⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4.25 stars
Thank you to Hodderscape for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

What the River Knows is a story about Inez, who travels to Egypt from Argentina after learning her parents have disappeared. She is determined to find out what happened to them.

" My fingers itched to capture every detail, every line and curve made thousands of years ago by intrepid artists.”

Learning this book was The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, I was immediately eager to read this story. I have loved Egyptian mythology ever since visiting Egypt while I was still young. I have vivid memories of the beautiful structures and love revisiting them through books and movies about it.

I really enjoyed the story a lot! The writing was done very good and in a way that was easy to imagine what was being told. I also was a big fan of the drawings added throughout the pages, that really made the book feel more complete, as Inez herself drew them. I also liked the tiny POV changes where we read from Whit’s perspective instead of Inez. It added a bit of dimension and humour.

The magic was very funny, I liked how mundane it seemed but how unpredictable it was at the same time. It was tied very well into the world and added some layers to the historical world.

I really liked Inez as a character. Her determination to try and find out what happened and traveling to Egypt on her own was admirable to me. I could understand that need to know what happened and wanting to see the country her parents spend so long. At the same time, I expected her emotional journey to be bigger. Whit is a complicated character, who is very, very closed off the whole time. While that is part of his character ARC, it made it a bit harder to connect to him.

I liked the connection the both of them had, but their chemistry didn’t jump out to me as much. Part is due to their conversations being a bit repetitive. At the same time, I did enjoy their bickering a lot and the questions being answered with questions haha.

The plot was good, although I had expected more of a mystery aspect to it, since it was compared to Death on the Nile. I found that the mystery wasn’t really solved by Inez but that the answers were almost given to her on a golden platter. I did very much enjoy the exploring aspects, which were very easy to picture due to the good writing. The twists didn’t shock me as much since I found them predictable.

Overall, I enjoyed reading What the River Knows and will pick up the sequel, especially after that epilogue and I want to see how the chemistry between Inez and Whit will develop.

I requested this shortly before reading one of the author's other books for the first time, and I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have requested it had the timelines been reversed - I struggled with the characters and the pacing in Woven in Moonlight, and the same turned out to be my issue with this book.

But I did request it, mainly because as a kid I used to be obsessed with ancient Egypt and the pharaohs and the pyramids and I thought this would be quite a nostalgic read, which in a couple of ways it turned out to be!

Just like with the author's other works, the female mc is South American - Bolivian-Argentinian, in this case - and though I have no idea how well the representation was done, I would have loved to see more of it. The way Inez's family was portrayed didn't show many differences to what I would expect from a rich European family at the time, though I am sure there must be many cultural differences.

I tried so hard to sympathise with and like Inez as a character, but she really made it hard for me. I was hoping for her to be headstrong and creative and funny, but most of the time she's hung up over one Mr Hayes whom she insists on calling by his first name because she convinces herself that there's any kind of romantic tension between them. She even contemplates at one point whether she's just lonely and I was like girl, that's exactly it! You're lonely and in a situation where you have many more freedoms than you are used to. Of course you think that the first guy who is about your age and shows you the slightest amount of kindness is interested in you. I don't know what to make of the short scenes where we get an insight to Mr Hayes' thoughts - without them, I would call Inez delusional, but with them I just don't know what to make of Mr Hayes. Although he is witty and sarcastic and I liked him!

"Will you just walk over to me, please? Preferably with less cheek. Thank you."

And after repeating the same three woe-is-me sentences about Mr Hayes for several hundred pages, suddenly her mother is alive after all and wants Inez's help with saving artifacts and then just as suddenly she is gone again and revealed to be the bad guy. Not to mention that Inez forgot about her cousins' existence for most of the plot, but then misses Elvira oh-so-much just in time for finding out that she has gone missing. And I haven't even gone into that ending yet! What I'm trying to say is that the pacing seemed quite off to me.

