A review by aprilyang1
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

This is… a bit tricky. The first 60ish% of the book was a real struggle for me. In the beginning, stakes didn’t seem high enough. With Inez in Egypt, the story seemed to stall with dinners and repetitive back-and-forth conversations. On top of that, the characters weren't very likable (at least in the beginning), making it hard for me to stay with the story. Seriously, every description of Whit seemed to involve his arms crossed and him leaning against something 😩. Lucky for me, everything took a turn for the better towards the middle/end—the romance, characters, stakes, decisions, action, and magic.

All this to say, the last 30-40% were amazing!! I mean despite how much I did not really enjoy the beginning, the last bit of the story literally changed my mind and convinced me that I NEED to read the second book. The stakes were high, the characters were better developed, it flowed naturally, and decisions felt like it made sense. So, take that as you will! 😅

3 ⭐️ because the ending, plot twists, and romance, especially towards the end, were top-notch.