A twisty beginning to a historical fiction adventure set in 1880s Egypt. This deals heavily with the British control in Egypt as well as the unchecked tourism (resulting in desecration of cultural heritage sites), looting, and illegal antique smuggling running rampant at the time. As far as Inez (fmc) knows, her parents lost their lives in the hunt for a precious cultural heritage site that is in need of protection from such organizations, which leads her to Egypt to find out what happened. Now she’s all alone in a foreign country and doesn’t know who to trust; her parents’ end and objectives are shrouded in mystery. This reads like a prologue for the next book; the first quarters are quite slow and mainly deal with setting the stage and giving us info, the next quarter is where things get rolling and then all the action goes down near the end. I expected more of a high stakes adventure and there wasn’t too much of that, but given the way the book ends, there’s a chance the next book will be delivering on it instead. The romance is delicious; the banter between Whit and Inez was perfect and despite the barriers in their way, they can’t help but become closer, it’s a natural gravity that’s just *chef’s kiss*. Is all as it seems though??? Hehe who knows. Lastly, as someone who’s been wanting to try Egyptian food for a while, every scene where the characters ate a meal was a direct attack on my stomach, thank you, I do love foodie scenes.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What the River Knows follows Inez Olivera, a curious and intrepid young woman who travels to Cairo to investigate the mysterious death of her parents. She’s immediately at odds with her new guardian, Tio Ricardo, and his charming and scrappy muscle man, Whitford Hayes. Pulled by the magic lingering in the ring her father left her, Inez is led on an exhilarating, romantic, and twisty adventure through Egypt to find answers about the parents she grew up without.

This is the kind of book that reminds me of why I fell in love with reading in the first place. From start to finish, it was packed with fun and magic. Ibañez’s vivid descriptions of Cairo immersed me in city’s rich history. The characters were compelling enough to keep me glued to the page because I was desperate to know what would happen to each of them. Inez in particular was such a force to be reckoned with despite all her flaws and mistakes—I found myself attached to her immediately. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the romance between Inez and Whit, which was perfectly beautiful and complicated and juicy with tension.

I’m so looking forward to the second book and would recommend this one to readers who want a romantic adventure filled with heart. It’s very much in the vein of those nostalgic adventure movies that brought me so much joy as a young girl, like The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, etc. If you love those movies, you’ll love this book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

# What the River Knows (412)

This book was so hyped up on YouTube that I had to request an ARC to see what it was all about. While the premise sounded promising, I kinda of wish this had been written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia instead. Overall was okay but our main character really felt “not like other girls” and then tried to self-correct by being. We are told that she is close with her cousin, but that’s not really developed, so when that plot point becomes relevant towards the end, it lacks the emotional weight it needs. That said, there was hardly any depth for any of our characters or plot points. I felt like I was being spoon-fed how I should be feeling, which was increasingly frustrating. Inez’s uncertainty and questioning quickly became repetitive, as it felt like the same conversations were happening time and time again. Most of the plot twists are so obvious to the point where I was checking if this was a young adult novel because I could have sworn it was new adult. (I was wrong in this, and kinda of happy about that fact since it was written in such a simplistic style.) The magic system is inconsistent and seems not to make any real sense: Do only some people know about magic? Is it more prevalent in certain areas? Is this widely known? I forgot there was magic even in the book for a while, and when it popped up again, I was mildly confused.

Honestly, I wish there was an epistolary element, maybe the journals from the mom and newspaper clippings to have better context of what is happening in the politics of the area rather than just info dumping in the dialogue. Also a more consistent narrative shift, rather then changing to Whit’s perspective a handful of times.

Ah, fellow literary explorers, gather 'round as I unveil a gem from the realm of quill and parchment! With stars in my eyes and a quill in hand, I eagerly pen my thoughts about the enchanting voyage that is "What The River Knows," masterfully crafted by the wordsmith extraordinaire, Isabel Ibanez. A twinkling quasar of gratitude beams upon me, for I've been graced with a prelude to this literary treasure, ahead of its grand unveiling on October 31, 2023. Can you believe the fates aligned so divinely?

As the ancient scrolls proclaim, a book can whisk you across the globe while you lounge in the comfort of your abode, much like a magic carpet ride for the mind and soul. Prepare to be spellbound, for such was my wondrous sojourn through the tapestry of "What The River Knows." This delightful concoction of Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, and Romance forms a symphony that harmonizes with the senses of all who dare to tread its pages.

