Scan barcode
A review by kimmiereadsalot
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
slow-paced
2.25
2.25 stars
Torn on how to rate this one. I mostly liked it until the end. I did think the build up was a bit too slow. It was about 200 pages in that I finally started really getting into it. But then…those last 30 or so pages lost me. I hated what happened. And I even hate what was implied in the epilogue.
Idk. I don’t even know if I’ll read the second book I’m that disappointed in the ending.
ETA: I am so mad at this book. It’s still on my mind. Like why oh why?!? I often find that authors who clearly research a ton, lose focus on the story. The plot. And this is one of those cases. The romance really did fall flat. I was so sick of the lack of communication. It didn’t make Whit more mysterious. He should have been more forthcoming with her. I wasn’t as bothered by the “cheating” as it was an arranged marriage with someone he met twice.
Also tio Ricardo sucked. He could have avoided the entire betrayal scenario had he just talked to Inez—a young girl who would of course trust her mother. But he didn’t even try to get to know her to see if she was trustworthy.
And her mom sucked. I knew from the second we found out Inez’s parents were dead that they wouldn’t stay dead if there were no bodies. So I wasn’t the least shocked when mamita came back. But they sure got down to business fast. No time for a proper emotional reunion. And I don’t blame Inez for trusting her. But she was an idiot to think removing the artifacts for the “good” of history was a good call. Like that’s what her mom accused Ricardo of doing. Yet it’s. It okay for him. Only her?
And also, the real kicker on this—Elvira did not have to die. It did not add to the story. It did not feel necessary. This is billed as a ya fantasy. And the way she was brutally murdered felt like something done simply for the shock value. But this isn’t a thriller or a coho book (the reason I dont care for her books). So throwing something in for shock value alone felt so out of place.
Lastly. That epilogue. It implied Whit is marrying Inez with ulterior motives having nothing to do with helping her. And that was the nail in the coffin to a romance I already barely cared about. Oh and speaking of whit…for all the research this author did, she sure didn’t reach British nobility titles. A youngest son of a marquess isn’t truly titled. It’s more like a courtesy title. He’d be lord whit at best. Not Somerset or lord Hayes. His eldest brother would hold those titles once their dad passes. But again, that distinction and revelation felt so random.
And one more lastly…the magic really needed exploring. But it was just there. Blech
This book was such a disappointment the more I think about it.
Torn on how to rate this one. I mostly liked it until the end. I did think the build up was a bit too slow. It was about 200 pages in that I finally started really getting into it. But then…those last 30 or so pages lost me. I hated what happened. And I even hate what was implied in the epilogue.
Idk. I don’t even know if I’ll read the second book I’m that disappointed in the ending.
ETA: I am so mad at this book. It’s still on my mind. Like why oh why?!? I often find that authors who clearly research a ton, lose focus on the story. The plot. And this is one of those cases. The romance really did fall flat. I was so sick of the lack of communication. It didn’t make Whit more mysterious. He should have been more forthcoming with her. I wasn’t as bothered by the “cheating” as it was an arranged marriage with someone he met twice.
Also tio Ricardo sucked. He could have avoided the entire betrayal scenario had he just talked to Inez—a young girl who would of course trust her mother. But he didn’t even try to get to know her to see if she was trustworthy.
And her mom sucked. I knew from the second we found out Inez’s parents were dead that they wouldn’t stay dead if there were no bodies. So I wasn’t the least shocked when mamita came back. But they sure got down to business fast. No time for a proper emotional reunion. And I don’t blame Inez for trusting her. But she was an idiot to think removing the artifacts for the “good” of history was a good call. Like that’s what her mom accused Ricardo of doing. Yet it’s. It okay for him. Only her?
And also, the real kicker on this—Elvira did not have to die. It did not add to the story. It did not feel necessary. This is billed as a ya fantasy. And the way she was brutally murdered felt like something done simply for the shock value. But this isn’t a thriller or a coho book (the reason I dont care for her books). So throwing something in for shock value alone felt so out of place.
Lastly. That epilogue. It implied Whit is marrying Inez with ulterior motives having nothing to do with helping her. And that was the nail in the coffin to a romance I already barely cared about. Oh and speaking of whit…for all the research this author did, she sure didn’t reach British nobility titles. A youngest son of a marquess isn’t truly titled. It’s more like a courtesy title. He’d be lord whit at best. Not Somerset or lord Hayes. His eldest brother would hold those titles once their dad passes. But again, that distinction and revelation felt so random.
And one more lastly…the magic really needed exploring. But it was just there. Blech
This book was such a disappointment the more I think about it.