Well, I jumped into this title seeing all the hype. Lemme start with the good part. This is a historical fiction with fantasy elements set in Egypt. The author subtly hints at what the western civilization has done to Egypt and how it should have had been treasured. I loved the historical aspects , but magic system could have had been better described. The female main character is a headstrong girl, Inez , but often portrayed naive. There is a romance subplot which kind of destroyed her arc for me. I don't understand why women are portrayed dumb when it comes to love, even if she's great in other areas. Whit, the main lead does have some mystery around him and I would love to know where it leads to, but I wouldn't have wanted my heroine to fall for this guy. The prose is good, ignites an interest in the reader . I hope the second part would explore more of the fantasy and Egyptian treasures.
Tw: blood/ death
Worth a 3.7/5

A fantastic book by Isabel Ibañez and a great addition to one of my favourite genres: Historical Fantasy. The comp to The Mummy couldn't be better suited, this is an adventurous ride through Egypt with memorable characters and beautiful prose.

I have seen this said in previous reviews but I would have to agree this gave me Brenda Fraser, The Mummy vibes. I was obsessed with the film so I definitely felt nostalgic reading this! I enjoyed the action and the magical realism side of things! Very enjoyable!

A great adventure story that reminded me of a cross between a young Indiana Jones and The Jungle Cruise. A strong wilful female MC and although she is 19, the story reads much younger and would be a great novel for younger teens, especially if they have an interest in magic, archaeology, Egypt and Cleopatra. The writing was very accessible and the pace was fast and gripping. There are some opportunities in there to gently introduce referencing and rabbit holes to teen readers, which is a wonderful part of reading when it comes to more complex stuff. Be warned, it is a bit of an abrupt ending but it is part of a dualology. So one for the young teens in your life. Also the cover is gorgeous.

I knew a bit about 19th century history, Ancient Egypt and archaeology but I got to find out more while reading this book. Add to this mix, magic, mystery and intrigue and this became a quite enjoyable read. Looking forward to the conclusion of this duology.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book actually has so much potential, which is why I had such high expectations for it.

There were secrets, betrayals, enchantments, and adventures in this. I liked certain sections and didn't like others. Both the world-building and the characters are undeveloped. The magic system clearly requires more explanation, why is this not of greater concern to everyone? One character dies needlessly, and since we don't really know them well, it feels flat. The main character is irritating, and the romance feels rushed. In my view, there aren't enough obstacles in the adventure, which makes it look too easy. It's an okay read, I guess.

If you enjoyed Divine Rivals you’ll probably enjoy this Egyptian inspired romantasy. Comparisons to the mummy are a bit of a stretch but I can see how the relationship between Edie and Rick O’Connell inspired the one in this.

There were parts of this book I really enjoyed, however I found the main character to be a little irritating in her naivety. Even when she is presented with the facts of a situation it seems as though she doesn’t understand the facts until she stumbles upon the answer alone a few chapters later (I can’t go into which part I mean without spoilers).

I’ll probably read the sequel but at the same time I’m not rushing to.

Ratings:
Romance: ❤️❤️❤️
Fantasy: 🐉🐉🐉
Plot: ✨✨✨✨
Main character: 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
Love interest: 🥂🥂🥂🥂

As a kid I was obsessed with ancient Egypt so it was a pleasure finding about that dives into that, that combines a little fantasy and witty romance.
I loved the main character, Inez, she’s not your usually silly little heroine: she has a plan and she pursues it till the end. Her relationship with With was also to die for and full of sarcasm, I can’t wait to see where it’ll lead.
I was a bit shocked by the ending, a part of it was unexpected, so you can say I’m excited to read the sequel. Sadly it will be just a duology!

Mystery in the Egyptian desert, tombs, treasure, and romance, what more could I ask for?

I ended up really liking this one, as I hoped I would since I bought a shiny special edition from Goldsboro books, wanting to feel the kind of immersion in the romance that still holds sway over Egyptian archaeology, as only a hard copy can provide. The special edition has a Victorian-style gilded cover so it felt like travelling with an antique Baedeker or Thomas Cook travel book and I'm glad I waited before reading and reviewing this book.

