This gave me the *strongest* Stalking Jack the Ripper vibes - like get rid of the magic, change the protagonist’s country of origin, and you could convince me this was SJTR book #5. I did love the Egypt setting, especially after having read Death on the Nile recently. My main complaint with this book is that the magic felt superfluous; we could have gotten rid of the magic completely (substituted for deduction skills) and the plot wouldn’t have changed at all, which is disappointing considering it is an interesting magic system. I sped through this one, and am unsurprisingly attached to the love interest. I’m curious to see where this story goes, especially with that epilogue!

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun adventure that I could not put down. They're was danger, mystery, adventure, history, romance, and a little bit of fantasy too. (Tbh, I thought there would be a little more to the fantasy element, but it didn't take away from the book). It is described a The Mummy meets Death On The Nile, and I would even throw in some Indiana Jones vibes as well. The plot flowed well, the mystery was set up great, and the bits of magic for in perfectly to the story. The chemistry between the mc's was so good and the twists kept on coming. I definitely felt immersed in the story and loved going along for the ride. The only negative is the awful (but really amazing) cliffhanger at the end and the fact that I'll have to wait so long to know how things will move forward.

Content: A handful of swears and a passionate make out.

I have never read a book like this before. And as someone who has read hundreds of YA books in the last few years, that is really saying something. What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez is a unique combination of archaeology, historical fiction, fantasy, and adventure with just enough romance to keep things interesting. The story follows Inez, a Bolivian-Argentina lady, as she journeys to late 19th-century Cairo to discover the truth behind her parents’ sudden and mysterious death. Rebelling against social conventions at every turn, she is accompanied (albeit begrudgingly) by Whit, a dashing British gentleman accompanying her uncle’s archeological digs. Caught in a dangerous hunt to find Cleopatra’s lost tomb, Inez will have to face dastardly villains, political upheaval, and the secrets her parents left buried in the Saharan sand.

One of the wonderful aspects of What the River Knows was the magic system. Subtle and well-constructed, the magic relied on magical objects from antiquity. Essentially, humankind once understood how to channel magic into objects, but just as hieroglyphics have been forgotten, so too has the way of magic. Yet some of the power remains in artifacts, giving a whole new meaning to the discovery of ancient objects. As a nerd and self-proclaimed Classical history enthusiast, I loved that the past quite literally had power and the large role history played in the development of the story. That being said, I didn’t particularly care for the story's portrayal of Augustus, Cleopatra, and Marus Antonius (Mark Antony for non-Latin nerds). Since I’m already familiar with the history, I found a lot of facts were ignored in favor of an easier narrative, which does make logical sense in a light adventure novel but did often mean complexities were overlooked.

Beyond the historical background, the setting of 1884 Cairo was wonderfully portrayed. It was easy to picture racing through the markets, staying in a decadent colonial hotel, or traversing the Nile. I appreciated that the colonial history of Egypt wasn’t ignored: part of the plot relies on keeping precious artifacts out of the hands of imperial powers so that they remain part of Egypt’s cultural heritage. That being said, the story was a little preachy at times, with an overemphasis on the evils of colonialism in conversation rather than showing the impacts of imperialism.

I absolutely adored the main character. Inez was smart, spunky, and stubborn, with flaws that felt real. I genuinely cared about what happened to her and loved the dynamic she shared with Whit. The banter was amazing and I went from laughing to rolling my eyes to tearing up within a matter of pages. Grief and the way it was portrayed was well done. Rather than focusing merely on the pain of losing someone, What the River Knows grappled with losing the dream of someone as well as the actual person. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and can't wait to see what the rest of the series (I’m hoping it’s a series) has to offer! Fans of the Mummy, The Gilded Wolves, and Egyptian history won’t want to miss this one!

Loveee fantasy with a cute little romance mixed in. So was excited for this. And it was good. A little too YA for me, but it is said it’s YA so that’s my bad. But I could see this being the gateway type series for a YA person who then grows up to read blood and ash and ACOTAR and stuff lol

Inez Olivera is a young woman living in high society in Buenos Aires. She lives under the care of her aunt and two cousins half of the year while her parents are off in Egypt searching for ancient burial sites. While Inez loves her aunt and cousins, she longs to join her parents on their expeditions. But when a letter arrives announcing the disappearance and presumed deaths of her mom and dad, Inez knows she has to stop asking for permission and get herself to Egypt to figure out what happened to her parents.