Nothing happened for the first 3/4 of the book and then the whole action was packed into the ending and, to be quite frank, all these plot twists came out of the blue even looking back. The whole plot with Inez's mom was made plausible but not believable, in my opinion, and what went down with Elvira - well, we barely get to know her throughout the story, so there's no saying what might be realistic or not, but I can't help but feel like that ending was just thrown in for the sake of drama. On the contrary, the cliffhanger around Mr Hayes didn't come as much of a surprise, although Inez might have a different opinion on that, but we've already established that she's a bit delulu in that regard. It's a good cliffhanger regardless, because I do want to know what's going on!

There are some spelling mistakes and inconsistencies in the book, but that might be due to it being an arc. The most obvious instance was when Inez replaced the journal in her uncle's room at the end of one chapter, and then again at the beginning of the next. Then there's also a situation where "Tio Ricardo handed me an empty mug. With a murmured thanks, I took a long sip". I hope these oversights are remedied in the final version of the book.

All in all, I would have to be the most unimpressed reader under the sun to say that I don't want to know what happens after that cliffhanger, but that curiosity is dampened by the prospect of reading another 400 pages of Inez mooning over Mr Hayes and there possibly being a happy ending for the two of them.

3/5 stars.

A historical fantasy set in Egypt? Yes please! I enjoyed this book when I got past the slow pace of the plot, and the irritation at Inez, the female MC. Whit really did help to make it better, but I felt like the tension between them really wasn't as there as we were told it was - I just didn't feel it.

Overall though, I'll be looking to pick book 2 up when it's out.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. all thoughts are my own.

This book was so good! This was a historical fantasy full of betrayals, mystery, magic, and adventure. What the River Knows follows Inez who travels to Egypt from Argentina after learning of her parents mysterious death. When she arrives in Egypt her Uncle who is now her guardian and her Uncle's assistant try to send her back to Argentina, but Inez is determined to find out what happened to her parents and she is soon roped into a dangerous mystery.

Right away I loved FMC Inez, who was a little feisty, a little headstrong, a little reckless and very hasty to throw herself into harm's way - much to the chagrin of long-suffering MMC Whit, with his constant eye rolling and sighs of disbelief.

This book is, for all intents and purposes, an adventure story - there's a lot of cool history, lots of vivid detail, gorgeous descriptions of places and artifacts, but most of all it's just very fun and gallops along with plenty of old-fashioned adventure. Its been so long since I read a book this exciting, exciting in the same way movies like The Mummy and Indiana Jones were.

Hugely recommended to anyone who fancies their YA with a little more gun-slinging, treasure-hunting, mystery-solving and rollicking action.

The romance subplot between Whit and Inez is where my heart fell in love with this story. Whit is fabulous at challenging Inez and yet became her biggest advocate for being allowed to choose more for herself. She put him in his place at several points and I respected he learned from those slapdowns. Their banter is top-tier, and his mysteriously tragic backstory gives just enough for my adoration of morally grey male characters to step in and lead me astray. Whit, alone, would have me picking up book two!

I loved my first experience with the writing of this author when I read Woven In Moonlight back in 2020... While I somehow never picked up that particular sequel (something I hope to remedy soon), I couldn't resist adding What The River Knows to my wishlist as soon as I first heard about it. I have a weak spot for stories with a Latin American flavor, and of course I HAD to read a story that is partly set in the country I now call my home. I also love a good dose of armchair travel, and 19th century Egypt sounded like a particularly fascinating destination. And what a read What The River Knows turned out to be!

It's hard to put this story in a neat little genre box; What The River Knows is a very successful mashup of different elements and genres and the resulting cocktail works like a charm. With its late 19th century Egypt setting, the story is part historical fiction. There is also magic involved, making this story tip its toes in the fantasy genre. BUT. This first book of a new series can also be considered an adventure/quest for example with their mission to find Cleopatra's tomb. And don't forget the danger factor, plenty of lies, betrayal and a healthy dose of rival-to-lover romance. This might seem like a lot, but somehow this mix works surprisingly well.

