Name: Sasadvt's review of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
Item: What the River Knows
Rating: 4
Author: Sasadvt

Isabel Ibañez

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. 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 Secrets of the Nile #1

What the River Knows

elaine

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. 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. "Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance." - Stephanie Garber #1 New York Times bestselling author "Take a plucky heroine, a historically grounded Indiana Jones-esque adventure through Ancient Egypt, and add a surprising dollop of magic — it’s a recipe for a delightful read." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

S’il la trahit je ne m’en remettrai pas 

Sasadvt

For a novel that had too much going on, this also felt just... incredibly slow. (For comparison, "Butter" by Yuzuki Asako - which was the audiobook I listened to just before this one - has two more hours of runtime and is planned as a much slower paced book, yet flew like a breeze for me.) It was a small moment when it occurred to me that it is prone to taking the wind out of its own sails by introducing inconsequential moments in the middle of its important beats happening. And I think this will make sense to everyone once I describe when it truly clicked for me (admittedly, quite late).

<spoiler>When Inez realises that her cousin has been kidnapped in her stead and may be in mortal danger, she and Whit (the love interest - this is relevant) rush to try and find her. But not before Inez has to get dressed in a day dress. And not until we hear the description of the dress and how - oh no! - it is one that needs assistance for her to put her stays on and to button up. So she asks Whit for help and we get the scene if him helping her lace and tie her corset (both words were used, yes).

I cannot help but feel like a normal person would pick the closest thing at hand that they can put on as quickly as possible, no matter the historic time period, especially if they think they dearest beloved cousin is about to be murdered.</spoiler>

It is instances like these that riddle the novel, which as a result feels poorly paced and very unfocused. It was a good thing that Inez reminded us serveral times what she was doing in Egypt because - I have to be honest - I could have not been able to tell by the plot alone. I am sure Isabel Ibañez has a lot of fun relaying her historic research but boy, did I not have as much fun reading it.

Of course, the issues of the novel do not end there. Inez acts in such a way and arrives at such bizarre decisions and conclusions that I had to go and check what age group this was aimed for. For some reason I went in expecting it to be a NA novel (as what else could get TikTok clout?) but a character like Inez could only be explainable in a YA novel. A lot of booksellers seem to focus on the romance part (Waterstones, for some reason, seems to have it classed as "Contemporary Romance". Listen, I know we are rolling back on progress but surely not that far back.)

The romance, by the way, is not... great. As in, it is not written that great. The book advertises "rivals-to-lovers", except Whit and Inez are never rivals. They are annoyances-to-lovers, more like, since this does not imply that each party cannot be attracted to the other pretty much instantly - which is what happens here. (I have a theory that the reason why so many novels genuinely believe they are delivering on this trope is that it is a fanfiction trope / tag that is being written at a fanfiction pace. Except fanfiction tends to benefit from an existing source material where the parties have had plenty of time to be established and act as enemies / rivals / etc. In a lot of trendy novels, those people have literally just met each other).

And in spite of my notes on the book, I can say I ended up being mostly indifferent to it. I might pick up the next one, I might not - who cares. Fills up the time, innit?

A part with you with random things that annoyed me:

- I am so tired of female MC's, especially in romance, being tiny. If all of those tiny girls were marrying their uber tall love interests, how do we still have an abundance of tiny heroines? Gregor Mendel, explain. 

- Can I say - a little weird that all of those people are technically still colonisers and benefitting from colonial practices? It is all good they don't want for historic artefacts to fall into the hands of robbers and private collections but girl, what is your non-Egyptian self doing in that Egyptian tomb leafing through ancient artefacts?

- I forgot the other thing I could not fit into the review above. Maybe I just want to move on with exciting books instead.

For a novel that had too much going on, this also felt just... incredibly slow. (For comparison, "Butter" by Yuzuki Asako - which was the audiobook I listened to just before this one - has two more hours of runtime and is planned as a much slower paced book, yet flew like a breeze for me.) It was a small moment when it occurred to me that it is prone to taking the wind out of its own sails by introducing inconsequential moments in the middle of its important beats happening. And I think this will make sense to everyone once I describe when it truly clicked for me (admittedly, quite late).

