"The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

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.

What the River Knows is the first book in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology."

Oh my, EGYPT!

This was good story. Not great, but good. I struggled a bit and I know this is a classic case of, “it’s not you, it’s me,” since everyone I know that read it, loved it.

✨What book has you dying to read the sequel?✨

ARC review. Thank you Isabel Ibañez, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the amazing opportunity to read the eARC of What the River Knows. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

loved this book. Isabel Ibañez created a world and characters so vivid that I felt like I was exploring Egypt with Tío Ricardo’s expedition myself. I also really enjoyed how Inez’s story arc paralleled an archeological dig in the sense that she was continually uncovering secrets, getting closer and closer to the truth.

I was also so impressed with Inez herself. This woman never gave up. She had so many setbacks and obstacles thrown in her way, but she deftly sidestepped every attempt to stop her from continuing her mission. I found myself cheering each time she found a way around the men in her life who wished to dull her shine. It was such a joy to read about a woman taking control of her own destiny regardless of others thoughts and opinions.

The slow burn romance in this story is just so delicious. The will they won’t they nature of Inez and Whit’s relationship kept me turning pages just to see what would happen next. It felt like at any moment, these two would catch fire and I desperately wanted to know what would happen if they did.

Perhaps my favorite part of the story was the SHOCKING cliffhanger. I did not see that coming! Just when you think all the secrets have been revealed, Isabel Ibañez casually drops the biggest bombshell of them all👀. I’m desperate to know what happens in the next installment and will put it on the top of my reading list when it comes out!

I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy of this book. In fact, after I finished the story, I immediately preorderd Barnes and Noble’s exclusive edition. I know this is a book I’ll read again and again because now that I know what happens, I can go back and look for the hints I missed during my first read.

If you love adventure, mystery, fantasy, and romance, you need to read What the River Knows as soon as it’s released on October 31! I won’t be surprised when this one hits the top of the bestseller lists immediately!

In the pages, you will find:

✨Slow burn
✨Complicated family dynamics
✨Betrayal
✨ Egyptian history
✨Strong female main character
✨Intoxicating settings
✨Magic
✨Touch her and die
✨A shocking cliffhanger

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


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I loved this! I heard so many good thing and I was not disappointed. It was an enjoyable read and I really loved the setting and the plot and the characters AND THAT ENDING! Needless to say I will be reading the next book in the series

First off I am so grateful to have received this ARC and I did have a good time reading this book. I give this book somewhere around 4-4.25 stars, overall fun but I have some complaints. My first mistake was thinking that this book was a stand-alone. I have seen other reviewers led to believe the same so maybe there was a disconnect in the marketing somewhere. I think my major issues with this book boil down to me thinking I was reading a stand-alone while the author was actually setting up for a duology. Before I get into my complaints I need to give credit where credit is due and praise this book a bit.
I think that the care that went into creating the historical setting is so obvious and really shines throughout the book. The scenes are described so richly and with so much attention to detail regarding ancient Egypt and the nineteenth-century setting. I really enjoyed Inez and Whit’s banter with one another and had a great time with their general dynamic. It is an enjoyable story to read, it had me staying up late trying to unravel the mysteries plaguing Inez.
My major issues with this book were the pacing, the twists, and the magic system. The book starts out very fast-paced with lots of action and information coming at you and slowly grinds to a near halt as you progress through the story. It really felt like the starting pace could've made this book a stand-alone but the author decided to start stalling to have enough action for book 2. I will not get too much into my opinions on the twists to avoid spoiling anything. I think that books can have too many twists and I’ll leave it at that. I was really disappointed in the magic system in this book, I’d almost prefer it wasn't there at all. Magic continually felt like a second thought throughout the book and was never really explained all that well.

At the end of the day, that epilogue sealed my fate and I will be reading the next book.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez was a high-stakes adventure that I found impossible to put down. The descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was visiting Egypt alongside Inez. There were so many twists and turns that I had no idea what was going to happen next. The last third of the book, especially, had me gasping aloud. I never thought Ibañez would do what she did, and now, days later, I still can't stop thinking about it. And that ending! I need to know what's going to happen next! Waiting for the sequel is going to be excruciating.

