A review by bookforthought
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As a teenager, I was obsessed with everything related to Ancient Egypt and I can very easily trace that back to The Mummy, which came out around that time (please don't remind me exactly how long ago that was). I loved Evelyn and Rick and their dynamic from the start, and soon I fell in love with the richness and mysteries surrounding Ancient Egypt itself. So you can imagine just how calmly I took the news of the release of a book such as What the River Knows which promised to be The Mummy meets Death on the Nile.

Although this book fell in my "review overload" period - hence the very late review - I did enjoy it, and was struck by just how much it reminded me of the film and the definite Mummy vibes I got from it, the male protagonist especially. Inez is just the sort of plucky MC I tend to enjoy: she's smart, determined and won't take no for an answer, even if that means heading straight into danger. Her love for her parents and her loyalty to them leads her to travel all the way from Buenos Aires to Cairo on her own in an attempt to discover what happened to them, as she is the only one feeling that something might be wrong with the account of their presumed deaths.

There are secrets aplenty to keep readers interested and guessing throughout the book, every character hiding something from the others as tensions and drama unfold. I particularly enjoyed Inez's interactions with a wide range of side characters - from her family members to the locals in Cairo and members of her uncle's expedition - which often added a bit of humour and infused the story with colour and depth. The romance was cute but didn't fully convince me, as something in the interactions between Inez and Whit didn't quite click, while the settings are vivid and the vibes are absolutely on point, bringing the Egyptian setting to life.

The book is classified as historical fantasy, and this is one of the things I most struggled with: the magic system is barely developed, being mostly limited to the explanation that magic existed in the past and certain objects became infused with it, carrying that magic forward through touch. As a result, the book for the most part functions with little to no reference to this magical element - so much so that at one point I ended up forgetting I was reading a fantasy - with it popping up every so often when a difficult situation needs resolving.

The writing felt very young, even for the standards of a YA book: younger readers will probably enjoy it, but as an older reader I definitely noticed this, especially compared to other YA books which display significantly higher levels of writing. The pacing also didn't really work for me, with the story barely moving an inch for a significant portion of the book and then everything happening towards the end, delivering a series of sharp twists and shocking revelations that honestly felt a bit too much all at once. Still, with the cliffhanger the book ended on I really wanted to get my hands on the second book as soon as possible.

Overall, What the River Knows is a pleasant enough read that will appeal to readers feeling The Mummy nostalgia and looking for those Ancient Egypt vibes a little good, old-fashioned archeological adventure.

I received an advance review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.