Isabel Ibanez, the literary alchemist, wielded her quill like a magician's wand, transporting me to the bustling bazaars and mystic marvels of 1800s Egypt. Through her words, the tapestries of time unfurled before me, painting scenes so vivid that I could practically smell the spices wafting through Cairo's alleys. Can you blame me for pondering whether I should secure a one-way ticket to Cairo, whisked away by the allure of this evocative tale? And lo, a unique magic system, akin to a pharaoh's treasure, was unveiled, casting an enchantment that has me eyeing even the humblest of trinkets with the hopes of savoring roses in every whiff.

Picture Inez, a woman of unyielding purpose, a heroine whose journey becomes your own. A compass pointing to the north star of your heart, urging you to root for her with every heartbeat. Oh, the tendrils of empathy that wound around my very soul! But wait, here's Whit, our charismatic yet morally enigmatic champion. Ah, how easy it was to surrender to his charms, like an oasis in the desert of my emotions.

As the Nile's current flows leisurely, so does the romance in this tale, a gentle dance that's as tantalizing as a desert mirage. A SLOOWWW burn, oh what a delightful potion, a magic elixir that caresses the senses and kindles a fire of anticipation, much like a desert sun kissing the dunes.

Behold, a cavalcade of characters parades through this narrative, each as intriguing as a cryptic hieroglyph. There's a medley of endearing souls, a chorus that enchants your spirit, while the not-so-endearing bring a storm to the desert skies. The twists in this tome? More intricate than the labyrinthine corridors of a pyramid, leaving my mind a delightful whirlwind of surprise and awe. And the crescendo, the zenith of this grand symphony—the ending! Ah, it left me thirsting like a traveler in the desert, yearning to quench my curiosity at the oasis of the sequel.

Thus, my fellow seekers of literary marvels, heed this scribe's exhortation: "What The River Knows" is an oasis of storytelling brilliance. Isabel Ibanez's sorcery has woven a tapestry that has ensnared my heart, a devotee I shall remain, forever under her captivating spell. As you embark on this odyssey, carry with you the spirit of an intrepid adventurer, and brace yourself for an expedition through a tale as bewitching as the pyramids themselves.

➸5/5 Stars

I appreciate NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy (ARC) in exchange for my sincere review.

4.5 Stars
WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS, by Isabel Ibanez, is novel that takes place mainly in historical Egypt--blending Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, and a bit of Romance as well.

Inez is living with her Aunt and cousins in Argentina, as her parents spend most of their time away in Egypt, doing excavations with her Uncle. Though she's longed to go with them, she's always been refused. Other than sitting around and waiting to be married off, her mind is much more progressive for a woman in the late 1800's. Due to her family's immense wealth, she is expected to remain in the mansion, learning what she considers "trivial things", like her two cousins do.

Until the last letter arrives, from her Uncle.

"My parents are dead.

After this dramatic beginning, the story REALLY takes off. Inez sneaks away to Egypt, ready to find her Uncle and hear what happened to her parents. However, her arrival is certainly not approved of for a myriad of reasons.

I loved the characters in this book! Inez's strength, intelligence, and quick wit make her the perfect main character. Enter her Uncle and his mysterious "employee", Whit, and you have a recipe for all manner of things to go wrong... or right. The atmosphere written here made me feel as if I was actually seeing ancient Egypt through the eyes of the characters. The terms, and history recounted, led more authenticity to the narrative, in my opinion.

". . . Desperation made people dangerous . . ."

Although I did find the first third or so a little "slow" to reveal any major action or details of the plot, it gave me time to see more of the large cast of characters and form opinions of my own on them. When we get to one major part of the mystery, the story takes off without pause. I was absolutely riveted on it for the entire last half or more.

Overall, one of the most unique, memorable novels I have read this year.

Recommended.

*Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are uniquely my own.*

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for access to this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review!

Release date: 31 October 2023

Inez lives with her aunt and cousins in Argentina but longs to be reunited with her parents, who are treasure-hunting in Egypt. A letter from her uncle announces that her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead.
When Inez learns that her treasure-hunter parents have gone missing and are presumed dead, Inez becomes singleminded in her determination to find out what has happened to her parents. She ditches her aunt and cousins in Argentina and hops a ship to Egypt. Upon her arrival in Cairo, however, Tío Ricardo and his assistant “Whit” Hayes try to send her home. Inez refuses to abort her mission.

STRENGTHS
+ Isabel Ibañez sets her story in Egypt during the reign of Tewfiq Pasha (1879 to 1892), at a time of British occupation. The sense of time adds texture to the plot and characters.
+ Who can say no to vibes reminiscent of The Mummy and Indiana Jones? This story should, in theory, scratch that itch to be an archaeologist born out of childhood fascination with ancient Egypt.
+ The magic is easy to understand. This is low-fantasy magic that is tied nicely into the plot through Inez’s family drama and the broader political-historical struggles of Egypt.
+ The writing style is simplistic, delivers the story without distraction, and makes the story digestible.