<spoiler>When Inez realises that her cousin has been kidnapped in her stead and may be in mortal danger, she and Whit (the love interest - this is relevant) rush to try and find her. But not before Inez has to get dressed in a day dress. And not until we hear the description of the dress and how - oh no! - it is one that needs assistance for her to put her stays on and to button up. So she asks Whit for help and we get the scene if him helping her lace and tie her corset (both words were used, yes).

I cannot help but feel like a normal person would pick the closest thing at hand that they can put on as quickly as possible, no matter the historic time period, especially if they think they dearest beloved cousin is about to be murdered.</spoiler>

It is instances like these that riddle the novel, which as a result feels poorly paced and very unfocused. It was a good thing that Inez reminded us serveral times what she was doing in Egypt because - I have to be honest - I could have not been able to tell by the plot alone. I am sure Isabel Ibañez has a lot of fun relaying her historic research but boy, did I not have as much fun reading it.

Of course, the issues of the novel do not end there. Inez acts in such a way and arrives at such bizarre decisions and conclusions that I had to go and check what age group this was aimed for. For some reason I went in expecting it to be a NA novel (as what else could get TikTok clout?) but a character like Inez could only be explainable in a YA novel. A lot of booksellers seem to focus on the romance part (Waterstones, for some reason, seems to have it classed as "Contemporary Romance". Listen, I know we are rolling back on progress but surely not that far back.)

The romance, by the way, is not... great. As in, it is not written that great. The book advertises "rivals-to-lovers", except Whit and Inez are never rivals. They are annoyances-to-lovers, more like, since this does not imply that each party cannot be attracted to the other pretty much instantly - which is what happens here. (I have a theory that the reason why so many novels genuinely believe they are delivering on this trope is that it is a fanfiction trope / tag that is being written at a fanfiction pace. Except fanfiction tends to benefit from an existing source material where the parties have had plenty of time to be established and act as enemies / rivals / etc. In a lot of trendy novels, those people have literally just met each other).

And in spite of my notes on the book, I can say I ended up being mostly indifferent to it. I might pick up the next one, I might not - who cares. Fills up the time, innit?

A part with you with random things that annoyed me:

- I am so tired of female MC's, especially in romance, being tiny. If all of those tiny girls were marrying their uber tall love interests, how do we still have an abundance of tiny heroines? Gregor Mendel, explain. 

- Can I say - a little weird that all of those people are technically still colonisers and benefitting from colonial practices? It is all good they don't want for historic artefacts to fall into the hands of robbers and private collections but girl, what is your non-Egyptian self doing in that Egyptian tomb leafing through ancient artefacts?

- I forgot the other thing I could not fit into the review above. Maybe I just want to move on with exciting books instead.

emily

millena

1,5 ⭐️ DNF @ 50%

this was such a disappointment :( I was fooled by the pretty cover, the fanarts, the synopsis, hm maybe everything?

I was expecting great adventures and received a boring book with boring characters, Inez is childish and dumb in 99% of the time, Whit is (???) idk really his character confuses me, her uncle would be a lot less annoying if he told her the truth (which I don't know what it is because I haven't finished)

↓ this was my exact reaction as I read ↓
😃🙂🤔😐😑🙄😴

(I read the last chapter & epilogue because I’m too curious and WTF did Whit mean with that note?)

big ab

i liked it, all the egyptian historical fiction elements and magic realism. but the ending was so rushed and weirdly executed and the dialogue was so cringey sometimes

This was so good. I'm devastated the second book hasn't been written yet; I went into this thinking it was a one-off solo novel. I'm absolutely in love with Inez; she's actually plucky (not just pretending to be like so many female heroines in YA writing), brave, adventurous, incredibly intelligent, head-strong, principled, trusting (to her detriment)--completely lovable. I want to be her. Whit is of course swoon-worthy, if a bit angsty. He's complex though and has good reason to be. ALL the characters in this story are so well-written and dynamic, I truly felt as though I were in the story. I was enthralled by the world-building and how detailed the environment came to life before my eyes; Egypt and the late 1800s are both fascinating subjects to me, and having them combined in one with magical fantasy and the perfect romance had me positively giddy. The first half of the book especially sucked me in and every time that I had to set it down I was thinking, "This is the best book I've read in years and I need more."