When Inez reaches Cairo with sketch pads and mysterious ring sent from her father in hand, she doesn’t receive a warm reception from her Tio Ricardo. But following the pull of the ring’s magic, Inez discovers that her parents’ disappearances may be linked to something shady in the underground antiquities business. Inez will have to follow the pull of magic and her heart to uncover the truth.

This book showed what a melting pot Egypt became in the nineteenth century following British occupation. I loved Inez’s determination and independence, and I found it so frustrating when none of the men would support her or tell her what she needed to know! The infusion of magic into the historical fantasy was done nicely, adding to the story instead of being flashy or excessive. After taking 6 years of Spanish in my high school and college years, I really liked the Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout!

There were many surprises that I did not see coming in this book, and a fantastic cliffhanger in the epilogue that gives me hope for a sequel. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in stories with a bit of fantasy, mystery, and romance!

To be honest, I was kind of disappointed by this. I was so excited for this release but it just sort of fell flat for me.
I do think people will enjoy this and maybe it was just a me thing. I had a hard time with the romantic relationship as it felt very flat and strange and one sided? The book would have been better without it I think.
I did love the Egyptian adventure and there is one twist that is AMAZING. Hard to know what to rate this as I changed my mind about 10 times… I think this is a classic 3 star read… not for me, but definitely will be for others as there are lots of things to like about it!

Isabel is brilliant and this might be her best one yet! I’m sure I’ll come back & add to this review but I’m absolutely blow away by the way Inez & this story captured my heart.

10000000000/5 stars

This story took my breath away with every page turn. I'm honestly shook at what I just read and I think I found my new recent favorite book. I adored everything about this. It did start of a little slow at the beginning but it didn't take long for the pacing to pick up as we are dived into the immersive and colorful setting of Egypt. Despite its obvious YA atmosphere and pattern, it was still fantastically written, keeping the captivating complexity of the mystery that surrounds its plot.

Inez was such a feisty and strong heroine. But the poor girl just couldn't catch a break. I felt so bad for her. At some point I just wanted to reach out and hug her! But the fact that she just kept trying to do what she thought was right made her such a lovable character to read about and see her point of view of things. I especially loved how smart and witty she was, rebelling against others and sneaking her way to places she shouldn't be in, or escaping from people. Her banter with Whit was particularly delicious to read.

Speaking of Whit...Whitford Hayes. MY GOD. How I loved that man. Morally gray bad boy with tragic background, cynical smile, a cinnamon roll deep down, and calls our heroine 'darling' with his English accent? COUNT ME IN. The fact that we got a few chapters in his point of view made him so much better to read about. His banter with Inez was just fun and brilliant. You could feel the tension between them in every moment and the over-flowing chemistry. It was such a slow-burn that at times I just wish I was inside the book and just push them to get together.

Another highlight about this book was how rich it was with Egyptology. It was just so interesting to read and adding some magic here and there, although soft, gave it a special kind of uniqueness to the story inside our story. I appreciated how the story wasn't overly dependent in the magical aspect of it but rather the magic was more of a sweet compliment to it. In addition, the way the mystery part of it played out even had me fooled. It left me not even knowing who to believe! Great plot-twist.

AND THE EPILOGUE. Listen, that epilogue KILLED ME. I can't say more. But my head is already trying to make sense of what I read and I doubt I will find peace until the second book comes out. Because I NEED ANSWERS.

Now please, once this book comes out, READ IT. Trust me. Its worth every second of your time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very slow and tbh had it not been for the interesting premise I would have dnfed it . Unfortunately the ending felt rushed as well .

Thank you for the eArc .

Adventure and romance?! This book is for you! I was on my toes the whole time, there was foreshadowing but I didn’t see it coming until after! Such a great book would recommend to everyone!

This book was gifted to me by the publisher through NetGallery, all opinions and reviews are my own. #NetGallery #whattheriverknows

I'm assuming this book is a planned series, so be warned! Overall, the book was pretty decent, but it was definitely slow going from the start. It really picked up at the end and I think that was probably the most interesting part. Nothing much was happening in the beginning , that was pretty disappointing. However, I loved the idea behind the plot, it was intriguing and unique, I haven’t read many books like this one. If it hadn’t been as slow this definitely would’ve been up there. The main character was extremely likeable, but it felt like she was stuck in a constant time loop??? Great chemistry between characters, if you want something unique to read, I would recommend this one!

Wowowwowow. I can see how the author is friends with Rebecca Ross; they both are great at setting up immersive, thorough duologies. This book was so immersive I was literally looking up Egyptian food recipes because of it.

