What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez ISBN: 9781250803375
Series: Secrets of the Nile #1
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on October 31, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: eBook
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The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and 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 a 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.
What the River Knows is the first book in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology.
"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
Characters: 9, Inez was a fantastic MC- emotionally mature and confident, mischievous, but deeply trusting and realistically naïve. Whit, Tio Ricardo, Abdullah, even Kareem were all developed and believable characters. I was curious and compelled to see where all of their stories would go, and the ending has left me with more questions than answers. The aspect of grief (and stress) was handled really well and realistically, especially given South American cultures and what I know of grief and family in them.
Atmosphere: 9, Can we take a moment to appreciate the absolute gorgeousness of this cover? The setting is 1880s Egypt, and even though this is an historical fantasy it leans heavily into historical fact, namely that of Britain bombing and then colonizing Egypt and causing lasting damage to the culture, archeology, and history of the region. Though the setting is Victorian, it takes places in Egypt, and the juxtaposition of Egyptian culture and British/Argentinian culture (especially expectations for unwed women in that era) was lovingly played with. Rather than hide behind pat ‘manners and expectations’ plot tropes, given the era, the narrative dives right into the meat of the story, its mystery and danger. I felt the emotional drives, the described beauty of the Nile, and even the vitality of the food described within it.
Writing: 9, The writing was crisp with an excellent balance between description, inner monologue, and external dialogue. Emotions were telegraphed without any mind-reading by the MC, and there were moments where both the MC and the readers were unraveling the mystery together. The pacing was good, the word choice was fresh and expressive, and it flowed very naturally while I was reading.
Plot: 10, What a ride this was! Some things were expected, such as the pushback Inez got from everyone after she arrived in Egypt and decided she’d insert herself into the dig, or the development of the romance between Inez and Whit (which was also delicious and its tension). But after the 75% mark, it was a wild ride of surprises for me. Even after I thought all the surprises and reveals were over, and we were in the dénouement, the author hit me with more. I was so shocked that I immediately researched when the sequel will be out (because I am reading that one, hell or high water, ASAP).
Intrigue: 10, see above. Plus, the Egyptology aspect was so lovely, it inspired me to do research, to make an Egyptian dish for my friends, to re-watch The Mummy (for the vibes), and to add the author’s other works to my TBR list.
Logic: 9, I really liked the world building and the marrying of magic with history in this. The fact that magic is an artifact of the past, not a current practice, led a delightful depth to the atmosphere and plausibility to otherwise difficult plot corners. The characters acted in accordance with their motives, both known and later revealed, as well.
Enjoyment: 10, I really loved reading this and I can’t wait to continue the duology.
*I received a copy of this as an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my review.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Well crap Beth, now I want to read this one 😂 I was only moderately curious, and even that was only because of the cover heh. I mean, 1880s Egypt alone sounds so cool, and when you say that the other stuff is great too.., GAH. And my TBR shall grow.
Huzzah! At least I turn the tables and prompt YOU to increase your TBR! 😀 I think you’ll like it, too. The world-building is really smoothly done and it’s fun. If you do read it, I can’t wait to see what you think.