical realism, family drama
* Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson-generic YA fantasy romance, enemies to lovers
* The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller-listen you can be as mad as you want that I have this opinion, but I still think this book reads like bad fanfiction of the original

“Why don’t you just sit there and look pretty and admire the surroundings?” I waited a beat, heart fluttering in my chest like a wayward butterfly. “You think I look pretty?”

LOVED!!

THINGS AND STUFF
-egypt, 1884
-snippets of whit’s pov
-treasure hunter
-excavation sites
-cleopatras tomb
-she’s off limits
-banter!!!
-touch her and i’ll unalive you
-oh no! you’re in mortal peril
-he’s a dark knight with a heart of gold
-indiana jones 🤝🏼 laura croft
-cliff hanger!!!
-#IsThisAKissingBook: closed door. “have you thought about stealing a kiss from me?”

thank you wednesday books for an advanced copy!

This was written so well. Love the way it would lead me reading focused on one storyline while another was brewing in the background waiting to come out at the end of the book. Can not wait for book two to come out and see where else in Egypt we’ll get to explore next.