What the River Knows is a historical fantasy novel set in late 1800’s Egypt. It defiantly has The Mummy vibes. The actual fantasy aspect of this book is fairly minimal, as magic only clings to old objects in this version of history. However, I found it works satisfactorily because the magic didn’t overpower the importance of the setting and the archaeology. This book had a great mix of adventure, history, and romance that I loved. If you’re looking for a fun YA fantasy, then this book is for you.

This was such a fun book taking place in Egypt! Although this has conversations of colonialism, I did enjoy seeing cultures mix and reading different languages and just warmed my little traveler, modern day heart. There was a lot in this story I really enjoyed from the setting and atmosphere beautifully colored to the fun banter between Inez and Whit to the magic system and mystery. All around this was so much fun, I only wished I loved all of the characters more and the general plot. My biggest issue was the tension and doubt never landed on me the way they were intended which made those particular experiences a little less fun. A few times I found myself bored and ready for more to happen but once things picked back up I was giggling, kicking my feet and enjoying my time. I cannot say it enough I loved this world and setting, the mix of fantasy and history. Learning real events in a fun way AND THAT ENDING!?

Pub date: 10/31/23
Genre: YA, historical fiction, magical realism
Quick summary: Inez lives a charmed life in Buenos Aires while her parents explore and excavate in Cairo - until their deaths bring her to Egypt and she starts to untangle the mysteries of their lives.

This book had so much intrigue and so many twists, and the last page of the epilogue shocked me! I enjoyed the armchair travel to 19th century Cairo and seeing the city through Inez's eyes. It became clear that she was in over her head, and I loved seeing her spar (and flirt) with Whit and try to unravel her uncle's secrets and true intentions. I paired my e-ARC with a library audiobook, and I really enjoyed both formats. This is a strong start to the duology!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez is set in late-19th century Cairo, Egypt, and the historical setting and archaeological aspects featured in this novel were some huge standouts! I love it when an author has the ability to bring the story to life in a way that feels tangible, and I was fully immersed in this one.

I absolutely adored our main characters. The FMC, Inez Olivera, is strong-willed and refreshingly open and forthcoming. She's a great contrast to the enigma that is one Whitford Hayes. The tension between the two of them was so delightful and could be cut with a knife.

The last 25-30% of this book was a wild ride! And I audibly gasped, screamed, and reread that ending over and over. I will not know peace until I have the next book in my hands!

4.5/5 stars

I think that the plot was good, the setting was very good, and the magic was interesting. But for me the characters seemed off, the romance didn't hit or make very much sense within the plot for me. Overall I wanted to like it more than I did, but am still excited for the sequel

I am obsessed with this book cover it’s beautiful, and the words inside are beautiful too. The descriptions and setting made feel like I was back in time on the Nile with Inez,

I loved the mystery of trying to figure out what happened to Inez’s parents and the twists.
I loved Inez and Whit’s banter and their flirtation. I loved the magical aspect and wanted a lot more of that.

There are a few things I did not love. This reads more like historical fiction than fantasy, I needed more magic. Inez was sometimes great, fierce and independent, and other times more on the annoying side and too naive and rash. There is a storyline that happens near the end that I disliked. I found the ending confusing but it is working because I am still thinking about it and I want the next book yesterday.

Overall it’s a good story, but I wish there was more magic.

I wanted to love this, I really did, but this was just not the book for me - 2.5 stars

The story centers around Inez’s trip to Egypt, to feel closer to the parents she’s just lost - and it turns into a romantic fantasy meets mystery novel.

The marketing of this as ‘The Mummy’ meets ‘Death on the Nile’ honestly does a disservice to what this story is trying to do. It felt distracting to the characters - I was constantly comparing Inez and Whit to Eve and Rick - and the characters in this story simply did not live up to their level of chemistry

What I feel was done really well with this was the atmospheric writing, the scenes and setting were described in such detail it was incredibly easy to picture the character's environment. Ibañez also took great care with the historical accuracy of the time period and setting within Egypt.

The pacing was the largest contributor to its downfall for me. Everything unraveled far too slowly; the romance, the story, the mystery - every time some new piece of evidence was unveiled, or there was an inch gained with the romantic relationship, things immediately went cold again.

