Nominated for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi in 2023, What The Rivers Knows is a captivating fantasy series that seamlessly weaves together mystery, ancient Egyptian mythology, romance, and magical elements.

The characters are instantly relatable and easy to love, while the plot is thoughtfully crafted and easy to follow. Isabel excels in her descriptive writing, immersing readers in the story and keeping them engaged from start to finish. This series is a delightful journey that is sure to resonate with fans of the genre!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

None of the above genres are ones I read all that often, however, this was a great book and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Set in Egypt, Inez’s parents go missing, so she heads there to uncover the mystery. She is funded by her uncle, who tries to send her home multiple times, but she’s too stubborn.

Inez travels with her uncle and his group to an island to find Cleopatra’s tomb. A love interest keeps her on her toes and her ability to feel magic in certain objects helps the group make some important discoveries. However, someone from Inez’s past resurfaces and turns the story upside down.

This book was a lot of fun and Inez was a great main character, full of life, energy, and determination. I didn’t like the love interest as much, but it did become important. A sequel is coming out soon, and I’ll definitely be checking it out.

This was a different type of book for me but I loved it. The characters and the writing were well done and developed and left me wanting more.

The characters were likeable if not always interesting, and the touch of magic was just enough to add an element of the unknown without derailing the story.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez. Pub Date: October 31, 2023. Rating: 2 stars. I was really excited to be able to read this novel because I love magical, mythological novels that have history and culture within their stories. Unfortunately, this novel was a major miss for me. The story follows a young girl as she travels to Cairo in search of answers to her past and her parents's tragic deaths. I felt this novel was way too long, drawn out and lacked depth. I did enjoy the scenery/imagery within the novel, but it did not make up for the storyline. I know others have enjoyed this one, so I may be an outlier in my review. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I knew I was going to love this book from the first chapter. A great read for fans of The Mummy and ancient Egypt. This book is full of adventure, humor, and the perfect amount of romance. Inez is a smart and headstrong protagonist, who pairs perfectly with the mysterious and clever Whit. The only downside is having to wait for the sequel. I'll be suggesting this book to all of my friends.

I tried reading this many times but couldn’t get into it. Luckily though after a couple months I picked it back up and really enjoyed it. I’ve never read a book based in Egypt before and I found myself picturing scenes from the Poirot show and movies where he was out and about in Egypt solving mysteries. I’m looking forward to book two!

A blend of history, mystery, mythology, and romance. Was a bit slow to get into at first, but once the story picked up I was quickly turning the page. I love Inez as a character, she is bold and determined and resourceful. I'm loving the chemistry between Inez and Whit, but I also felt so conflicted about his intentions once it seemed like something suspicious was afoot. I'm keeping an eye out for the next book.

Ibanez is such a fantastic writer. I love her writing style and this one didnt dissapoint. Whenever I read her books I feel like I am getting a deep dive into the past of other cultures.

This was okay. I actually started reading an eARC of this book last year but I set it aside because I couldn’t get into it. I just finished the audiobook version and so my review is based on that. The story was okay but I think the book was way too long. Inez was a little annoying and I didn’t feel like there was much chemistry between her and Whit. The pacing was slow throughout but picked up toward the end. I will read the next book because I did like the ending and I want to know what happens next.

3.5⭐️

I revisited this one much later and actually wow - I loved it this time around. I'm not sure if there was another round of edits or perhaps I just wasn't in the right mindset, but I found myself swept away by the adventure, romance, and magic of Cairo. I didn't love the magic parts - I feel like this works perfectly well as historical fiction - but everything else was awesome. Can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley for an earc of What the River Knows in exchange for an honest review!

So I have a complicated relationship with books that feature Egypt/Egyptian mythology.

Egypt is repeatedly viewed through a myopic lens, in which it’s only worth gazing at when we discuss its history, in particular, when we mention its once great and mighty age.
That’s not to say that every non-Egyptian author can’t have a genuine interest in these mythologies and historical legacies rooted in feelings of respect, appreciation, passion and a willingness to learn and unlearn. I mean take for example P. Djèlí Clark’s A Master of Djinn. I take trouble when we view these mythologies as stories disconnected from the actual contemporary settings they’re embedded in that we feel we can farm for over and over again.