One of the things that stands out the most is without doubt the historical Egyptian setting. There is so much attention to detail with the descriptions of the different settings and all things late 19th century Egypt, and it really made you feel like you traveled back in time to that era. True, some might feel there is a bit too much information being thrown at you at times, but I personally didn't mind as I enjoyed learning more about Egyptian culture and history. The visit to Argentina was brief and not as present, although there are plenty of Spanish words and phrases to make my inner philologist happy.

There were some minor niggles along the way though. I was surprised by the fact that the pace was quite slow at times, and it took me longer than expected to finish this story. This might have had to do with the longer descriptions and attention to detail, which in a way I also appreciated, but the fact is that the story didn't flow as well as I expected. I did enjoy the writing style itself though. One of the things I struggled the most with was probably the romance though. I just never believed in the attraction between Inez and Whit, and as a result the rival-to-lover trope fell flat for me. Did I like the initial sass and Inez standing up for herself? Yes. But especially in the second half I started to resent their growing connection.

What The River Knows has a dual POV structure and switches between Inez and Whit. I'm not sure if I liked Whit's POV all that much, and I think I would have preferred to stick with just Inez instead... They seem to be mostly in the same place anyway, and I just didn't think his thoughts were all that interesting (with a couple exceptions). That said, the plot has quite a few surprises and twists in store, and some I definitely didn't see coming. A little warning though: What The River Knows ends with a major cliffhanger, and for someone who didn't realize until recently this was actually the first book of a series this was a hard blow. Let's hope the wait for the next book won't be too long!

If you enjoy a well written historical fantasy with a dose of adventure, murder, magic and danger as well as romance, you should try traveling to Egypt with What The River Knows. The pace might be a tad slow at times, but there is no doubt that this story is rich and immersive!

🐪"Fragile things could survive"🐪

The Egypt has always fascinated me but unfortunately I have always found few books set in the land of the Pharaohs..Reason why I was attracted to this book! What the River Knows is historical novel that accurately captures the history of Egypt in the period of English occupation in which it was also influenced by the cultures of the west with a touch of fantasy given by the magical realism!

Inez is intelligent, strong, determined and independent which was an uncommon thing given the historical period. Like her parents she has an adventurous spirit, however considering that she has never been out of 'Argentina, she is often naïve and often makes mistakes. Page after page, however, she matures and falls more and more in love with the world.

Whit, on the other hand, won me over just by being British!!! 😂 joking aside, he's fascinating, mysterious, full of contradictions and inner torments... besides the fact that he's a gray character!

Every word ,interaction or glance exchanged between Inez e Whit laid the foundation for crazy chemistry and tension! Whit continues to challenge Inez, but at the same time he presses to give her a chance to have choice and be independent.Inez on the other hand often manages to put him in his place and from these situations he only takes cues to grow!

I loved the author's vivid and evocative writing that managed to transport me effortlessly to the colorful markings of Cairo and all the way to Cleopatra's mysterious tomb. So if you are a lover of the movie "The Mummy" or have always dreamed of exploring Egypt or an archaeological site , I absolutely recommend this book full of magic,love and mystery that captivated me from the start!

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it lived up to it. This is a sweeping tale of Egypt-mania and mysteries and protecting the past all while not knowing who to trust.

Like many kids, I went through a broad "ancient world" phase, but it never really stuck with me. However, as a teen, being "the mathsy kid" I did a lot of reading into how hieroglyphics were translated, and that stuck much more (I am absolutely that person) so a book that's set in that era, looking at Egypt-mania sounded so interesting. No, this isn't about translating hieroglyphs, but it does tackle the theft of objects perpetuated by the British and other Colonial Powers. (The real life British figure in this book is so slimy and awful and a brilliant representation of the snobbery and bigotry of the colonial powers.)

It's a brilliant story, full of magic and adventure in nineteenth-century Egypt in search of a lost temple and treasure while trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Inez's parents - and who she can trust. I loved how clearly the research had been done (it's a historical fantasy that is light on the fantastical and trying to be grounded, and manages to pull this off well.)