Always such a good feeling to come across a well constructed historical fiction books full of facts, romance, adventure, deceit,.. Isabel Ibanez served us a feast! I loved everything about this book: the cosmopolite cast, the magical and mysterious atmosphere of 1880s Egypt at an exciting time when many treasure were being discovered, but also a time when imperialist Britain came in droves in Egypt and stole so many artifacts without any retribution of consequence. Inez Olivarez travels to Cairo after her parents are announced dead during one of their many stays in Egypt. He decides to take this long and unsafe journey from Argentina to Egypt to unveil the mystery around her parents' death. She meets her Tio Ricardo but all he wants is to send her back home because Egypt is not a safe place for her. Inez shows us she is a strong-headed young lady and manages to stay and end up uncovering more that she bargained for.. I loved her character, as well as Whit (Tio Ricardo's "assistant"), and many more. Lots of very likely characters, and even the ugly characters were interesting to get to know.
The author did a splendid job making our heads spin with the twists and turns throughout the book.

I am giving this book a much-deserved 5-stars!

Thank you so much Net Galley and Wednesday Books for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Okay, updating this finally but let me just say that advertising this as "The Mummy" meets "Death on the Nile" is SO SPOT ON I need more I need more now and book 1 isn't even officially OUT!!! WHAT!!
This literally had everything I want in a book; mystery, intrigue, romance, adventure, badass female heroine and a morally grey MMC- how could I not love it!!! Thank you so much to netgalley/publisher/author for giving me a chance to read this as an eARC and review it! I couldn't have loved it more!

This was absolutely incredible! For so long I have wanted a story that centers on Egypt and we finally get one.
I loved the incorporation of Spanish throughout the story and from the very first page, Inez was a likable character. She wasn't an automatically perfect heroine but instead makes mistakes, trusts the wrong people, and takes very big risks.
The plot twists were so great! The book absolutely left me on the edge of my seat and I was devastated time and time again thinking, just like Inez, that I had finally put my trust in the right person.
Obviously there will be a sequel and I wish I already had it in my hands.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibanez is a 3.5 stars for me. I got lucky to have received this ARC. What pulled me in was the fact that it’s currently being marketed as ‘for fans of THE MUMMY’ movies, and that sold me. That had me because I absolutely love the characters of Evie and Rick from the movie, so here it’s Inez and Whitford (Whitford is such an odd name to be because it feels like it should be a last name, but maybe it was a common name that I’m not aware of).
There were many things I loved about the book, but I want to delve into what I didn’t first. The lack of magic in this story was odd. It’s only because it was mentioned throughout the novel here and there that magic was involved, but sometimes this felt like an afterthought. I don’t know if the author is trying to foreshadow what’s to come in the future books, and if that’s the case, it could have been stronger. Otherwise, I feel the attempt at the magical system in this book could have been left out and kept solely as a historical. In all honesty, the book could have also been standalone. This leads me to the cliffhanger at the end…which I completely felt so confused with. It felt like an afterthought so the story could continue into book 2. I don’t think a duology is necessary because they resolved the mystery in this book already, so I am unsure what is to come in the second part. Basically, at the end, there’s a huge deception, and I guess book 2 will unravel this deception/ betrayal. I found this puzzling because I wondered if I had missed the author’s hints and foreshadowing throughout the novel.
Sometimes I found Inez to be childish and bratty. Maybe teenage me would have been in awe by her at times, but current-me rolled my eyes sometimes. Inez here diverges from the spunky, intelligent, and quirky ways of Evie from THE MUMMY, but this didn't deter me. I mean Inez isn’t meant to be Evie, so I tried to remember that.
As for what I love, I can totally talk about the world-building of the historical period. The author did a lovely job really bringing Egypt to life with her characters traversing in this world. The mystery aspect was done quite well. Simple enough where I knew from the get-go whodunit. The buildup of the romance between Inez and Whitford was quite sweet. Their story did remind me of Evie and Rick for sure, and I loved that I could see their banter, chemistry, and care for each other throughout the journey. I could almost imagine the story playing out like a movie, so I appreciated the story very much with the things I have loved here. I do think fans of THE MUMMY will enjoy this book.

An exciting and treacherous adventure through Egypt searching for an ancient tomb, where Inez Olivera, our headstrong MC, gets more than what she bargained for. What's not to like about this book? Action, adventure, Egyptian tombs, intrigue and danger. There is even magic -- which is known to the world; rare but not so out of the ordinary.

