When Inez receives word her parents have died in a tragic and mysterious way, she follows them across the world to the place that captured their hearts, and frequently left her alone to travel to… Egypt. She had heard so much about this mysterious and magical place, and after receiving a ring in the mail from her father, she realized the old world magic was real. Her parents had been on an expedition to find Cleopatras’ tomb, and she gets caught up in the search too while she investigates her parents’ deaths. But there is something sinister happening in Cairo, and she’s going to find out what it is!

I loved this!! I loved the setting, the little doses of magical realism, the Cleopatra mythology, the adventurer vibe throughout the book! I loved her banter with the MMC and how clever and fearless Inez was. The Mummy was one of my favorite movies growing up so I was so psyched when that was in the description. This was definitely a cute, cozy YA mystery book but one I’ll definitely be excited to read again! 4/5 stars!

Unfortunately time lapsed on this and I was unable to fit it into my reading schedule so I will have to refrain from commenting and reviewing on it.

This book blew me away. The writing is captivating and beautiful. I finished it within two days because I could not stop thinking about it. Since finishing this book I have been left yearning for the next one. The main character is strong and passionate and empowering and her romantic interest is complex and layered. Their banter is fantastic and well curated. I loved all the historical references and would recommend this book to romance readers and fantasy readers alike. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

This book had everything. ANCIENT EGYPT, family secrets, a smart and brave FMC, an MMC with a troubled past, dubious motives, and almost unhealthy heaps of tragedy that brought some very real feelings to the table. I was on the edge of my seat.

The felt like I was in Egypt making discoveries alongside the characters and could feel the dust and heat and fear and longing that plagued Inez. Ibanez always does a fantastic job setting a scene and a story, and the world building around magic felt so very subtle that you could see the artifacts actually existing here.

I usually have a really hard time with books that set out to break my heart over and over, but the raw emotions made the spicy, dramatic bits all the more delicious, and the pull between Inez and Whit is what kept me going. I definitely will need to pick up the sequel asap, but I am not sure I can let Ibanez keep breaking my heart yet. I know the adventure isn’t over for me, though, and there is still so much to discover!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this eARC to review. All thoughts are my own.

5/5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book. Although I didn't use my ARC copy (I've been under extreme time constraints for months now), I absolutely ADORED the audiobook narrator. She really brought our main character to life, and brought so much emotion into the story. This was such a fun ride, and had so many twists that I wasn't anticipating in the slightest (other than Inez's mom being SKETCHYYYYY. I can't wait to start the next book, because I NEED answers on where the heck her father is (he HAS to still be alive), and I need to know what the HECK my sweet baby Whit is doing cuz honey you canNOT BE A TRAITOR ISTG.

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀🥀/5 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌: Adventurous

𝒯𝒶𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑒: A divine exploration. A deadly secret. A desire she can’t escape.

𝒪𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒾𝓃𝑒: A letter changed my life.

HUGE thank you to St. Martin's Publishing for the ARC!

Let me tell you—𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈 felt like it was written just for the little girl in me who was obsessed with Egypt. I mean, we’re talking full-blown, shrine-in-my-room, memorizing-hieroglyphics, daydreaming-about-excavations obsessed. If it had tombs, mummies, or even a whisper of an ancient curse, I was all in. So naturally, when I heard about this book—historical fantasy set in Egypt, with a fierce heroine and Mummy-esque vibes? Say less.

The Good:
✨ Egyptian Setting & Atmosphere – Isabel Ibañez nails the immersive, sun-drenched beauty of Egypt. The descriptions are lush, the history woven in seamlessly, and I could practically smell the spice in the air. It had that grand adventure feel I crave in a story like this.

✨ Fiery, Determined Heroine – Inez is the kind of protagonist I love. Smart, headstrong, a little reckless—but in the best way. She isn’t content with being sidelined and takes fate into her own hands, which made for an exciting, unpredictable journey.

✨ Slow-Burn, Banter-Filled Romance – The tension? The banter? The grumpy x sunshine dynamic with Whit? YES, PLEASE. Their chemistry gave me life, and I was so here for their reluctant partnership turning into something more.

