Isabel’s What the River Knows is an easy favorite for fans of the Mummy, Egyptology, and Historical fiction/romances!

A true adventure of a novel, taking place in 1800’s Egypt- and does not disappoint with an enemies to lovers twist.

We follow the story of Bolivian-Argentinian, Inez, a wonderfully strong and sometimes challenging female main character, as she struggles to determine the cause of her parents death.

Along the way we learn of her family’s ties to Ancient Egypt, magic relics, and how they help shape the journey Inez embarks upon.

Isabel has clearly done immense research with this novel and pays homage to not only her own Bolivian culture, but that of her characters as well. As a historical fantasy Isabel invested in really knowing who her characters are, the time period in which they live, their personal history, and language.

A book that is considered a YA novel, reads very mature in prose. The topics tackled such as trust, loss of parents, and betrayal are heavy, particularly for such an audience- and Isabel excellently immerses the readers fully in those emotional experiences.

What the River Knows is certainly setting up for a sequel novel (at least I HOPE!), leaving readers absolutely floored.

This book has everything you could ask for in a Historical Fantasy novel and will absolutely be a hit of the year!

This is a slow burn of a book - a leisurely cruise down the Nile, if you will. The end rapidly spirals into shocking twists and jarring acts of violence that will leave you cursing after the cliffhanger.

The standout of “What the Rivers Knows” is the rich description of 1880s Egypt. It’s so atmospheric, and the writing is detailed in its depiction of the beautiful country Inez is exploring.

There were a few discordant notes. Inez, while an adult and resourceful, comes across as your typical YA fantasy heroine, sheltered but feisty. The love interest, Whit, however, seems to be a grown man who has experienced life and is rough around the edges. There isn’t much of an age gap, but it feels like there’s a significant one. (He calls her “good girl,” FYI.)

I love a dual POV, and there are short snippets of Whit’s POV, but they’re sparse and don’t necessarily flow well with the story. They also don’t give you much insight. There is Spanish sprinkled throughout, but I don’t think non-Spanish speakers should have much trouble with it.

What The River Knows is a historical fantasy about A girl who will do whatever it takes to get answers. Inez defies her uncle time and again by showing up in Egypt to find out what really happened to her parents after their death. Along the way she becomes an invaluable asset to his hunt for Cleopatras final resting place. This story has epic adventures, harrowing rescues, pining romance and plenty of deceit. This is perfect for anyone who had an obsession with Egypt in middle school (so by that I mean everyone), or all of us obsessed with Indians Jones and the mummy. I especially loved the rapport between Inez and Whit throughout the book. The only thing I’ll say is that it’s a slow steady build to a quick climax. But! It sets us up perfectly for book two coming sometime in 2024 and I can not wait!
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Firstly, huge thank you to Netgalley & Wednesday books for the early copy of What the River Knows!

I thoroughly enjoyed my first Isabel Ibañez novel & I know it definitely won't be my last. <I>What the River Knows</I> what such a fun ride. There was magic, twists, tension, and deception. Every chapter had me instantly wanting to start the next one (pacing is huge!)

I'll start with what I absolutely loved: which was this book's specific setting and time period. (Am I a historical fiction/fantasy girlie now??) Historical fantasy is such a tricky genre for me, especially when books take place in real locations (in this case Africa/Egypt, Buenos Aires, etc.) Because when you add a magical element to that, it absolutely makes no sense ... I get why readers are put off by this, but personally, when magic is introduced to the "real" world, I don't expect it to make any sense, period. 😂 I actually don't mind the lack of complex magic systems and lush world building. The world and history already exists and Ibañez thoughtfully did her research for this book (note: always read the author's notes!)

As far as YA historical fantasy expectations goes, this one hit right on the nail for me. Our MMC (Whitford Hayes) has the right amount of mystery and aloofness. We learn so much background but I still feel like I don't actually know anything about him (so I get Inez's frustration). 🤭 You can practically feel the his conflict and tension.

Anyways, that last line and the epilogue (??!!??) had me gasping!! I need book 2 like yesterday.

I really liked this!! A promising start to a new series. The setting and time period in Egypt are what drew me in initially. I cannot say no to a story centered around ancient Egypt! The characters are interesting and engaging and I’m eager to see where things go.

