This book has left me so angry honestly. It took a bit to get to the main parts of the books but I was captivated through the whole book.

All the twist and the betrayal throughout has me left feeling broken and angry. The way it ended has me excited for a sequel though.

Inez Olivera has spent her whole life dreaming of accompanying her parents on their yearly six month long archeological excursion to Egypt. Unfortunately, her dreams are shattered when she receives a letter detailing the mysterious and tragic deaths of her parents. In search of answers, Inez makes the decision to leave Buenos Aires behind, and sail to Cairo. Upon her arrival she is greeted by the handsome yet incredibly infuriating Whitford Hayes, who, on her uncles orders, immediately tries to send her back home. Guided by ancient magic, Inez must evade Whit’s attempts to thwart her, and uncover the truth she is so desperately looking for.

I really, really enjoyed this read!! I loved the setting for this book, Egypt in the 1880s. There’s a good mix of both actual historical facts and fiction, and an added layer of magic that feels very believable. I love the idea of magic once being this great force but is now only felt as remnants in objects from long ago.

The characters are also very interesting and different from each other. Inez is a little naive but headstrong and opinionated. I really resonated with her character. She has a lot of growth throughout the book as she learns how the world works outside of her home in Buenos Aires, and who can be trusted. Then there’s Whit, the secretive Englishman working for her uncle. His character was fun, stubborn, and a little morally grey. He made for a very interesting companion to Inez. I enjoyed the portrayal of her uncle as well, how you never knew his intentions or if he could be trusted.

There was always this air of mystery that kept me captivated throughout the entire book. There are many moments where I wasn’t sure what was the truth and what was a red herring. And that ending! I honestly was not aware before going into this that it was going to be a series, so I was pleasantly surprised by the cliffhanger!

I am so happy I had a chance to read and review an advance copy of Isabel Ibañez book, and I am eagerly waiting for the next one! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

What the River Knows is a historical fantasy novel set in Egypt in the mid-1800s. The story is steeped in magic, mystery and intrigue.

I have seen comparisons to The Mummy which is not entirely untrue. We do get The Mummy vibes in the feel of adventure and exploration. However, don't come into this book expecting animated mummies rising from the dead. Instead this is an action packed adventure/mystery with a light romance and magic imbued items that have certain abilities.

I really enjoyed reading What the River Knows. The plot was engaging, the banter between the characters was cheeky and playful without being overdone and we have an Argentinian heroine that is bold, competent and fun.

I can't wait to read the sequel after THAT ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: October 31st, 2023

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a historical fantasy which usually isn’t my most favorite but this worked so well for me. It was fast paced, I LOVED the fmc, the Egyptian history and moments about Cleopatra were so interesting, it was full of mystery and betrayals, and the BANTER and TENSION between Inez and Whit had me sweating!!! The archaeology aspects were so interesting to read about and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who I could trust. I loved this so much and will absolutely be buying a physical copy when it releases on Tuesday!!!

Thank you so much Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the arc!!

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is so compelling and I’ve seen so many great reviews. Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it after multiple attempts. I did like enough of what I read that I would be tempted to try again if the mood hits right. Just a little too slow of a start for me.

I always love any supporting details authors have in their books, in this case I was delighted by the timeline of Egypt section, it really helped me visualize the setting and the political situation in the story. I could tell that Isabel had done her research scrupulously, I was blown away by how easy it was to follow her description of Egypt. She really made me want to visit every place Inez had been to.

The plot was gripping full of mysteries, I was quite nervous throughout. I knew that everyone was hiding secrets and Inez should trust no one! I was so frustrated for Inez. Communication is important people! If they had done this earlier, as they should have, they could minimize their losses. There was somewhat slow pacing in the middle and Whit's revelation about himself was also out nowhere but overall my interest while reading held me on. I enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and especially to Wednesday Books for the early copy I received on my email in exchange for an honest opinion.

I loved this story so much! Be prepared to be swept away into the mysterious and breathtaking land of Egypt. This book will take you from the bustling markets in Cairo, to the luscious shores of the Nile, to Egyptian temples and dig sites in the desert. What the River Knows is packed with adventure as Inez seeks to discover the mysterious disappearance of her parents and the shady business that her uncle is tied up in. Served with a side of rivals to lovers romance, this book is a total delight!

