This book was a solid 4 stars until the last 10%! The epilogue?! 5 stars. So many twists and turns and all set in 1888 Egypt. I’m impatiently waiting on the second book now, ahh!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC! Fans of Rebecca Ross will enjoy this book by Isabel Ibañez! There’s a dedication to Rebecca Ross that I was surprised to see at the beginning, didn’t know they were critique partners but I suppose talent attracts talent ◡̈

Really enjoyed reading this story, I sped through it. Every time I was called away from the book, I was so eager to jump right back into the story even though the series of misfortune events had me stressing. The fast pacing kept me on my toes but my goodness…my girl Inez could not catch a break. I was so mad at everyone who mistreated and betrayed her >:( I admired Inez’s driving curiosity and tenacity to find out the truth at all costs and loved her forbidden romance with Whit. I enjoyed reading Whit’s POV and seeing him resist falling in love with Inez. I laughed aloud at the many times Inez showed up and shocked Whit when she wouldn’t just sit by quietly and wait like he expected from a proper young lady. Their tension, banter, and begrudging admiration had me squealing and wishing for more chemistry.

I was very intrigued by the Egyptian myths and magic imbedded in the story, along with world-building descriptions of the land as the crew excavated buried secrets. The only part that I didn’t love was the ending and the fate of someone close to Inez, not because of any writing flaw, but because the scene just broke my heart and seemed like a senseless end, which I get is the whole point but I’m still upset over it :( The cliffhanger ending had me screaming since I had no idea this was a series. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next book to read what happens next!

I wanted so badly to love this book but overall I found it exceptionally lackluster. The comparison to "The Mummy" did not help this title as it failed to deliver on almost everything that makes "The Mummy" such an iconic story. The first half of the book dragged while the second felt disjointed as we rushed from one event to another. The magic system was ill-defined and many of the twists happened so suddenly they felt forced. I struggled with Ines's constant recklessness and inability to stop and think for a moment. Whit's perspective never seemed to add anything. As for the romance between Ines and Whit, it felt just as disjointed as the rest of the story. I was exceptionally disappointed in the fridging of Elvira as well. The biggest positive this book had going for it was the diversity and commentary on colonialism.

Rating: Absolutely Loved It, 5 stars

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez follows Inez Olivares, the daughter of a wealthy couple in Buenos Aires who spend half the year every year in Egypt. She longs to join them and is awaiting a response to her latest letter asking to join them when instead she receives a letter explaining that her parents are, in fact, dead. Inez makes the decision to sneak away and make her way to Egypt so she can understand what really happened to her parents and better understand the world that called them away from her year after year. She finds herself wrapped up in a mystery that is far bigger than she originally expected, and also much more dangerous.

I had a fantastic time with this book. It is definitely historical fantasy, set in 1800s Egypt but with magic woven into the world. I am not super familiar with this period of time, but it felt well researched and like a well-realized world. The descriptions of food were absolutely heavenly and left me feeling hungry as I read!

I was completely wrapped up in the story that Isabel Ibañez was telling. I loved the intrigue and adventure, piecing things together along with Inez. I loved that we got to follow her. She is headstrong and naive, but she is also plucky, quick on her feet, and incredibly courageous. I greatly enjoyed her as a character. I also really loved Whit! I loved the small pieces at the end of several chapters, told from his perspective. He is a mystery, but it was so fun to learn more about him and glimpse more facets of his personality. I felt like the chemistry between the two was really well-written. It's definitely slow burn, and they start out disliking each other, but it never felt like true dislike. Just a poor foot that they started out on and then continued in for a while!

I also thought that the plotline with the archeology was absolutely fascinating. Inez's Tio Ricardo is searching for Cleopatra's lost tomb, and I loved going along on that journey. I also felt like his and his business partner, Abdullah;s, storylines brought up an important topic of the colonization and subsequent loss of a nation's historical record to plundering and looting. I am very intrigued to see where we will go next.

Overall, it was such a fun book to read and I am already greatly anticipating the sequel. I thought that the mystery was pretty compelling, even though the ultimate answer was not particularly shocking. I did enjoy some of the twists, although several at the end, while executed well, were not to my liking because they caused ~eMoTiOnS~

It ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, and it is one where I can either see the next book going off brilliantly, or a lot of things falling apart. I am choosing to trust that it will be just as good as this one though! I cannot wait for the sequel!

Overall, I had a fantastic time with What the River Knows and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. What the River Knows releases on October 31, 2023.