My issue with the book was pacing and length. This felt a bit long and repetitive. It seemed like the central issue on who to trust could have easily been solved if the characters had just talked to each other vs. keeping everything so secretive. It was frustrating to be kept at arms length in a first-person narrative.

This book wasn’t nearly as fun as the Mummy movies, but I think if we get more twists and understand the magic more in future books, it could get there!

The last 20% of the book took a serious turn. I felt like we were reading a YA novel up until then and all the sudden it got really interesting. If Whit turns out to be an asshole I will riot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC. I was interested in the novel from its description of a girl yearning for answers after her parents die under mysterious circumstances. I was drawn to learning more about the old world magic mentioned in the description. There were some things I enjoyed and other things that I struggled with throughout the novel. The author provides vivid imagery of Cairo, Inez’s surroundings, and the old world magic mentioned. I found Inez to be overly immature and was frequently annoyed with her overly confident way in which she decides who is and is not to be trusted. The pacing get very slow for the first half of the book. I kept wanting to learn more about Whit but felt his character could have been developed more. His POV chapters in the book didn’t seem to add any additional insight into his character. Lastly, I selected to read this eARC based on the Goodreads description which fails to mention this is first in a duology. Overall,
I feel obligated to read the next book based on the ending of this book.

**4.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence, alcohol use, kidnapping, profanity

This book has a little bit of everything and I read it in one sitting. It’s quite an adventure and takes the reader from Argentina to Egypt! Inez gets news that her parents are dead, thing is she barely saw her parents. They left her in Argentina and spent half of the year in Egypt without her – that already made me suspicious, because who could leave their child for that long is they didn’t have to? Inez wants the truth and she travels to Egypt to find it.


Inez is a stubborn character or as she puts it, “persistent”. She is also beautiful, resourceful, and very brave! When she gets to Egypt her guardian, her uncle, wants her back on a ship to Argentina but she does an amazing job evading his order. Whit, is her uncle’s right hand man, or that’s what it seems and he’s been entrusted to take care of Inez and get her on that ship but he realizes right away that Inez doesn’t follow orders. I love their banter, their antics and their growing romance. But we still don’t know everything about Whit – as evident with the cliffhanger ending!

The writing sucked me into this adventure. I was transported to late 1800’s Egypt when Britain occupied the country and basically loots Egypt. I loved the history and I also loved the magical realism. I could totally believe magic imprinted itself on ancient items and people that touch them can transfer the magic to them! But not only is there history, magic, archaeology, and romance in this story, there is also a mystery to solve – what happened to Inez’s parents? Who can Inez trust?

The only thing about the book that I had the tiniest issue with was the mystery (because mysteries feel so slow to me-it’s a personal thing!), I just wanted some parts to move faster but I know it was to build a situation full of intrigue and question the motives of some characters, which the book succeeded in doing. I would have liked more magic too!

This is an amazing story with some twists and a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read book two.

Tropes: rivals to lovers

Why you should read it:
*it’s got adventure, history, magic, mystery, intrigue, romance
*I love the banter between Inez and Whit, she is not one to back down, which I love

Why you might not want to read it:
*not into archaeology, Egyptology

My Thoughts:

This book was quite the adventure! I was swept away in the details, the magic, the story of Cleopatra, the sights of Egypt, the mystery and intrigue. I love the banter between Inez and Whit and can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in book two after that cliffhanger ending.

This was my first book by Isabel Ibanez and now I feel like I have to go read all of her books!
Inez is living in Buenos Aries with her aunt and cousin. Her parents live in Egypt, they only come home a couple months a year. Inez so badly wants to see Egypt and to share in her parents adventures. Every time she requests a visit, Inez is told that it is too dangerous. One day she receives a letter from her uncle letting her know that her parents are deceased. Inez decides that she is going to Egypt, without telling anyone, to see where her parents died. Adventure awaits her, she just doesn't know how dangerous it will be.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc in return for an honest review!