The second half would knock my rating down 0.25 of a star if I could; it started to drag just the tiniest bit in Part 3 once they arrived at Philae and the romance started feeling angsty, but then in Part 4 time suddenly whizzed past and while we had originally been with the characters practically 24/7 we were suddenly missing hours and days. It felt a bit disjointed and bewildering. I also felt

(**HUGE SPOILER ALERT PLEASE DON'T READ THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE BOOK**) that Elvira's death was kind of glossed over. It happened in the span of a few sentences and I would have liked to see a bit more of Inez's reaction after they finally escaped their captors when she had time to process what tf just happened. Instead we get Inez telling her uncle (days later), "We left her body in a cemetery in Thebes." It just made it hard for me to accept her death at all. There was no closure for us readers and Elvira was just as loveable as Inez, despite us only really being with Elvira for the last few chapters.

(**END SPOILER ALERT--YOU MAY CONTINUE**)

But again, I would inhale the second installment of this tale in a heartbeat if it only existed. This is absolutely my kind of book and I just know if I had been in a reading slump this would have gotten me out of it like lightning. Books like this are one in a million. I need to look up more historically-accurate fantasy now and Isabel Ibañez...

Bethany

This was so good. I'm devastated the second book hasn't been written yet; I went into this thinking it was a one-off solo novel. I'm absolutely in love with Inez; she's actually plucky (not just pretending to be like so many female heroines in YA writing), brave, adventurous, incredibly intelligent, head-strong, principled, trusting (to her detriment)--completely lovable. I want to be her. Whit is of course swoon-worthy, if a bit angsty. He's complex though and has good reason to be. ALL the characters in this story are so well-written and dynamic, I truly felt as though I were in the story. I was enthralled by the world-building and how detailed the environment came to life before my eyes; Egypt and the late 1800s are both fascinating subjects to me, and having them combined in one with magical fantasy and the perfect romance had me positively giddy. The first half of the book especially sucked me in and every time that I had to set it down I was thinking, "This is the best book I've read in years and I need more."

The second half would knock my rating down 0.25 of a star if I could; it started to drag just the tiniest bit in Part 3 once they arrived at Philae and the romance started feeling angsty, but then in Part 4 time suddenly whizzed past and while we had originally been with the characters practically 24/7 we were suddenly missing hours and days. It felt a bit disjointed and bewildering. I also felt

(**HUGE SPOILER ALERT PLEASE DON'T READ THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE BOOK**) that Elvira's death was kind of glossed over. It happened in the span of a few sentences and I would have liked to see a bit more of Inez's reaction after they finally escaped their captors when she had time to process what tf just happened. Instead we get Inez telling her uncle (days later), "We left her body in a cemetery in Thebes." It just made it hard for me to accept her death at all. There was no closure for us readers and Elvira was just as loveable as Inez, despite us only really being with Elvira for the last few chapters.

(**END SPOILER ALERT--YOU MAY CONTINUE**)

But again, I would inhale the second installment of this tale in a heartbeat if it only existed. This is absolutely my kind of book and I just know if I had been in a reading slump this would have gotten me out of it like lightning. Books like this are one in a million. I need to look up more historically-accurate fantasy now and Isabel Ibañez...

Heather Margaret

Cleopatra? Egyptian storytelling? Enemies to kind of maybe lovers possibly? Family betrayal? Sassy banter between two characters? A tall, dark, and brooding man? A stubborn girl with a heart of gold? What really isn’t to love with this story. I like her writing style of history within fantasy within a “normal” story.

A little bit of a slow beginning, but when it took off it was fantastic! Forewarned, this is the first book in a series so it ends on a cliffhanger.

I really loved the atmospheric feel of this story. The author really made you feel immersed in the action. I’m a big nerd about Egyptian archaeology, so I enjoyed that the most. In short, I loved it! 

