Gorgeous prose and beautiful characters have come to be expected in an Ibanez story, and What the River Knows is no exception. Following Whit and Inez into the heart of Egypt brought beautiful descriptions and a world that just sucks you into it. It felt like I was right there with Inez experiencing the beauty of the hieroglyphs and exploring the tomb. And Inez and Whit were such fun characters to follow. I loved their banter and how they're two lonely souls come together. I already can't wait for the next book because that ending was AAHHH!!

SO GOOD! I got frustrated with Whit and Inez at various times, but this was an exciting story and I look forward to adding it to my classroom!!!

What the River Knows is a magical tale that follows a very strong willed girl in search of the mystery surrounding her parents death. Set in a time where England rules Egypt and treasure hunters abound, there are secrets everywhere and Inez often doesn't know who to trust. Overall a good story and I look forward to the sequel!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Very thrilling! It felt very much like a mix between The Mummy and Death on the Nile. I grew up love Egyptology so this was right up my alley. Would recommend!

Every time Isabel writes a new book I don't know how she will possibly top the previous one, yet she did it again. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my customers and readers. It has all the elements of a fantasy book that I truly enjoy. On top of that it has a lot of beautiful ancient Egyptian history mixed with the archeological elements.

This was a great first book in a new series: the plot, the setting, and the likable characters! I really can't wait for the next one.

I really, really tried to like this book. There are so many people who loved it! I started and stopped this book so many times. I finally pushed through and while I liked the idea for the story, the writing fell flat for me and the relationships between characters felt awkward and forced. All the special editions are very pretty though!

I've had my review ready to go since the fall of '23 but as of today the St. Martin's Press boycott is still ongoing as SMP has chosen to still not address islamaphobic and racist remarks made by a member of their team.

The boycott of St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints is a direct response to the publisher’s lack of accountability regarding statements made by an employee in their marketing department and their failure to respond to concerns about possible systemic issues within the department.

I will post my review as soon as the boycott ends and SMP speaks up regarding this issue.

Wonderful characters and a unique setting make this a must-have for all romance and adventure readers alike. What a breath of fresh air this was and I highly look forward to the sequel.

I read this book months ago, and I still think about it all the time! After reading Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez, I suspected I would enjoy anything she wrote, and that suspicion was confirmed when I read What the River Knows.

I was captivated from the start of the book! While I normally take extensive notes while reading, I wrote one thing down before I completely fell into the story. I loved the fact that Inez’s story is motivated by loss. Her grief is intertwined with her story without overtaking it; she doesn’t let it stop her from living her life and finding answers.

Similarly, I appreciated the fact that Ibañez chose to write Inez’s story in particular. We get to see the way her family’s money gives her privilege, while her gender in the time period she lived creates obstacles for her. Despite those hardships, Inez is determined to forge her way in life.

Additionally, although I typically enjoy romance novels despite the romance, I actually loved this one largely because of the romance. Inez and Whit’s relationship was full of suspense and angst. The sections from his perspective added a lot of depth to the story.

AND THAT ENDING?!?! I audibly gasped when I read the end! Talk about a cliffhanger! I desperately need the sequel ASAP!

I bought the OwlCrate edition of What the River Knows (which is stunning, by the way), and I’m praying OwlCrate does the sequel because I need it in my life!

Rating:5/5 Stars

LOVED THIS! Such a good historical mystery!

If you grew up loving Egyptology, Egyptian mythology or even dare I say, The Mummy - this is for you. What the River Knows follows Inez Olivera as she travels from Argentina to Egypt to search for her parents who have been presumed dead.

Set in turn of the century Cairo, this part historical romance, part historical magical realism novel follows as Inez and her supporting characters as they search for the find of the century and as Inez explores the dark side of her parent’s lives that she didn’t know existed.

I really adored this - it is YA so set your expectations accordingly - and I couldn’t put it down. It was beautifully written and the descriptions of Egypt are accurate and inclusive - which is missing in a lot of the books written about this time period / portion of history. I can’t wait for the next installment due out later this year.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Isabel Ibañez and NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Inez has spent a lifetime being left behind as her parents travel between their home in Argentina and their passion for archeological exploration in Egypt. When she receives news her parents have died in The Egyptian dessert she finally makes the journey to Egypt in order to learn more about their fates.

Inez is a loveable heroine with her determination and dislikes for the rules. With strong female characters and a touch of magic this book was a good fit for me.

This was a good YA novel, with interesting characters and plot!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez is a stunning historical fantasy romance novel. Isabel Ibanez is a favorite author of mine and this one was my favorite yet! It is set in Egypt and has a lot of historical aspects and you can tell how much research and passion the author put into this book. I enjoyed how action-packed this was and the ending had me jumping up and down with my jaw on the floor. I loved how headstrong the female main character Inez was. I also found the love interest Whit to be very intriguing and I cannot wait to find out more about him in the second book. The romance was a smaller subplot in this book but I can see it becoming coming to the forefront in book 2. I loved the romance crumbs! There were twists and turns at every corner and I loved all the plot twists. I am eagerly anticipating the second book in this duology and I could not recommend this book enough!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

This story takes you on a ride! I loved the characters and cannot wait to see them grow in the sequel! Also that ending…my heart hurts!

I loved the romance and while the building of the plot felt a little slow at times, the payoff was great.

Inez is strong, naive, and brave and I hope she will continue to grow within the sequel. Whit is witty, guarded, but also loving and caring. I hope his walls continue to fall down in the sequel. This book was amazing! I hope everyone else gets a chance to go on the same wild ride I did.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez is a fantasy novel set in the unusual location of 19th century Egypt. Our main character, Inez, is a strong-willed and resourceful young lady, determined to solve the mystery of her missing parents. Along the way she learns who she can and cannot trust, including within her own family. She joins archeological expeditions and uncovers astounding treachery, all while falling for a young man who may be the most treacherous of them all.

This first book in the Secrets of the Nile duology cannot be read solely on its own. The cliff-hanger means we are waiting for @isabelwriter09 ‘s next book: Where the Library Hides.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

This book was so good! After so many books that felt wishy washy this was a breath of fresh air. I loved the setting - the Egyptian backdrop was breathtaking (I am a bit biased though because I LOVE books that take place around this area! I just love the culture and history). And the character Inez was such witty and fun to read about. I like the weaving of mythology and the flashback of Cleopatra's memories as well.

There were parts of this book that missed the mark in my opinion. I felt that more representation of actual Egyptian characters would have been nice and more care taken in writing about the artifacts. These are points that I hope the author can take a look back on and decide to do better about.

Overall as an entertaining read, I am going to give it four stars. On a level of skill and writing style a 3-3.5. I hope to see Ibanez expand on this book and develop its characters a little more thoroughly.

Absolutely amazing! I loved everything about this book. The characters were engaging, the mystery kept me on my toes, and the romance was intriguing. Plus all the lush Egyptian descriptions were amazing. I am eagerly waiting for book 2 because that epilogue destroyed me.

This was my favorite book of 2023! I was thoroughly impressed with the plot, characters and writing style. I admit I was not the biggest fan of Isabel’s previous work, but this completely changed my mind. I loved it and can’t wait for the next one!

I have enjoyed Isabel Ibanez's writing style of history and a little bit of fantasy. The characters are interesting, well-developed and the journey you take is wonderfully surprising. I think the love story that isn't too over the top and the family dynamics definitely hold your attention.