I had read the Woven in Moonlight duology by the same author, so I was very excited to see that Isabel Ibanez had a new book coming out. And for the concept being around archeology and Egyptology? I was super excited to read this.
Basically, Inez travels to Egypt after discovering her parents are missing and presumed dead, and she wants to go to the place they had spent so much time at. She reunites with her uncle and meets his team of archeologists, She has to figure out who she can trust and what their goal in Egypt truly is.
It was a bit of a slow read for me, but I think the book taking its time was a good thing. The pacing worked really well in my opinion, and alongside the beautiful writing, intriguing characters, and integration of magic, I enjoyed it a ton. I also liked the dynamic between Whit and Inez, I thought it was fun and it's got a good rivals to friends (and lovers) energy and I thought that was a great thing for the story.
The magic system, while a bit confusing, I thought was a really interesting concept, especially with the idea of magical items and the memory connection. I do wish it was more fleshed out, though, and hope the follow up to this goes more into the nitty gritty of how it works.
I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, but there's a couple of reasons. One, i read the book before discovering that there was going to be a second book, so I thought the ending was it, like there was nothing else after this - once I actually figured out it is a start to the series, it made more sense. However, reason 2, the ending was still a bit jarring. Not the biggest fan of the big conflict scene in the dessert - if you've read it, you know which one I'm talking about. I thought it was more shock value than anything. The message at the end, it's got me hooked, I want to know what it means because it could mean a lot of things depending on how you read it.
Overall, I did enjoy it! I am interested in the next in the series, and of course interested to see what else Ibanez does next! This gets a four stars in my book!

***ARC provided by NetGalley. Thank you!***

As a previous Classics major who holds archives and history dear to my heart, I was delighted when I came across this title comped to THE MUMMY with Egyptian history! The first post I came across about WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS was one the author shared a while back regarding all the books she'd read and all the research she'd done while writing this title. It was then I knew I had to read it, and the care that went into the making of this book shines on the page.

I particularly enjoyed the magical aspects along with learning of Egyptian history. Never did I feel as though I was reading a history book, but instead it was written naturally as if I was in conversation with the characters. It only made me want to learn more about Egypt! Inez, the main character, is a favorable character with a big heart who you'll quickly come to love. The only flaw I didn't appreciate was how often she was naive, especially at 19. I would have liked to see her come to conclusions or make decisions of her own agency that weren't based in her having been deceived or manipulated by someone else (no spoilers!). However, there was clear character growth through the course of the plot and I'm eager to see how she continues to grow in book two. Oh...and the ever-loving, ever-frustrating Whit Hayes. What a mysterious he was and still is despite having reached the end of the book. I'll just say this: once you think you know him, you don't.

Throughout the novel, there are plenty of discussions between characters about the historical value and importance of artifacts and how they need to be carefully preserved, but instead they are often stolen. I appreciated these conversations *so* much. I hope that for readers who are unfamiliar with archives or archaeology that these conversations are illuminating and spark a dialogue in real life about reparations and artifact possession.

On a final note: the magic! I adored the concept of magic being tied to artifacts. However, this concept was not widely explored in the book despite being a central plot point and I was disappointed at this fact. I hope that in book two we delve deeper into the magic system of WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS and we get to experience more of it.

Overall, I'd recommend WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS to fans of low fantasy, those of us who love classics, archives and history, and fans of Rebecca Ross (to whom the book is dedicated!). WTRK is a spectacular, lush novel with vivid descriptions and a slow-burn romance alongside a mystery. It ends with a cliffhanger I didn't see coming and I'm eager for book two. I can't wait to see readers fall in love with this novel when it releases in October!

Someone explained this book to me as something similar to Indiana Jones and they weren’t wrong. It was super entertaining!

I don’t read many books that take place in Egypt and the magic/fantasy type vibes were great! But I was happy to read this and was invested from the beginning. There were bad guys, mysteries, and swoony romance. I loved the MMC! 😍

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Who else was devastated at that ending!?!?!?! The one thing I hate about reading an eARC that's part of a series is that amount of time I'm now going to have to wait for the next book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the early look-see. I was really intrigued by the plot of this one - historical fiction set, not in the US or Britain, but in South American and, primarily, Egypt. Ibanez paints a vivid picture of Egypt during the height of British Imperialism (see also: the caucacity of the British)
Our story introduces us to MC, Inez Montenegro just before she finds out about her parents' disappearance in the Egyptian desert while on their quest to discover the hidden tomb of Egypt's last pharaoh, Cleopatra. We follow Inez on a clandestine trip to Egypt to uncover what really happened to her parents. There, she meets her somewhat estranged archaeologist uncle and his hired helper. We are immersed alongside Inez on an adventure that she, nor the reader could have ever imagined as she learns that her parents were not who she thought they were. Overall, great storytelling, it was a bit slow in some parts, but I loved the historical context and finding out who many of the characters real-life counter-parts were. At times an infuriating and lagging, but still a good read. If you're looking for a quick adventure with some nice-paced tension between our love-interests, I say go for it.