The Not-So-Good:
⚡ Slow Start – The first few chapters took a little while to really grab me, but once the story found its stride, I was hooked.

⚡ Her neglectful parents – I was soo annoyed with them for always leaving her behind like she was a second thought to them.

Overall, 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈 was a mesmerizing, adventure-filled journey with a fearless heroine, an intoxicating setting, and just the right amount of magic. It transported me straight back to my childhood dreams of exploring ancient tombs and uncovering lost secrets. If you’re a fan of The Mummy (1999), rich historical fantasy, and a romance that simmers beneath the desert sun, this is for you.

Happy Reading!
Ashley
www.TheTatteredPage.com

The first of this book had me in such a grip! The pacing of it kept me interested and I did not want to put it down. Then I hit the second part and had such a hard time fighting through it. I loved the world and will absolutely read the sequel because WOW what an ending!

Beautiful writing and even more beautiful story! I loved the Egyptian history and the mystery! This was a rivals to lovers and a YA read with forbidden romance. I really just loved this book so much!

I adored everything about this book. The characters are engaging, the plot is twisty and exciting, it felt like a ll my favourite genres rolled into one... and side note, the cover is gorgeous! Once I started this one, I couldn't put it down... and then had to wait way too long for the next in the series to come in from the library. After reading, I added a copy to my staff favourites shelf at my bookstore and ordered a copy for my forever shelf at home - that's how good it is!

I wanted to enjoy this book very badly. The premise sounded right up my ally. However, there were multiple aspects that fell short. First, it took me a significant amount of time to get into the plot of the book. I found the main character to be quite annoying and dislikable and I think it's hard for me to get past that because I'm a big character person when it comes to books. Maybe the MC was too young of a voice and naive for my liking. I don't recall any of the side characters whatsoever. I also found the flow of the book to be choppy and difficult to follow at times. The way in which the historical and cultural aspects of the books were weaved in almost felt info dumpy because it didn't add anything to the book for me (which is unfortunate because I was excited about that aspect of the book to get a better understanding of Egypt and the culture). Finally, the magical elements of the book fell flat for me as well. It felt as though the author didn't put too much thought into the magic system and just sprinkled it into parts of the book with no intention. All in all, I think there was a lot of potential in this book, however it ended up falling a little flat.

This book was really fun, and although I didn’t read the ARC on time, I did purchase and finish this book and have the sequel on the shelf! TWISTY!!

I was SO excited when I got approved for this. I am obsessed with anything & everything related to Egyptian culture. I loved Inez & Whit’s characters so much. I was completely enthralled from start to finish. I look forward to reading the sequel. What an excellent book!! I’ll be recommending this to all my readers!

I love The Mummy, so I was very excited to read this one, but sadly I was let down. It was so very slow that I had a hard time feeling invested. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and didn't enjoy the romance. I did like the Egypt setting, but this one was overhyped for me unfortunately.

I was so drawn into the Egyptian history in this book! As the first book in a new series, this one will leave you with more questions than answers, but it sets up the setting and the characters very well for the remainder of what I hope will at least be a trilogy because I want to spend more time in this world and with these characters.

This book has a little bit of something for everyone. There's historical fiction, a little fantasy, mystery, and even a romance.

Great book that I recommend to all!

DNF at 6%

I read the first chapter of this and it made me realize that while this is a premise that I am absolutely feral for, the young adult genre version of this story is not one that I'm going to resonate with. While it is good to realize when a story is not for me, I do not want to try and push through only to give this book a bad review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This book was such a slow-burn that turned into an inferno of action! Similar enough to The Mummy to give me all the feels, but more emotional and with a more immersive style. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Everything about the description of this book pulled me in, but the start was very slow. I had a hard time connecting with the characters at first, and it took awhile to get into the story. I wasn't fully sold until about halfway through when the plot started to thicken and the action picked up a bit. This was a story of sections - in the first third of the book I wasn't all that interesting and it was slow-going, the second third of the book starts to pick up in plot and you start to get invested in the characters a bit more, and the last third of the book absolutely blows you away!

