This book was absolutely stunning. First of all, the author creates realistic and relatable characters. Second off, she weaves such a wonderful historical tale with a touch of magic I understand that many people were upset with the magical elements in this book, but I found them to be well written and pertinent to the story.

I will say, it took me about two or three chapters to really get into this book, but once I did, boy did I delve deep!

The only portion of the book I was unhappy with was towards the end where two characters got rescued but we were never really told how they were found. Maybe when the book comes out, I'll scope back through that part and see if it was just something I missed while reading it the first time.

I honestly felt like this book is one to be on the lookout for this fall! Definitely would recommend to anyone who loves ancient civilizations. The author really did her research and it just makes the book all that much better for it.

Inez has only longed for one thing, to join her parents on their excavations to Egypt, where they spent most of their time, away from her. When she learns of their sudden disappearance, she grows suspicious. Nothing will stop her from sailing from Buenos Aires to Cairo to find answers, joining her Uncle and his smashing assistant in their archeological endeavors.

What the River Knows, is a historical fantasy novel with adventure, deception, magic, and set in a thrilling setting as Egypt. The rich descriptions of 1880s Cairo and Alexandra felt like I was breathing the dusty air. When Inez stepped off the dock, I pictured Jane from Tarzan, with the outfits and bustle ready for an adventure in a new territory she has dreamed about visiting. This visit to Cairo is not a tourist visit, and Inez's drive to find her parents pushes the boundaries of ladies expectations at that time. The magic system surrounding ancient artifacts felt so natural as if it was something to be believable today. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really anxious to read the next due to that cliff hanger ending!

This was really good! It was a bit slow tat first but I didn't mind because the heroine, Inez, was so gutsy I never knew what she would do next, which kept things interesting! Haha
Poor girl finds out her parents are dead and everyone is hell bent on keeping her from learning more about what happened. That doesn't stop her, of course. Even after she outwitted her uncle's man several times, he's slow to realize he can't get in her way lol
Love all the history tid bits and The Mummy-isk era this was set in, when exploration (and exploitation) of Egyptian treasures was booming.
Inez gets more than what she bargained for when she discovers her parents secrets. I enjoyed joinging her on her journey.
Only downside was....I didn't love her love interest, Witt. Never a fan of condescending men. And that ending! 😱
I was under the impression this was a standalone so I was like.....what?! This CAN'T be how it ends! 😵 So I immediately went to investigate and apparently it will be part of a duology haha
A touch of magic, gunshots, murder, secrets, treasure, betrayals, banter, carriage chases, history....of course I'm going to read book 2! I MUST know what happens 😂

This was an adventure story set in 1884 Egypt. Inez Olivera has just found out her parents are presumed dead while disappearing during an excavation in Egypt. Although only 18, Inez runs away from home and boards a ship headed to Cairo to discover the fate of her parents and her inheritance.
Upon her arrival, she discovers her uncle is full of secrets and has arranged for her immediate return to Argentina. Whit, a handsome young man, is in charge of making sure Inez leaves Egypt immediately. However, Inez is determined to stay and discover what is really going on.
It was a bit frustrating because Inez's uncle refused to share any details with her. The author also briefly would include some magical realism in the story that was never really expanded on. Inez could sense images from past when she held some ancient artifacts. That part seemed a little disjointed from the story.
However, the story was really good and kept my interest. By the end of the book, there were some characters who were extremely dangerous, and the storyline became a bit tense. But be prepared, this story leaves off on a cliffhanger! Hopefully a sequel comes out soon. I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Packed with potential but failed to deliver. It was very easy to read and I breezed through in two days. The writing was crisp, but for a setting like Egypt I couldn't help but wish for more. The possibilities for magic in an egyptian world are endless yet they weren't tapped enough.

Random woke remarks 'British bad' were just... there, maybe to remind us that that the mc has a conscience. She wasn't all that dumb, a little 'woke'. Yet the love interest is a aristocratic British white boy with blue eyes. 😐 My interest went down the drain. This whole book felt very Caucasian- oriented, with the only native Egyptian character, who was more than the hotel staff, showing up in the second half. It felt modern yet it was backward at the same time.

