I absolutely loved this incredible YA adventure! Thank you so much Netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy!

Isabel has done a brilliant job. I loved the historical details, you can clearly tell she's done so much research, (political, cultural, architectural, fashion-wise etc). It was such a lush, diverse world spearheaded by a passionate, artistic protagonist.

I loved the banter between Inez and Whit. I think because their situation meant he had to watch her and try to stop her getting into trouble, the fact that she often ran headfirst into it (in pursuit of answers) made so much of their dialogue actually enjoyable, heated and sometimes funny.

I've never been so frustrated for a character's situation, but it meant that I sided with Inez's character 100%. The infuriating characters around her--both for the time-period's control of women, and their secrecy--meant I could relate to her emotions the entire time.

I thought I'd pegged the twist, but then there was MORE. And it just got more shocking as the book went on. I gasped several times (which honestly never happens to me) and my jaw dropped (and stayed dropped) on the last few pages. I can't believe the ending. THERE BETTER BE A BOOK TWO!??

I'll be widely recommending this to anyone that will listen. Such a brilliant book and I hope it becomes a film one day.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape for providing me this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book is Mexican Gothic meets Indiana Jones but make it fantasy. I loved it. I mean enemies to lovers, in 1884's Egypt? Where do I sign? Also, don't get me started on the cliff-hanger. How am I suppose to wait for second book? Excellent idea, re-read What the River Knows.

Did you love The Mummy? Did it leave with you with a dream to explore Egypt? Discover ancient tombs? Do you love magic, mystery and adventure? If you answered yes to any of these I totally recommend picking up What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez as soon as you can! Ibañez delivers adventure, romance, magic, deception and plot twists by the donkey load in this enemies to lovers, historical fantasy set in 19th century Egypt.

Inez Olivera has lived half a life with her parents, the other half has been spent in Argentina whilst her parents travelled to Egypt, discovering temples, tombs and artefacts, until one day she received the terrible news of their death in the Egyptian desert. Orphaned, Inez is desperate to find out what happened to them and in search of the truth, armed only with a ring sent to her by her father, she travels to Cairo.

On arrival she is met by Whit, assistant to her uncle who is eager to send her packing but, to his and her uncle’s dismay this begins a magical adventure to unravel the mystery of her parents’ death amidst the exotic, unknown and magical environ of Cairo.

Ibañez must be congratulated on the effort and research put in to the description and detail that truly portrays 18th century Egypt. A period of turmoil, colonialism and despotism that had such a terrible effect on Egyptians. Denying them their place in their own country, education, history and theft of historic artefacts, to name a few. I was totally drawn in to the vibrancy of the country through her descriptions.

The descriptions of the digs, and the tombs were truly wonderful, in my mind’s eye I could truly imagine Cleopatra’s tombs, and the illustrations throughout the book were a delight - I would loved to have seen more than the monochrome images such as Inez’s paintings. It was wonderful to balance these against the horrific tomb-raiding and desecration of tombs that took place, all of which were included as part of the narrative with nil lecturing or preaching!

I truly adored the characters as well, Inez is feisty, determined, adventurous, and resourceful but, she’s not perfect, she is also impetuous, naive, far too trusting and stubborn but, with a backbone of bravery and determination to do the right thing. Her journey was wonderful to see, especially at the most difficult points, when I could truly pinpoint her growth and it often revealed another facet of a truly developed character. Whit is also a very interesting character, (I definitely had the image of Brendan Fraser from The Mummy in my head,) there is a lot more to him than meets the eye - truly a man with an interesting back-story that has shaped the man he is now!

There’s a lot more I could say about this book, from the enemies to lovers, will they, won’t they, romance between Inez and Whit to the relationship between Inez and her Uncle Ricardo but, that just leads to spoilers! What I can say is that final plot twist is a total doozy and I’m ready for the next book in this series now please!

Thank you so much Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape and NetGalley for the arc of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Posting on 5th November 2023 to https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/159654603?ref=nav_profile_l

Calling all those who, like me, as a kid was obsessed with ancient Egypt. What the River Knows follows our main character Inez Olivera as she tries to uncover the cause of her parents’ death. Her search takes her all the way from Buenos Aires to Egypt, she sets off on an adventure, unfortunately running into multiple difficulties, all of which have the same name, “Whit”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only because it reminded me of my childhood obsession, but also because the story was well written. The story was suspenseful and unique and included some twists you may not see coming. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to step into reading which contains some magic but isn’t all encompassed by it.

