Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Series: Secrets of the Nile #1
Publisher: Hodderscape
Published: November 2023
Pages: 416

Synopsis

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 archaeologist 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.

My Thoughts…

As a teenager, I was obsessed with everything related to Ancient Egypt and I can very easily trace that back to The Mummy, which came out around that time (please don’t remind me exactly how long ago that was). I loved Evelyn and Rick and their dynamic from the start, and soon I fell in love with the richness and mysteries surrounding Ancient Egypt itself. So you can imagine just how calmly I took the news of the release of a book such as What the River Knows which promised to be The Mummy meets Death on the Nile.

Although this book fell in my “review overload” period – hence the very late review – I did enjoy it, and was struck by just how much it reminded me of the film and the definite Mummy vibes I got from it, the male protagonist especially. Inez is just the sort of plucky MC I tend to enjoy: she’s smart, determined and won’t take no for an answer, even if that means heading straight into danger. Her love for her parents and her loyalty to them leads her to travel all the way from Buenos Aires to Cairo on her own in an attempt to discover what happened to them, as she is the only one feeling that something might be wrong with the account of their presumed deaths.

There are secrets aplenty to keep readers interested and guessing throughout the book, every character hiding something from the others as tensions and drama unfold. I particularly enjoyed Inez’s interactions with a wide range of side characters – from her family members to the locals in Cairo and members of her uncle’s expedition – which often added a bit of humour and infused the story with colour and depth. The romance was cute but didn’t fully convince me, as something in the interactions between Inez and Whit didn’t quite click, while the settings are vivid and the vibes are absolutely on point, bringing the Egyptian setting to life.

The book is classified as historical fantasy, and this is one of the things I most struggled with: the magic system is barely developed, being mostly limited to the explanation that magic existed in the past and certain objects became infused with it, carrying that magic forward through touch. As a result, the book for the most part functions with little to no reference to this magical element – so much so that at one point I ended up forgetting I was reading a fantasy – with it popping up every so often when a difficult situation needs resolving.

The writing felt very young, even for the standards of a YA book: younger readers will probably enjoy it, but as an older reader I definitely noticed this, especially compared to other YA books which display significantly higher levels of writing. The pacing also didn’t really work for me, with the story barely moving an inch for a significant portion of the book and then everything happening towards the end, delivering a series of sharp twists and shocking revelations that honestly felt a bit too much all at once. Still, with the cliffhanger the book ended on I really wanted to get my hands on the second book as soon as possible.

Overall, What the River Knows is a pleasant enough read that will appeal to readers feeling The Mummy nostalgia and looking for those Ancient Egypt vibes a little good, old-fashioned archeological adventure.