This was such a wonderfully atmospheric ride down the Nile River set in late 19th Egypt. It honestly made me desperate for more books like this. 🌊

I thought the historical side of the book was beautifully done with amazing attention to the architecture, food, culture, and people. The adventure element did not disappoint as Inez goes from site to site, and man did the last 20% of the book feel like a crazy ride. I also found the magic system nicely tied into the world and didn’t feel out of place like some historical fantasy books. 🐊

As much as the plot was incredibly fascinating, I found Inez to be a bit frustrating at times as the MC and narrator. She’s resourceful and plucky for sure, but her black and white view of people was honestly hard to take at times. Granted, she was a rather sheltered high-society raised girl, but still: how can you be so naive and trusting with people? 😬

Whit as a love interest was at first rather infuriating, but I came to really like his snark and wit (no pun intended). His backstory was very moving and I can see how this can change someone fundamentally. 😢

I have seen this book described as a slow burn YA romance, but in my opinion, it’s more forced proximity kind of romance. 🖤

In the end, I thought it was a fun The-Mummy-like adventure, but with stubborn teenagers. As I said before, the last 20% of the book was a WILD ride, and the epilogue did boost its overall rating up because of how jarred I felt with the realization of it all. 😦

Thank you again to @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for sending this eARC in exchange for an honest review, and to @isabelwriter09 for writing a fantastic adventure set in historical Egypt! 🌴

Publication date: October 31! 🎃

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️

Surprisingly, this book was very middle of the road, there were things I liked and an equal amount of things I disliked. I may have gone into this with too high of an expectation though, as the author's previous book, 'Together We Burn', was a 5 star read for me.

Liked: historical Egypt setting, magical realism, nice writing style.

Disliked: Inez (I found her childish, immature, and naive), the romance (I didn't feel the chemistry), cliffhanger ending (Like 'Together We Burn', I thought this was going to be a standalone novel, some sort of heads up in the book summary would have been nice)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is like reading Divine Rivals if you could trust absolutely NO ONE. I really liked the setting, and the plot was mystery on mystery on mystery. Inez as a main character is very likable and you can’t help but root for her, even if I am very unsure about literally every other character in the book. The prose was generally fine with a few clunky spots and a handful of times where I had to go back and reread to figure out who was talking.

I was pretty devastated that it ended on a cliffhanger since I thought the book was a stand alone though.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this book! I really enjoyed reading this book, more than I anticipated. I did have a few complaints, but overall I had fun reading this story and I read it in just a few days.

This story follows Inez who lives in Argentina with her aunt and cousins due to her parents continued absence in Egypt. Inez then gets a letter stating that her parents are presumed dead. Inez then wants to know what happened to them so she goes to her Uncle in Egypt to join him in his search for Egyptian artifacts while she tries to search for answers. Inez is constantly trying to not get sent home by her Uncle and his who team is trying to keep secrets from her; including the apparent love interest of Whit. Whit is a part of her Uncle’s team who also has secrets of his own.

This was the type of story where I kept wanting to know what was going on, and by the end of the book I was disappointed that I still do not really know what all the secrets are and the ones I thought I did also were unraveled with more. This is definitely not a standalone and while I do not mind cliffhangers, this cliffhanger felt very frustrating especially after what happened the page before it.

I enjoyed Whit and Inez together, I found Whit to be an interesting character and I am curious to learn more about him, but I did get tired of their repetitive moments; there were times where they had the same conversations over and over and it felt like the relationship building between them was more forced than genuine.

My main reason for not rating this higher was mainly my frustrating with the main character. Inez is really trusting and naïve and it can get a frustrating. There was one scene in the beginning of the book when someone steals something from her and it happened in such a frustrating and obvious way, I was so annoyed I had to put the book down for a day. Luckily her character does improve, but she does get swindled in other scenes as well…

While I did find the main character frustrating at times, I did enjoy reading this and because of that, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fun read with an enjoyable romance plotline with it. I do wish the other books were out when I read this story, but I do think I would reread this when the other books do come out because I did find this read to be enjoyable.

This book started so good, I was intrigued by the mystery and loved the magical realism. Unfortunately it started feeling very repetitive. The details and long conversations got tiring and it started to feel very young and I lost interest.

I wanted to love this book. I am a super fan of the movie The Mummy and just recently watched Death on the Nile. So I would say I had some expectations when going into the book. Would I say I was let down because of my expectations? Yes, yes I was. I may have enjoyed it more if my expectations weren’t so high.

First off, I did love how this was set in Egypt. Being a lover of Egypt since I was young, I certainly enjoyed the setting this book was placed in. I really love Inez. Such a brave character that regardless of her situation, she pursues to find the answers she is looking for. She wouldn’t take no for an answer even though women in that time period did get that choice.