WEAKNESSES
- I could not stop being annoyed by Inez. She recklessly gallivanted around the world by herself and then rebelled against her uncle to do whatever she wanted in a foreign country. I understand that needed to happen for the sake of the plot, but I think the author could have brought Inez to the same plot points in a different way. Maybe teen me would have cheered on headstrong Inez, but I just found her behavior to be stupid and thoughtless.
- I could have done without the romance. I cannot understand why Whit, someone experienced in the world, would go after petulant, childish Inez. I guess it was convenient.
- A lot of the book felt like filler. Inez and Whit have frequent antagonistic conversations verging on flirtation that feel copy-pasted with the same emotional beats and content over and over.
- The big reveals fall flat because no clues or foreshadowing were placed in the story beforehand. As a reader, I was robbed of feeling any tension or anticipation that might have made the payoffs bigger.

As one of my most anticipated books for the fall of 2023, I found <i>What the River Knows</i> to be one of my most disappointing reads of the year. Even the things I found to be strengths of the books like atmosphere and historical influence remained light. I wish Ibañez would have leaned more heavily into the treacherous political climate in Egypt, would have spent less time on Inez's angsty feels, and would have incorporated more action and complex intrigue into the story.

OMG, I loved it!!! I discovered Isabel Ibañez through a reel that she made about this book’s aesthetic and I was instantly hooked!
The Mummy movies are some of my all time favorites and I just knew that I had to read this.

Where do I begin??

I loved the characters, the setting, the adventure, the romance, the descriptions, everything! (Whit is my new book bf 😉)

Ancient Egypt is so fascinating and the author does such a good job of explaining it’s history and the consequences of outsiders involving themselves in that history.

The first half of the book, for me, was a very slow buildup of learning about Egypt and the politics of that time, as well as learning the complexities of the main character, Inez, and her family dynamics.
The second half of the book was so full of action and new discoveries, I couldn’t put it down!! There were several twists I didn’t see coming & the ending left me speechless.
I need the next book now, Isabel!!! lol

I highly highly recommend this book to you if you love The Mummy movies, Death on the Nile, romance, and adventure! 🤎 You won’t regret it! It comes out on October 31, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley + St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️
It’s romance mixed with mystery and kind of magic from the old centuries!

I love how the writer describes the setting and how we explore the archeologist’s site. It’s fascinating.

I honestly enjoyed the banter of the main characters. Inez and Whit. But i don’t know, i feel irritated by two of them from mid to the end of the book.

Inez with all her naiveness, and i think i need more of whit pov so atleast i could think he’s not one dimensional.
And the last thing is how could they flirt or even kissed in the middle of “chaos”?
(i keep reminding myself that this is a romantasy, so it possible to happen)

The betrayal and the excavate thing keep me reading further.

But overall, i enjoyed this book. I demand more Whit pov. And more explanation about the magic itself!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for granted me the e-Arc

This might be my favorite book this year! The mystery and magic mixed with secrets made for an incredible combination and story. I didn’t want to put it down. I devoured it and then wanted to reread it.

I chose this book because I liked the cover, and it didn’t disappoint! I was totally immersed from start to finish.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

Super interesting read! Loved the context and characters and that says a lot because this isn’t my favorite genre

I think this is what my taste would call an author glow UP.

Yes. That's just all I have for this. Yes, yes, yes. The premise is so exactly what I want to read and this time, Ibañez *delivered*. And after I kind of hated her previous book (it was completely illogical and half-assed to me), this was truly a redemption. I loved everything about this, from Inez's sheer tenacity and inability to let things be, to her mysterious love interest and the Egyptian setting, to the secrets that twisted the plot on its head continuously. My hand over heart honest to god truth is that I had the absolute BEST time reading this.

And that ending! Dear lord, there better be a sequel coming soon because I genuinely cannot remember the last time an epilogue has DEVASTATED me this badly. I need answers, damn it!

Fair warning, though, I do think readers will need to enter this with a decent amount of patience. There are a few aspects that do come across as somewhat tedious. For instance, part of the premise is she travels to Egypt by herself without permission, and the number of times her uncle tells her to go home is a *lot*.