I had already started reading the e-arc and the beginning felt quite slow, perhaps due to the digital form when I was excited about the physical copy, and maybe due to the quicker more typical YA books I had been reading prior to picking this one up, but once I got into it, I was glad the author took the time to set the scene, the politics, and the characters in play, in much the same as a murder mystery might.

I didn't absolutely love the story in its entirety though, and here's why:
1. Whit, sorry, but I'm over the aloof, smug, patronising, lolling against walls with ankles crossed at every opportunity, male love interest, just stand up straight and stop being an ass! I didn't get what Inez saw in him, and while he was redeemed a bit by the author by starting to be nicer to her, I was over him by that point, and wished someone else had turned up, other than pretty much the first man Inez saw (aside from the one that mugged her of course).

2. I'm not sure the comparison to The Mummy or Death on the Nile stands up other than sharing a setting, broadly speaking, same country, earlier time. I did keep picturing it a little more in the 20s than the book's actualy placing in the late 19th century, perhaps because of those two comparisons in the marketing, so I was picturing Mummy/Poirot-esque hotels and costumes, even if that wasn't true to the time. But it didn't have the tongue-in-cheek comedy of The Mummy, which didn't take itself too seriously, or the complexity or darkness of Death on the Nile, the murder mystery element felt like a secondary theme, or undercurrent, rather than the main focus. The focus went more to the predictable romance, and the mystery of the artifacts and Inez's uncle's work and motivations.

3. I kind of liked the magic, though it meant that some of the discoveries were made through magic rather than through any detection or work on the main characters' part, I would have preferred clues and research to be at the forefront, and for Inez to show her smarts and that she could hold her own in the company of Egyptologists rather than her being used for her 'as luck would have it' ability. I'm still not entirely sure who has these abilities or why, or why some people don't, though I might have missed a key bit of information somewhere along the line.

Despite that though, I did really like it, I liked the way the book introduced the evils of colonialism, especially on the impact on a nation's material culture and identity, fiction like this is a good way to start and continue those conversations, and Inez and her family are an interesting way to explore that being neither European nor Egyptian, nor are her family, or Inez herself, entirely without fault, or complete outsiders to the debate, which was also interesting. The lure of treasure and objects, mystery and knowledge, affected Inez too.

The ending was brilliant, I didn't see it coming, as much as I recognised the signs along the way, the pre-ending twist, I did see coming, but not the finale, phew! I will definitely have to read the next one, I hope Goldsboro bring out a matching sequel!

This is all my teenage archaeology dreams within the pages of a book.
A beautiful and vibrant world with sprinklings of magic, heaps of adventure and well thought out likeable characters.
I cant wait for the next one!

3.5 stars

I think there is always an issue when a book is marketed as ‘for fans of…’ in that it creates an idea and expectation of the book that you hold as a standard. In the case of What The River Knows, you are told this is like The Mummy meets Death on the Nile – so you’re expecting humour, endearing characters romance, adventure along with suspenseful mystery – unfortunately the comparisons end at the fact this novel is based in Egypt.

It's very possible I could have enjoyed this book more had I not gone into it with such high expectations and was allowed to make my own judgements, it is still an enjoyable book, however The Mummy it is not.

To go into it further, we have the main character Inez who lives with her aunt and cousins in Buenos Aires as her parents are excavating in Egypt with her uncle, following treasures and no matter how hard she tries, they don’t let her join them. Then one day she gets a letter saying her parents are missing, presumed dead – and she takes it upon herself to travel to her Uncle in Cairo to try and find out what happened to her parents. Upon arrival she’s met by Whit, British and mysterious with a deadly edge and working for his uncle, and immediately he tries to get her to leave, upon the orders of her uncle. Why do they not want her in Cairo? What are they worried she will find? Where are her parents and what were they looking for when they disappeared? Inez and, along the way, a reluctant Whit work together to try find out the truth.

I’ll start off with what I liked – Egypt. Egypt is the heart of this book, I feel like it was the story the author wanted to tell and I enjoyed it, you can ‘see’ the Nile, the history in the artefacts, the colours and the smells. There are also some good adventure moments and Inez can be a strong character at times, although I preferred Isadora who is painfully underwritten but a stronger, more empowering character.

