What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

What the River Knows

by Isabel Ibañez

Series: Secrets of the Nile #1
Series Rating:
Published by Wednesday Books on October 31, 2023
Setting: Argentina; Egypt
Genres: YA Fantasy
Pages: 416
Format: Audible Audiobook, ebook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez takes us into the world of 1884, where two unlikely souls find one another.

Will Inez find what she’s looking for?

Inez Olivera

Inez Olivera is coming to Egypt to fully understand what happened to her parents as she doesn’t believe what she has been told. This young woman is bright and has her whole life in front of her. Yet she has followed in her parents’ footsteps to Egypt, despite the fact that she probably shouldn’t. I liked Inez from the moment I read the first chapter, and I was rooting for her throughout the entire thing. Inez is stubborn and doesn’t want to conform to what society thinks a young woman should do. She is a welcome sight from the normal historical viewpoint of what a lady must do. I hope that she knows what she is doing from here on out.

Whit Hayes

Whit Hayes is an associate of Inez’s uncle, and he has been told to stay away from Inez. However, his big problem is Inez turns up everywhere he looks, and then the uncle tells him to keep an eye on her. I love seeing from Whit’s viewpoint and how he has to deal with some of the things that he’s been hired to do. The big thing for me is that I feel bad for him as he doesn’t seem like he wants to lie to the people whom he views as his friends, but it seems like that is what he has to do. I’m just worried about how big of a role he actually does play in all of this and if Inez can see it coming before it does.

The Story

Inez Olivera decides to go to Egypt on a whim to be face-to-face with her uncle and demand answers. Easier said than done from what Inez has found out. I love her determination to find out what has really been going on for the past few years since her parents came to Egypt without her. Throughout, I was seething mad for Inez and was rooting for her and crying with her. Basically, I felt so many emotions while reading this story. Another thing I felt was how cool the magic system that Ms. Ibanez created for this story was. I loved everything about it.

Five Stars

My rating for What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez is five stars, and I’m recommending it to anyone who loves to read historical fantasy. Another big reason why I’m recommending it is because I do get big The Mummy vibes from this amazing book. Of course, the movie I’m referring to is the 1999 film. Plus, the magic system is great, and the subtle romance kicked in there was fantastic. Ms. Ibanez, I loved everything about this book, and please continue writing as I love your work.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2023 Goodreads RC

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