Honestly, if the book would have been as enthralling as the last third, this would have been a five star. But it just took me way too long to get invested in the characters and story. But that last 33%....just wow. I am almost glad that I waited to read this one because the sequel is already out, and I can quickly jump in to see what happens!

I would recommend this book to a lot of people. The world was rich and the plot just kept getting better and better. The mix of historical fiction and fantasy was perfect for the plot. I really can't wait to pick up the next one!

Isabel’s work was first previously featured right here on The Erudite Bibliophile with Wanderlust, with her TOGETHER WE BURN novel, which gained her a fan and spot on an author to watch/ future read list. Her latest releases are part of a YA historical fantasy duology, the first of which is WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS. Not only is this Ibañez’s first foray into the historical fantasy genre, but it is also her first dual POV storyline and duology. She delights readers with several of her own illustrations scattered throughout the book as well as by also including an Egyptian timeline with personally drawn map and author’s note outlining the historical events, figures, and foundations that are the basis of this story. Readers will be enraptured by the world they fall into crafted by Ibañez, filled with lush sensory details, captivating characters, intriguing mysteries, and the lure of uncovering the trail of buried Egyptian treasured artifacts and tombs of epic notables like the last pharaoh, Cleopatra. Amidst a weaved web of deception, unknowns, and adventure lies an undeniable magnetic romance in this story that sets the two main protagonists ablaze, all while they go through their own transformative self journeys. Ibañez also leaves her own unique signature mark of magic and mysticism infused throughout the book, casting a spellbound beyond-the-realm glow throughout the pages as the story unfolds. There is no doubt why this novel made multiple bestseller lists and is leaving readers clamoring to start the next installment in the Secrets of the Nile duology: WHERE THE LIBRARY HIDES (stay tuned for a future feature post regarding book 2)! WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS is part of the physical culmination of an author’s childhood dream of being an Egyptologist blooming into their realized fascination of Egyptian exploration with a 3 week long research trip atop the waters of the Nile and through the storied temples of thousands of years past. The resultant novel is a gift to Isabel the child and Isabel the writer that the rest of us get to benefit in with its success and its reading.

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS is a mysterious, atmospheric tale with pages filled with adventure and magic in which a girl and heiress sets sail to Egypt under false pretenses on a mission to investigate the deaths of her parents. Each year Inez's parents left her alone to travel to assist her uncle with his archaeology expeditions looking for magic artifacts. Wealthy in worldly goods, Inez wished for the one thing she couldn't have - her parents. And now they've disappeared. Guided by a magical ring sent to her by her father, Inez refuses to let her uncle and handsome assistant Whit discourage her or send her home. Eventually, Whit joins her on a mission in search of Cleopatra's tomb and with her newly discovered powers that push ahead. The author takes some time to build the tension and chemistry between Inez and Whit but the pace increases as the story unfolds through alternating points of view. With danger, secrets and lies hidden around every turn, it's a race against time.

Author Isabel Ibanez does an outstanding job of weaving historical facts from the nineteenth century into a magical, mysterious historical fantasy with larger than life characters. The cliffhanger ending leaves readers begging for the next book. Highly recommended to fans of historical fiction and fantasy with a touch of romance.

I enjoyed this book so much! I think this is the author's best writing yet. There is Egyptian history at the center of the storyline with magic woven into it. The witty banter and slow-burn romance between Inez and Whit is fun to follow along with, while trying to figure out the mystery of who he is. Speaking of mystery, just when you think you have something figured out and which characters to trust, a major plot twist happens; and you wonder again who Inez can really trust. The ending will leave readers excited for the sequel.

I found What the River Knows to be a light-hearted and engaging read, ending on a cliff-hanger that compels me to read the second book soooooon! Somewhat glad that I delayed reading and the second book is already out. I really enjoyed the historical fantasy, the culture, the banter between characters, and the back and forth on questioning who is actually the bad guy in this one?