To start things off, I just need to address Ms. Ibanez before I go any further: I don’t know if you currently are writing other books or have ideas for other books, but I am kindly asking you to please write the next book that follows this one because that cliffhanger left me questioning everything and I need more of Inez and Whit please and thank you so much! Also thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review - I cannot wait until What The River Knows comes out and I can buy a physical copy for my bookshelf to annotate!

I completely devoured this book in a matter of two days (I would have finished it faster if not for the fact I couldn’t stay up late to finish it), and I believe it will now just forever live in my brain. It has absolutely everything I could ask for and everything that I love all rolled into one story: Ancient Egypt, the 1800s, witty banter between Inez and Whit, archaeological digs, and family secrets/intrigue. You can really tell how much time was spent by the author to craft this historically accurate yet beautifully exotic time period in Egypt in the late 1800s, including mentions of famous persons from that time period in the museum/archaeology community. The fashion, the history, and the imagery are all spot on and you really feel as if you are right there with Inez as she tries to find out more about her absent parents and why they loved Egypt.

The witty banter between Inez and Whit definitely kept me laughing and reading, enjoying the progression of always butting heads to friendship to perhaps more than friends? I also love that Inez is from Argentina and Whit is British - I always fall for the ones with an accent. But again with that record-scratch of a cliffhanger at the very end, I am certain that we need more resolution and another book because it left me wanting more! If you are in the market for an adventurous quest through 1800’s Egypt full of ancient artifacts, archaeological digs, and a girl who wants to find her missing parents, then I cannot recommend this book enough - it has all of the above and so much more!

Themes/Tropes (as I see them): historical fantasy, archeology in Egypt, rivals to lovers (somewhat), complicated family dynamics, journey/quest

I wanted to like the book, but I couldn't get lost in the setting like I wanted to, and that was the main reason I wanted to read it.

Well balanced blend of reality and magic! The characters have real depth, and I loved the adventure and mystery of this book. I’ve always been fascinated with Egypt so this was a treat to read.

Actual Rating 3.5

Inez belongs to the upper-class society of Buenos Aires in the nineteenth century, but with her parents spending more than half of each year in Egypt without her, she finds herself yearning for more. When she unexpectedly receives news of their untimely deaths along with a golden ring from her father, she decides to take matters into her own hands, travelling to Egypt to look for answers. Once there, she discovers that her ring is steeped in ancient magic, and she unknowingly starts down a path that may lead her to clues about her parents’ deaths but is rife with dangers.

The characterization in this work was strong. It was easy to immediately be sucked into the characters, their stories, and their goals. It’s told from a dual POV, and I will say that I found Inez’s POV to be stronger and more compelling than Whit’s. His was useful in that it provided necessary plot-relevant information that we wouldn’t have been privy to otherwise, but I didn’t find his voice to be that compelling. I also found the romance to be unnecessary and I felt the story would have been stronger without it (though it appears to be necessary for the sequel).

Part of what I enjoyed about this one was how seamlessly the impacts of colonialism and the antiquities trade were incorporated into the story and the setting. Rather than telling us how awful these things are, the author instead show the innumerable ways it affected Egypt, the culture, and their identity. Making this topic a realistic and well incorporated part of the setting allowed the reader to feel the emotions of the character relating to these aspects rather than just hearing about it. I also loved that this work of historical fiction was focused on a non-white protagonist traveling to Egypt during this time. I also enjoyed the incorporation of magic, both in items and in places, and the bits of explanations we got about that.

While the main storyline is resolved by the end of the book, it is set up for a sequel with a bit of a cliffhanger included. I found the ending to be a little weak, but I enjoyed the rest of the read so it didn’t bother me much. If you enjoy historical fiction and magical realism, you’ll likely enjoy this read. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this work, which will be published October 31, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Searching for ancient artifacts in late 19th-century Egypt comes alive in these pages. Inez, an Argentinian who seems very mature at 19 years, is really there to ferret out what happened to her missing parents. They have spent much of the last 10 years working with her uncle to locate prize treasures of old.

Because Inez’s father sent her a magical golden ring, she has absorbed some of the magic and is able to “feel” where related objects are. I’m a great skeptic about this sort of thing, but here, at least in the more important instances, it seems to work.

As Inez travels from Cairo to the island of Philae we are treated to the sights and smells of that time. But there is so much intrigue that we really don’t know whom to trust, and some of the plot points are not all that plausible. Despite many twists and turns, Inez manages to be both naïve and resourceful, and we are enchanted with her wanderings. Oh, and there’s a surprise at the end.