I spent a lot of this book wanting to shake Inez's uncle to get him to actually be nice to his niece. There are so many things that could have been prevented if he even tried the littlest bit to be family and share even the smallest part of what they were doing, rather than keeping her in the dark "to protect her." He's a very complex character, very easy to dislike and suspect (and what he does at the end! Has he learnt nothing!?) it's very hard to talk about all the things I liked about this character without spoilers, but it was so well done and I look forward to seeing how he's taken forward into the next books.

This book is the first in a "true" duology - the second book directly continues the story forward (unlike WRITTEN IN STARLIGHT, which is a companion to WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT, and has a contained story.) I very much want to read the next book immediately to find out what happens next.

Sadly I just don't think Ibañez' books are for me. I couldn't really connect to the writing or the main character. Glad to see it's finding its audience though!

Sometimes the third times the charm, and it’s very true for me when it comes to Isabel Ibañez books. Turns out that a historical fantasy with an archeological setting was the thing I needed to finally be able to enjoy her books. Set in the late 1800’s Argentina and Egypt, the story follows Inez - a wealthy young woman in Buenos Aires, whose parents spend half of the year in Egypt. After their untimely death, Inez travels to Egypt in search of answers. There she is met with an uncle determined to send her back home, and his handsome second-in-command Whit.

At the start it had me almost static. I knew there was something amazing waiting for me in the story, and I just wanted to continue reading the book to find it. Because while I felt things were about to get real good, the beginning was a bit slow. There was a lot of back and forth at the start. Inez uncle is trying to send her home from Egypt, but she manages to slink out of it - rinse and repeat for the first 80-ish pages. But once they get out on the Nile, things finally got to the good part. Not only because of the growing chemistry between Inez and Whit, but also the introduction of Isadora (who I wanted to see more of) and the archaeological excavation in the island of Philae. Here both the characters and the magic got a time to shine. Well, apart from Inez naivety which pushes the story into the slow last part of the book. It almost was a bit painful how hard she fell for red herrings, when it felt so obvious to the reader what the truth was.

If you love the author's writing, are interested in ancient Egypt and its artifacts, or just enjoy historical fiction with some magic thrown in - then this book is for you.

Wasn't for me; the dialogue feels too repetitive at times and the plot meanders for a decent amount of pagetime. However, I would still recommend because I can see this story working for other readers.

4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.

You know, I can't think of a book that is more up my alley than this one from one read of the synopsis. What the River Knows covers all my favourite things: my lifelong fascination with Ancient Egypt, nods to historically accurate themes and happenings, a fiesty fmc who isn't prepared to let anyone stop her from finding her answers, delightful banter between the main characters, and a plot that twists along the way that keeps you guessing.

Inez, having lost her parents mysteriously, travels to Egypt to get answers, as well as discover for herself what kept her parents away from her. There she falls in love with the world she'd only heard of from afar, and uses her abilities (and some reckless stubbornness too) to ensure her estranged Uncle takes her with him on his next expedition down the Nile. In a world far deadlier than Inez ever dreamed of, she pursues her pressing questions over her parents' death, finds herself stuck within several layers of betrayal, and has to fight for her life when everything begins to unravel. I adored Inez and all her failings - she's been sheltered in her well-bred lifestyle in Argentina and comes to Egypt expecting to be able to find what she seeks. And whilst she's brazen, her short-sightedness and easily trusting ways make for some decent obstacles. I loved how her character learns whilst in Egypt, not just for growth to match the storyline, but more about the world and how dark it can be when power struggles are at play. And in a period where British occupation of Egypt and Western intrigue are at an all-time high, Inez finds herself in another world altogether than that back home. I think despite this, she is someone who can thrive so long as she has her strong belief system in place, and I liked how several men attempted to boss her around, but she did not placate them. She's easily joined my ranking of badass fmcs.

The romance subplot between Whit and Inez is where my heart fell in love with this story. Whit is fabulous at challenging Inez and yet became her biggest advocate for being allowed to choose more for herself. She put him in his place at several points and I respected he learned from those slapdowns. Their banter is top-tier, and his mysteriously tragic backstory gives just enough for my adoration of morally grey male characters to step in and lead me astray. Whit, alone, would have me picking up book two!

