Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - What the River Knows

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What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

61 reviews

splahdown's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It's a very interesting story that takes a while to start if that makes sense. We get a lot of character introduction before we get to the plot, but it made me love (and hate) the characters stronger when the plot unfolded the way it did.

I literally can't wait until the sequel comes out! No notes!

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amhud1030's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The premise of this book had me excited with the setting being in Egypt and the search for Cleopatra’s tomb.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed, as the main character was severely naïve many times over. I know this is a YA book. However, her naïveté was very frustrating.

After her first encounter where she was taken advantage of, and had something stolen from her, I stopped, listening for several days to give myself a break. I should have the DNF’d at this point.

At the end of this book I do not feel she has grown and learned from her mistakes. She still too naïve and trusting.

The only reason I finished was because I wanted to see how the story ended since it got a little more exciting around the 45 to 50% mark.

How disappointed was I to realize that there is meant to be a sequel, and there was no conclusion to the story.

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maidinnah's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

There were many things I enjoyed. The setting of 1880s Egypt is alluring, further bolstered by the author’s lush descriptions. I enjoyed the romance — Inez is spunky with Whit matching her banter tit-for-tat. The bits of magic were cool. It was a fun read, with some pretty wild twists and turns, fitting for a book set on the longest river in the world. So fun, that it pains me to not give a higher rating.

The repetitiveness of some of Inez’s internal dialogue was grating. Her actions were unbelievably, frustratingly absurd. The ending was unsatisfying in that

we ended up right where we started, with not much progress beyond discovering Inez’s mother’s betrayal and a major character death. Ricardo is still trying to send Inez back home, Whit is heavily drinking, and Inez is clamoring for answers.

Despite my overall lukewarm reception of the book, I enjoyed it enough to where I do plan to read the sequel. To further set expectations, What the River Knows is a YA romance set in 1880s Egypt, not a novel about 1880s Egypt with dashes of romance.

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whatbeccareadnext's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Every so often a YA book comes along that blows me away, this is one of those books. Isabel wove an incredible story full of intrigue, mystery and a hearty sprinkle of romance. The Egyptian setting was so rich and vivid, I could completely imagine myself there.

Mostly though.. THAT ENDING Isabel?!?! Who do I need to bribe for book 2?

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renreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wow. I have never read a book like this. It’s not often I pick up historical fiction but I was excited and drawn to it for its magical realism/fantasy element. I’m so glad I read this. I was completely swept away by the adventure, the characters, the setting and the tension and mystery. I was so emotionally invested in Inez and felt everything she felt throughout the book so profoundly. She was such a lovable and well rounded MC. I have not had a book that has had me screaming and laughing and physically reacting like this one did, in such a long time. There are so many other elements that were just amazing like the slow burn romance, the plot twists the cliffhanger!!! I also appreciate that the author traveled to Egypt to do research and had such amazing character portraits commissioned, it brought the story to life. AHHH so good. cannot wait for the next!!

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So close to being 5⭐️ because I loooved this. The first part was a bit slow, but once part two came around, things picked up and never stopped. From page 111 to the end, I didn’t want to put this book down (I do have a job, so I had to. Boo). Inez is such a good main character — smart and spirited, but still so clearly young and naive. The tension and mystery throughout kept me guessing: there were a few things I guessed, but plenty of others that surprised me (the ending?! What?!). I loved the other characters as well: Whit is the perfect complement to Inez, Ricardo is fascinating, and I can’t wait to see more from some of these smaller characters in future books. As a start to a series, this book is really strong — I want the next one asap!

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estelagois's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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stuckonswan's review against another edition

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5.0

I'll write an actual review when I can think about this book without screaming

Edit: it's the next day and I can finally talk about it without devolving into stammers and screams

What the River Knows follows 19 year old Inez Olivera as she travels from Argentina to Egypt in order to uncover the mystery surrounding her parents’ death. Once there, she clashes with both her uncle and his assistant as she fights to stay in Egypt and solve the growing mysteries cropping up around her.

The plot of this book is delightful. It was advertised as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile and it was giving just what it promised. I have not had this much fun with the plot of a book in awhile and I could not have guessed where this book was going to go for all the money in the world. And that ending?!?!? It should be illegal to end a book like that. The characters were so fleshed out and well written I felt like I was walking among them in several parts of the book. Despite the slow start, once the book got going I was hooked. And the romance? It has been a long time since I have read a Rivals to Lovers written that well? I ate up their banter like a five star meal and everytime they argued or reconciled my brain just melted. Definitely one of my new favorite book couples.

Part of what really drew me in was the writing style. It is magical and immersive, I could practically live in the scenes that Ibañez was painting for me. This was my first book by her and I am very excited to read her backlist in the new year while I wait for the next book.

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samihah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I really, really enjoyed this book. Couldn't get enough and I read it as fast as my time allowed me too. The setting was so immersive and the writing beautifully descriptive, rich and vibrant. I loved Inez.. most of the time. I loved her and Whitford's banter. Also really loved the Egyptian setting and how mysterious the story is.

Once Elvira came to Cairo, the plot slightly went downhill though and the ending was very much out of left field.

I'm a bit dissapointed and unsatisfied overall. But still highly recommend this book! It's definitely worth the read.

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adancewithbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

What the River Knows is an interesting historical fantasy that tells the story of a Bolivian-Argentinian lady in Egypt. Since we very often get the view of the white europeans and americans with these kind of things I was very happy to see this book.

The book starts with us meeting 19 year old Inez. She is eagerly awaiting a letter from her parents who are in Egypt. Instead she gets a visitor and a letter from her uncle. Her parents are presumed dead. Inez always wanted to go to Egypt with her parents, now that they are dead she is determined to find out what happened to them. So she jumps out from under the watchful eye of her aunt and nieces and heads out to Egypt on her own.

Inez, as one can see from that bit from the start of the book, has quite a rebellious streak. She was brought up rather well off and with her parents away half of the year, got a lot of room to act out. Mostly that was unladylike things like getting dirty. But that did work for this book. This kind of plot did need someone like Inez who wasn't afraid to step out of the mold. She was mostly a joy to follow around, defying what is expected of a woman in ways. Fighting for what she thought was right. And as she had priviledge, she could get away with that.

Her banter with especially Whit was entertaining and kept gripping you into the story, even when the pace was slow. It also feels like a love letter to Egypt. Everything about it is grand it feels. But that doens't mean it is blind to the problems that were happening at the time. The many tourists, smuggling artifacts out of the country, being under control of the English, making money over the back of another country's heritage.

The first half of the book was fresh, filled with Inez's drive to find out what happened to her parents and what her uncle is really up to. The second half is slightly bogged down by many events where Inez didn't always seem to have an emotional response to that, that you would have expected of her.

I was also saddened to hear that since I first had interest in this book and it looked like it was going to be a standalone, this is now a series. I think this book was fine on its own and it could have been wrapped up in one book if the ending had been navigated somewhat differently. I'm not sure if a sequel is going to enchance the story. There is betrayal in the air and I'm not sure if I want to go there with these characters.

Regardless I did find this a fun book to read overall. I enjoyed Inez and the setting.

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