Lots of Mummy meets Death on the Nile comparisons. I’d say it felt more like National Treasure but make it Egypt. Which honestly? Huge compliment.

It wasn’t perfect; I did find Inez annoying especially at first. But still, I loved this. I need to sit with how much I loved this. And the epilogue. Need to sit with that. Cannot wait to read the sequel.

Ancient Egypt historical fantasy?
Sign me up!
This was so fun.
Exciting action adrenaline packed.
So fun so exciting.
Loved it

Isabel Ibañez stuns with a lush and atmospheric Egyptian adventure!

“A shadowy presence loomed in my mind, one woman who stood under a divided sky, half covered with a million glimmering stars and a milky orb casting her skin in a silver glow, the other half inflamed with a blistering heat from the sun.”

Reading What the River Knows is an adventure in itself. Ibañez expertly crafts a tale of old. This novel makes one think of something ancient, something exquisite, and something ethereal.

The romance between Whit and Inez is divine! A true rivals to lover’s epic is set onto the backdrop of 1800s Egypt. With views of the Nile and “temples grounded on amber-hued sand,” love and adventure loom on the horizon.

Only time will tell if their time together is meant to last…

As a child I was obsessed with Ancient Egypt. However, I could never find enough fiction books on the subject. What the River Knows is truly a dream come true! My childhood heart is bursting!

Upon sharing the former paragraph with Ibañez, she wrote to me, “I was the same way when I was a little girl. In many ways, this book is for her.”

Be sure to pick up a copy of What the River Knows! There is nothing better you can do than fuel your soul with a tale from the heart, written for all those who have ever dared to dream.

What the River Knows is an enchanting historical fantasy that will keep you turning pages. How can I resist something that comps The Mummy? Fun, romantic, and adrenaline-packed, this book has it all. I'm SO excited for the next book in the duology after this.

So... I hope this is the first book of a series... otherwise that ending killed me. I am very much in love with Inez/FMC, and her adventures in Egypt are very exciting. I also love her interactions with Whit. Their banter is enjoyable, and make me like them that much more. The story generally had a good structure and plot, but there are some players/details that may have been unnecessary... unless the plan is a series...

I also could not handle the amount of two-facing and lying... but again... only if this is the first of more books...

Generally, if this is the first of more, then great I could maybe get behind this book.... but as a standalone... I'm out.

A captivating and lush historical fantasy in Egypt. Loved the magic, mystery, and romance!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun read. First of all, I have to say I was obsessed with the Mummy when I was younger. This book gave me all the Mummy vibes that I wanted. It's a mix of that with a murder mystery, so I was definitely hooked.

I really enjoyed Inez as our main character. She was striving for independence and was remarkably resilient during the book. As for Whit, absolutely loved him. Slightly brooding but always had the charm ready to go. I enjoyed reading about the other characters as well. The author did a great job at weaving the mystery of what happened to her parents. That mixed with the visions of Cleopatra from the past kept the plot moving quickly.

I will say that around 90%, I thought everything was going to be wrapped up nicely, and that did not happen. There were so many twists and turns in the last portion of the book. I did not realize that this was going to be part of a series because there is definitely a cliffhanger at the end....and I need answers haha.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.

At 43% of the way through the ARC for the first time, I preordered this book. Now, I am notoriously pre-order shy. The pain of getting the books to a non-English speaking country makes me ordinarily hold off and wait.

But I preordered What the River Knows without having even finished it, even knowing the frustrations of modern mail and shipping. That should tell you a lot.

If that doesn’t convince you, then the author’s IG post said this was born out of her obsession with The Mummy movie. This is my favourite movie as well…so I took the chance. It was a good one. If you, too, are obsessed with the 2003 classic, but this book. Truly.

Unfortunately, I hate, hate cliffhanger endings. And this one is a sheer cliff. A steep drop. It necessitated a 1/2 star removal for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I went into this book half-blind, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, and oh boy did it not disappoint! The entire story felt so rich with history that I felt like I was learning something new every chapter, something I hadn't considered before, something grounded in reality in this fictional world with magical artifacts and incredible characters. The protagonist is an absolute badass and I loved her to death; Whit is an absolute menace in the best way and has captured my heart with his heart of gold, and the side characters are all diverse and interesting on their own rights. And the twist! I had a feeling about it, yet reading was gut-wrenching regardless and I absolutely loved how it was written.

One star off for a slow start, but the ending more than made up for it. Lovely!