This book is advertised as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile. I think that's pretty accurate. This is about an Argentinian girl, Inez, who gets a devasting letter that her parents are missing and presumed dead. She then travels to Egypt on a quest to find out what happened to them. Here she meets her uncle whom she doesn't know very well as well as his colleague, Whit, a handsome young man. They are not very happy at her arrival so she takes things into her own hands. The rest could be spoilers, but I will say that I absolutely enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. I was not prepared for the fact that this will be, at the very least, a duology because it ends on a very strong cliffhanger and I cannot find any information for when the second book comes out! I am hooked and cannot wait. The only thing holding this back from a five-star read for me was the pacing and some of the character development. It is definitely slow in the first half and filled with lots of world-building and history lessons. The second half flew by. Again, this was exactly the type of story it's being sold as, and highly enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

As a girl, I briefly flirted with the idea of pursuing archaeology. I was enamored with the idea of studying and understanding the lives of people through artifacts and locations, and I was especially into the Greek, Roman and Egyptian then (though I would enjoy doing it in Asia now, I think). So, I was understandably excited to read WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS when I first heard about it.

I enjoyed this book! It immersed me in a world and scenarios that was familiar in a way, but also new and refreshing. (I also rewatched The Mummy in the middle of me reading this and the vibes are there, in my opinion!) The characters were likable enough, and I did genuinely enjoy seeing the main relationship change over the course of the book. But what really kept me reading was the story itself! Even though I did find a story development or two jarring, I for the most part was entertained, invested and swept up in the action. Definitely looking forward to the sequel (especially given how this ends)!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez. All opinions are my own.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!

This is a historical fiction book with magical elements sprinkled throughout. The fascinating world of 1800s Egypt made me so excited to read this book and kept my interested throughout the whole story.

I also loved the bits of forbidden romance and can’t wait to see where that goes in book two.

After finishing the ARC of this book, I immediately pre-ordered a copy for myself because I know I’ll definitely re-read it before book two comes out next year.

One thing I really liked about this book was all of the plot twists and that I never knew who I could trust. It kept me on my toes and made me want to stay up late reading.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone that likes magical stories, ancient Egypt, and forbidden romances.

I devoured this book!! I love when any book adds a touch of history and mythology into it. The magic in this world was so different and so amazing. The conflict and tension between Whit and Inez was perfection. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book becomes a viral sensation. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Ok I was sort of conflicted to read this because of the negative reviews on her other book but I will say I did enjoy this read.

This was promoted as having the mummy vibes and yes because of Egypt, excavations and the danger but if you come into this looking for an Evie and Rick romance there is none like them so I was very disappointed

I was enjoying the magical elements and how it connected to Ancient Egypt and Cleopatra. I also enjoyed how Inez would charge forth and do what she wanted to do.

So yes overall I enjoyed this book but I will say I was bored through some bits and it felt like it dragged. I know it can’t all be adventure and fun but even the moments where Inez and Whit were flirting I was like ok and ?
Also Elvira 😭the way she was brought in for the last chapters just for that ending for her ??? Vile #justice for Elvira

But the cliffhanger left me curious so I will continue w the story

“The Mummy meets Death on the Nile…” um yes! I was sold on What the River Knows as soon as I read this in the description. I stayed up to 2:00 AM reading because I couldn’t put it down. This book has a little of something for everyone: Ancient Egypt, mystery, magic, adventure, and romance. Also, the heroin, Inez, is perfection. She’s strong and stubborn with a mind of her own. Also, that ending! Waiting for the sequel is going to be excruciating.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC. I so enjoyed reading this book. Now I am off to read everything else Isabel Ibañez has written.

I was so excited to read this YA archeology/antiquities story set in Egypt with an Argentinian protagonist.

Unfortunately, the story was very slow-paced and focused more on the protagonist’s relationships with her lost parents, her uncle, and her potential love interest, than it did on the things that interested me, the Egyptian history, archeology and magic. I had to put it down and DNF at 50%. This one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: October 31st, 2023

This book was a little bit of a struggle for me. I enjoyed the characters and the idea of the story but I think the writing style just didn't click for me. I read a fair amount of YA books but this felt a bit younger to me - something I would have enjoyed in junior high or early high school maybe. I feel like there was a little bit of "I won't be stupid/lie again....oh no I've been stupid/lied again" from our young female main character. And while I understand that is how young people work and learn a lot of the time it can get repetitive and old really quickly. A lot of major things happened in this book and yet it just never felt like a big impact as I was reading; there wasn't a big emotional response from me that should have been there (again, I think this was mostly due to the writing style not clicking for me).

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, I have to admit that I was left with mixed feelings. To start with the positives, I really enjoyed the immersive storytelling and creative incorporation of fantasy - both story attributes I’m coming to expect from this author. Additionally, I loved that the author raised the stakes for her characters by putting them in gripping moments of life-threatening danger. For me, it made this book far more compelling than her previous one (Together We Burn).