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC.

Cindy McKee

A little bit of a slow beginning, but when it took off it was fantastic! Forewarned, this is the first book in a series so it ends on a cliffhanger.

I really loved the atmospheric feel of this story. The author really made you feel immersed in the action. I’m a big nerd about Egyptian archaeology, so I enjoyed that the most. In short, I loved it! 

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC.

Alba Ramos

"come closer, i need to see what they did to you", babe youre currently tied up, bloody and curled up on the floor in a fetal possition unable to stand up, i think you can yeet that overprotectiveness
also lets leave the miscommunication in 2023 pls???

Joselly Williams 

I miss Inez and Whit already I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW I NEED ANSWERS!!!! I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would and I think if I had read it last year it would have been one of my favorite releases. The story ✅ the adventures ✅ the banter ✅ the ANGST ✅ EVERYTHING WAS JUST SO GOOD!!!! There were moments where Inez was extremely trusting and naive but honestly that just made her more endearing to me. She is brave and smart, but also a girl whose world has been flipped completely upside down. SHE DESERVES THE WORLD I JUST WANT HER TO BE HAPPY!!!!! Whit is such a complicated character, I’ll always love him. There’s so much mystery surrounding him I CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM!!!! I also wouldn’t mind learning more about Isadora. I absolutely LOVED the friendship between her and Inez. It’s still the beginning of the year but I think this is already one of my top reads of 2024. I’M SO EXCITED FOR NOVEMBER.

Emily Wisnesky

WHAT WAS THAT FUCKING CLIFFHANGER OF AN ENDING IM SO DISTRAUGHT 😭 I NEED BOOK 2 NOW IT WAS SO GOOD

I liked the descriptions of Egypt. It's such a fascinating place filled with so much history.

The story itself would have been better if some scenes weren't so repetitive. I was halfway through the book and it still felt like the first chapters. I also did not find many of the characters to be likable so it did not help my reading experience.

Ellie

I liked the descriptions of Egypt. It's such a fascinating place filled with so much history.

The story itself would have been better if some scenes weren't so repetitive. I was halfway through the book and it still felt like the first chapters. I also did not find many of the characters to be likable so it did not help my reading experience.

Krys C.

This could have had so much potential. I loved a lot of things: the magical realism; the archaeological vibes; and the Egyptian mythology, history, and culture. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the characters and found no reason to actually like them. The pacing and development, both plot and character, was random and inconsistent. Plus the magical aspect was barely explored. I'm not sure what to make of the romance as well because it felt shallow and forced, but that cliffhanger did grab my attention.

Mel 

This was a great read! I loved Inez as a main character and found her to be a multi-dimensional plucky and relatable heroine. The romance is one of the biggest selling points of this book and I found their dynamic to be very endearing and fun - definitely reminded me of The Mummy (Brendan Fraser version). I also adored the Egyptian setting and the author's lush writing.

allison chen

3.5! umm.. this crazy ass cliffhanger?? ngl at some points the actions of the characters had me like ??? but it was entertaining so..
also sorry but the drawings of whit were a jump-scare.. girl let us imagine him ourselves we really didn't need to see all that

This was a book I didn't expect to like. It sounded like something I wouldn't pick up. However I really ended up enjoying it. I loved the main character Inen 

This book made me laughed a lot, had some great twists that I may have seen coming but still made me gasp.

There was something or teo things that happened near the end that compleltly took me by surprise. 

Samantha King

This was a book I didn't expect to like. It sounded like something I wouldn't pick up. However I really ended up enjoying it. I loved the main character Inen 

This book made me laughed a lot, had some great twists that I may have seen coming but still made me gasp.

There was something or teo things that happened near the end that compleltly took me by surprise. 

Was promised Indiana Jones meets The Mummy meets Death on the Nile. Turned out to be a slow romance novel. Not my cup of tea. It started to get interesting in the last quarter, with some betrayal and a really gruesome murder that comes out of nowhere, but it just wasn’t enough. Even with a cliff hanger ending, I don’t know if it’s enough to bring me back for the sequel whenever it comes out.

