Overall rating: 4.3

I really really enjoyed this one! When it says The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, it wasn’t lying. This book was fully of mystery, betrayal, adventure and magic.

What I enjoyed
1. The romance in this was cute albeit frustrating - like just get together already!!
2. The author did an amazing job of taking the reader back to 19th century Egypt. It had a solid amount of history (19th Century and Ancient Egypt) but without feeling like a textbook
3. THE PLOT TWISTS - the first plot twist was easy to guess but honestly still written well enough that I was still shocked it happened.

The Negatives
1. The pacing was a bit slow in the middle. It was actioned packed right at the start and all of the end, however the pacing did slow down in the middle which meant for while you’re just waiting for things to happen.

Overall, really really enjoyed this! If you’ve read Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman, then this has a similar sort of vibe so if you like that, then you’d love this. But overall, if you want a book filled with mystery, history, love and betrayal then I’d definitely pick this one up!

This is the first book in a new fantasy series called The Secrets of the Nile. What the River Knows is such an enjoyable read. I loved the Egyptian setting and the author really managed to capture the atmosphere with her beautiful descriptions of Cairo. The pacing is good and I never at any point felt it dragged. The mystery surrounding Inez’s parents deaths and the twists and turns that followed had me fully engaged with the storyline. I liked Inez and her independent and feisty character and also her romantic relationship and the connection she had with Whit.

The cliffhanger ending made me immediately want to read the next instalment whenever it’s published.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and Hodderscape (an UK imprint of Hachette), NOT Wednesday (St Martin's Press). I support the boycott of St. Martin’s Press.

I have chosen not to give this book a rating though I have very strong thoughts about it as an archaeologist.

There are two ways to deal with historical settings in books: ground it in the past and highlight the structures that are wrong or divorce it from the historical bindings and use it as loose worldbuilding. This book does not effectively do either. I appreciate that the author tries to call out the ugly foundation Egyptology is founded on, but the problem I have is that the characters pointing out the colonialism surrounding them are also standing upon the same colonial structure. Be it at Shepherds or Groppi. The author switches between modern sensibilities (that are 100% correct and legitimate) and maintaining more values of the period (1884). The main character’s family is a wealthy family from Argentina who fund excavations in Egypt, they may not be British or French, but they certainly are using the same elite structures, while railing against others.

The book has a magical element but also included real historical figures. However, because there is both the real and the fantasy, it becomes impossible to distinguish which historical inaccuracies are due to it being a fantasy world and which are due to the author not having done full research. I completely understand historical/professional inaccuracies in books normally. In this case, I found it increasingly hard to ignore because the inaccuracies were sprinkled among truths and will make it difficult for those to whom this book is intended (young adults) to differentiate. I would have preferred the historical figures left out so that the fantasy could have a better place to shine and the differences could be attributed to world-building.

Tied into this, there is a severe compression of history that flattens all of Ancient Egypt into more of a static image than thousands of years of history. Cleopatra was closer in time to our present day than to when the pyramids were built and the Ptolemaic dynasties were Greek and aren’t traditionally classified as Ancient Egypt but the Greco-Roman Period. We need to remember that history is dynamic and changing. Egypt in the Greco-Roman period would have looked insanely different from say Egypt during the Amarna period over a 1000 years prior.

I think many of the issues that bother me as an archaeologist could have been solved if the author had just pushed forward the story by 10 years. 1884 is just the start of the so called Golden age of archaeology. Cameras would not be used for excavation records and all excavations would have had an epigrapher/illustrator on staff. Petrie had yet to introduce systematic excavation. A few more years would have given much leeway.

I apologise for the long review, but I felt this was important to convey. Overall, outside of the world, I felt the story was slow and felt underwhelming with much of the plot just withheld from the MC. Rather a typical YA book rather than what I hoped for an epic Egyptian romp.