The narrative surrounding the relationship between Inez and Whit also felt a bit overdone at times- there would be a scene that would clearly display Whit softening emotionally towards Inez, but then this gesture would be cheapened by over-telling experienced with Inez’s inner dialogue. Whit’s character is meant to come across as “cool”, described through a lot of nonchalant body language - but to me, it just wedged too large of a divide in the tension between the two.

A massive thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGally for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy rollercoaster of emotions!! This was such a whirlwind fantasy adventure story that kept me guessing the entire time I was reading. I never knew where the plot was going to take me and the plot twists in this book were earning their paycheck bc they were plot twisting!!

I also loved the historical setting so much! I'm not one to read historical fiction on its own, but pairing it with a sub-genre like fantasy and romance, and i'm locked in! I also loved that the majority of the book was set in Egypt treasure hunting, it gave me big "The Mummy (1999)" vibes that warmed my nostalgic heart.

The cute hate to love/bad first impressions forbidden romance subplot was so good wow, I can't wait for more development in that front in the sequel.

Overall, this was such a fun story and I can't wait to pick up the sequel after that cliffhanger!!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Really fun idea. Love the different cultures from our main character and the setting in Egypt. Honestly, this book kept being recommended as giving The Mummy energy—which, yes but more loosely. When this book was recommended to me I thought it was more adult. I tend to veer away from YA because it has a different style of writing, characterization, and plot: but overall I think this is a great YA story.

A novel that blends ancient Egyptian mythology, historical fiction and romance, This book was a page-turner, one I couldn't put down. Highly recommended.

Inez is devastated to learn her archeologist parents have died in Egypt. Determined to find out what happens to them, she leaves Argentina for Egypt, joining up with her uncle and his crew who are trying to locate Cleopatra’s tomb.

Overall, I liked this one! It is the first in a new series, so if you are impatient with cliffhangers, wait to read this one until the second one is out. I liked the magic here, but I wish there was more! It was such a small part of this overall, with a bit more toward the end. I also think there could have been less angst in Inez’s chapters when it came to Whit. Despite that though, I thought the plot and pacing were good. Ibañez does a good job getting you attached to characters quickly so betrayal hurts. Can’t wait for the next one!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this. If I didn’t obtain a copy through NetGalley, I probably would not have finished it.
I had a hard time connecting with the setting. I did, however, become interested at different points. The way the book ended on a cliffhanger will definitely draw many readers back into the series for part two.
I honestly disliked more parts than I liked. But I will be tempted to know how the story progresses in the next addition.
Obviously a conflicted review. 😬
But honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the chance to preview this book.

Oh my gosh. This book hit me in the heart and then in the gut. I cannot recommend it enough.

To be fair, this is the first YA fantasy I have read. But it feels even more special because of it!

Inez is such a firecracker of a character. Embarking from Argentina to Egypt to find out the truth about her parents "double life", she finds more than what she planned for. She is greeted by a guardian sent by her uncle, who also happens to be handsome and mysterious. From there, the story takes so many twists and turns, there's never a dull moment!

I've always been a little nervous to jump into the world of fantasy so if you are anything like me, this is a great entry book. There are some magical elements but it reads so seamlessly.

If I could rate this book higher than five stars, I would! Even though I got an advanced copy, the good news is that it is already out!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this so much! I loved the setting, the era, and the sassiness that was Inez! I enjoyed the historical history that was woven into the 19th century, and with a hint of magic. I loved that the romance wasn't the center point and felt the mystery was the perfect added touch.

Also, that ending! Was a shocker! I can't wait for book two and will be recommending this one to anyone looking for a perfectly paced historical romance mystery!

What The River Knows came into the world this week and it’s a must read if you love fantasy with a rich historical setting, romance & mystery!

The characters (everyone is so well written) and the setting were pure magic (19th century Egypt - I didn’t know I needed a book written here)! I loved the strength that Inez exhibits through out even when circumstances throw her!

This book was a joy to read, from the first chapter I was completely drawn into this gloriously beautiful story… right up until the end! Wow, that ending … just wow! Let me just say you are gonna love it!

I cannot wait for book two!