The clever nods to historical elements were well done. The era Ibanez set this in is one where it's at the height of exploration and discovery in Egypt. The world-building supported the information so it never felt dumpy or overburdened in the storyline. I enjoyed the rich atmosphere and realism the author managed to convey in this story a great deal. Whilst there is a magic element to this world, it worked well with the luxury and excitement that felt infused in this place for Inez. I thought when it came to the artefacts, it was a beautiful touch to add an element of magic and memory to the items Inez encountered.

Finally, the twists and turns, whilst somewhat predictable, are fun. I enjoyed my ideas either being flagged down or hyping up new concepts as I read, and the last portion of the book is so fast-paced, that I felt I was stuck trying to get enough air in with the deadly stakes at play. I will warn you, the ending is a huge cliffhanger, and I'm still reeling from it all, now several days since completing the read.

I did knock half a star off because I did find the magic system outside the artefacts really bizarre. It would throw me off a little when they would hold onto a sandal or rely on a handkerchief for something. I also feel like characters were sometimes lazily thrust into a scene where it didn't help the overall flow just to offer up some information for Inez, or moments that happened with other characters that I would have loved dragged out for more than just the lesson it served to teach. These are all just nitpicky thoughts, however, and I'm super excited to continue with this world when the next book releases.

This book is a captivating mosaic of ancient Egyptian history, a vibrant setting, an immersive plot, and an array of characters with questionable motives who are still engaging and likeable. I did not know that this book was the first in a series when I picked it up, and I'm already looking forward to whatever else these stories have to offer.

The writing is beautiful, especially the descriptions of the Cairo markets, the journey up the Nile, and the experience on the archaeological dig site. The blend of cultures was also incredibly engaging - I loved the representation of the various family dynamics throughout, how different religions and languages were dropped in throughout, and how authentic these representations felt. This book is truly a love letter to the history of Egypt and its mythology.

The only part of this that I didn't enjoy so greatly were the conversations (mostly sat at dinner tables) where the groups of men discussed the politics of their archaeological digs (although this is a very important topic). The pacing here really slowed down and the themes became monotonous. The conversations felt overtly formal and long-winded and I was begging for Inez to take centre stage again, especially as she is such an exciting protagonist.

More like 4.5.

I looooved this one! I am a sucker for anything with deserts, pyramids, pharaohs, secrets, mysteries and Egypt. So I was pleasantly surprised of how the author made me care about the actions and the history presented in “What the river knows”.

Throughout the whole story, I felt like I was there, with Inez in Cairo and on the Nile and on the site. I loved the fantasy aspects as well, the bits of magic that were presents in the story. I loved the atmosphere of the whole city and of the time period, the descriptions of the city and of the desert. It was really magical to “see” the colours and to “feel” the smell and the murmur of the voices.

I loved the slow-burn romance story between Inez and Whit, the banter and the jokes. The mystery surrounding the pharaohs and the tomb made me remember of “The Mummy”, which is a beloved movie of mine. I loved the found family and the small moments between them, the unexpected turns and twist. And the betrayals! I loved even those. I was hooked from the beginning until the very end of the book.

I loved Inez, she is smart, strong, determined, and I loved how independent she was, especially in that period of time. She does anything she can to find out the truth and i loved how the author showed how much Inez cared about the history and to see her love for painting was a plus! Whit is a great morally grey character, smart and handsome, and to see how he falls for Inez was lovely. They are both very mature and I was so happy they didn’t make me cringe.

Some parts of the story were predictable, but that didn’t make me mad. I couldn’t give it 5 stars because it was a thing I didn’t quite agreed on, but hopefully it’s just a ruse. The books ends with a cliffhanger, which makes me so so SO curious. And the epilogue! I have some ideas of what’s that about, but i’m excited for book 2.

I was drawn in from the start and I found not put it down. Beautifully written and incredibly immersive. I can't wait for the next installment.