Thank you Wednesday books and NetGalley for my eARC!

I have read Isabel Ibañez's previous books and What The River knows is undoubtedly her best works yet, the book has an enticing historical background of Egypt in the 1800's, that its self would have been enough reason for me to pick up this book but the author's clever mix of a bit of mystery is everything I needed, it added a bit of flair to the already intriguing storyline. I knew Isabel's is a great storyteller who can map her plots with such vivid and rich details, I absolutely loved the amount of detail she gives us about ancient Egypt that goes back to Cleopatra and Roman history(I ate it up). If you are a lover of The Mummy universe with a hint of Indiana Jones/ National Treasure ,it is hard to not fall in love with this book. Without having to say, the setting of this book is my number one favorite thing from the story

I also have to mention how wonderful the characters are, well written, complex and fun. The MC Inez is such a lovely character with persistence, bravery with a touch of feminism, she would redefine the rules or go against any unrealistic conventions. I adore her unruly yet chin up attitude in every situation she is thrown into, and the adorable romance with hand grazes and soft kisses with a hot and cold Mr.Whit is all I wanted. He is often broody yet a charmer that would sway anyone, I really enjoyed their chemistry. There are some fun elements like family dynamics, brutal betrayals and even more brutal cliffhangers lol, I am going to wait for the sequel with not so much patience.

This was so fun! It was like the Mummy meets Indian Jones but historical fiction vibes! This felt a little slower at times but I still was so interested and invested. The romance is a major slowburn but they were so cute. Whit was so flirty and occasionally moody but I adored him!! I definitely hope for more romance as it goes tho!

Things definitely picked up towards the end and the ending was so great!! I didn't see some coming! I need answer but I can't wait for the next one!

This was INCREDIBLE! Gorgeous prose, vivid descriptions, exciting story, and characters you really root for. Add in a jaw-dropping, heart-shattering ending and I am truly in love. The worst part is how long I'll have to wait for Book 2. Highly, highly recommend.

I enjoyed the unique setting of the story and The Mummy comp rang true. I did find the magical elements sometimes randomly mentioned instead of woven in which made the world building a bit odd. Overall, an enjoyable read.

3.4

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*Received an eARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Thank you!

This was a weird experience for me because the premise was captivating, and there were parts that were intriguing enough, but I might have more criticisms than positive commentary.

Firstly, I'd like to mention this seems to be meant as series. (Duology?) I came into this thinking it was a standalone. As a first book to a series, I think it felt whole and was engaging for the most part.

My interest was certainly piqued at the mention of the setting being in Egypt. I don't think we find many young adult fantasy novels within this region, even with its lush history and mythology. And given that this is set after the British's invasion and subsequent occupation of other Western countries, it's clear from the get-go that the political and cultural strife plays a huge role in the story with regards to its nefarious characters. However, I feel like this book was lacking proper worldbuilding and I didn't experience the true wonders of Egypt. This was an easy read, for sure, but I think the fantastical elements got lost in the simple, very straightforward prose. And where the author seemed to want me to read between the lines, or pick up on trailing thoughts, the impact got lost or it didn't make sense to me.

The pacing was also weird. It's certainly slow for ~80% of the book, which I honestly didn't mind too much. I have the patience for it, as long as there's something else to keep my attention, like character interactions. However, by the time we get to the the last 1/5 ish of the book, it decided to jump to 100 and continue accelerating. All of a sudden, there are ACTUAL high stakes, huge consequences, people die etc.