What I stumbled over most was the progression of attraction between the main characters throughout most of the story. It felt a little “they fell too fast”, but I thought the author did a slam dunk job on the chemistry between them from chapter 25 onwards.

Overall, this book didn’t make it onto my list of must-read recommendations, but I am looking forward to the sequel because my jaw dropped at the twist in the epilogue. If you’re a fan of the following, you’ll probably enjoy the read:

- the 1999 cinematic masterpiece “The Mummy”
- Cleopatra as a historical figure
- independent, plucky FMCs
- a “touch her and die” moment

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow!! What a fantastic and unique read that really combined fantasy and historical fiction! I really didn’t know what to expect with this book as I went in blind, and I’m so happy that I did.

The depictions of the history and scenery were incredible and i really enjoyed learning more about the history of Egypt and some famous rulers. I found myself googling many things itching to learn what was fact and what was fiction.

My heart broke for Inez and everything she went through in the story, and while I felt the ending of the book left me a little lost and unsure of who I can trust, I do feel confident that Isabel has a great series here and the foundation has been set for a fantastic new emotional fantasy series! I can’t wait to continue this one!!

Rating it 4 stars as I felt some of the middle pacing could have been tighter and I would have preferred all the end action to be spread out a little more, and maybe a bit more clarity on who we can trust. That’s possibly just a my preference thing, and I have a feeling this book will be staying with me a long time and I might adjust my rating!!

Thanks so much for the arc Wednesday books, NetGalley and Isabel Ibanez!

Oh my god! I have not loved a book this much in a long time. This is my favorite read of the year. The mystery, the setting, the adventure, the banter, the flirting, it's all perfection. The ending had me reeling. I am never surprised by a plot twists but this author got me. I need the next book yesterday. Obsessed!

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

If you love books that mix history with mythology, you need to read this book. I loved the little bit of history education that you get about Egypt and then you get to learn more about their mythology. Not going to lie, I already knew a lot about this time-period in Egypt and to see if being brought to life by Ibanez was something wonderful. This book has mystery, action, a little bit of romance, and magic.

The characters in this book were easy to connect with and even be able to relate to the main character with her love for Egypt even before she was able to visit there. It might not have been the best reason that finally made her go but I loved getting to see Egypt through her eyes and the love you could feel that she had for all the history. The plot was great and something different for me was the magic system. I do wish that we would have learned more about the magic system, but I am hoping that we will get more in the next book. I thought the pace of the book was good, it was perfect in the beginning of the book then it did slow down a little towards the ending, I was able to stay focused in the book, but I can see why others would say that it was slow. For me it was the author's way with words that really did it for me, I loved that she was able to bring the characters to life and to make me feel as though I was there with Inez and Whit.

In this book we get introduced to Inez and Whit, along with other characters but those two were the focus. I thought the growth of Inez was great, because you can see the direction that she is now heading too, and I cannot wait to see her really shine in the next book. Whit, I was laughing at the banter between those too. It was not an instant love but more like enemies to lovers, or a mutual understanding between those too that grows into something more. The romance is not the main plot of the book but more like a subplot to the book, but the way that Isabel wrote it, it flowed just like a boat down the Nile River.

I do have to say that cliffhanger, I was not expecting, and I am upset and now waiting for the next book to come out because I must know what happens next! If you like fantasy, YA books, mystery, subplot romance, great twists in the plot and some good character banter you really should pick up this book to read.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

As a big fan of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, the description of this story sparked my interest. A lot of the terminology was familiar to me from Peters' books, but other aspects -- including the historical tidbits about Cleopatra's reign -- were new and interesting. The story does do a good job of transporting the reader to Egypt and capturing the many foreign influences struggling for power. It was also a refreshing change to have an Argentinian protagonist, providing an outsider's perspective of the British and their role in world affairs (albeit from a teenager's limited POV).

Setting and historical details aside, I struggled a bit to get through this book. The characters fell flat for me, with Inez growing less sympathetic as the story went on and Whit's (as well as Ricardo's) questionable loyalties and motives becoming a bit tedious. There were some interesting side characters introduced who I hoped would get a more prominent role (including Isadora, a sharp-shooting assistant to her father's security detail, and the granddaughter of Abdullah, who was a photographer in the early years of camera development), but they disappeared without much fanfare. Without getting into spoilers, a shocking event near the end of the book felt unnecessary and out of place in the tone of the story, and knocked my rating down from 3.5 to 3. Based on the cryptic cliffhanger, I'm hoping that maybe that event is not what it seemed, but for now I was left slightly disappointed.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!