"What the River Knows" is a mysterious historical fantasy with a hint of magic, romance and lots of secrets!
•
The story takes place in Egypt, in the late 19th century.
Inez Olivera lives in Argentina with her aunt and two cousins while her parents are in Egypt working as archeologist for six months out of the year. After hearing news about the mysterious death of her parents, Inez escapes and travels by herself to Egypt in hopes of receiving some answers and closure regrading her parents demise. When the ship docks, Inez is disappointed to learn that her uncle is not there to meet her. Instead he has sent the handsome and infuriating Whitford Hayes to send her back home immediately without any answers. Luckily, Inez is able to sneak away from him! She disguises herself as part of the crew and boards the "Elephantine" that is headed for Philae on an archeological adventure. Will Inez find the truth to her parents death? Who can she trust? Or has she possibly got herself caught up in more than she realizes?
•
I loved Inez, a strong and independent MC and I also loved our love interest Whitford, a mysterious, charming and full of secrets archaeologist!
The “rivals to lovers+slow burn”romance is so cute and well done!
The writing is captivating and evocative, I loved the historical references to ancient Egypt.
I also liked the magic system, although very light, and I hope it will be better explained in the second book of the dilogy.

The ending was shocking and so I can’t wait to read the sequel!!
•
Thanks to netgalley hodderscape Hodder&Stoughton and Isabel Ibañez for providing me with this arc!

This is my second book I have read by Isabel Ibañez ( I read her debut book) and let me tell you THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD, so unexpectedly charming and extremely adventurous (not to mention the beautifully described scenery, food, archeological sites and the Egyptian mythology/history!).

You HAVE to read this!

We follow Inez, whom newly orphaned and kind off runs away from her home in Buenos Aires to sail to Egypt and learn what happened to her parents! She is clever, unapologetically true to her core values and an exceptional artist. She also has a special talent, she can pick up remnants of magic from ancient items that were once casted on with magic.
She joins her uncle expedition to find Cleopatra’s tomb, while also discovering pieces of the big puzzle surrounding her parents, ancient artifacts and black market of Egypt.

There is also a witty, laughable duo portrayed in Inez and Withford’s relationship and I cannot wait to see if they end up together in book 2.

The mystery is one of the many great side of this book what makes this story so amazing for me!

Thank you so much for Hodderscape, Hodder & Soughton , Netgalley and the author for the eARC , my review and thoughts are my own.

I don’t really read YA novels anymore, but the cover of What the River Knows caught my eye, and I got curious. Even more so after reading the blurb and learning that it was labeled as historical fiction as well as fantasy and romance. Plus, I knew that I would need something on the lighter side after a couple of intense SPFBO semi-finalist reading months. And of course, I was right. What the River Knows was a nice change, indeed. And while I enjoyed it, and most likely will pick up the second book – how could I not with that ending? – I don’t really see it being on my favorite books of 2023 list.

What the River Knows is set in late 19th century Egypt when interest in ancient Egypt was blooming, thanks (in part) to Champollion’s efforts in decoding the hieroglyphs just a couple of decades earlier, and archeological expeditions that unearthed several tombs – a process that’s still ongoing to this day. Black market activities are also in bloom – this is the time when a huge amount of artifacts are sold and/or smuggled out of the country to end up both in private collections and public ones exhibited by museums. A majority of which never was returned. I’m telling you all this because 1) it’s fascinating (and also pretty horrifying if you think about it), plus I was watching a couple of docu-series at the time I was reading this book, which was absolutely coincidental, not that I believe in coincidences, and 2) it’s relevant for the book’s plot.

After the news of her parents’ disappearance and assumed death, Inez decides to leave her life in Argentina behind and go to Egypt to meet his uncle and convince him to let her stay. She not only wants answers as to what happened to her parents, but she also wants to know why her parents left her behind to spend half of their life in Egypt, financing her uncle’s excavations and search. And why she was forbidden to go with them, despite her being 19 years old. Of course, things don’t really work out as she imagines, but then, she had a pretty naive look on things to begin with. Not surprisingly, since she lived most of her life sheltered in the higher Argentinian society (I really did wish we’d seen more of her background and culture), without ever traveling, on her own at that. I guess we can cut her some slack on that front.