Spoiler because I need to get this off my mind..
<spoiler>
Elvira's death honestly shook me...but after I recovered... WHY? It felt like it was included solely for shock value and now we're introducing the high stakes because we didn't know how to properly introduce them in the first 80% of the book. And of course, the protagonist has the strongest plot armor of all time because she's made countless, reckless mistakes in a foreign country that is experiencing a lot of political tension and somehow made it out unscathed until her cousin pays the price for doing the same thing.
</spoiler>

Character wise, I think I liked everyone in the first half of the book more than the latter half. Inez was a nice balance of persistent when she needed to be and was believably naive, but then she started making more questionable decisions even after learning of all of this deceit surrounding her family. Another character literally tells her to stop trusting people too easily and she still does it anyway. <spoiler> The uncle really could have quit lying and it would have been more productive. And Inez still continuing to trust her mom while ignoring her uncle's continued efforts help keep her safe was incredibly frustrating. </spoiler>

As for the romance.....it felt very forcefully inserted. I like Inez and Whit's (hah) banter, but as it became more flirtatious, I wasn't feeling it. It felt rushed or done at improper times.

Also, if you're looking for a proper magic system, it is not really established at all in this book. There are certainly hints towards it playing a bigger role in the sequel, but if you're mostly here for the magical aspect, you won't find much of it in this first installment.

Overall, this book was okay and I am honestly still interested in reading the sequel to know what follows with the cliffhanger. I hope the author considers touching on the weaker points and things that were lacking. It's still a pretty solid start to a series.

Are you looking for the perfect Egypt adventure book? Because look no further—this book will draw you in with its dark secrets, rich 1880s Egyptian culture, and a tense and passionate romance.

The book caught my attention right away with Inez rushing headfirst into adventure to find out what really happened to her parents, and I love how independent she is. I'm impressed with her quick wit, bravery, and her passion for following her heart. And I absolutely love her romance with Whit. Their banter was a joy to read, and the push and pull of their romance is incredibly done. So many swoony moments!

What I really like about this book is how immersed I feel when I read it. I'm right with the characters as they sail down the Nile, dig in excavation sites, and experience the chaos of Cairo. I feel the characters' shock when secrets are discovered, and I feel their horror as the plot thickens.

I enjoyed reading this book, though something was still missing for me to give it five stars (perhaps I was expecting to be more drawn to it; it was hard for me to pick up and start reading each time). But I'd still highly recommend!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for the arc!
Release Date: October 31, 2023

Trigger/Content Warnings: kissing/make outs, gun violence and death, parent abandonment, fighting violence, kidnapping

This book was a treasure from start to finish. I was transfixed from the first chapter and by the end further captivated. Our cast of characters has depth and our setting life! Highly recommend.

STOP WHAT YOURE DOING AND ADD THIS NOVEL TO YOUR TBR ✏️

Inez Olivera is a 19 year old who lives with her aunt and 2 cousins. Her parents work as archaeologists 6 months out of ever year in Egypt. She longed to join but they never allowed her to. She gets a letter informing her that they have passed, which makes her set out on a long journey to Cairo to hopefully gain some answers and closure regarding the death of her parents. She is met by her mysterious uncle’s (and new guardian) assistant, Whitford Hayes. He is there to send her right back, but she refuses and makes her own way through Egypt. This book was such a journey, literally and figuratively. Every page kept my attention and I kept needing to know more— will she find the truth? Will she end up with Whit? WHO can she trust?! Did she get herself in to deep?

Inez is a very tenacious, strong, curious, and determined young woman. I admired everything about her! Whit is a very brooding, secretive, and strong willed man, but is the type to drop everything to protect Inez even if that means showing more of himself than he prefers. These two kept me so entertained!! I loved the banter between the two and I always love a good enemies to lovers trope 👏🏻

This book read like a movie. So incredibly descriptive!! Sometimes I have a hard time visualizing what I’m reading but that was not the case here. This book has it all— Egyptian mythology, magic, secrets, love, deception, forbidden romance, top notch banter, treasure hunting, and so much more. The mix of fantasy and history was *chefs kiss*. PURE PERFECTION!!

Can we talk about that ending?! HOLY CLIFFHANGER. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ll just be here not so patiently waiting for the sequel. Seriously, go add to your TBR right now. I promise you’ll want to read this!!

A HUGE thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Isabel Ibañez for this incredible ARC 🫶🏻