And in What the River Knows, its respective uncritical take on ancient Egypt/19th century Egyptian society is a plot revolving around the digging up and smuggling of historical artifacts in Egypt. While the novel makes a half-hearted attempt at engaging thoughtfully with the British colonial empire, it fails to recognize that the protagonists, positioned purposefully as voices to morally root for, are also participating in the byproducts of imperialism in Egypt.

I just find it really interesting the way this author treats Egypt so eerily similar to ideas of how the West would view nature — as empty, untouched places that can be claimed. I saw another reviewer on here state, “What else was the author but a tourist?” which is a perfect encapsulation of the author’s own positionality here.

Some other qualms I have:

I think Inez and her relationship with her family members were one of the most exasperating parts of the book to read. Inez’s privileged and filtered perspective is very annoying to root for.

The main male lead was also a main to read through. Nothing about his character, personality, or relationship with Inez was charming or root-worthy.

One of the biggest weaknesses of this novel is the treatment of side characters and how they all revolve around Inez’s character in ways that make her entirely unlikeable. I also think they are so clearly framed as plot devices and add little texture to the story.

Loved it, the slow burn romance is really well done and the twists and turns kept me so intrigued. I cannot wait for the sequel.

Inez is a smart, badass, who doesn’t listen to anyone. When she decides she’s going to travel to a different country, alone, to solver her parents murder, no one can stop her, not even the handsome Whit who works for her uncle. Since they can’t get rid of her, they drag her along on their quest to find Cleopatra’s final resting place. This book was the perfect mix of political intrigue, murder mystery, and The Mummy vibes. The last 25% of this book is an amazing roller coaster, with twists and turns that even I didn’t see coming. After that cliffhanger I need the next book ASAP.

If you love history, magic and The Mummy franchise, this book is for you. When Latinx main character Inez receives a letter informing her of her parent’s disappearance and alleged death, she can’t help but wonder if there was something more to the story then what her Tio is telling her. Determined to find the truth, she sets out to Egypt, a place where her parents kept her from but spent their lives discovering and where secrets of ancient past call to her. Set when woman were seen as demure, a strong female main character take the stage forced to team up with an untrustworthy handsome criminal (who happens to be her Tios right hand man) the two face many challenges to uncover the truth of Egypt, her parents and herself.

After the death of her parents, Inez travels to Egypt to find out what happened to them. She also wants to explore this land that took her parents so often away from her.
I loved the character of Inez - she is brave, sometimes gullible, and I wanted to root for her. The adventure was well written. I also liked the magical realism touch to the story. Items are still being removed from Egypt, but many of these items have magical resonance. It felt much like Egypt was another character in the story.

Great read, thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the plot. I would love to read more by this author just because they are so descriptive and makes the story come alive!

'The Mummy' meets 'Death on the Nile'? I *had* to read! I enjoyed this book from start to finish; it was so visually detailed, the characters were layered and fascinating, and the mystery intriguing. There were some repeated cliches (such as the repeated visual description of the main male character) but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I did not realize it was to be a duology, and ended on quite a cliffhanger! I eagerly await the next!

I admit that it took me a bit to get into this one, but once the story got going I was invested, and the last ten percent of this book solidified it as a five star read for me (also—Whit is 100% becoming a new book boyfriend).

I experienced about five different emotions in the span of a half an hour while reading the ending. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing. I was constantly questioning who to trust, and I honestly still am (looking at you, you absolute BOMBSHELL of an epilogue). The last line of this book also had me squealing and immediately wanting to read the sequel. I don’t know how I’m going to be able wait for it!!

The atmosphere is also a part of what made this book great. The descriptions of Egypt and its history were nothing short of magical. The magic itself that is present in the story is interesting and unlike anything I’ve read about before. Some of the magical objects and their “abilities” were clever and had me chuckling. Inez’s connection to magic was also really cool and I feel like it could be explored a lot more in the next book. There are also certain characters that are still shrouded in mystery that I would like to see more of (Isadora!!).

I have so many unanswered questions, especially after that cliffhanger and the epilogue. This was my first book of the author’s and it did not disappoint! I’ll be eagerly awaiting sequel news (even though this one hasn’t even released yet). I liked this so much that I may even preorder the beautiful B&N edition that was just announced 👀

This was my first book I've read by Isabel even though I own all of her books, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I am first and foremost a sucker for anything involving Egypt. It was the world building and characterization that really sucked me in. Some moments were, dare I say it, cliche, but I laughed regardless. I guess I am going to check out the other books this author has written!