Sometimes she could be very annoying, especially as she repeatedly moaned about Whit (more on this later), and she made some stupid decisions, and yet, I found myself rooting for her to get the answers she seeks. I also loved some of her banters with Whit, those two could be amusing when they set their mind to it. Plus, they were the only two characters who were mostly fleshed out and didn’t feel kind of one-dimensional, as the rest of the cast. Then again, Whit was mostly brooding and very cryptic and also didn’t have many characteristics besides being the sexy male with some wittiness to him. And yet, I still liked him. I can’t help it, I like the mysterious bad boy types. Especially if they are smart too. I just wish the narrating POVs were a bit (a lot) more equal so we could learn more about him – I’m hoping for book 2. *fingers crossed*

As I said, I enjoyed reading What the River Knows, as it was easy to read and I was invested enough in the characters to want to know what was going to happen next. The pacing was good, the romance was slow-burn and not insta love-y, the banter between the two MCs worked, and the setting was interesting enough. And yet. I wanted less of the pining and more about history, or even more about Egypt in general. A big part of the book is set at this ancient temple site, and while it gets its spotlight, I still felt like I wanted to be immersed more. I wanted more depth to the plotline including the British Empire’s treatment of the relics. I wanted more of the magic. Actually, a lot more would have been good, as we are told that magic exists but it’s fading, and that Inez can feel it from some of the objects and that’s about it. We are not explained magic’s presence in the present world, we are not explained if Inez’s abilities are rare or common. We are not explained why is even magic involved at all – apart from the fact that the person whose tomb they are looking for was rumored to be apt at magic. And some foreshadowing hints that might come into play later as the story progresses. This aspect of the book was underwhelming, and I think a lot of good opportunities were missed.

I also appreciated that Ibañez made her main cast of characters critical to the British Empire and how they dealt with Egyptians. But it probably would have been a better idea to make Inez the daughter of an Egyptian archeologist couple and tell this story from that POV, rather than someone coming from Argentina, who though has a passion for the history of Egypt, has no real understanding of life in that country from the locals’ POV. Inez is also prone to have assumptions of others based on no or very circumstantial evidence, but that can be (partly) explained by her youth and inexperience.

Overall, What the River Knows had some interesting twists, it wasn’t as predictable as I expected (which is always a nice and welcome surprise), but it wasn’t great. With a bit less focus on the romance, some other plotlines could have benefited, thus making the start of this duology excellent. I didn’t have high expectations so I wasn’t disappointed, on the contrary. I’ll go as far as saying having no expectations made me enjoy it more, in fact. It actually had some havier moments I absolutely didn’t see coming, and I’m still not 100% sure they were warranted – or were properly dealt with emotionally on Inez’s part (can’t say more, because spoilers). Which left me scratching my head when I finished reading.

I’m not sure whether fans of The Mummy and Death on the Nile will love this historical YA fiction (emphasis on fiction) or hate it, so What the River Knows might prove to be a pretty divisive book in the end. Personally, I don’t think it lives up to The Mummy (I can only compare to that one, sorry), but I can see why that comparison was used in the marketing. Still, be your own judge, my friends.

Okay. Maybe I'm not the right audience for this book because...I just didn't enjoy reading it.

BE WARNED: I'LL BE GIVING MY HONEST OPINIONS ON THIS BOOK AND IT MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS!





------



The book was advertised as The Mummy meets The Nile, where of course Egyptian folklore is the centerpiece of the story. The pyramids, the excavation sites, the treasure hunting and all that. But the thing is, this book is 412 pages long and in those pages nothing happened.

