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A review by juchinnii
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
Pretty slow first half but it picked up after that. Kind of frustrating with all the “for your own good” secrets that come back to bite everyone.
Also didn’t like how… disposable(?) Elvira felt. Like she was mentioned halfway through and it took me a moment to remember who she was, then she shows up but she’s killed really before she feels like a real person just to further Inez’s emotional need for revenge I guess? Reminded me of the dead mom/dead wife trope - it was so abrupt and felt like a cheap ploy to further Inez’s character.
Also also, the magic kind of felt like an afterthought in some ways. Like yes the main plot hinged on it, but I would forget I was reading a historical fantasy and not a historical fiction for large chunks of the book. Then they’d randomly pull out a magic sandal or tie like “oh yeah this is a thing we can do”
Also also, the magic kind of felt like an afterthought in some ways. Like yes the main plot hinged on it, but I would forget I was reading a historical fantasy and not a historical fiction for large chunks of the book. Then they’d randomly pull out a magic sandal or tie like “oh yeah this is a thing we can do”