This was an arc I was really excited for, but unfortunately it completely missed the mark for me. It has a lot of amazing elements, but they all felt underdeveloped, especially the magic system and the romantic relationship. The tension in the romantic relationship was very much told to us rather than felt. Additionally, the pacing felt inconsistent. It was difficult to tell how much time was passing and I think this contributed to the lack of tension between the two main characters. Furthermore, I struggle with overly modern dialogue in a historical or historical-feeling setting and there was a lot of that here. On a positive note, I appreciate that the author wove in a discussion of British empire and colonialism.

I never like rating books low but if the story doesn't have much to offer, I’m going to be honest about it.

Inez is informed in a letter about her parents death in the Egyptian desert where they were looking for treasures. Her uncle now becomes her guardian and advices her to use her funds wisely and to take care of herself. But Inez is heartbroken over the news and elopes to Egypt to get to the bottom of issue.

There she’s tricked into losing a magicked object that was gifted by her father but still sets out to find her uncle.

Her uncle wasn’t very welcoming and warm in the beginning. He wanted her shipped off to Buenos Aires but she stubbornly sneaks past him and stumbles upon clues that might lead her to find what might have happened to her parents. After which she’s suspicious of her uncle and his associates, namely Whitford.

With the few hints she has, she concludes her father was trying to find Cleopatras tomb, and the only way she could find it was by finding the magicked objects that responds to her showing Cleopatras memories, like the one she had. She convinces her uncle and Whit she could help them find the tomb by using the magic that responds only to her touch.

This book has a good premise but the repetitive narrative of Inez trying to find her parents without doing much about it whenever something major happened in the story was off-putting.

Everyone in the book was behind Cleopatras tomb or her objects but the magic part was underdeveloped for the major portion of the plot.

Lastly, the romance in the book just didn’t hit the mark for me. Inez and Whitford did flirt a lot. I liked those moments but he was hot and cold with her for the most part of the book and he was engaged, so was he ever genuine to her?

With all this being said, I want to see what happens next in the book. Whitford did take me by surprise with that ending, so my curiosity is piqued.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for the DRC of the book!

This novel effortlessly swept me away into its cinematic world of mystery, adventure and romance. Egypt (but not quite as we know it) was vividly imagined and richly described. I was immersed into Inez’ intrepid journey to uncover the truth and deeply invested in what she would find.

I really liked Inez as the main character. She made mistakes and could sometimes be naive, but she was determined, courageous and loved her family fiercely. The story was predominantly told from her point of view but there were a few short but sweet excerpts from Whit – the right hand man of Inez’ archaeologist uncle. I was quickly enamoured by Inez and Whit’s angsty yet playful dynamic. Whit had his own aura of mystery surrounding him yet it was clear that he was quickly catching feelings for her.

The plot’s overarching mystery as to what happened to Inez’ parents was genuinely intriguing, but took somewhat of a backseat while Inez was trying to determine who she could trust and what magic was hidden within the excavation site. The final act delivered quite a few shocks. It’s going to be a painstaking wait until the next one.

Overall, I was easily swept up by the novel’s cinematic world of mystery, adventure and romance. The captivating plot peppered in surprises throughout but I was still not expecting that dramatic cliffhanger!

Magic, ancient Egypt, adventure and a hint of romance - this book should be just up my street but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. It started off really well and I enjoyed the writing style and the hint of magic and mystery. However, then the main character became irritating and the pace really slowed down that I became disengaged and disinterested in the plot. I DNF the book at 50%.

Thank you to author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This drew me in from the first page and did not let me go until it was finished (who needs sleep anyway ?). Fabulous story and beautifully written.

A beautiful cover, ancient Egypt, a mysterious plot, and dangerous people, all sprinkled with a bit of Spanish language charm. I´m in!
The story started really well and was very promising; It was witty and funny. And then at about 30% of the book the romantic part started building up and it wasn´t funny anymore. The whole thing slowed down and became a bit dramatic. While younger readers might enjoy it, the more mature ones might find it silly and naive.
The family drama doesn't feel believable.
I have some doubts regarding the language being adequate for this particular historical era. There are some words used in the book that were not in use in the XIX century! For example "bullshit" was a phrase used in the sense of "trivial or false statements" (1914) and became a vulgarity around the 1960s.
Throwing some magic into the story may sound like a good idea, but only if it makes a reasonable addition to the plot. Here it´s a big stretch: It makes this book fall into fantasy mixed with a historical fiction romance genre.