Inez was a carbon copy of IB's previous fmcs. Stubborn, brash and an exotic beauty. I guess this formula works for her because I wasn't all that mad. I like a bossy mc but the point of tired is approaching. Whit did not have a speck of appeal that most book bfs have. Arturo holds the throne still. The mysterious, pained aura got tired real quick. Kept us guessing his backstory for a good chunk, only for the reveal to be no surprise. The ending was the only part that worked in Whit's favour. I'm mildly interested in the sequel now.

If you go in with low expectations and want a light, entertaining fantasy book that doesn't require much thinking, this is a good choice.

A wonderful YA read!

The story follows Inez as she travels from Buenos Aires to Egypt hoping to find out how her parents died and to continue their work in Egyptian artifacts. Egyptian history and mythology are main concepts within the book, which I really enjoyed, however, I felt like the pacing was off and the book kind of plodded along slowly in some places. The romance between Inez and Whit was very typical YA and kind of cliché. They reminded of the romance in the movie series, The Mummy, between Evelyn and Rick, only the characters are younger. The book ends on a cliff-hanger so fans will anxious to read the sequel.

Overall, this was a decent YA read and I would easily recommend it to fans of Egyptian history and mythology, YA romance, suspense, and adventure.

Thank you to Isabel Ibañez, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Inez Olivera has been left behind her whole life. Growing up in a prominent family in Buenos Aires, Inez has everything a young lady of wealth could want except her parents, who are continually leading expeditions worldwide. She has always dreamed of traveling with them when she grows older, but that day never happens. Suddenly she finds herself at a crossroads, her parents are dead, her fortune is vast, and her thirst for answers and adventure leads her down a path that will change her future and, perhaps, uncover her past. Isabel Ibanez delivers an amazing series premiere in, What the River Knows with pages filled with adventure, intrigue, and even a potential love interest. Once again, Ibanez delivers a fabulously crafted novel worth reading repeatedly.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book and the mystery aspect. I loved the inclusion of mythology and Egyptian history and culture. This book blends together historical fiction, magic, mystery, mythology, and romance. Inez, the main character, is strong, independent, intelligent, and courageous, although naive at times. She is determined to solve the mystery and stand up for what she thinks is right. The competitive, dangerous, archaeological aspect reminded me of Indian Jones. The only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 was because I did not completely enjoy the dialogue between the main character and the love interest. I enjoyed the romantic tropes, but the dialogue felt awkward, cheesy, and forced at times. Overall, I had fun with this book and can't wait for the series to continue!

This was such an exciting story from one of my favorite authors. Even so, here is my unbiased review:

The writing was for the most part, superb. I loved getting to know the characters, Tio Ricardo was interesting. As was Whit. As far as the writing goes, while the author used the protagonists voice to make valid points, they were modern points, and every time the author spoke about how the British obviously discriminated against the Egyptians when they occupied that country, it took me out of the story. It felt like one of those southern slavery novels so popular in the 1990s where everyone was against slavery even if that wouldn't have been how they really felt in the 1860s. . . It was tough because her points are true, but I found them unbelievable for an upper middle class girl of the era and this took me out of the story.

Even so, I loved the local. I love stories about both South America and Egypt and the actual tale, when the author wasn't using the protagonist to preach, was fantastic. I felt like I was in Egypt feeling the evening breezes in front of the Shepherd Hotel. I felt like I was a lost girl in the segregated restaurant. Going up and down the Nile in search of treasure is a dream.

So all in all, I loved most of it. 5 stars for setting, 4 for characters and 3 for preaching. Because even if someone's points are valid, I just don't buy that they would come out of the mouth of someone at that time.

Prepare to be swept away and swoon! I was entranced by Ibañez’ Egypt-inspired fantasy, and adored the wonderful combination of adventure, magic, and romance. Ibañez is an amazing world-builder––her food descriptions are to die for––and this one will pull you in and not let go.

The romance and mystery are all fabulous, but my favourite aspect of the story is Inez’ character arc. She goes through a powerful journey of discovery and Ibañez expertly plants clues and layers Inez’ growing awareness of who she can and cannot trust. Not to mention there’s Whit––did I mention Whit? He’s the book boyfriend you’ve been waiting for!

My only note is that I did wish there had been more sensitivity to the colonial nature of Inez' presence and work in Egypt, and that despite her being from Argentina, she is still participating in a colonial project.