Marina McLain 

grayson gruber

shut up this was so good!! This immersive tale about ancient Egypt and archaeology, so freaking cool. I learned a lot about Egyptian culture, the history and the way of living/traveling there. The magic that was introduced in the story was also extremely unique. 
The plot was good and the romance was equally as good. Whit is so smooth I was swooning, and Inez was so wonderful to read about. I need book 2 pls

rakshu

It took me a while to get into this book, but I truly believe that had more to do with finishing the phenomenal work of Suzanne Collins than this book because today I read 200 pages, half of the book, to finish it. This story is fun, the characters banter and the setting and culture and use of multiple languages and magical realism and time period all come together to make a type of story I’ve never read before. What truly brought me in for the book’s back half is the real stakes of the tale as well as the corrupting force of betrayal, changing the characters’ decisions and therefore their stories. 

To top it off, imagine my shock, thinking I’m reading a fun stand alone when I realize that the story hasn’t wrapped up in the last chapter, and then that upheaval of an epilogue!! I must read what is next.

Emily McMeans

It took me a while to get into this book, but I truly believe that had more to do with finishing the phenomenal work of Suzanne Collins than this book because today I read 200 pages, half of the book, to finish it. This story is fun, the characters banter and the setting and culture and use of multiple languages and magical realism and time period all come together to make a type of story I’ve never read before. What truly brought me in for the book’s back half is the real stakes of the tale as well as the corrupting force of betrayal, changing the characters’ decisions and therefore their stories. 

To top it off, imagine my shock, thinking I’m reading a fun stand alone when I realize that the story hasn’t wrapped up in the last chapter, and then that upheaval of an epilogue!! I must read what is next.

a very very good book, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. it is very YA feeling but I liked that, and okay THAT ENDING???? I just sat here for 5 minutes going WHAT???? did I MISS SOMETHING???? the first thing I did upon finishing was check to confirm that there is a sequel coming out so that is at least good. I really love inez and whit, and I can’t believe isabel ibañez is going to leave me like this :(((( but also subtle thing I loved about the book was the magic and the world building, it truly felt like a historical fiction novel but just add magic, it was very well done. vibes were good!

fris🐝

*YA fanfiction of The Mummy but with less compelling characters*

I’m always hesitant about young adult books, but I do love adventure. And I was drawn in by the description of a Historical Fantasy combining “The Mummy” and “Death on the Nile.” So I gave 

The story was told in first person, past tense primarily from the POV of Inez with interludes from Whit’s POV. Set in 1884 in Argentina and Egypt, the story focuses on a young Argentinian socialite who runs away to Egypt after discovering that her parents were missing presumed dead while on an archeological dig in Egypt searching for Cleopatra’s tomb.

Inez was impetuous, headstrong, and drama-loving. While I was sympathetic to her lack of control in her life, I still didn't particularly like her. Her attempts at independence often came at the expense of others.

This did strongly feel like “The Mummy” fan fiction but young adult and a strong focus on drama. While that may have added tension and twists to the plot, it did a major disservice to the romance. I grudgingly expect a certain level of angst in young adult books. But this one had me rolling my eyes a lot. The romance had that telenovela overly melodramatic feel. Whit was a pretty boy with dark, tragic secret that was obnoxiously teased and dragged out. I wish there had been more of Whit’s POV. But his view was intentionally kept to a minimum in order to preserve his mysteriousness and obscure his motives. Which unfortunately meant I was never fully invested in the romance. Also, without getting into spoilers, there is an element of cheating. And there was some violence and swearing, but it felt thrown in just to make the story seem more adult.

I also could not take Inez’s suspicions too seriously because they felt like such an obvious red herrings. And there were some pacing issues. Some parts of the story started to drag.

It was surprising that the magic was barely present in this story. The story shows magic as a long-forgotten skill that no one can do anymore. The only magic left is on ancient objects that have bits of enchantment left on them. Needless to say, the supernatural elements were underwhelming and barely present. There were long sections where I forgot this story even had magical elements.

