I absolutely loved this book. I l9ved everything about it. I learned alot about Egypt, I really loved the premise of the story. I loved the plot, and I love the history and fictional "insight" into Cleopatra. Did i say i absolutely loved everything about this book....All in all, I would absolutely read this again and would definitely recommend it to others as well. My friend who loves Ancient Egypt would thoroughly enjoy this too.

Thank you Netgalley and St. MARTIN'S PRESS.

all thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

If you love Ancient Egypt, mystery and suspense, and a dash of romance then this book is for you! What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez follows a young woman named Inez Olivera as she leaves her comfortable life with her aunt and cousins in Buenos Aires to figure out what happened to her parents after receiving a letter from her uncle that they have gone missing and feared lost forever in Egypt. Overall this book was very fast-paced (with some slower areas), the characters were likable, and I loved the mystical elements the story. I enjoyed Inez's' strong-willed character and her fascination with Egyptian history. I also enjoyed Whit's character although he was anything but pleasant most of the time. This story had twists, turns, and heartbreak. It was a thrilling rollercoaster ride, and that ending promises that there is more to come!

Thanks so much to netgalley for the advanced copy!

I LOVED this book. It was such a thrilling adventure and I cannot wait for more. I don't think I've had this much fun reading in quite a while - a perfect beginning hook, so many little mysteries and surprises, the best kind of slow burn romance, great characters, the ultimate character of Egypt itself and its many treasures. Preorder this book! It's beautiful, and it will leave you so pumped for book 2.

I would like to first thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eBook ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!

Wow!
In my humble opinion, this book is absolutely phenomenal. It's both suspenseful and adventurous, but also packed with action and romantic tension. Just when I thought it couldn't get more intense, it did just that. This is the first book where I could not genuinely solve the mystery behind it. Even now, the ending has me on pins and needles for many reasons--reasons that I wish I could elaborate but cannot until its release date. However, I cannot wait for its sequel. In a word, "What the River Knows" is a riveting book!

To start, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC of What the River Knows.

Overall, my thoughts and feelings about this book are incredibly positive. I really loved the premise of the story. I thought the plot was great, and I love the history and fictional "insight" into Cleopatra. All in all, I would absolutely read this again and recommend it to others as well.

That being said, there were a few things that were more challenging for me. This book tried to accomplish A LOT, and while YA books can often have fast-paced plots, and I can definitely enjoy that, the pacing of this book felt a little off, many times it felt way too fast, and other times way too slow. The big plot points often flew by and resolved or changed too quickly, leaving me wishing there was more time to explore the author's ideas. Other times, it felt slow and so I really noticed the push and pull with the pacing. This book leaves at such a cliffhanger it definitely makes me believe that sequels are in our future which I am SO excited for, but that also makes me wish that some of the plots could have been explored more, leaving room for other plot points to be in the later books.

Similar to the pacing, with it being "almost" there for me but a little lost with the stop and go or push and pull, was the main character Inez's relationship with both the love interest Whit, and her Uncle, Tio Ricardo. It felt like any time there was character and relationship growth it was almost immediately back to square one, and that can just get tiring after a while. I suspect that there is growth to come, but I definitely think that it was missing from this book.

My last piece of feedback, which is a HUGE SPOILER SO STOP NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT........
....the death of Elvira felt like A LOT and a little out of place. Badly wounded, sure, unconscious, and fighting for her life...bring it on, Inez would still have PLENTY of motivation for going after her mother. But to have her straight-up murdered felt like too much, especially that late in the book, and especially for a character whose potential was barely touched and so ultimately only used to further justify the main character's anger that I don't think needed any further justification. It just didn't fit for me.

Again, I really enjoyed this book. It felt hard to put down at times and I was pretty quickly drawn into the story. However, at the end of the book I did find myself dwelling and getting stuck on these critiques because it felt SO close to such an incredible win of a book to me but these did get in my way a bit. Again though, would absolutely recommend and will definitely be rushing to read the sequel. That cliffhanger?!?! I'm STRESSED.

Fans of “Once Upon A Broken Heart” and “Death on the Nile”, rejoice! Ibañez paints the golden, sun-scorched beauty of the Nile in glimmering prose and takes us on an adventure that is intensely thrilling and breathtakingly romantic. Inez is a spirited, determined protagonist who readers can’t help but champion and cheer on. And she’s not the only one—each character is fleshed out, flawed, and filled with pulse and breath. The central mysteries propel the story at an exhilarating pace, but the action does not detract from the mystique of the setting or the dizzying romantic chemistry at all.