I look forward to seeing with the author has in store for future books, including the sequel to What the River Knows. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc.

The cliffhanger is truly cruel! How am I supposed to wait for the next book?!

I really enjoyed this book - historical fiction blended with fantasy is an absolute favourite of mine, so a quick win on that front. I especially enjoyed that the main character was not your typical English rose - that made a wonderful change. The depth of description and world building is really lovely, with a real sense of the world around Inez.

The twists and turns are enjoyable - I didn’t find any of them to predictable and as you can tell from the start of this review the final reveal was a definite shock!

Overall a really enjoyable read, and I will not so quietly be waiting to see what happens next!

Every once in a while I like to step out of my comfort zone and read a genre I don't normally read. I couldn't pick a better book than What The River Knows.

As a child, I was fascinated by Egyptian culture. In this book, not only is the history fascinating, but the characters and magic totally grabbed me. I had conflicted feelings about Inez in the beginning. However, the intruiging made me forget that. The blossoming romance between Inez and Whit is so well developed, just wow!

I am so glad I got the chance to read this author's work and now I can't wait for the sequel!

WOW What the River Knows is full of well fleshed characters, twists and turns and stunning settings. I was whisked from Argentina, to high society Egypt, to treasure hunting in the Egyptian desert with such an excellent level of description it felt like I was there! A rich blend of history, fantasy, and mystery with a hot cold banter filled romance that keeps you on your toes the whole book.
Bit of a cliff hanger ending but worth it!

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review What the River Knows.]

Rating: 5/5

Somewhere inside me there is a young girl who will always be obsessed with The Mummy and that child is currently rejoicing because this book? It’s everything I wanted and more. The mystery was spot on, the plot twists had me screaming, and the romance? Perfection. This is literally everything I could want from a rivals to lovers fantasy set in Egypt. If you love magical realism combined with historical fiction then this is the book for you.

In this high stakes adventure, we follow Inez Olivera who, after learning about her parents death, travels to Cairo hoping to unravel the mystery and discover what truly happened to them. Guided by a ring that her father sent her, she finds herself tangled in a web of deceit, magic and historical secrets. Far from home, Inez doesn’t know who to trust, and when she meets the infuriatingly handsome assistant of her guardian, she realises that ancient magic may be the least of her problems, and staying in Egypt long enough to discover the truth behind her parents disappearance will be harder than she thought.

First of all, Inez is such a fantastic FMC. She is driven by grief and will stop at nothing in her effort to reach the country her parents went missing in, but there are so many facets to her character that push her through this journey. Following in her parents footsteps, she is a keen adventurer and shows little regard for her safety. Her naivety felt so believable and we watch her mature as the plot moves forward and her eyes are opened to the unfortunate truths that surround her family. I loved how incredibly brave Inez was and I was always rooting for her as every twist and turn was revealed to us.

Outside of the mystery surrounding her parents disappearance we’re also witnessing discoveries relating to the last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra. As Inez assists her uncle in finding ancient sites relating to the famous pharaoh, the author does a fantastic job of imagining what the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony would be like. I was very happy that this storyline didn’t overwhelm other elements of the plot and felt that the author balanced everything perfectly. I also appreciated that the author considers the ethics when it comes to tomb raiding, as not all ancient artefacts are handled in the best way.

My favourite part of this story, unsurprisingly, was the rivals to lovers romance between Inez and Whit. I think something that works well is that you’re always second guessing a lot of reveals in this book and the romance is no different. Whit comes with his own set of intriguing mysteries and although he tries to avoid his affection for Inez, it’s clear to all that their chemistry is undeniable. Once again, I remind myself of The Mummy and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t imagining Brendan Fraser in literally every Whit scene.

I’m not even going to talk about the ending because I doubt I’ll recover from that cliff-hanger anytime soon. To summarise, just go read this book. It’s amazingly imaginative and will scratch that Divine Rivals / Emily Wilde itch if you have it. It’s also just a genuinely great book and I can’t wait for the sequel.

I was literally panicking when I finished the book thinking "it's over?? Why is it over?? How can it ends like that?? It can't be??" because I was certain it was a standalone. But no, I just found out it's a duology. And my whole disappointed cleared at once 😅

The beginning was very slow and we really take half of the book to get to the most interesting point: the arrival at the excavation site. While the beginning was good to set in the story and the relationships between each characters, it was still too slow for me. Then once the 50% mark has been reached, the pace was better, and I was really hooked. We even have a lot of action towards the end! And very important moments I want to scream about but that would be spoilers, and the epilogue which got me confused (hence, my panic).

The setting was perfect, it really felt like the slowness of Death on the Nile, and the adventure of discovering a tomb and wanting to preserve things like Indiana Jones. I really loved the relationship between Inez and Whit, the way they moved closer and away everytime while still respecting each other. I had doubts and guesses on the different plot twists so it wasn't much of a surprise but still were really done well!

And now the book isn't even out that I want to read book 2 already....

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS - Isabel Ibañez

Thank you #netgalley and #hodderandstoughton for a free #arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Pictured here with my scrap book from when I visited Egypt in 2008! I had such nostalgia reading this book. I always wanted to go back and visit ciaro but I haven't gotten around to it yet 😬

Needless to say, I loved the world building in this novel! I loved the magic, the mystery and the archeology. But most of all, I loved Whit. Ibañez has created the absolute perfect love interest here.
I'm not quite over the ending and might need therapy if the sequel isn't out soon.
#whattheriverknows #isabelibañez #eygpt #cleopatra #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #fantasyreader

I was not expecting this to be one of my favourite reads this year! This was as good as Divine Rivals and I can’t wait for you to all read it so we can discuss!!
Set in the 1880s, when Inez discovers both her parents have died, she runs away to Egypt to discover what happened to them. However her Uncle is now her guardian and doesn’t want her there- Inez is determined to stay and find out what he is hiding!
I loved so many things about this book. Inez is so determined and such a strong character. I was drawn into the story straight away, and felt irrationally angry when Inez had her ring stolen! How dare he! And when we are introduced to Whit and Inez describes him as despicable- I just couldn’t wait to see their story unfold. It was so easy to just keep reading and I did not want to put this book down.
This book doesn’t come out until 14th November but if you loved Divine Rivals I think you will enjoy this so get preordering!! But I will warn you- the ending will leave you desperate for more!!

Secrets, lies, magic and mystery, this book has it all.

Set in 1884, this historical fantasy follows 19 year old Inez Olivera, as she travels to Egypt to investigate the truth behind her parents mysterious deaths.

Spending most of her fife growing up with her aunt and cousins, Inez's parents were never around. Always away on an archaeological dig in Egypt, Inez was never permitted to join them. After wearing a ring, sent to her by her father, Inez is now able to sense magical items and has visions, memories belonging to Cleopatra the last Pharaoh of Egypt.
Inez's world crashes down when she receives a telegram, informing her that her parents wandered into the desert and are presumed dead. She decides to pose as a widow and travel to Egypt alone, hoping for some clarity.
Not receiving the answers she was looking for from her evasive uncle, Inez disguises herself in order to join her uncle's archaeological dig team. Hoping to unearth the mystery of what happened to her parents, whilst searching for Queen Cleopatra's tomb.

It seems as though everyone in Inez's life is lying to her, she has no idea who she can trust. Even as she starts to develop feelings for a young man named Whit, the question is, can she trust even him?

Whilst I did enjoy reading this book, I felt some bits rather repetitive, Whit leans on walls too much. The magic aspect, while interesting, feels a bit more like an afterthought, I would have loved a little more background and explanation.
The ending for me was a little confusing too, we were left on a strange cliffhanger. However the book is still very much engaging and well paced, I will be looking out for the next installment.
I hope book 2 will clear up all of those unanswered questions, I am definitely the type of person who needs closure.

✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ✨

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: What The River Knows
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Isabel Ibañez
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱. “𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦?”
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺. “𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺,” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭.”

🤍 𝗬𝗔 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
🌸 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟴𝟴𝟬𝘀 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁
🤍 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
🌸 𝗔 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
🤍 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
🌸 𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗮

Inez Olivera is a stubborn and curious lady of relative privilege and questionable ladylike mannerisms. Whitfield Hayes is the devilishly handsome—and sometimes, just devilish—assistant to Inez’s uncle, who recently became her guardian after both her parents died. Determined to discover the truth about what happened to her parents, Inez thwarts every plan of Hayes’ and her uncles’ to send her home to Argentina where she will be safe, choosing to risk danger for the truth.

I have fallen so in love with this young adult historical fantasy romance! I found this book frustrating in all the best ways, the quest for truth was never a boring or linear one and even after reading it, the truth seems ambiguous due to this book being the beginning of a series. The level of anticipation I feel for the Ibañez’s next book is at dangerous levels.

I adored the exciting and culturally rich writing which I felt the author had heavily researched to make this novel work. This book truly reflected the multiculturalism of Egypt and as a reader, I was able to bask in it and learn things that I never knew. Amongst this education, the author throws in lots of heavily surprising twists that had me constantly questioning everything!

My favourite part of this novel is possibly the sheer chemistry between Inez and Hayes. I loved their rallying back and forth and lived for their infuriating interactions with each other, always tinged with a shade of exasperation and admiration, which slowly morphed into affection.

I also didn’t realise how much of a love letter to Cleopatra this book would be. She is such a powerful historical figure, bordering on mythological goddess, and the author has done well to bring that otherworldly vibe to life with the magic system, and yet still managed to bring an element of emotion to Cleopatra’s story through the transference of magic.

Overall, this is an immersive and riveting beginning to a series that thematically explores colonization and Egyptology through the lens of two stubborn and delightfully tenacious main characters.

—Kayleigh🤍

A wonderful mix of Historical Fiction and Magic Realism comes to life against the backdrop of the pyramids at Giza. Steeped in research without being too scholarly, at heart this is a love story, recounting the adventures of a recently orphaned young woman who travels to Egypt in search of answers to her parents sudden and mysterious death.
A little bit more romance than I'm a particular fan of but the historical part of the fiction kept me engaged. You don't need to know a lot about ancient Egypt but my fascination with Cleopatra and ancient ruins kept me intrigued and guessing as to how the adventure would pan out.
An engaging story with a killer cliffhanger thrown in for good measure.

I downloaded this book after reading the description which said it was a cross between The Mummy and Death on the Nile. And I can confirm that this is the case in some areas. I also love the cover.

This historical fantasy is Set in Egypt and is full of mythology, historical fiction, romance, and magical. I love reading tales about other cultures and folklore. The author does a brilliant job with descriptions and imagery used, making the reader almost feel like you are being transported to the great pyramids.

We meet teen Inez Olivero who currently lives in Buenos Aries, Argentina with family whilst her parents are away working as archaeologist for 6 months at a time in Egypt. When her parents go missing she heads to Cairo to find out what has happened. There are things I really liked about the book especially the ancient Egyptian history, but I found some of the characters from her parents, to her cousin and then Whit just annoying quite frankly and selfish which put me off the whole story and the book seemed to just drag in places. I also now find out that this is the first book of a series for the ending has been left open ready for book two. Not sure if I am invested enough to read a copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Inez Olivera has always dreamed of visiting Egypt. She yearns for something new, for the history and culture, but also to understand why her parents would choose to spend half their lives there instead of home with her. Whilst on their latest adventure, she begs her parents to let her come, & when the letter comes she believes to be their reply, Inez is hit with some terrible news... her parents are lost and presumed dead. With a vast fortune behind her and her guardianship in the hands of her uncle, a man she has met a handful of times, Inez decides she needs to take matters into her own hands and sets sail on a ship set for Egypt determined to find out the truth of what happened to her parents. When she arrives she finds a mysterious Uncle who wants nothing but to send her back home and Whit, her Uncle's assistant who is both infuriated and intrigued by her. But Inez is finished doing what is expected of her, and when the search for her parents leads her to a magical object, she realises there might be more to their disappearance than she was originally told. She will have to rely on the magic, as well as herself if she is to uncover the truth, because there are people out there who would kill for it, and they have their eyes set on Inez.

As soon as I read that this book was a blend of The Mummy and Death on the Nile I just knew I had to get my hands on a copy. Inez is exactly the plucky, slightly out of her depth, but determined character we expect from these female heroines. She has always wanted more from her life, and her parents disappearance gives her the perfect chance to reach for it. Though she has lead a relatively sheltered life, she still has her wiles and a determination that means she isn't going to just pack up and go home, no matter how much pressure her uncle puts on her. She's a character that you can't help but empathize with, someone desperate to understand why her parents would spend half their lives in a foreign country living away from her. Whit is the grumpy, exasperated and intrigued gentleman who Inez irks within the first five minutes of their meeting. He did not sign on to be a babysitter, especially for someone so infuriating, but he quickly finds himself intrigued by this woman who doesn't flinch in the face of danger, rather walks headfirst into it, whether she meant to or not. But Whit is also carrying some heavy secrets, secrets that could form a crack in the tentative alliance he and Inez have formed.


Alongside our two MC's, Ibañez brings in a whole host of side characters, from Inez's Aunt and cousins who she lives with in Buenos Aires to her Uncle and his crew she meets in Egypt. They are all incredibly well developed and add plenty of drama, tension and sometimes humor to the story, but what Ibañez does incredibly well is ensure we're never sure who we can trust. We know Inez's uncle is lying about something, but what? What is his crew searching for? And what exactly does Whit do for him?

Ibañez easily transports us to Egypt and I, alongside Inez quickly found myself falling in love with a place I have never visited. Ibañez does a great job of showing the charm and culture as well as the danger of Cairo, a city recently under British control with some factions determined to fight back. We get to see the British Empire through the eyes of those it colonized claiming it was for the betterment of the people, and Ibañez certainly doesn't shy away from calling it out on it's shit. She uses Inez as well as other characters to show what was really happening, and though it wasn't a huge part of the plot, I enjoyed that it was included and showed the reality of British colonization & how it brought nothing to the table, but managed to take plenty.

If you love a good dose of mythology in your stories you're going to love this. As someone who loved learning about Ancient Egypt in school I loved the deep dive we got into certain parts of their history, especially surrounding Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt. I loved how Ibañez managed to weave her magic system into the telling of this story. It added an emotional aspect, as well as some heightened tension, and I learnt some things about Cleopatra that I didn't know before... and I love learning new things in books! If learning about ancient cultures isn't your jam then you should still read this because the plot twists absolutely blew me away. I said before that Ibañez makes sure you're never sure who you can trust, and that's so true because she makes you spend so much of the book looking one way only to come in and whack you over the head with the most heartbreaking of plot twists, and just when you think it's over, she throws another one in right at the end.

If I had one, teeny tiny complaint it would be the pacing. The first part of the story doesn't move slowly in any way, but the last 25% or so of the book is so rapid and contains so many plot twists, heartbreaking scenes and revelations that my emotions and thoughts were all over the place by the end. There was a certain part of the book that I felt didn't need to happen, and it just seemed to be added to shock the readers, which is certainly did, but I still think the book would have been intense and emotional enough without it.

The romance was excellent. Enemies to lovers, grump/sunshine vibes and also a hint of forbidden/doomed romance. The interactions between these two characters had be split between cackling at their interactions and heartbreak at the idea of how it was going to end, but boy does Ibañez make the journey worthwhile. It's definitely got the romance vibes from The Mummy and Death on the Nile, so if you love those movies, there's a good chance you're going to love this too.

I didn't actually realise that this was the first book in a series, but after the ending I am desperate to get my hands on book two... talk about a cliffhanger. The last few lines broke me, and I couldn't believe that Ibañez would leave it where she did. If you like mythology, books filled with plot twists, heightened emotions, adventure and romance, you should definitely check this out.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy!

Actual rating: 3.75 ✨


What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez is the first book in a duology set in Egypt during the nineteenth century. It follows the story of Inez Olivera, a young woman who leaves Buenos Aires to uncover the mystery surrounding her parents’ deaths.
This book promised a mixture of The Mummy and Death on the Nile, a great premise that was only half-respected.

Inez is a nineteen-year-old girl ready to do anything it takes to discover what happened to her parents. Doomed to watch them travel to Egypt, leaving her behind, when Inez arrives in Cairo, countless secrets start unraveling before her eyes. And yet, her authoritarian uncle—her guardian after her parents’ disappearance— won’t help her find the truth and seems to hide more than Inez thought. A lost queen must be found. Another unexpected acquaintance tries to get in her way, Whitford Hayes is steeped in secrets and Inez wouldn’t leave them unsolved not even for all the gold in the world.

The bustling streets of Cairo, the enchanting Nile, and Philae Island filled with temples and hidden treasures give a familiar and suggestive atmosphere to the novel. That’s what caught my attention since the first page: it reminded me a lot of The Mummy, my favorite movie of all time. So, I couldn’t be more excited to read this book that promised to gift me something with similar vibes to this movie I loved with my whole heart. Unfortunately, even though the setting was well described and the surroundings almost made me dream, the similarities to The Mummy are few.

The author focused on the problem of the illegal export of cultural goods outside of Egypt. It’s something that I really care about and it’s always beautiful to read more books regarding such important but often ignored issues.
On the other hand, the magic system focuses on old magic soaking all sorts of items by giving them power. It isn’t fully explored and it’s only a means to Inez’s quest for the truth. I hoped it to be more present and relevant to the plot.

Inez is our main character. The whole book is written from her point of view except for some parts at the end of certain chapters that tell the story from Whit’s perspective.
She’s reckless and young, stubborn and committed. If I liked her during the first half of the book, my opinion changed as soon as she started making questionable choices that could have been safely avoided.

If Inez could be understood, Whit’s smugness and enigmatic behavior turned into something repetitive as the plot proceeded. I would have loved to read longer parts with his point of view because narrowing it down that much didn’t allow me to bond with him, leaving a lot of unanswered questions and a sense of dissatisfaction.

I expected to find more scenes regarding Ancient Egypt and Cleopatra, but the chapters related to her story and her burial site were hasty and almost devoid of pathos. She should have been extremely important to the plot— or at least that’s what I hoped—, and yet the historical part concerning Ancient Egypt has been of lesser importance in comparison to the mystery of the protagonist’s parents’ disappearance and all its consequences.

More mysteries pile up on Inez’s shoulders, but no character seems eager to help her and soothe her justified curiosity. After all, her parents are dead and she just wants to learn the truth, but no one considers her more than a nuisance. There’s a lot of miscommunication between the characters and if they just talked and aided each other, then things would have been different and easier. The author wanted to increase the stakes and build up the tension, yet it merely made me feel frustrated. If the characters had spoken more, a lot could have been avoided. Inez didn’t achieve anything important regarding her situation, she just created more problems and left them unsolved. This book has numerous questions left unaddressed and it gave a sense of incompleteness to the story.

What the River Knows has a lot of potential. While reading, I felt more the vibes of Death on the Nile than The Mummy, but this book remains very enjoyable and well-written. I will surely read the sequel for the epilogue left me completely speechless and I can’t wait to discover what has happened!

Received this as an ARC from Netgalley and it was not what I was expecting.

Firstly, the magical object aspect was confusing and not explained clearly. Secondly, I didn't enjoy the romance as much as I thought I would.

Compared to The Mummy, let this story down as it wasn't as action based as I'd like.

Overall, the plot, magic and romance between Inez and White were disappointing and lackluster.

What a setting! 19th century Egypt with tombs, mysteries, a unique magic system, Cleopatra, family secrets.... And, most of all, an FMC that is not naive, annoying or constantly making the wrong decisions (well, you could argue the latter... but you shouldn't lol), and many plot twists that left you screaming.
I loved everything about this set up, and I desperately wanted to make that journey down the Nile myself. The writing lets you immerse yourself in times long past with just enough fantasy elements to keep it interesting.
As the story moved on, I found myself being slightly disappointed, thinking that the two main mysteries (an archeological/magical one and a family-related one) could have a bit more depth and...well...mystery. However, at the end of the book (damn you, cliffhanger!) I am fully trusting it to come back big in the next book. And oh, I can't wait for the next book!
I wanted to give this four stars, but the cliffhanger bumped it up to just shy of a five star highlight.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

#netgalley #WhatTheRiverKnows

This story is everything I didn’t know I was missing!

The fact that even through Inez was shelter she still went to Egypt alone to figure out what happened to her parents was so courageous!!

I felt that Inez’s spirit was somewhat similar to Cleopatra. The betrayals, loss, and courage felt so similar to the last Queens as well as their independence, joy, courage, and hope.

The artwork in the book is beautiful.

I believe everyone needs to read this book when it comes it. It dazzles and it is magical!