I loved Inez, she was headstrong, independent and stubborn as all hell; a dog with a bone. While she is all of these things, there is still a vulnerability to her and potentially too trusting of others. I also enjoyed Whit, who we sometimes see the story from his point of view. I enjoy their cheeky banter and flirting once they realize that they don't despise each other.

The setting was lush and vibrant, sticking you right into the middle of a storm on the Nile, down in the depths of unexplored tombs, or in the middle of the market in Cairo. The story was expertly paced and imaginative throwing curve balls left and right. While the last page broke my heart into a thousand pieces, I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this duology.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Isabel Ibanez for an e-ARC of this book.

This novel definitely has some strengths, and it seems like the overall reviews are positive! The main heroine is feisty and clever, and I can definitely see the influence of the Mummy in the romance. That being said, I had a hard time getting into this. Maybe it’s the writing style or not really having enough curiosity up front about what happened to her parents. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be finishing this one. /DNF

This book was any persons who loves Egyptian myths and history’s dream book. I absolutely loved the story of Inez the author wrote about and how she evolves as a character as the story goes on. The twists and turns made this book truly thrilling the read. The timeline in which this book was written as added to the storyline as the British colonialism really shows how taken advantage of the Egyptian people and tombs were. Plus that twist at the epilogue was out of this world, I’m crossing my fingers for a follow up book!

I wanted to love this more than I did. Based on the description, this had everything I love in a story, Ancient Egypt, mystery, magic, and romance! The execution, however, left me disappointed.

Things I enjoyed:
- The cover - how can you not like the beautiful cover?!
- Themes of family, love, and betrayal
The Author’s note at the end was really insightful, and you can tell she did her research for the story

Things I struggled with:
- The pacing was uneven. The opening of the story moves fast, but as we arrive in Egypt, things slow down
- The magic system - I was expecting the magic element of the story to be more prominent in the story. I was let down that the magic played such a small role
- The genre of this book is listed as YA (Young Adult), but I felt this story leans more towards NA (New Adult). While the main character’s actions come across as very young, there are other parts of this story that aren’t traditionally thrown in YA novels, such as gun violence, substance abuse, etc.
- The romance felt like insta-love. There was no lead-up to the romance
- This is not a standalone - I prefer knowing if a book is part of a series. I did not know that going in, so I was a bit disappointed when the ending unfolded

While I enjoyed aspects of this story, and the ending was very cryptic, I will not be continuing with this series.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books/Netgalley for the eARC!

I have mixed feelings about Isabel Ibañez previous works... but when I saw the synopsis for this one, I knew that at least I have to give it the benefit of the doubt. I can't say I was disappointed--because it was what I expected. Her strengths remain the same...as do what I consider to be her weaknesses with the writing craft. Again we have lovely writing and a lush setting coupled with a high-concept hook. On the flip side, we again have the poor character growth that really stunts the novel where it could be incredible. What's more disappointing than that? I did LIKE this book, hence the three-star rating... but I wish it could've been more.

Book Review: What the River Knows

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Words can’t describe 😭 I was trying to read it as slowly as possible so I can enjoy it and savour it.

Idk where to even start, but this is truly Death on the Nile meets The Mummy (1999) with lots of romance and adventure and it was just so well written. I loved the writing, it was simple yet lyrical. I loved the characters, especially Inez I could see myself in her a lot. I could understand her wanting to explore Egypt, to see where her parents spent all of their time. Her wonder, her bitterness, her sadness… I felt it all and could relate to her so much ❤️ And I really enjoyed the mc as well, Whit had… well, he was witty for one 🫣🤭 He seemed so dorky and grumpy and his “rivalry” and enemies-to-lovers relationship with the fmc was really well written. THE BANTER I SWEAR 🤌🏻

I always loved reading about Cleopatra ever since I was a child since ancient Egypt always fascinated me due to its history and mythology (and the fact she was Greek but had been the only one to learn the customs and languages of the people her family were ruling over was super interesting to me) so this book was definitely a treat since Cleopatra’s story is so important to the plot. The magic in this story was interesting too, and how there were magical arts lost to the ancient times, and yet certain objects containing magic remain amongst people in “modern” times! Loved that.

I don’t think you guys will be disappointed with this one I really really recommend 🥰 it’s one of my favourite books of the year for sure! I feel so lucky to have gotten an e-arc.

I can’t wait for the second book I really hope it comes out soon… the cliffie 😭 hurt so good. I didn’t expect it one bit and may have accidentally thrown my kindle across the room (unscathed thankfully lol)

Wow. I loved this! My favorite of Isabel's books for sure!