The magical elements play a background role in this story, but the characters and environments are so rich, the story does not need to rely on intricate magic systems in order to bewitch us. Ibañez gently tackles issues such as colonization, archaeological integrity, and parental neglect with sensitivity and sobriety, all while enchanting the reader with the mystique and fun of ancient Egypt, lost tombs, stolen artifacts, black markets, and a roguishly handsome love interest. The the language is gritty and a bit harsh for YA books, but it at least makes sense given the context and background of the characters. When you first open a book, you hope that it will inspire wonder and take you to far away places. You hope to feel, to find truth, and to experience magic. Such treasures are hard to find, and I'm pleased to say “What the River Knows” is nothing short of a jewel.

4.75/5 stars! The cover for this book was stunning and I liked other books I've read by Isabel Ibanez, so I was excited to get the chance to read this one. This book read like an updated recreation of Brendan Frazer's "The Mummy" and that's a good thing. I loved the Egyptian setting and Inez is a strong character. The romance element was well-handled and I couldn't read this fast enough.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Inez Olivera wants nothing more than to leave Buenas Aires and join her parents, excavating in Egypt. So when she gets word of their deaths, Inez sails to Cairo to help uncover what has happened to them. Upon arriving, equipped with a mysterious, magical ring her father had sent her, Inez follows in her parent's footsteps from bustling Cairo to the treacherous waters of the Nile to the sandy excavation sites at Aswan. But there are many secrets to uncover and her parents may have been involved in more than she ever could have dared. With danger and magic at every turn (and her uncle's irritatingly handsome assistant thwarting her), Inez may run out of time before ever uncovering the truth - losing her life and her heart in the process.

What the River Knows was a fun, historical romance that I immensely enjoyed. Inez is a headstrong and determined character who refuses to back down from what she wants. I admired her bold spirit and willingness to learn. While the story was certainly enjoyable, I found the climax to be quite rushed, the dialogue a bit clunky at times, and the romance a bit fast-paced in my opinion. While Whit and Inez were certainly a pair I could root for, their story did not feel as fluid as I would have liked. There was also one action that happens towards the end that I felt was quite unnecessary and purely for the shock factor. Some characters were underutilized and underdeveloped and I wished I could have seen more of them. Some just outright disappeared toward the end. I think the premise was strong and had a lot of potential, but the execution, unfortunately, needed some more work.

One thing to note that I did appreciate was Ibanez's careful attention to detail when talking about Egyptian culture. I could tell that she had done her research and, as an Egyptian, was very pleased that she made sure to actually represent Egypt rather than only use it as a backdrop for her plot. I appreciated the anticolonial message condemning other cultures for taking over the excavation process in Egypt and stealing the artifacts. I think that could be explored further in future books and I hope that she will involve more actual Egyptian characters.
All in all, the book did not wow me but I still had a great time.

This book is amazing! The plot is incredibly immersive, it feels as if you're in Egypt with Inez. We also learn a lot of facts about Egypt, especially when it comes to the colonization by the British. The atrocities commited by t¹he British in Egypt were horrible, racism was at an all time high and it damaged the country greatly.
Inez is a great main character. She keeps suffering through the novel and doesn't get a break, but that never shakes her resolve. Despite all the trauma, she keeps pushing on.
Inez's parents are neglectfull. We see several times how she wishes she trully knew them and how she wants to find out why they loved Cairo more than her. They spent more time away from her than with her, so when they disappear it's obvious Inez tries to find out why and who they truly were.
Tío Ricardo is an unexpected mentor who Inez has a complicated relationship with. Now that she knows the truth about him, I wonder how they'll interact in the sequel.
Whit is such a charming character! He's mysterious, but he also cares a lot about Inez, going through great lengths to keep her safe.
There was also some pretty big plot-twists, that surprised me.
The ending had a huge cliffhanger, so I'm very excited for the sequel. It left me with a lot to think about!
Tw: death, murder, arranged marriage, Kidnapping, torture, disappearance, racism, sexism.

I absolutely loved this book! Inez is my favorite kind of MFC... not helpless but also human. And Whitford is extremely likeable 😂 I saw other reviews likening them to Evelyn and Rick from The Mummy and I can definitely see the likeness. If you like historical fantasy with some light romance thrown in, check this out! I would consider this more magical realism, which is my favorite. I thought it was a tiny bit slow to start, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. I'm sad I will be assuredly waiting awhile for the next book! Beware, the conflict is not resolved in this book and it ends on a good cliff hanger :)

Amazing dive into latin culture and great story , characters are relatable and story is definitely engaging. Love Isabel writing and how is so authentic to the cultures she tries to represent even if is with fantasy.

What the River Knows is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. I’m obsessed with this book!! Isabel’s writing style was beautiful and the story was magical from the very beginning. I loved reading about Inez’s journey to Egypt and the ways she overcame obstacles that got in her way. Whit is, obviously, another character that I just adored. I hope he shares more about himself in the future and I can’t wait to read more about him and Inez in the sequel!!

ALSO, Isabel kept surprising me till the very end…. It was amazing.

Loved this book. A historical fiction set in Egypt during early exploration of tombs. The author sprinkled just enough magic within the story to keep it realistic and not overwhelmingly fantasy like. The beginning moves a little slow but once the main protagonist is in Egypt the story flies by to the very last page where I ended with a gasp! Will be recommending this book to others!

The Mummy - but make it bookish!

This book literally gave me The Mummy vibes which is one of my favorite movies. This book did not disappoint. It's adventurous, romantic, and just fun all around - minus the cliffhanger because now comes the wait!

This book is a little on the YA side, but because it's so much fun, I still enjoyed it! I was expecting it to be a little on the upper YA side or NA but that's alright! It's still a good book all the same. Percy Jackson readers would also enjoy it!

When I saw this book described as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, I was immediately intrigued. I’ve always loved all things Ancient Egypt and I was super excited to be sent this as an ARC after seeing Rebecca Ross did a blurb herself.

The beginning starts out with Inez at home in Buenos Aires in the 1880’s and follows her on her voyage to Egypt where she eventually ends up in Cairo. The descriptions of the city and the historical sites that people frequented at that time were beautiful. I absolutely loved getting lost in the time period. We meet Inez’s uncle Ricardo and his assistant Whitford and an adventure explodes from there.

This book started a tad slow for me, but once it got going, I absolutely didn’t want to be interrupted. The twists and turns and the adventure had me hooked. I also loved the addition of the magical objects Inez comes across. They added a fun touch to the story.

I did not realize this was going to be a series and that ending caught me off guard. All I have to say is, Isabel Ibañez, how dare you? That ending killed me. I literally cannot wait for book two. I need so many answers.

If you enjoy, ancient Egypt, magic historical objects, enemies to lovers, not knowing who to trust, twists and turns, and descriptive imagery, I would highly recommend this book!!

4.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC.

This book had everything I could want in a story: a strong female protagonist who is trying to grow into herself while navigating her place in the world, a magical system that is both relatable and complex, a dash of romance, and characters that spring from the pages and keep you hooked from beginning to end. This author is definitely someone you should keep an eye out for!

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! What a read this book is. The characters are incredible and complex. The story itself takes place when Egyptology was all the rage. Traveling to Africa to explore and find pieces of history; this book captures the mystery and excitement of it all. I absolutely loved this story! Readers will definitely get an inspiration of The Mummy throughout this book, but it also has magic and a uniqueness all its own. I cannot even begin to express how much you need to read this! You won’t want to miss it.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted eARC.

What the River Knows was a highly anticipated 2023 release for me - the cover and premise immediately caught my attention and I thought it would be a definite win for me. I did really enjoy certain parts of the book, but overall I just felt fine about it.

Here is what worked for me:
-The setting is rich and alive and I want more books set in Egypt now!
-Isabel Ibañez always has wonderful food, clothes, etc. descriptions
-Very interesting premise to the book
-The author clearly did her research

Here is what didn’t work for me:
-The pacing felt off
-The plot seemed to meander a bit
-Too many twists (most of which I saw coming)
-Whit as a love interest never interested me
-I just didn’t “buy” these characters

The magic system I felt mixed on - I liked the idea behind it, but it just didn’t really come together for me.

Okay this one pleasantly surprised me. It's a little out of my typical reading genre and I'm happy I took the leap because wow.

* more in depth review to come I'm still trying to find the words to express how much I really loved this.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I feel so-so lucky (like lottery lucky) to have been able to get a copy of this book! What The River Knows is an absolutely beautifully written novel, and I hope to the heavens that there will be a sequel. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.