I love the idea of this being historical fiction with a hint of magic in the ancient Egypt artifacts. It gives a hint of whimsy in a setting set in the past.

The things I didn’t like too much without ruining the story for other readers.

I didn’t get a lot of magic. It was just a touch of those elements that left me wanting more of it.
The pacing was slow in this one. Nothing was really happening throughout the book. Yes, there were some dangerous elements to it. But it was few and far between. This storyline just dragged and wasn’t exciting.

Yes, there was a mystery behind her parent's death but there wasn’t much of Inez actually solving that mystery. There was a lot of I am not going to tell you what happened and her figuring out the mystery only because someone finally gave her some details. It was infuriating that a mystery wasn’t really being solved. It was just people constantly telling her that they were not going to tell her anything and her eventually getting details over time.

Now, I didn’t get The Mummy vibes other than this taking place in Egypt. I wasn’t fully convinced of the chemistry between Whit and Inez. Their conversations were between them, “I am not going to tell you,” “That's not true,” “I trust that person” and “Don’t call me by my surname.” Over and over again. No real depth to their conversations that left me wondering why they were drawn together. I wasn’t convinced basically.

All in all, if I didn’t see that this is compared to The Mummy, I may have enjoyed it more.

I need the sequel NOW. I absolutely loved this story! I grew up watching The Mummy and this gave me all the vibes. Inez is a great MC, I found her to be bold and daring, and just enjoyable! I loved the world building, little bits of magic and witty banter throughout. I will be eagerly awaiting for the next book.

What the River knows by Isabel Ibañez is a delightful opening book for a duology that will pull you in from line one.
What I loved
-Strong female lead with deeply personal stakes in solving the main mystery of the novel
-believable dialogue expertly utilized to keep a fast paced and engagi9ng narrative

What Didn't work for me as well
- The cliff hanger ending came across as more than slightly confusing and is likely to turn off readers if the time between book one and book two is overly long

Who this is a perfect Book for
Fans of the Mummy movie franchise and readers of thrillers such as the James Bond books will find themselves at home in What the River Knows.

This book has literally everything I love in books. interesting magic system, swoony romance, enchanting prose. but let me tell you the cliff hanger on the end of this book had be spiraling for ions. (Some say she is spiraling still and may be spiraling until book 2 is in her gruppy little hands) Please do yourself a favor and buy yourself this book.... and probably also buy one for everyone you know for a holiday present!!

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Secrets of the Nile duology. I got a copy of this through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This was well done but different than I was expecting. I was expecting more of an adventure feel to the story. Instead this is more about a girl attempting to track down her lost parents in Egypt and unravel a plot around a group selling stolen Egyptian antiquities.

Inez receives news that her parents have died while in Egypt. She decides to venture out to Egypt on her own to find out the truth about their deaths/disappearance. Once there, she finds out her uncle and parents were connected to schemes around stealing Egyptian artifacts for profit. When it becomes clear that her life is at risk, she is forced to unravel all these mysteries and hunt down the truth.

I love stories set in Egypt and would have liked a bit more description on the surroundings so I could have pictured them better. I did really enjoy the historical information around Britain's invasion of Egypt.

I also enjoyed the subtle magic woven throughout and the two main characters, Inez and Whit. There is a romance between Inez and Whit which was well done.

I do wish the world had been built out a bit better. There is some discussion around how magic used to be done and how it's still present in objects, but this idea kind of pops in and out of the story and is never fully developed.

I also did not realize this was part of a series. This book ends at a horrible cliffhanger that was pretty confusing. I re-read the last part a few times trying to figure out what I was missing because I didn't really understand the last few scenes. I see now that this is the first book in a duology, but still don't understand the ending to this book.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this but thought it was also a bit flawed. I enjoyed the Egyptian setting, the hints of magic in the world, and the two main characters. I would have liked more solid world building and description and better resolution at the end of the book. I also felt like the writing could have flowed better. I am on the fence about whether or not I will continue the series at this point.

Amidst the lush backdrop of nineteenth-century Cairo, Inez Olivera sets out on a quest to learn more about her mysterious uncle and find out what happened to her parents. Are they really dead or just missing? Upon her arrival, she is thwarted by her uncle's cocky and egotistical assistant, Whit. Old world magic is swirling around the story of Inez's parents' disappearance and may just point to Cleopatra's long-lost tomb. What secrets will Inez discover, and will her uncle and Whit help or hinder her?

