Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - What the River Knows

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What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

62 reviews

adancewithbooks's review against another edition

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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kristen_sav's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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ashleypaling's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

I’ve been anticipating this book’s release for months, and Isabel Ibañez did not disappoint!! What an immersive read from start to finish. I immediately loved Inez’s character and of course swooned when Whit came onto the page. The air of exploration and adventure was keeping me reading, and oh my god that ending?! I will be waiting impatiently for the sequel!!

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

What the river knows- 4.5⭐️ 2.5🌶️

New Adult Romantasy

Historical fantasy

Magical realism

Egyptian Setting

Coming of Age

Hispanic Heritage

Mystery

Secrets

Grief

Banter

The magic system is mysterious and intriguing. I was hooked with the idea of a fading ancient magic and finding out what that meant. I wish there had been more of it. It seemed as if it was mentioned and used like an after thought rather than something rare and mystical. Magic was literally collected as junk items and trinkets. The excuse that the Magic’s history was lost would make it more desirous, I would imagine. It was odd the. To have it play such a big role as a plot tool was contradictory.

The political atmosphere and perilous nature of archeology during such a significant time period was so well done. Bringing topics to the forefront that should have never left or that are still relevant today. I adored the descriptions of the architecture and weight of Egypt’s ancient history. I also loved the intersection of cultures. The use of Spanish was purposeful and immersive.

The plot was fast and because of all the secrets being discovered. I ate up every bit of this story.

As a kid who grew up obsessed with Ancient Egypt, the movie The Mummy and all its sequels I officially adore this book. It wasn’t exactly the tone and flavor of the movie, and I appreciated that.

The romantic tension and banter in this book was chef’s kiss! The slow burn was burning! The banter is so perfectly done! I can’t help but picture a young Brenden Fraser as Whit and loved every morally grey second of it. Maybe he was a bit superficial… I’m sure we will learn more about him and his past in the next book.

Inez was a great FMC! Young and tenacious to a fault. I felt so much compassion for her complicated relationship with her family. It was also so satisfying to see her outgrow her naivety from the first half of the book and become a bit jaded, but still have the impulses of a 19yo girl.

My only true disappointment was in Elvira, Inez’s cousin. I think the author missed out on an opportunity. To keep this spoiler free, I won’t elaborate…

Can I just say that I didn’t know this was going to be a series and my brain flatlined when I read that epilogue. I NEED the sequel to be released immediately.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tw:

Parental death

Alcoholism

Gun violence

Kidnapping

Death

Content Warnings

megs1328's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Inez learns of her parents deaths and decides to travel alone to Egypt to meet with her uncle and determine what really happened. She finds a friend and ally in her uncle’s employee Whit, though can’t fully give him her trust either. She is impulsive and it often gets her into problems she can’t get herself out of. Lies and betrayal plague her journey, and she still has much to learn.

Nothing really happens for the first 25% except character intros. The middle 50% was interesting learning how the magic worked and exploring down the Nile, as well as exposing colonialism. I did really enjoy the story development, though I began to anticipate what was coming, and didn’t think Whit’s POV was necessary. The last 25% was one twist after another and began to feel contrived, especially with

Elvira thrown in and promptly discarded

.

The climax was rushed and not resolved at all, leading to a huge cliffhanger. I don’t want to remove stars just because it has a cliffhanger, but this did not feel like an ending, every plot point was left wide open as though the author ran out of time and just slapped an epilogue on. Of course I want to read the second to see what happens next, but am mad about it.

I was going to give it 4 stars, though the writing was subpar and leaned heavy on dialogue, and made me wonder if the final copy will be better edited. I settled on 3.5 stars, but may round it higher or lower in a few days depending on how strongly I still feel about the ending.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC for my honest opinion.

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cover2covertx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

RTC

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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bookishflower's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

Thank you Hodderscape for providing me with an uncorrected arc.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that I love a historical setting with magic, but make it inspired by ‘The Mummy’, light academia, rivals to lovers, and where everyone has secrets and agendas, I’m instantly in.

I was a little nervous going into this when I saw it advertised as for fans of ‘The Mummy’ with how much I absolutely love the 1999 cult classic, but I had no reason to worry.

Inez is headstrong and loyal, and Whit is evasive and flirtatious. I can see the inspiration from Evie and Rick- albeit younger versions of themselves-while they remain distinctly their own characters in their own right. Their antics were hilarious, ‘the touch her and you die’ and reference to locking Evie in her room were greatly appreciated too ;)

This has such an intriguing magic system where the art of magic is lost but remain in objects of the past, making their archeology and the discussions on colonialism even more fascinating.

The mystery was a fun element running throughout the book, and while I guessed the twist I didn’t mind one bit. That is until the ending twist, that I didn’t see coming for the life of me, which made me want to read it again immediately. Seriously, I need the second book to put me out of my misery!

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chaptersofmads's review against another edition

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slow-paced

4.0

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Immersive and magical, this was a delightful book - albeit suffering from a slow start.

It took me a bit to find my rhythm with the story, but once I did, I found that I didn't want to put it down. It was unique and yet familiar at once, in a way that reminded me of watching VHS on the floor of my bedroom in the dark as a child. Which is such a highly specific memory and yet there it is. Despite the fact that I knew exactly how the story was going to unfold from the beginning, it didn't feel predictable; rather, I felt excited to guess things (and satisfied when I was correct.)

I did - however - struggle with certain characterization a bit. It felt very... inconsistent. And while I understand the deeper implications from some characters, it sometimes felt like they couldn't decide what they wanted to be. Maybe I wish they had been fleshed out a bit more or that they had been more present in the book, such as Tío Ricardo.

As for the comparison to the Mummy, I have actually never seen the films (an absolute oversight on my part, I'm aware) but I could definitely feel a similarity to the little I know about the film series and the book (specifically that one scene everyone shares where Brendan Fraser tosses the woman over his shoulder.)

Overall, as I said, this was delightful and the cliffhanger! I already need book two, which is unfortunate since book 1 isn't even out yet. I'm so grateful I got the chance to read this as an ARC and it's definitely going to be one I recommend.

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darbysbookland's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

What the River Knows is a vibrant fantasy that will transport you back in time to Egypt. You will feel like you are on the dig sites with Inez, Ricardo, and Witt. Isabel Ibañez weaves a rich tapestry of mystery, murder, theft, and a love plot that makes it impossible to stop reading. I devoured this book when I should have been sleeping, reading into the late hours of the night multiple times.

The main character has her flaws, they are put on full display and they endanger her life numerous times which can be frustrating to read, but she's a young woman who is dealing with the grief of losing her parents when she only got to be in half their lives. I think remembering that through the book makes Inez's actions a bit more tolerable and understandable, as this book does explore the grieving process.

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