Overall it´s an easy and fast read addressed to YA(young adults).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Well, it finally happened. I read a book from Hodderscape that I didn't like. After the author's previous problematic books, I tried this one only because it received praise from highly valued authors, but I truly don't understand why it has received so much hype. 😬🙈

The main heroine, Inez, was a character that reminded me of Mortal Instruments' Clary, the kind who goes around and creates chaos all the while insinuating that they have an understanding of their setting. Inez declared that she had studied about Egypt and both her uncle and I got hopes when she said that, but she didn't even know basic geography. She literally knows nobody in Egypt and runs around talking to everyone and trusting everyone *except those she should trust* as if she's a tourist asking for directions. I just found her to be incredibly aggravating.

Whit tried to be the broody, mysterious love interest, and he half achieved it. He was a much more valuable character with some competence and smarts to bring to the table. His POV chapters were the only ones that I could read. I would have liked to know more about him and his character to do more.

Besides Inez, the other part that annoyed me was the Spanish words that were placed thoughtlessly in the text. I'm a bilingual myself, and while I may happen to use words from one language while speaking the other language, I don't do it all the time. She said gracias all the time, from beginning to end, and sometimes, there was "thank you" in two or three different languages in one sentence. Egyptian and French characters called her Señorita Olivera, and while she is a Señorita, I don't get why an Egyptian or French person would use the Spanish word for it and not the word in their native language or English (since they all communicated with each other in English).

I'm aware I sound like a cranky lady, but as you may have figured out, this book wasn't for me, and I didn't DNF because I hoped to find something positive to say in my review, mostly because I almost always love what Hodderscape publishes.

At the very end of the book, the author mentioned the extensive research she had done, including a trip to Egypt, her discussions with Egyptologists, and even her own lifelong interest in Egypt. Which I am relieved she did. But I still feel that this story wasn't what it should have been, especially given the immense lack of books inspired by Egyptian history and mythology AND written by actual Egyptian authors. Instead of having books with characters traveling to Egypt to learn about Cleopatra and the country's invaluable history, we should have books written by Egyptian authors with Egyptian main characters set in their own home country.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book early.

Unfortunately I really struggled with finishing it …
The story was okay, but the main female character was just unbelievably annoying. I just could not read knowing that she will be there all the time.
I know some will love this book. But it was just just for me.
I will try and re wait this book one day and maybe my opinion will change.
I love anything Egypt and magic related so this is a massive disappointment for me.
Once again thank you so much for allowing me to read this book.

I loved the premise of "What the River Knows" and I was very excited about reading a mystery set in Egypt. My first thought was, being a fan of Agatha Christie, a fresh cosy mystery influenced by her works.

The main problem of the book was being just ok. The story was ok, the characters were ok, the romance wasn't that ok... I read it in one afternoon, I had a nice time, but it's one of the many books I enjoyed and forgot afterwards... Personally I believe it's an easy read that most people will enjoy, depending on their mood when they pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book that had so much promise that I felt it didn't deliver on. The premise is fantastic, but the execution fell really flat for me--especially when compared to its two pitch titles, neither of which it had all that much in common with other than being set in Egypt.

I don't want to get too into the weeds, but my main impression reading was that What the River Knows just wasn't ready for publication yet; it felt underedited on a developmental level and in many ways read like a first draft that could have been polished into something really great, but for whatever reason, wasn't. The pacing was wonky on both a book and scene level; the characters underdeveloped and not particularly grounded in their time period, with the way secondary characters were used often feeling clunky and contrived; the romance flat and lacking in chemistry; the magic system thin and its implications not particularly thought through; the plot even thinner, relying on SO much contrivance and reveals with little to no setup or foreshadowing (the number of times major reveals happened via someone READING A LETTER bordered on comical). Too much was told and not shown, while conversely on a prose level the manuscript was quite overwritten, with an overreliance on physical blocking and inner monologue. There were also a handful of POV snippets (not full chapters) from the love interest peppered through that added absolutely nothing and should have been cut.