This is an enjoyable read at face value, however I must review this as I’ve received a copy from NetGalley and in exchange I must be more critical and honest – if you were just reading this book without a critical eye, like I said, you’ll probably enjoy it.

However, that said, there are issues with this book and it’s probably easier if I list them:

Whit – our faux Rick O’Connell. He’s British, he’s impeccably dressed, he doesn’t stop flirting, he’s closed off but gives you crumbs of the troubled boy behind the shield, he’s dangerous and can be cruel but he’ll save you from crocodiles and he’s terribly beautiful. Whit is just an annoying character, quite a cliché creation and very unlikeable. For example, from the start of this book he’s terrible condescending and rude to Inez when she arrives in Egypt and he wants he to travel back home. Think the scene in The Mummy when Rick wants Evelyn to stay in the hotel so carries her over his shoulder and locks her in the room – that but without charm. He tells Inez repeatedly she can’t call him by his first name as it’s too informal, and then calls her by hers all the time. He’s hot and cold and honestly I have no idea why Inez likes him – besides the fact his hair, eyes blah blah blah
Then there’s Inez – our spirited Evelyn – she wants to chase knowledge and adventure, she wants to be more than the role of a wife, proper and elegant, as expected of her. She would be a strong character but she’s inconsistent – she acts like she knows she deserves more then moons over a boy who is terrible to her, she is reckless and spontaneous and for a character meant to be intelligent – makes some incredibly stupid decisions. For example, Whit makes it very clear that his allegiance is with Inez’s uncle and won’t lie to him – so when Inez is exploring somewhere, somewhere that someone else has already warned her to keep secret, she tells Whit what she knows, she uncovers things with him present – and then she acts surprised that he’ll tell her uncle. She also falls for some very obvious things that I can’t go into.
The romance – see above. It’s just not necessary and it’s deader and dustier than any of the treasures they’re trying to dig up.
The world building – there’s a magic system in this book that makes no sense and it’s not really developed either. Some artifacts hold magic, Inez gets glimpses of Cleopatra, a sandal can produce light like a torch, a scarf can shrink objects etc – but why? Why does no one particularly care about this when surely these items should be the treasures everyone is hunting after?
This book relies on miscommunication and it’s enraging – no one tells Inez anything and then they get annoyed that she gets the wrong idea and doesn’t understand things and gets herself in situations trying to find out the information for herself. So much of the plot could’ve been resolved with a simple conversation.
Unnecessary character death – just why???????
The ending …
Certain complaints, like the magic system, I accept may be resolved in the next book, I’ll admit I thought this was a one off when I started reading and then the ending made it very clear it wasn’t!

Like I’ve said, this isn’t a bad read, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would, when you go in with a high expectation you mark down, not up. Essentially the characters need some work in depth and likeability and we need more word building to understand the magic – but I hope this changes with the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

I had high expectations to this, as I adore anything to do with ancient Egypt and archaeology. Sadly, this fell really flat, and was just too silly. Had to DNF at 25%.
My biggest problem was Whit - he's just obnoxious, no charm at all and I eventually couldn't make myself pick up the book cause he's in it.
The magic system felt very wishy washy as well, and I don't think the story would've changed much without it.
Did enjoy the setting and the discussions of colonialism and the dark side of Egyptology though!

Ahhh finally a book about Egypt! I loved Egyptian mythology and history and am always on a lookout for a fantasy book inspired by it. The setting, the characters, the mystery, they were all expertly done and I couldn't get enough. Inez is an endearing, if slightly naive, MC, and my heart really did break for her in this book. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

This is fantastic opener to a series and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.

I'm a sucker for an ancient historical setting but had never delved too deep into Egyptian mythology so was excited to read this!

Inez's world is torn apart when her parents are mysteriously killed whilst researching in egypt. She seeks to find answers about their deaths by travelling to egypt her self and is faced with secrets, legends and more questions than answers.