I’m a huge fan of Ibañez and have read all her novels and cannot wait for the sequel!

4.5 stars

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for the ARC!

THAT ENDING. What the heck, I’m going to have to wait for the next book to know what happens?!

This is the book for you if you were an Egypt or archeology obsessed kid like me. It’s so much fun, so we’ll researched, and will keep you guessing the entire time! The romance was swoon-worthy and filled with delicious tension. I literally fist-pumped at some points haha.

I also loved how the book addressed the problems with tourism, racism, and artifacts being destroyed/sold in 19th century Egypt by colonizers. This is something often glazed over in history classes.

Overall, I definitely recommend this one for a fun and fascinating read for every kid who ever imagined the excitement of opening up a an Egyptian tomb.

TikTok full review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT88hTE1s/

This book has everything that an archaeology. The Mummy, Indiana Jones, fangirl could want. There is romance. There is adventure. There is mystery. And there is a lot of Egyptian history and culture.

If you are into those things but are struggling with the beginning of this story- stick with it! It is definitely a slow start and I found myself wondering when the excitement would come. But don't worry, it does (at around the 30% mark).

I love Inez and her tenacity. No matter how many times she is told no, she figures out a way to do what she wants. Go girl! And Whit was a great love interest. I thought the other characters were well developed with unique personalities.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for providing an eARC of this book!

What the River Knows is a vibrant fantasy that will transport you back in time to Egypt. You will feel like you are on the dig sites with Inez, Ricardo, and Witt. Isabel Ibañez weaves a rich tapestry of mystery, murder, theft, and a love plot that makes it impossible to stop reading. I devoured this book when I should have been sleeping, reading into the late hours of the night multiple times.

The main character has her flaws, they are put on full display and they endanger her life numerous times which can be frustrating to read, but she's a young woman who is dealing with the grief of losing her parents when she only got to be in half their lives. I think remembering that through the book makes Inez's actions a bit more tolerable and understandable, as this book does explore the grieving process.

What the River Knows is SO FUN! I loved the spunk of the characters, the magical element was easy to grasp while still being unique, and the ENDING has me convinced that the next book in the series cannot come out soon enough! (I need to know now!!!)

We follow our main character, Inez Olivera, as she travels from her upper-class society life in Argentina to the wild and magical land of Egypt after learning of the death of her parents. She has been raised on stories of the tombs and artifacts they've uncovered as Archeologists, but was always kept at a safe distance, never allowed to visit. Having been separated from her globe-trotting parents most of her childhood, it is Inez' hope to get a deeper glimpse into the life they kept hidden from her from across the ocean, and discover the secrets of old-world magic that is tethered to her.

What she finds in Egypt is only more questions. Her Tio Ricardo wants her gone, his assistant keeps getting in her way, and a mysterious letter from her Mother makes her question everything. Who can she trust? Is there more to her parents disappearance than she was led to believe? Inez must depend on her own resourcefulness to unravel the mystery, and follow the pull from the old-magic ring that her father sent her as a last goodbye.

Isabel Ibañez' writing style is imaginative and charismatic, and this book read like a movie. I felt like I was watching Indiana Jones. It's fast paced, jumping from adventure to adventure. It keeps you on your toes until the very last page!

I would recommend this for fans of the [book:Fable|44012880] series by Adrienne Young, and [book:A Magic Steeped in Poison|56978089] by Judy I Lin.

A big thank you to NetGalley for selecting me to review an ARC! I am so excited to receive my pre-ordered hardcover so I can add this to my Home Library.

Also, the cover art is BEAUTIFUL.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of What The River Knows. WOW. While it took a few chapters for me to settle into the world of the novel, once I was in, I was completely invested. I flew through this book in two days—a testament to how well the story drew me in. The cast of characters—particularly Inez and Whit—absolutely shone for me. While a bit slow at the beginning, the plot of the novel kept me on my toes as I tried to anticipate all of the twists and turns that would follow. As a huge fan of The Mummy, this novel kept drawing me back to my love for that film trilogy. However, this is not to say that their stories are the same; this novel is wholly original. The only thing that didn’t work as well for me was the magic system. While it is explained, I didn’t feel like it was consistently woven through the novel and was sometimes a bit of a convenient out plot-wise. Additionally, the author’s descriptions could get repetitive, particularly when it came to Whit. I felt like I read the word “brawn” about a hundred times throughout the novel. I also found that the way she described Inez, especially in terms of her appearance, gave a bit of a “she’s different from all the other girls” vibe that was unnecessary. In spite of these small criticisms, however, the novel’s cliffhanger left me shocked and I am beyond excited to see what comes next in this series!