I probably could have forgiven a lot of this, if I didn't also feel like the book just didn't have anything much to say. The closest we got to any thematic material was a few prods at 'colonialism is bad' and 'the antiquities trade is bad', which as a thematic backbone--like so much else--has a lot of potential, but the book didn't engage beyond simply stating as much and moving on. Similarly, or rather what makes this such a problem, is Inez herself didn't have an arc either. I did like her a lot as a character (though didn't like that the plot required her to lose the intelligence and resourcefulness she'd shown for the first 40% of the book), but despite spending 400 pages in her head I would really, really struggle to articulate either how she changed or how the author thought she should change. I guess she was shown the consequences of her impulsiveness? But it's not as though she is reining that in going forward, and to be frank, the majority of what goes wrong would easily EASILY have been avoided if anyone at all had told Inez a single thing, so it's hard to view properly as a character flaw in the context of this particular narrative.

Neither of these in isolation would be such a problem if, for example, the book were an actual *mystery* (like its comped Death on the Nile) or otherwise plot-driven enough that the reader doesn't expect as much from character or theme--but it wasn't. Inez doesn't solve anything (as mentioned before, most plot progression happened via conveniently timed letters), the biggest reveals were already KNOWN to the other characters who just chose not to share them with Inez until eventually they did, and anything else? Still hanging. The central problems established at the start of the narrative are not solved by the end (hello, duology), and unfortunately there wasn't enough else to feel like *this* book, as its own book, had a satisfying conclusion.

I really regret not liking What the River Knows better. It's clear how much love and heart went into this title--Ibanez is obviously very passionate about Egypt and its history and mythology--and the ideas behind it are rich and meaty, but I closed the book feeling unsatisfied and like it should and could have been so much more. However, it's clear that I am very much in the minority in not loving it, and I do think most of the issues I had with it aren't going to matter for the majority of its intended audience. 2.5 stars rounded down, because the climax and ending were just so messy.

Thank you to Hodder and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5

This book simply wasnt my cup of tea. I'd been quite excited about it because Egypt's culture and the pharaohs are endlessly fascinating. However this was far too much like The Mummy (but with added melodrama) for my liking.

I thought the character of Inez was a little odd. One minute she was insisting on her right to do what she liked and then bemoaning the fact she had no one to help her with her hair the next.

The other thing that puzzled me was the fervour in which everyone was searching for Cleopatra's tomb. This book is set 40 years before they'd even found Tutankhamun (whose tomb was first to be found). It's entirely possible I misread the book in this respect however.

The "love story" is almost painful to read and the other characters are awash with contradictions. It certainly made me wonder what the guardians in Buenos Aires were up to since it was so easy for a young girl to simply set off and travel halfway round the world without anyone raising an alarm.

All in all I found the story and characters a little too unbelievable. The only part that I did like was the cliff hanger ending. That was clever (if, in hindsight, somewhat inevitable).

However I did finish the book, it didn't give me a headache and parts of it were okay.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy. I'm delighted to be in the minority with my review.

I was SO excited when my ARC request for this one got approved. A Latina goes to investigate the death of her parents who had been excavating Ancient Egyptian artifacts? Sign me up! And while I didn't <i>love</i> this one, it was still an enjoyable read 😊



I had a love-hate relationship with our main character, Inez. On the one hand I admired her confidence and determination but, as our love interest Whit once said, she was also the most annoying person on the planet. Like, it became so predictable, someone tells Inez not to do something, she does it anyways and gets herself in trouble, Whit has to come bail her out AND... repeat. I also don't know if it's because I was reading this one on kindle so I couldn't physically see how many pages I had left to go or what, but the book felt so long! I really admired the creativity of the story though, as well as the historical setting and the plot twist at the end caught me completely off guard! Inez was annoying but she still had her moments and did not at all deserve that kind of betrayal! Even though this book was slowing going, I think it does a nice job setting up future installments which that ending got me excited to read!



Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC! Happy Reading :)

Prepared to be swept into the world of 19th century Egypt.

The plot is gripping and full of twists and turns. Inez is charismatic. Whit is utterly charming and deviously delicious….and their chemistry is swoon worthy. The beautifully written prose sweeps you into a world of captivating scenery, glamorous hotels, and dusty archeological sites, all of which have a dark and dangerous edge.

Superb!

This book is an absolute triumph.

I came into it with little expectations, thinking that it was going to be a little dry as a historical novel, but it exceeded all expectations. It was the perfect blend of 1800’s historical fiction and low fantasy. I found myself drawn into a time period and place I know little about, the Victorian fascination with conquering Egypt and the acquisition of Egyptian artefacts, that were often carted back to museums in other countries or used in rich men’s follies. As a British person myself, we don’t learn much about the seedier sides of colonisation and the fact that we completely decimated other countries cultures for our own tourism purposes and I found this in the book to be particularly thought-provoking. The historical elements of this novel seemed well-researched and respectful.

The fantasy element is only a small aspect of the book but it is done really well, it is more to do with magic allowing you to have an affinity towards finding historical artefacts, kind of like dowsing. I enjoyed this mainly because it wasn’t overdone and I thought this book was quite unique in its approach.

Story wise, it starts off slowly and character driven but this works well for the questing element of the story. The characters felt well rounded and real and I liked that the main character was so plucky in a way that wasn’t like “the chosen one” or “not like other girls” tropes, because those are very over-done in fantasy at the minute, I read a lot so I often figure out plot twists way before the big reveal and although I predicted the big twist halfway through, there were quite a few plot points I didn’t predict, enough that it made the story feel exciting and fresh.

One thing I will say is that there is no disability or LGBTQA representation, but it wasn’t a book that necessarily needed that and I do not feel that is an essential for every book I read, I’d prefer a book that didn’t have it when it doesn’t fit with the storyline, rather than a book that shoehorns it in to be politically correct. Although there is a romance within the storyline,it is not a main focus for any of the characters.

5 stars, one of the best books I have read this year and after the ending, I am really looking forward to the sequel.

I loved this book!! One of them books that just has you hooked a few pages in and you can't put down. Amazing for 1st book in a series so can't wait to continue this series, Fairyloot has this book as there December book and I can't wait to own a special edition of it . Loved the setting, likable characters with amazing writing. What more could you ask for!

Isabel’s storytelling is gorgeous, i have been a fan for a while now and I can’t wait to read more from her.

A pretty fun read, but lacking substance. This is what I would define as a “no thoughts, head empty” type of book, which would translate to “Please don’t go in expecting much, just enjoy the experience”.

Set in the late 19th century, in British-occupied Egypt, the novel follows Inez Olivera in search of the truth about her parents’ mysterious death in Egypt.I enjoyed Inez as a protagonist. She came off as plucky and adventurous, yet pretty obviously inexperienced. Some readers may find her personality annoying, but I found her quite funny (and maybe a bit ridiculous in some instances) and unruly. Her banter with Whit was enjoyable, if a little bit over the top.

The romance was okayish, and could have been better, if Whit’s personality didn’t consist only in leaning against walls and being cocky. The chapters from his POV were absolutely unnecessary, but the romantic relationship between them has potential and I hope will get better in the sequel.

The Egyptian setting was very well-done and it felt very scenic. The book doesn’t treat Egyptian culture just as an aesthetic, with the commentary about the negative effects of the British occupation being central to the plot.

My only real complaint would be the lack of actual fantasy. We get only glimpses at an under-developed magical system that is never really explained to us.

I am deeply against the comparison with the 1999 The Mummy (that is a true masterpiece) as I feel it is unnecessary. The book stands on its own as an enjoyable, engaging read.