I did like that the story did not gloss over the issues of the time. There was commentary on colonialism, looting, cultural appropriation, and feminism. It also discussed the way history rewrote Cleopatra’s story.

Despite my complaints, most of the story was entertaining and adventurous. However, then it threw in an absolutely annoying ending that predictably threw a dramatic twist in just to set up more drama for the sequel. The drama of the twist was so over-the-top that it was like a bucket of cold water on my enjoyment. I still plan on reading the sequel, but my expectations are lower.

Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars

Colleen

3.5 Stars

*YA fanfiction of The Mummy but with less compelling characters*


I’m always hesitant about young adult books, but I do love adventure. And I was drawn in by the description of a Historical Fantasy combining “The Mummy” and “Death on the Nile.” So I gave What the River Knows a shot.

The story was told in first person, past tense primarily from the POV of Inez with interludes from Whit’s POV. Set in 1884 in Argentina and Egypt, the story focuses on a young Argentinian socialite who runs away to Egypt after discovering that her parents were missing presumed dead while on an archeological dig in Egypt searching for Cleopatra’s tomb.

Inez was impetuous, headstrong, and drama-loving. While I was sympathetic to her lack of control in her life, I still didn't particularly like her. Her attempts at independence often came at the expense of others.

He didn’t know me well enough to understand that once I’d made up my mind, there was no changing it. Mamá called it stubbornness, my tutors thought it a flaw. But I named it what it was: persistence.


This did strongly feel like “The Mummy” fan fiction but young adult and a strong focus on drama. While that may have added tension and twists to the plot, it did a major disservice to the romance. I grudgingly expect a certain level of angst in young adult books. But this one had me rolling my eyes a lot. The romance had that telenovela overly melodramatic feel. Whit was a pretty boy with dark, tragic secret that was obnoxiously teased and dragged out. I wish there had been more of Whit’s POV. But his view was intentionally kept to a minimum in order to preserve his mysteriousness and obscure his motives. Which unfortunately meant I was never fully invested in the romance. Also, without getting into spoilers, there is an element of cheating. And there was some violence and swearing, but it felt thrown in just to make the story seem more adult.

I also could not take Inez’s suspicions too seriously because they felt like such an obvious red herrings. And there were some pacing issues. Some parts of the story started to drag.

It was surprising that the magic was barely present in this story. The story shows magic as a long-forgotten skill that no one can do anymore. The only magic left is on ancient objects that have bits of enchantment left on them. Needless to say, the supernatural elements were underwhelming and barely present. There were long sections where I forgot this story even had magical elements.

I did like that the story did not gloss over the issues of the time. There was commentary on colonialism, looting, cultural appropriation, and feminism. It also discussed the way history rewrote Cleopatra’s story.

Cleopatra commanded a fleet, battled insurrections, controlled Egypt's vast wealth, and survived famines. All that and history likes to portray her as a mere slip of a woman, a saucy vixen luring men to their downfalls.


Despite my complaints, most of the story was entertaining and adventurous. However, then it threw in an absolutely annoying ending that predictably threw a dramatic twist in just to set up more drama for the sequel. The drama of the twist was so over-the-top that it was like a bucket of cold water on my enjoyment. I still plan on reading the sequel, but my expectations are lower.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

my egyptology inner child is appeased and the end had me GAGGED. next installment please!!!

abi a

Okay I went into this after hearing hype from other ARC reviewers and on social media, unfortunately it didn’t quite reach 5 stars for me. That being said I definitely recommend this to see how you feel about it, also because everyone seems to love it. 

Here’s the thing, I kind of missed the blurb specifically referencing the mummy and I think it does this a disservice as it’s its own story and also the YA-ness of it all doesn’t really fit that narrative of the movie to me.