The question driving Inez is what happened to her parents? And she is extremely passionate and brave about getting answers. She keeps making bold decisions. I wouldnt quite call it a romantasy, but it does have a very strong romantic subplot.

I think the best thing about this is the lens Ibanez has chosen to tell the story through. An Argentinian/Spanish main character whose family loves archaeology and are all drawn to one of the biggest, if not the biggest, archaeological excavation locations in history, Egypt. Which is a vast mutlicultural hub full of tourists and unfortunately, British Occupation. The novel doesnt shy away from the realities of this. Of the ugliness that was the British Empire. Which is something I appreciated. The absolute robbery of Egyptian artifacts and culture is a prominent theme hanging throughout the story.

The mystery of what happened is a major driving factor, which does involve keeping a majority of secrets from the main character that could have solved a whole lot of issues quickly if theyd just talked about them, but! I think it was done well and reasonable and the romance subplot filled in all the gaps where I would have grown impatient otherwise. So no complaints.

I loved the culture. I loved the romance.

I do not love that I read an ARC and now have to wait that much longer for thr sequel. 😭

Thanks Wednesday for the galley. ❤️

What the River Knows follows a young woman as she seeks to discover what’s happened to her parents while they were excavating in Egypt. She meets a handsome yet frustrating man upon arrival that definitely knows some things. This story had so many elements that had me screaming YES! Overall, I enjoyed the historical and archaeological setting. I was rooting for the enemies to lovers trope to come to fruition. Many of the rash decisions made by the MC felt age appropriate. However, it took me forever to read this book because I would get bored. I enjoyed the story overall, but I think (since it will have a sequel) it could have been more tightly structured into one exciting book. I think the setting and subject matter will definitely have a wide range of appeal to many YA readers but the pacing may not work for everyone.

4 stars! Wow! This was my first book by Isabel Ibanez and I really enjoyed it!

What the River Knows is set in the late 1800s and follows Inez, a young Bolivian-Argentinian woman. Inez's parents spend 6 months out of the year in Egypt excavating ancient sites. Inez (reasonably) feels left out and abandoned. Inez learns of her parents' deaths and soon she sets out to Egypt to discover what happened to them.

What the River Knows expertly blends historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance.
-Starting with the historical fiction element - I felt immersed in the culture and times of 1800s Egypt. This book is so beautifully descriptive, I felt as though I was really there!
-The fantasy element is light - certain objects have ancient magic imbued in them which is a fun and unique idea! Inez's father sends her a magical ring which is imbued with ancient memories!
-As for the mystery, there is a great plot of Inez trying to discover what happened to her parents and why they wanted to spend so much time in Egypt, away from her. I thought some of the plot points were predictable, but it was still enjoyable over all.
-The romance was great! It's slow-burn, with banter! The banter had me giggling at times! We did get some of Whit's POV, but it was infrequent and added at seemingly random times.

All together, this book was fun, engaging, and hooked me.

I do think this book dragged a bit, especially towards the end.

I wasn't aware that this was a series, so the ending let me REELING! I definitely want to continue the series!

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I don’t even think the plot’s surface has even been scratched yet. Be prepared to take everything you know and throw it in the river because it was all a lie.

This was my first novel by Isabel Ibañez and let me say I am blown away, this book left me REELING!!! That ending?! After that, I seriously don’t think I’m ready for what happens in book 2. Isabel did a fantastic job writing this novel and I honestly couldn’t get enough. You have slow-burn romance, great character building, laugh-out-loud moments, dangerous adventures, murder, and a heavily thought out betrayal. The twists and unexpected turns that this book has kept me on my toes the whole time and I loved every minute of it.

Isabel captures a historic Egypt set in 1884 beautifully. She is able to blend lightly tinkered true events with fantasy by giving the world realistically enhanced tools that come with a forgotten backstory. The novel follows Inez, who is everything she shouldn’t be. She is headstrong, trusting, ahead of her time, loves a good challenge, and refuses to bend to society's rules. This young lady is determined to live life to the fullest and never take no for an answer.

I am not typically a fan of mystery because I typically find it dull but What The River Knows was anything but! I’ve already preordered my copy and it is going to be a great read for those wanting a thrilling mystery with a semi spooky feel just in time for Halloween. I highly suggest it is added to your TBR!