** spoiler alert ** REAL Rating: 4.75 (I round up if its above .5)

***I was given What the River Knows as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. There are spoilers that are unmarked in this version. For spoiler-marked review, please read the goodreads link.***

Sentence Synopsis: What the River Knows, a YA fantasy novel, is The Mummy, Jungle Cruise, and Clue, wrapped up in a powerful, Hispanic protagonist with a “who-done-it?” suspense line.

Isabel Ibañez does it once again. She rips me down to my bare atoms to where I am only emotions and eyes. What the River Knows is a historical fantasy with suspense and romance at its forefront. We meet our main character, Inez, with the news that her parents have mysteriously died during their latest exhibition to Egypt. The facts aren’t lining up, so Inez, our beautifully independent protagonist, blindly leads herself to the country where her uncle resides, and her parents supposedly died. The love interest is a morally-gray spy for her uncle, with a past just as mysterious as his present, and a smart mouth that I found myself grinning at with each line of dialogue. If you have ever watched Fox Animation’s Anastasia, then imagine the banter of Anya and Dimitri with me and you’ll understand. While she isn’t some long-lost heiress, her parents were popular enough in Cairo to where she was practically royalty (I say this loosely, it was more that she was well-known).

Ibañez has a talent for creating magical worlds that invoke realism from our own. The magic in this world is channeled by objects– a nod that I found from her book Together we Burn, which I smiled fondly over. I love when authors use similar systems, as it makes me wonder if they would canonically be in the same universe, even if it is never confirmed. I also love a realistic magic system (if those words can be put in the same sentence without lightning striking down) because it gives the characters limitations, which in my opinion, causes us as the reader to relate to them more, and also see a creative side to them. While objects touched by magic can be very powerful, most of them are very old and have been touched by too many hands to count, and each time they are touched, a piece of their magic goes into the holder. The more magical an object feels, the more valuable it is. What happens when you find an object that was touched by the magic of the last Pharaoh of Egypt?

A ring given to Inez by her father has this magic, though she doesn’t know if he understood this or not. All she knows is that she is developing visions of memories left behind by Cleopatra, and she may be the only person who can help her uncle find the Ptolemaic ruler before tomb robbers find it and destroy it. But evidence placed against her uncle makes him a suspect in her investigation, and she isn’t sure who to trust.


I will say that at the beginning of the book, I was a little skeptical of the antagonist being the uncle, because of its similarity to the antagonist of Together we Burn. This is the magic of Ibañez. She is able to get us to believe one thing, while leaving small easter eggs towards the real conflict. I won’t reveal this, as you too must feel the dread when it comes. I’m not even sure if I am 100% correct, because the ending of the book takes me out like a landmine. I was expecting a stand-alone, and had I known it would not be (and I hope it is not, because if so I have to change the rating from 5 stars because that ending would actually kill me) I would not have read this book so quickly. She sets up so many twists, with “a-ha!” moments and “WHAT??” moments combined. You learn information with Inez, not before or after. I finished this book in a day and a half, and it still took me forever to write the review from the hangover it gave me.

One critique I do have, is that the ending felt rushed. With the understanding there hopefully will be a sequel, I would’ve thought that there would be space for it to breathe. It was leading up to a HEA pretty quickly, but the twist at the end changes all of this, and I wonder if Ibañez had cut the last twenty or so pages from her book, how I would’ve reacted to that scene (you’ll know), with the open-ended question of “will everything be alright?” left for the sequel, as I have that question now for a different plot point.

I cannot wait as a bookseller to promote this work heavily, and I recommend you all to preorder it. Ibañez is a storyteller, historian, and overall, a wonderful writer. I sit on the edge of my seat until the sequel is announced.

This book had a perfect blend of what felt magical and what felt real, what felt historical and what felt like it could still be true of our modern world. I loved the way Ibañez crafted the mystery and storytelling and how it unfolded over the course of the novel, with plenty of twists and turns along the way!

More twists and turns than the Nile itself!

I didn’t think I could love anything more than Isabel’s Woven in Moonlight/Written in Starlight duology, and then she went and wrote What the River Knows.
WTRK is written against the backdrop of Egypt in the late 1800s. The descriptions of the landscapes and settings are lush; the heat is intense, the stakes are high, and predators lurk below and all around the banks of the Nile. I truly felt I was peeking around the leaves of a potted palm in the hotel lobby, eavesdropping on conversations, or tucked away in the bow of a dahabiya as it snaked down the Nile at dusk. The relationships between the characters build intentionally, yet always leave room for the reader to try to tease out any potential hidden meanings behind sideways glances, tone, etc. The author keeps even the most seasoned reader on their toes—even when I think I’ve figured out the plot there’s always a twist that proves me wrong yet again! Such a fun read, and I cannot wait for the sequel.