What I liked: I actually loved the historical fiction aspect of this and the way it was written. I didn’t find the descriptions of Egypt boring at all, there were times I actually wanted more especially when Inez was in the excavation sites. I felt like boating on the Nile and the different accommodations where Inez stayed were described so vividly, I had a harder time picturing the ruins with how briefly they were described. I did enjoy the romance. Again, the blurb of this book is so confusing because I don’t think they were rivals at all. Whit had such an interesting dynamic of needing to follow his employers wishes but having a conflict because of that same sense of duty he started to feel for Inez. This is very YA in that a kiss is A Lot so it’s not steamy or very tension-y (and I know sometimes YA can have tension but not this one). But I did feel their connection and really liked them together. 

What I disliked: apparently this was supposed to be fantasy but where?? The magic worldbuilding is non-existent. I was so hooked from the first 5 pages when Inez is using enchanted items but they are never developed further. It was actually weirdly unsettling that in this world everyone is aware of magical items but don’t really care and don’t care to look into how to optimize them. The driving force of a lot of the plot was finding artifacts (and the differing motivations for people once they found them) but no one seemed to care that they could have magic?? Another thing that bothered me about this book was my constant frustration. I am trying to spare spoilers so let me just say it was too much of the same, of Inez having to make the same actions over and over just to finally be allowed to move the plot a tiny bit forward. It low key kind of sucked having her POV with all the mystery going on and I’m not sure why Whit’s was even offered sometimes because he gave us nothing as well but was obviously hiding things from Inez. This is also a personal preference so I’m not trying to let it affect my rating too much but I didn’t like who turned out to be villains. I’m not sure the writing has the maturity to really explore what that means to Inez. 

I greatly appreciate Wednesday books and st martins press for allowing me this ARC especially because it was so hyped and I was having major FOMO! Like I said this is not without flaws but I really think people should read it and come to their own conclusions. The setting and premise is awesome and maybe I’ll like the second more because the cliffhanger is wild.

Abigail

Okay I went into this after hearing hype from other ARC reviewers and on social media, unfortunately it didn’t quite reach 5 stars for me. That being said I definitely recommend this to see how you feel about it, also because everyone seems to love it. 

Here’s the thing, I kind of missed the blurb specifically referencing the mummy and I think it does this a disservice as it’s its own story and also the YA-ness of it all doesn’t really fit that narrative of the movie to me.

What I liked: I actually loved the historical fiction aspect of this and the way it was written. I didn’t find the descriptions of Egypt boring at all, there were times I actually wanted more especially when Inez was in the excavation sites. I felt like boating on the Nile and the different accommodations where Inez stayed were described so vividly, I had a harder time picturing the ruins with how briefly they were described. I did enjoy the romance. Again, the blurb of this book is so confusing because I don’t think they were rivals at all. Whit had such an interesting dynamic of needing to follow his employers wishes but having a conflict because of that same sense of duty he started to feel for Inez. This is very YA in that a kiss is A Lot so it’s not steamy or very tension-y (and I know sometimes YA can have tension but not this one). But I did feel their connection and really liked them together. 

What I disliked: apparently this was supposed to be fantasy but where?? The magic worldbuilding is non-existent. I was so hooked from the first 5 pages when Inez is using enchanted items but they are never developed further. It was actually weirdly unsettling that in this world everyone is aware of magical items but don’t really care and don’t care to look into how to optimize them. The driving force of a lot of the plot was finding artifacts (and the differing motivations for people once they found them) but no one seemed to care that they could have magic?? Another thing that bothered me about this book was my constant frustration. I am trying to spare spoilers so let me just say it was too much of the same, of Inez having to make the same actions over and over just to finally be allowed to move the plot a tiny bit forward. It low key kind of sucked having her POV with all the mystery going on and I’m not sure why Whit’s was even offered sometimes because he gave us nothing as well but was obviously hiding things from Inez. This is also a personal preference so I’m not trying to let it affect my rating too much but I didn’t like who turned out to be villains. I’m not sure the writing has the maturity to really explore what that means to Inez. 

I greatly appreciate Wednesday books and st martins press for allowing me this ARC especially because it was so hyped and I was having major FOMO! Like I said this is not without flaws but I really think people should read it and come to their own conclusions. The setting and premise is awesome and maybe I’ll like the second more because the cliffhanger is wild.

elaine &
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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elaine &What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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Join the club

elaine &
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez