Looking for a historical fantasy set in Egypt with mystery, murder, and magic? Here ya go!

Wow! What a fantastic and intriguing read. I loved the research and detail the author put into this story! The authors note at the end dove into the real world events and people that set this story into motion.

This book starts in Buenos Aires in 1884. Inez is living with her aunt and cousins while her parents explore Egypt. She is waiting for their most recent letter and hoping they will soon be coming home. Instead she receives a letter from her Tio Ricardo letting her know her parents are presumed dead. Unable to accept their fate and curious to know more Inez leaves for Egypt(with only a note left for her Aunt or cousins) When she finally arrives in Cairo she expects Ricardo to meet her and is instead greeted by an insufferable but cute young man named Whit, who works for her Uncle. She is immediately told to go home and accept her parents death. Inez stays, of course because she HAS to know what happened, and uncovers absolutely insane secrets her parents and Uncle have kept from her.

This book is full of twists and turns in every chapter. I love a book where I don't know who to trust and this delivered! There is so much mystery, drama, and of course a witty and banter filled enemy to lover romance. Inez is quite the character, I love her brazenness and persistence. She refuses to take no for an answer much to Tio Ricardo and Whits annoyance. Whit is sneaky and morally gray and I'm not sure where I stand with him but I still enjoy his character so much. Oh and MAGIC! Old Egyptian artifacts that have leftover magic from centuries ago that can attach to certain people? Yes! So cool. The ending is a GIANT cliffhanger and I believe a sequel is coming 🤞🤞🤞 I'm hooked and I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC.

Thank you to #wednesdaybooks and #netgalley for an early arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

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 an ancient 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.

Okay, I am suffering from a book hangover from this one to be sure! I couldn't put it down. And the sequel doesn't come out until next year - I am not okay! Guys, do yourself a favour and add this one to your TBR list. It's The Mummy meets Indiana Jones with a slow burn romance and so many mysteries to be solved. Isabel did such a fantastic job stringing me along, wondering if my hunches were correct and what the real reasons behind all of the secrecy were. And while she gave away just enough answers for a very satisfying ending to this first book in the duology, she didn't give them ALL away - so I am EAGERLY awaiting the release of the final book in the duology because I need to know what happens! If you like lush, immersive historical fantasy with fun and unique magic, and Egypt, you'll love this book.

Spoiler Alert:
And dang it that epilogue had me up at 4am unable to sleep! I need to know more!

What the River Knows is full of adventure and Egyptian history. I definitely has The Mummy but make it YA vibes (there aren’t any undead mummies, however). My favorite part of this book is how you become so immersed in the setting. Ibañez definitely did her research! I loved reading about the politics of the time period, as well as the ancient history of Egypt, which plays a large role in the story. Ibanez touches on British colonialism and the importance of history and not stealing artifacts.

The actual fantasy aspect of this book is fairly minimal, as magic only clings to old objects in this version of history. However, I found it works well because the magic didn’t overpower the importance of the setting and the archaeology.

I also enjoyed the romance. Inez and Whit are both headstrong characters, and it was fun to read about their tension and growing forbidden relationship. I especially appreciate Inez’ resolve, especially in a time period where women had no agency over their own lives, and she was unfortunately naive in a lot of situations.

My biggest critique is that I could tell the story is setting up for a sequel. The middle drags a little bit, especially the mystery. A lot of questions and mysteries were piled up on top of each other, and we didn’t get any answers until about 75% of the way into the story. I think having a couple of reveals earlier would’ve helped propel the plot along.

Overall, I loved the adventure, history, and romance in this book! Thanks so much to Wednesday Books for sending it to me for review.

The cover is GORGEOUS. The premise is AMAZING. Great job to the marketing team!!!!

At 2%, I found myself skim reading. I restarted the book assuming it was me but quickly realized it was actually full of built-up details that may or may not matter later and just were not holding my interest. I gave up at 5%. The paragraphs seem very long, especially for a Young Adult book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This is probably my favorite Ibanez book so far! I've been fascinated with Cleopatra since I was a child, and I loved that a lot of the mystery and action in this book revolved around her and where she was laid to rest. Inez was a great main character, and although there was a lot going on in just under 400 pages, nothing ever felt rushed or glossed over. I liked the rivals-to-lovers romance, and I also really appreciated Inez and Isadora's relationship. Isadora wasn't a huge part of the book, but despite being described perfectly to fit into the "mean girl" slot, she was kind and supportive towards Inez, and I really hope she shows up in the second book. I loved the descriptions of Egyptian scenery and relics, too.

Oh. My. God. That ending?!?!!! Is there a support group? How am I supposed to wait over a year for the conclusion?? I don’t know how to function right now.

I basically begged for my eArc of this book! I’m not even joking, I literally begged! I was enthralled by the idea of a 1999 The Mummy/Death on the Nile mash-up, but I was not prepared for how much more this story was going to be. There are so many twists and turns, bad guys who are good, good guys who are bad, and people I haven’t even figured out yet. Some of them I figured out and some of them blindsided me. But NOTHING hit me harder than that ending.

It’s 2am on a Wednesday morning and I’m here writing this review because I could not put the book down and now I’m distraught it’s over! Probably going to be my favorite book of 2023 or at least top 3 at minimum.

If you enjoy a sassy, strong, female lead character… a broody, mysterious, and very enticing male hero (gah I hope he’s the hero)… and some Indiana Jones level bad guys/action… then this is the book for you!

Isabel… Elvira?!? How could you???!

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author who took pity on me, for my copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: Egypt, Death on the Nile, archeology, adventure

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to Instagram on 4/7 and to my book review blog on 4/12.

I really wanted this to be 5 stars. The premise is so intriguing and Egypt has so much interesting history, both on its own and in relation to archeology. Unfortunately, this is a book where I'm not really sure how I feel about it, so it's 4 stars right now but might drop down later.

The first half of the book lives up to expectations. We get Inez traveling to Egypt and using her wits to tag along on her uncle's excavation. I loved the descriptions of Cairo and the Nile and Phillae. There's so much culture and lush imagery, it's easy to become engrossed in the setting and story. Unfortunately, after that the plot doesn't focus as much on archeology and Egypt as it should. We do get multiple excavation/temple/tomb scenes, but I wanted more of them. I wanted a true exploration of being on an archeological site and discovering these big things and worrying over tomb raiders. Instead, we get more focus on personal relationships (or lack thereof).

The story was also fairly predictable. I wasn't entirely sure at first, but once Inez got to Cairo I felt more certain of what I suspected. Then, later on when the first half of my theory was revealed, it was also immediately obvious that the rest of it was too and I got to sit with a feeling of utter dread while Inez just went with things despite the signs pointing to a bad conclusion. That being said, I can actually understand why Inez didn't question things as much as she should've, and why when she did question things, she dismissed her own instincts. Like, honestly, I think anyone probably would in that situation. This is one of the few cases where I think things being predictable for the reader and not for the character actually makes sense...I just wish the predictability was less subtle so I didn't have to spend 30% of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop.

One thing that really bothered me was that the whole mess with the grave goods was framed as being wholly Inez's fault. Like, was she being extremely dumb? Absolutely. Is it understandable? Also yes. And is it especially understandable because her uncle kept lying to her and hiding the truth? 100%. Half of the mess would've been avoided if Tío Ricardo had simply told Inez what he'd suspected and dealt with the potential fallout of that. Instead, he kept secrets and lied (and it was fairly obvious this was setting up to be a miscommunication trope) and then got angry with Inez when she didn't magically know who their enemies were. Not just him, Abdullah also got upset with her, though not as much as Tío Ricardo....but Abdullah also wasn't telling her shit. Like, a single conversation in Cairo, as upsetting as it would've been, would've literally circumvented this whole thing and instead everyone blames Inez.

As for the characters. Inez is great in the first half of the story. She's got a lot of spunk and a desire for the truth. She's fairly good at getting herself in and out of any situation, which comes in handy. But for someone so interested in Egypt, she doesn't really seem to know that much about it.

I actually liked Isadora, and I'm not really sure what Whit's problem with her is (though I'm sure it will get revealed in book 2). She and Inez make a formidable team and I would've liked to see them interact more. Her dad can be awful and kind of gruff, but Isadora seems to manage him fairly well.

Whit is...mainly annoying, imo. Inez wants the two of them to be friends, and while they're in Cairo he seems fairly normal, but so much of the story involves him being secretive or lying or just being annoying and pushing Inez away. It gets frustrating after a while. We also get to see things from his POV, but they're mostly small snippets and single scenes. I think it would've worked better if we'd gotten chapters or half-chapters from his POV or if it had been excluded altogether. Some of his POV scenes provide helpful information, but the way it's written now it mostly just seems like he has a POV because Ibañez couldn't figure out how to provide the information any other way.

Tío Ricardo had the potential to be a fantastic character. The first scene where they're all at dinner makes him seem really promising, and it definitely appears as though he cares about Egyptian history and the injustices being wrought by the British and French. However, a lot of that is overshadowed by how secretive he is and just downright awful he can be to Inez. He sort of redeems himself toward the end and shows that he truly cares about her, but it still doesn't make up for the rest of the book.

I didn't realize that this book was part of a duology. I thought it was a standalone like her previous book. This book really didn't need a sequel. The way it stands now, there's obviously things left unfinished that require a sequel, but if the book had been cleaned up a little, I really think a full story and arc could've been told within the one book. Certain parts of the book are dragged out and probably could've been cut in favor of finishing the story satisfactorily. And honestly, what's left of the plot doesn't really feel like it could fill a whole second book.

Also, what was that ending? Things were already fine without that INEZ FELL FOR IT note. It adds a layer to the story that it absolutely does not need. There are already so many complicated relationships and crossing and double-crossing, the book doesn't need more. I was actually somewhat interested in a sequel before reading the epilogue, but once I read it just kind of felt 'meh.' It's too much going on and I'm not really interested in seeing more of Inez getting lied to and then falling flat on her face when everyone else's lying is revealed.

This book was so good, so well-written, I could really imagine myself with Inez in Egypt. The tension and banter between the main characters is incredible and I was transfixed. I couldn't stop reading. They made me smile countless times. Their chemistry were remarkable and Whitford is the perfect swoon-worthy character.

If you love a story with ancient magic objects, quests like in Indiana Jones, a strong female character who fights for herself, amazing chemistry between the two main characters in an Egyptian setting, this book is for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

I already preordered it and cannot wait to do a reread in November. Thank you to let me read this advance copy. It is an amazing read.

I loved this book! Unputdownable adventure romance! It’s on point with The Mummy and Death on the Nile comparison. Twists and turns that kept me guessing. I love Inez and Whit’s story, but that cliffhanger! I foresee some heartache before they see this through.

Totally immersive, this action packed historical fiction kept me up reading late into the night. Mystery, deception, betrayal, romance - I’m still trying to figure it all out. I love the way the magical element was lightly woven into the story, it wasn’t the main focus but very believable. The banter between Inez and Whit was *chef kiss*! I really enjoy the author’s writing style. Please don’t make us wait too long for book 2, that cliffhanger was GAH!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc.

I'm going to be that person and give this a not so 'lovely' review.

The two stars straight of the bat is someone who wants a Mummy (Rick / Evelyn) romance, well, it's there. It's a POC character and there is so much historical importance / information about Egypt.

I wanted to like this book, but the way the entire romance and focus on how Whit / Olivia is written is so confusing and honestly, it's poor. Poor woman's Rick & Evelyn.

Olivia is a bit of a problematic female. Girl is chasing after an engaged man and getting upset that he is not perusing her. She would not drop her feelings and they were so superficial. She hardly has known him for a week and already professing her love for him and says that they're 'friends'. Are they? Are they really friends? Sounds more like an obsession. The tone of the book is thrown out the window by this ridiculous lusting Olivia has over Whit and how she is constantly angry with him about not returning any feelings.

Whit was problematic too. Throughout he book, he was written as if someone was a bit TOO high on 'cocky male vibe drugs'. I can't tell you how many times Whit 'lounged against walls' 'crossed his legs while lounging against the wall' 'drank from his flask' 'crossed his arms across his chest'. This absolutely got on my last nerves, and I felt like the author was trying to push home this dude was sexy. CAN WE FIND OTHER WAYS TO EXPRESS HIS SEXINESS INSTEAD OF THIS CLICHE STUFF REPEATED?

Together, they absolutely brought the book down. Their 'will they / are they / won't they' was a mess.

There is also the magic aspect. Nobody in the world seems to care about this magic aspect people gleam / get from looking at artifacts. Do many people know of it? If this was a thing you'd think society would be a lot different than how it is. I don't understand the point behind it and why it exists and why it only existed in the past. I know it has been lost for years, but the schematics / magic lore was laughable and honestly, if you removed it from the book you would probably get to the same point just taking longer.

This book is a downright mess and if it makes it to print I'd have to side eye it a bit for roping people in based on the Mummy comparison. Trust me, Evelyn / Rick's romance is written a million times better here with their banter and slow burn chemistry.

I thought this would easily be a 4 star book for me, but I ended up enjoying the first half more than the second. Where it really faltered for me was mostly the plot. Inez spends a lot of time trying to decide who to trust, rightfully so, but it vacillates back and forth, and seems to take up a bulk of the story. It was fun to try to deduce at first, but quickly grew stale the longer we spent at it. We don't really accomplish much of anything in this first book, outside of one especially key moment, and it was a struggle to watch nothing get done over 400 pages. Additionally, we kept adding more layers to characters and motivations, but almost to the point of ridiculousness.

Immediately I liked Inez, mostly due to her fondness for running away and her ability to do it so smoothly. She's stubborn, determined, and pretty fearless, mostly smart, occasionally stupid (but aren't we all?) I wanted to like Whit, but the way he's written sometimes makes me roll my eyes. He's so brawny and muscled and, you know, one of those bad boys with a heart of gold. (Or is he??) I wish we would have had more and longer POVS from Whit, or maybe none at all. As it was, we had maybe half a dozen very short snippets from his perspective.

The setting of Egypt was a good one; atmospheric and immersive. The magic system felt pretty weak to me though.

I thought this was a stand-alone, as I didn't see anywhere that it was a projected series (probably a duology), and I honestly think I would have preferred a complete story in this one book. With the proper trajectory and obvious storyline changes, this could have been a pretty legit standalone. Alas, we get a first book that serves only to set up for the sequel and has a hard time being meritorious on its own.

That being said, I did still enjoy it and I would start in on Book 2 right now if it were available, but I had different hopes and expectations for this one.

This book has everything I love in a fantasy romance: thrilling action, exciting adventures, vibrant characters, complicated family dynamics, and best of all, a slow burn romance that will keep you turning the page, hoping for more. The magic system in this book is so interesting and unlike anything I've read before. I love the idea of finding a random trinket that does something silly like a necktie that produces boiling water??

All in all, this book was a riveting adventure with twists and turns in every chapter. This book will keep you guessing until the end. And when I say twists, I mean it!!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

The worlds Ibanez creates are always so immersive and detailed and I was very much looking forward to entering this one. I love the historical aspect of this one - it further cements Ibanez's writing acumen as before she could take all the creative liberties she wanted since she was the creator, but now ensuring details are accurate had to come into play. You can tell how much research went into this book, but none of the details are stuffy or overwhelming.

This book kept me guessing until the end, and honestly past that as it does end on a major cliffhanger. I love Inez and Whit's banter, how his background is slowly teased out of him, and his snippet's of POV were perfectly placed to keep readers on their toes. I enjoyed the element of magic interspersed throughout; it made an already imaginative read more fantastical.

I basically inhaled this book and already know a reread is in the future. In the words of Shakespeare's Antony (Antony and Cleopatra Scene 4, Act 15): "I am dying, Egypt, dying" for the next book.

What an incredible and fun read! This story was adventure-packed and swoonworthy all wrapped up into a delicious tale of trust, love, and mystery. It definitely gave me The Mummy vibes, and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!!!! Plus, the history was incredibly interesting. Sooooo good!!!!

For fans of A River Enchanted or Six Crimson Cranes, this is an intense wild ride that will take readers to beautiful Buenos Aires and to the edge of Egypt and back! Embracing 1800’s old world magic, adventure, a thrilling archeological hunt, history, fantasy and much more, author Isabel Ibanez will increase her fan base by the thousands. This is for every young woman who decides to boldly take a stand against the status quo, even if that means standing against your family. I flew through this book in one day! The strong character development, world building and characters to fall in love with (and laugh with), will make this an instant NYT bestseller. Egypt is a place where we need to travel to more often in books. There wasn’t a moment I didn’t love. I HIGHLY recommend every school library to have multiple copies of this book.

Much gratitude to St. Martin's Press, Hodder & Stoughton publishers via NetGalley for the honor of reading this arc! I read this voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

Review to be posted to Amazon, Goodreads, Tiktok and Instagram around public publication date.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

I will admit … I saw historical fantasy set in Egypt and I hit click faster than the speed of light. I was 100% sold! Was it everything I dreamed it would be? Yes, yes it was!

Buenos Aires, August 1884—Inez is waiting for a letter that could change her life. She lives with her aunt and two cousins in a house full of old magic (silly little spells like singing mirrors or flowers that grow in old shoes) She gets along well with cousin Elvira and can’t stand the elder and perfect Amaranta. Will today be the day she finally hears back from her parents who have living in their beloved Egypt? A solicitor shows up with a letter … not from her parents asking her to join them, but from her Tio Ricardo writing to say her parents are presumed dead.

Three months later … Inez arrives in Egypt. (Did you really expect otherwise? I hope not. I’d have been disappointed). She travelled without warning her aunt, only leaving a letter, and didn’t even bring a personal maid. She is alone in the country her parents loved best as well as where they lost their lives. Let’s hope her tio meets her when her boat docks. And … of course he doesn’t. He send his regrets along with a British boy, Whit, with whom he works. The boy comes with an immediate ticket home … so Inez runs, hops on a train, and learns the last gift from her father is not just any ring…but Cleopatra’s. Yes, THAT Cleopatra.

Will Inez find out what happened to her parents? Will Whit turn out to be more than a deplorable rogue? Who is friend and who is foe?

Oh my, this book. Inez is a real spitfire and I love her. She never gave up, is a ridiculously clever escape artist, and is absolutely amazing. She gets the win for being an extremely likable character that you just can’t help but to root for.

Whit is the morally gray character we all love to love. He is crass, at least for the time, adorable when infuriated, and always had me questioning his motives and beliefs. Who is he actually? Is he on Inez’s side or her enemy? I was thrilled to get some pages in his POV.

The side characters are ridiculously shady in the best way. You never know, other than Sterling, who is on which side. I will admit, I saw a few of the reveals coming…but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. Also, I tend to be really good at predicting plots, I suspect most readers won’t know what hit them.

Top all of this off with magic and Egypt? Although I wish we learned a bit more about the magic system, I am still absolutely sold on this book! I LOVED it. All I have to say is that there better be a sequel, pretty please? Maybe then we can learn more about the magic? And, well, that ending!

Oh, and a spin-off with some Elvira adventures, too? I bet that would be highly entertaining.

If any of this sounds up your alley, run, don’t walk, to get a copy as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed. Solid five star book.

Dear Wednesday Books,

Thank you for the invite to read an early copy of this book so that I can sit in AGONY until the next one is released. How could you do this to me?? 😭

On a more serious note. This book is everything. I don’t even know where to start. From the magical elements to the breathtaking landscape, I fell hard.

The twists and turns will keep you on your toes. The foreshadowing will have you thinking you have everything figured out only to realize that’s just a small part of everything else going on.

And yes, there is romance, specifically of the forbidden nature 😏. So many quotable lines and heartfelt moments. The tension is sweet and the longing slightly bitter. The perfect combination.

Don’t mind me while I go preorder a copy of this beauty because it definitely needs a spot on my shelf.

Content: Explicit language, death of loved ones, brothel scene, on page death, grief

It is 1884 in South America and Inez, newly nineteen, is living with her aunt and cousins while her Egyptologist parents are tracing objects that have old hidden magic — frequently sending discoveries home to Buenos Aires (like the flying armchairs destroying the smoking room). The last thing her father had sent Inez was a magically imbued gold ring, presumably from Cleopatra, whose provenance might lead its current owner to her unknown tomb.

Inez receives a letter from her uncle Ricardo, a partner/beneficiary of her parents' excavations, revealing that her mother and father are missing and presumed dead, and he is her de-facto guardian. Without contacting her uncle for permission, Inez sets sail off to Africa to discover what has really occurred. However, once she arrives in Cairo, Tío Ricardo and his young Brit aide-de-camp, Whit Hayes, do everything they can to put her back on the next ship to Argentina. In a day’s time in Egypt, the ring is rudely stolen from her by a supposed officer of the Antiquities Office and Ricardo’s upper class dinner companions act suspiciously, while his assistant is arrogantly dismissive of her and then confusingly supportive. The circumstances only make Inez frustrated and more determined to stay.

Since Agatha Christie, the Nile river is its own character in mystery novels — misty, dark, expansive, and mesmerizing, with foggy banks hiding mystical destinations

“Magic-touched” objects are acknowledged throughout the story — it’s a belief that old forgotten magic still exists in items that have not been handled enough to disperse their original power. And within these objects, such as the ring, their everlasting power will reunite them with related, but hidden, items, like burial sites. Inez is a person who can feel the magic, so she is allowed to stay. But her main purpose is to root out what happened to her parents. She is never sure who to trust. As we find out, trust is elusive.

Inez will be known as a grand character of YA historical fiction — independent, tragic, intelligent, determined, rebellious, “plucky” and “curiously bothersome.” I did love the character, but as this tale ended (and it requires a sequel to tie up loose ends), I was as frustrated as Inez. 4 stars. Be aware you’ll need to commit to another book to eventually (I hope) be satisfied with the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Elvira, Inez’s cousin,has green eyes and Whit interprets Inez’s hazel eyes as “green then then brown then gold.”
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But we do know that Cleopatra’s magical presence conjures the fragrance of roses.