A light, easy read perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber! It was refreshing to read something out of the normal YA historical vein and I’d love to see more of that. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

The first book in a duology (Goodreads needs to update this book’s listing to reflect that),”What the River Knows” pulled me in right away with the magic embedded into this historical fantasy story.

The year is 1884 & teenage Inez Olivera has lived a sheltered life in wealth & comfort with her aunt & cousins in Buenos Aires while her parents are off in Egypt half the year having archeological adventures. She studies many interesting things, & has fun interactions with magical objects that hold remnants of past spells (like a book that bit her cousin before escaping into the garden, or the smoking room in her house that no one goes into anymore because it’s occupied by a pair of havoc-wreaking flying armchairs) - but what Inez really wants is to go to Egypt with her parents. When she is contacted by her evasive uncle saying that her parents have gone missing in the desert & are presumed dead, Inez decides to travel on her own to the mysterious land her parents loved to get some answers.

This book has so many interesting components: sailing the Nile (complete with crocodile encounter), searching for Cleopatra, secret passageways, lingering magic, & a romantic tension between Inez & her uncle’s assistant, Whit. This book is mainly told from Inez’s POV with snippets of Whit’s thoughts/activities placed perfectly throughout, & I think a lot of teenage girls (& women who used to be teenage girls) can relate to Inez’s struggles as she laments how much of her time is spent learning how to manage the people who are charged with her care. I did not appreciate the abruptness of this book’s ending, but it also made me that much more excited for the second book in this set to be released!

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What the River Knows is a gorgeous story of determination and a love letter to Egypt. Our heroine is Inez Olivera traveling from Buenos Aires to Cairo, determined to discover what's befallen her parents. Her tio, Ricardo, expressly forbids this, and so Inez must find a way around his orders and the man tasked with making sure she follows them. That man is Whit Hayes, and he's pretty sexy if I do say so myself, almost as sexy as Inez (I love a stubborn lady). The fact that they don't get on, that there's this whole series of moves and countermoves, is just delicious. Rivals to lovers, sordid pasts, ancient magic, murder mystery, AND set against the backdrop of 1800s Egypt exploration from the perspective of characters who want to preserve antiquity rather than bottle and steal it is so refreshing and poignant.

This is a special book brimming with wonder and protagonists who get shit done. That's ambition, and I can't gush enough that it follows through. That ending wounds me and since I can't have book 2 now, I want to read all of Isabel Ibañez's backlist yesterday. Five stars.

Inez has always lived in Buenos Aires, but one letter from Egypt changes her life. The letter explains that her parents vanished in the desert and are presumed dead. Inez does not accept this vague answer and sets out on her own to adventure to Egypt. Once there, she is met by the unimpressed Whit. Whit is her uncle’s assistant and tasked with buying her a return ticket to Buenos Aires. When Inez refuses to accept his offer, an epic journey begins as Inez sets out to find out what truly happened to her parents. Along the way, danger lurks in the shadows and Inez must decide who to trust with herself and her magic.

Wow, What the River Knows is definitely one of my favorite books of the year! I loved Inez and Whit’s chemistry, the sizzling tension between them was incredible. Inez’s determination and inability to take no for an answer made her such a fierce and strong heroine. Whit is more morally gray, but fighting to get back to who he wants to be. Ibañez’s writing is vivid and captivating. She paints enchanting and cinematic views of Egypt, while portraying the danger that lurks in the shadows or just below the surface. The ending twists took me by surprise and made me very eager for the next book! What the River Knows is probably my favorite book yet from Isabel Ibañez and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Readers who enjoy high-stakes adventures, Egyptian history, enemies-to-lovers, and captivating writing will love this book. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Thank you so much to Isabel Ibañez, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

What the River Knows by by Isabel Ibañez is the first installment in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology.
This book surpassed all my preconceptions, Truly a riveting story!

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.