The premise of this book is so cool but the execution fell a little flat for me. It may be bc it's a YA book, but I found the story predictable and the characters pretty standard fare. I did like the book overall, with the imagery of both Egypt and the historial finds there, threaded through with a bit of magic and intrigue. The romance subplot was nicely done, with both MCs fighting to keep their distance while in close quarters and dangerous situations. Tbh I wasn't particularly planning to read the second until a good twist at the end changed my mind.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
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Inez is a young lady who has everything she wants, except her parents. They spend most of their time in Egypt searching for artifacts. When she hears they are dead, she travels to Egypt to find answers.
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This book is being marketed as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, and I LOVED The Mummy so I had to read it.

And I struggled to get through this book. I think it was a case of I should have waited to read it at a different time and I was not in the mood for it.
From the moment Inez arrived in Egypt I was STRESSED. She kept making bad choices and her uncle and his employee kept treating her so disdainfully. It was pretty infuriating.
So every time I put this book down I did not want to pick it back up because everytime I did I would just get upset.
I kept on, reading it in very bite size morsels. And I couldn’t put it down for the last 30% of the book, it got really good.

Then I got to the last chapter.

What the heck was that ending??!!??!??!!???!!
It was just rude. 😒😒😒😒😒

Now I am on the hook to read the second book.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read this book. Since childhood, I have always enjoyed adventure stories set in historical times. I highly recommend this those looking for a cozy adventure story with some surprising twists, cute romance and a touch of magic.

Inez Olivera, is a young woman, who receives news about the tragic death of her parents in Egypt. She decides to go to Egypt to find some answers about her parents. The author provides the reader with an adventure in 1880’s Egypt during a time when people were competing with eachother to find the lost treasures of Ancient Egypt. The author places some real life historical figures of the time into the narrative to provide readers with a basic understanding of the social issues of the times. Though the book did not go into a detailed description of the historical events of Ancient Egypt, the book does provide readers with an introductory level understanding of Ancient Egypt. If you do not know a lot about Ancient Egypt, this is a great book to start reading.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I totally forgot I have to leave a review for this because I just thought I was reading a book I owned for fun haha.

I have many many thoughts on this book. I do feel like the plot was a little disjointed at times and very much took too long occasionally to get to the point

BUT I liked the vibe, giving mummy/jungle cruise vibes. The betrayals around every corner really had me screaming ESPECIALLY that epilogue. How could you put me through this Isabel Ibanez!! I am in PAIN!!


The romance felt a little weird and now I completely understand why after finishing. Ugh. This was a really fun and well done story. I can’t wait for the next one.

I have to be honest here, I wanted to love this book; I really did. I was excited for the Mummy feels that I got at the beginning. Olivia seemed like an interesting character. The exposition with her aunt and cousins sets us up well. Then she goes to Egypt and things start out okay with Whit and her sparring. It felt very much like the two main characters in The Mummy movie, at first. However, at the 30% point I was over it. Olivia is not my idea of an empowered female. Her refusing, petulantly, I might add, to do what’s asked of her repeatedly doesn’t make her empowered. Then we find out Whit is engaged and she continues to harbor feelings for him and gets annoyed at him for not returning those feelings. And she’s known him for all of a week and is in love with him? Talk about insta-love. In addition, her immediate need to inwardly think about how attractive he is all the time is just annoying to listen to after awhile. She just started to feel really pathetic to me, chasing after a guy she hardly knows and who often treats her with disinterest or even disdain, he occasionally sides with her with the uncle but really, come on. Plus the magic system was confusing and also seemed unnecessary. It seemed like we could have gotten to the same conclusion with or without it. I just wish this book didn’t feel like one tired trope after another, but it did. It seemed like the author got sort of tired of writing it, because the writing felt like it went downhill as the book progressed. I’m sad, because I was really looking forward to it and it started out promising but became a chore. If you’re going to do things that have been done, they need to be done well and have something all their own. This did not for me. It has a beautiful cover and was a great premise; it just fell very short of what it could have been. Even so, there are those who may really love this, so that’s great. I’ve just read A LOT of fantasy and romantasy, and for me this one is much like many others I’ve read and a bit mediocre. I’ll give Ibanez another try, because I think she has good ideas. I just hope her next is executed better.