Inez is a strong and charming protagonist who I found likeable, convincing and entertaining. I loved the additon of morally grey but smart Whit and the chemistry between him and Inez as the plot progressed.

There is such a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for the next novel!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 | 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

It feels like it's been a hot minute since I enjoyed a book quite as much as I did this one!

Basically this book has everything - historical fantasy, slow burn romance, magic, mystery, brooding love interest, a strong willed and funny female mc, betrayals, family secrets, ancient Egyptian artifacts and archaeology… I could go on.

19 year old Inez has lived a comfortable life with her aunt in Buenos Aires but what she really wanted was her parents who were always away globetrotting for work, leaving her behind. When she receives a letter to say her parents have gone missing, presumed dead, Inez steals away to find out what really happened to them, disguising herself as a member of her uncle’s archaeological expedition and boarding a boat bound for the heart of the Valley of the Kings.

I loved Inez as a main character- she was so fearless and charismatic, the chemistry between her and Whit, the uncle's PA of sorts, was just spot on perfect and I couldn't put the book down.

Eagerly anticipating the next book in the series after a bombshell of an epilogue!

Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of its release, but What The River Knows is out now!

Inez Olivera has everything she could ever want, but with one exception… her parents. Living with her aunt and cousins in Buenos Aires, she longs to join her parents on their adventures. When she receives a letter informing her of the death of her parents in mysterious circumstances, Inez is determined to uncover the truth. She arrives in Cairo with only her sketch pad and an ancient ring sent to her by her father. When the ring unleashes ancient magic, Inez finds herself on a treacherous path with danger at every turn.

Described as The Mummy meets Indiana Jones, this Young Adult book is already a hit since its release in November. I was so excited to read this but for me, it fell short. I loved the world building and the detailed descriptions of 19th century Egypt (the archaeology, the bustling streets of Cairo and the colourful characters) are beautifully written. The relationship between her and the handsome ill-humoured Whit just didn’t sit right with me. They’ve been described as the new Rick and Evie from The Mummy which I disagree with. There’s plenty of banter between the two protagonists but there was a real lack of chemistry and I think that this may be due to the fact that the author is aiming this story towards a younger young adult audience maybe? It just didn’t seem authentic.

I was all for the adventure, the supernatural and mystery elements of the story but there were definite gaps in the plot and the ending was infuriating! There will be a sequel but I think some of the plot holes needed to be addressed in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the arc. Where The River Knows is out now.

Do you like:
✨treasure hunts?
✨Magical realism?
✨strong female characters?
✨mystery novels?
Then I think you should pick this book up because it has all of that and more!

This book is basically a mystery set in Egypt and I really enjoyed it. Our main character Inez travels to egypt after learning her parents died on an expedition. She wants to hear the full story from her uncle, but when she arrives she is told to go home and her uncle won’t tell her anything. She manages to become part of his archeology team and as they search for cleopatras tome she is trying to unravel all the secrets and mysteries surrounding her parents disappearance.

Personally I thought it was great even though i saw most of the twists coming, and I had a good time reading this.

3.5 Stars
19th Century Egypt, Magical items, Archaeological digs, mysterious deaths and a daughters quest to discover who her parents were.
<I>“Grief was like a memory keeper. It showed me moments I’d forgotten, and I was grateful, even as my stomach hollowed out.”</I>

I’m conflicted with this one- I was SO excited for it, but it fell short of the ‘The Mummy meets Death on the Nile’ vibes I was expecting. Even though the world building was vibrant, clearly heavily researched and lovingly told, the actual plot and characters struggled to find their feet a little bit. Amongst this wonderful Egyptian setting we have strong and brave Inez, who want’s to explore the Egypt her parents loved more than her, and find out what actually happened to them. But despite this being her driving force for travelling solo to Egypt and spending most her time reading books on the area, when she actually got there she was surprisingly naive and complacent. Further to this is the involvement of Whit- I understand he was meant to be mysterious and charming, but I personally found the chemistry between them lacked and any romance felt a bit forced. I also found there could have been a bit more mystery or action, as the book was slow and plodding for the most part, only picking up in the last few chapters.
I also feel the need to say- wtaf was that ending?! for a book that was mostly plodding along, the ending felt like a shock to the system, feeling quite out of place with the mostly gentle feeling of the book up until that point. I will be interesting in the reading the next one- I hope there is more from Whit as his sections were so short they just left me confused and frustrated.
***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eArc of the book in exchange for an honest review.***

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/01/18/what-the-river-knows-by-isabel-ibanez/
My Five Word TL:DR Read : Enjoyable, entertaining, easy to read

My review for What the River Knows is long overdue so in this instances I’m going to cut and paste the description of the book rather than write about the plot. Instead I will simply discuss my thoughts and feelings.