What The River Knows is a captivating and intriguing delve into Egyptian history with elements of romance, mythology. fantasy, and magic! The historical setting was atmospheric and lush, and the deep-dive into real-word events and people in Egypt during that time period was very interesting! The old world magic system was well-crafted, but really had me wanting more. Objects with useful spells on them, including a sandal that lights up and a scarf that produces boiling water, were super neat! But I really wanted more in terms of the spellcraft and how those objects came to be. The memories Inez had of Cleopatra crafting spells gave us a glimpse into that, but I hope that is delved into a bit more in the sequel!

I really loved the relationship drama and the mystery into Ricardo, Inez's uncle, and Whit, Ricardo's assistant. The cast of characters was well-rounded and all had their own air of mystery surrounding them, which really had me guessing the whole time! We're really tugged right into the story with Inez as to who to trust.

Inez is characterized as a confident and tenacious woman who will not rest until she seeks out the truth; a voracious intellectual with strong opinions and a curious nature, I fell in love with her instantly. The fact that she constantly kept everyone on their toes as to how she would behave made this such a fun read! Whit is first portrayed as a cocky and egotistical ass. So Whit and Inez's first meeting... instant chemistry. Their banter right from the get-go was immaculate, and I just eat that up! Give me all the banter! He is definitely a morally gray character, which instantly endeared me to him, because who doesn't love morally gray love interests!? He's characterized as especially duty-driven, but loyal to who and to what end? Inez having to observe his mannerisms and interactions and read between the lines of their conversations and really pick out things about him that he wasn't necessarily trying to outwardly portray really plunges the reader right into her falling in love with him. We kind of fall in love with him as Inez does, and I loved that. I did feel the "love story" was a bit fast, but it made sense for Inez's character, with her constantly cooped up when living with her aunt and being told to behave in certain ways and who she was going to marry eventually. Ultimately, I love their banter and the romance between them; I definitely felt the chemistry, and I can't wait to see what happens between them.

Whit's (very few) POV scenes were confusing but enlightening at the same time. I liked the small (miniscule) glances into what he was doing and how he was really feeling, and it REALLY sets the pace for the next book. HELLO CLIFFHANGER. I needed a warning for that. I literally yelled out loud during the epilogue, and I cannot wait for the next book. Considering I DID NOT KNOW this was a series, I was super nervous during part four, thinking HOW can this be wrapped up in the next 20% of this book? But it is not...so be warned. Hopefully it will be updated somewhere that this is book 1 of a series so that people know that going into this book.

I absolutely loved the mystery and the twists in this book, the setting was immersive, the plot was riveting, and the relationships were realistic and evocative. I seriously cannot wait for the sequel!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

4.75! I am not a fan of cliff hangers so it cannot be a full 5 ⭐️ but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It sucked me right in with a strong female lead, ancient Egyptian intrigue, archeology and mystery with a pinch of magic and a bit of angsty romance from the late 1880’s!

Isabel Ibanez prior books are now all on my TBR. Can my book people please read this when it comes out 10/31/23 so we can talk about this one? Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Wonderful. That’s what this story is.

I cannot wait for my physical copy to arrive.

This book was better than what I was hoping for.

The mixture of history and magic was so beautiful, and I absolutely loved the characters. The magic was so delicate and mysterious, and I rather quite enjoyed the uniqueness it had to it. It was this very subtle element that gave this story a little extra push. I enjoyed the two main characters. I thought both of them were interesting, and there was never a dull moment between the two of them. This book reminded me a lot of Divine Rivals in many ways. The magic honestly was the one thing that really captivated me. But I also enjoyed the historical qualities this book had. Also that ending! There has to be a sequel, and I will be eagerly awaiting news of it.

Now for the cons. I really struggled with the pacing in this book, especially at the 75% mark. I was so in love with the Cleopatra storyline that I felt a little let down by the big reveal. It also felt like the whole point/mission of the book was abandoned for this "bigger" storyline. I also wasn't a huge fan of the dual POV. I'm never a huge fan of them, but I struggled with them in this book because they weren't balanced and at times they disrupted the pacing. I also could've used a touch more angst between the rivals to lovers. Like it was there, but I wanted more.

This book was definitely a change of pace for me, and it was more than I could've expected. I did have a few issues with some more nitpicky details, but overall, I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I think there is a lot of potential for a series as well. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

I'm a big fan of The Mummy but this isnt the kind of Mummy-ish book I was hoping for. This is Just walmart Rick and Evie. Rick and Evie didn't have to try, they had effortless charisma on their own and chemistry together. These two? Not even close.

The beginning is really slow until about 40%, there's plotholes throughout, and i just don't recommend this.

This book is like a beautiful fever dream of magical realism and folklore tied together with a moving and well thought out and paced plot. I loved reading this and the way it transported me as a reader.