The book promised Egyptian folklore and it delivered, however, the plot wasn't plotting. From Part 1 to Part 4 nothing happened. What made this book so long was because of the descriptions of sceneries and actions and whatnot Olivera (FM) was indulging us with. It wasn't the problem because it made a pretty great imagination for everything, but NOTHING HAPPENED. The writing is beautiful, I don't know how the author pulled off a beautiful writing from a first POV, but the writing is beautiful. And I think that's the only good thing I liked about this book.

Moreover, the book is so slow paced that I had to stop reading it for days because I was bored. It was so slow and dragging, which made it worse because NOTHING HAPPENED. What I'm talking about nothing happened was that there's nothing exciting happened that could contribute to the plot. The plot wasn't moving — it was just there. Dormant. All I got was a lot of descriptions for everything (which is okay) but it took the spotlight of what was happening.

And you know that five stages of plot? The denouement, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the conclusion? The book consisted only of the denouement and the rising action — until the very end. It was a slow build up of the rising action that I mostly got bored.

And the romance? There was no chemistry between the FM and MC. I didn't feel the tension, I didn't feel the push and pull, I didn't feel nothing at all. As a Filipino, I didn't feel any kilig from their interactions. The whole 'I should forget you because your betrothed to another but I just can't help it' mantra? Yeah, it just annoyed me. The FM and MC didn't interest me — I just didn't feel anything giddy for them. AND when the MC told the FM: "You can't marry him because he will not kiss you like I do," (not verbatim) YEAH THAT WAS THE CRINGIEST LINE I'VE EVER READ. Did that make my toes curl snd stomach flutter with butterflies? It did not. The romance was supposedly the only that makes me alive when reading, but in this book, I just had my funeral.

And okay, the last part that was supposed to shock me, the part where Elvira died, Olivera's cousin, that was an unnecessary death. Like it was just so sudden and out of nowhere and then just boom. Was that supposed to make Olivera stronger and more revengeful and hateful? I don't know, maybe, but really, genuinely, when I read that part, it did shock me. I think I was a little teary eyed, but again, that was an unnecessary death. Oh, and MC's cryptic letter to his brother saying that Olivera fell for his charming and romantic antics? Yeah, it wasn't enough to entice me to read the sequel. But, who knows, maybe the sequel is way much better than book one, although it'll take a lot of time for me to pick it up.

Overall, this was a promising read but in the end it really just fell flat for me. After reading something, I usually have some grand reactions for myself, but I just had 'Oh, okay. I finished it.' Nothing fancy and all that. But The Mummy meets The Nile thing? I haven't seen The Nile yet, but I've watched all The Mummy movies, and I can safely say that The Mummy was way more action-packed, dramatic, adventurous, and exciting than this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for approving my request for the eARC!

This was such an enjoyable read. I was excited just by the synopsis and this book did not disappoint.
The description really har me immersed in the setting and the overall plot.
I did love inextricably even if at some 0oints I got annoyed with her but, it just shows how dimensional she was. She wasn't a flat character and love her determination.
Her relationship with Whit was also fun to read. The banter was *chef's kiss*.

Can't wait for the next book.

This book was awesome. Without a doubt my favourite this year. I have a weakness for all things Egyptian since I was a school girl, so this book was a must have for me so imagine how thrilled I was with a Netgalley approval. The time era was fascinating and I loved the main character. she was sassy without being overbearing and her strong personality sang through in the story telling.

While the book does deal with a standard YA trope - dead/missing parents it handles this in such an interesting way. Parents are 19th century archeologists who work in Cairo while leaving their teenage daughter Inez in their home of Argentina. She’s determined to find out what really happened and sets off on a life changing adventure.

This book has a brilliant narrative voice, beautiful writing and fleshed out characters of both the good and the bad variety. The love story is barely there but its one of those slow burners where you just want to shout “JUST KISS ALREADY!” at them. A fascinating magic system as well. As it’s a historical its very well researched and manages to mix fact and fiction really well. And some really good twists.

The last one made me laugh out loud and then almost shout “are you kidding me?” when you get to the last page. It’s been a long time since I’ve read something I enjoyed so much and really wanted the next one. And I really want the next one!