‘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.

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.’

I will start this review by saying that this is a very easy to read and entertaining story and one that I had no problems getting along with. Maybe I had a few issues here and there and I’ll try to outline these below but notwithstanding that my thoughts first and foremost are that I had a good time reading this.

I think the writing and pacing for the story were really good. I felt like the author managed to cut through some of the tedium in order to throw us into the more interesting aspects of the story. By which I mean, after a fairly short introduction to the lifestyle that Inez enjoys we join her again as she arrives in Cairo. Her parents have passed away and she is determined to have answers. I liked that Ibañez doesn’t spend page upon page detailing how Inez managed to escape her families scrutiny and travel, unaccompanied, to Egypt. A lot of what she manages to get away with, which is only briefly touched upon, is due to people jumping to conclusions about her marital status which, whilst totally wrong, allow her a degree of freedom. Of course upon arriving in Cairo, she quickly makes the acquaintance of Whit, her uncle in law’s handsome assistant, who has basically been sent to intercept Inez and put her back on a boat back home. Thankfully Inez manages to outwit Whit and grant herself a small stay of execution. And from there the story enjoys a fairly consistent pace.

The setting was a mixed bag for me. Partly because I think I raised my own expectations in terms of Egypt, dig sites, etc. I wanted a bit more from this aspect of the story. I still think the author does a good job of setting the scene, but, at the same time, some of it felt like the author was envisioning things directly from the Mummy films – although that could be just that I was envisioning those scenes in my head. I don’t know. All things being equal though, I still enjoyed the setting, the travel and the exploring. In this world magic is still very real, if fading. I think the magical aspects play a very small part. I’m not totally confident that I understand how the magic works or why it was included – I think it easily could have been removed – but, I didn’t dislike it, just more it felt a little flimsy.

The characters. I liked Inez. She’s young and naive in some ways but at the same time she manages to wriggle herself into situations and she isn’t totally without knowledge. The desire to impress her globetrotting and oftentimes absent parents, have stood her in good stead in many respects in terms of artefacts, and other little tidbits that she has gleaned over the years. Whit, he’s also a contradiction in terms, he’s sarcastic and unhelpful at times, caring and thoughtful at others. To get straight to the point the two enjoy a very slow burn romance with plenty of chemistry along the way and some rather amusing banter.

The story is constantly on the move. Certain aspects feel like going on tour. There is plenty of travel and some crazy rescue missions. I really enjoyed the pacing, never a dull moment to be honest.

In terms of criticisms. Well, for those of you who don’t enjoy cliffhanger enders – beware. I don’t mind personally but thought I’d point that out. Also, and this is more about me than the book because I’m not sure there’s any real foundation for this – but I had guessed the twist in the tale. On top of this, there is an emotional aspect to the conclusion that felt a little underwhelming, by which I mean it felt like it was brushed over very quickly and Inez didn’t seem to have the intensity of feeling that I would have expected.

All things being equal though I had an undeniably good time reading this. It was entertaining. Sure, I had a few little niggles, here and there but nothing that spoiled my enjoyment.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This was an enjoyable YA read featuring an adventurous female main character.

Inez travels to Egypt alone and unchaperoned after hearing news that her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead.

In Egypt she becomes embroiled in an archeological dig and the politics that go along with it.

She's equal parts attracted to and annoyed by her uncle's employee Whit, but he's hiding things and Inez isn't sure she can trust him.

The pacing in this is solid, the ending is a cliffhanger and I am looking forward to reading the next book when it is available.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.