Reviews with content warning for Addiction - What the River Knows

This was a fun book, if a little underwhelming. The setting is probably my favorite aspect. Ibañez clearly did lots of research and has a deep love of Egypt and its history.

Now onto my issues. My biggest gripe was that the plot felt very shallow to me. It seemed like the author wanted to tell a certain story, and her characters were just along for the ride. None of their actions really felt authentic, and part of that goes back to the fact that these characters are not drawn very well. For all the time we spend with them, I still don’t feel I know them at all outside of their overarching tropes (FMC, MMC, sidekick, mentor, etc.). The MMC left a lot to be desired. Yes, he’s hot, but he’s also an alcoholic who can just turn his addiction on and off as he pleases??? That really bugged me. The magic felt very stale and almost like it was included simply to be a convenient plot device when needed. The search for Cleopatra’s tomb and the magic artifacts therein didn’t have the oomph that it should have. Instead of being worried about a powerful magical object falling into the wrong hands, the concern was that colonial actors would reap the benefits of selling off the artifacts at the expense of native Egyptians and their history. While a valid concern, it seemed to be the only conflict that was given any consideration (outside of Inez’s family drama) and that imposition of our modern sensibilities took away from the fantasticality of the story. Finally, the aspects of Inez’s family dynamics are bizarre and incredibly oversimplified.

One minute her parents are dead and the next they are not. One minute she adores her mother and the next she wants to seek revenge on her. One minute she hates and mistrusts her uncle (but still trusts him with her personal safety in a foreign country???) and the next he is her savior.

These continuity issues just contributed to my complaints about the characters being blurry caricatures.

Oh, and I HATE the switches into Whit’s POV. Completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

All that said, the twist at the end was interesting, and I think I will continue the series. If I was a teenager reading this I think I would have not minded the story’s technical issues.

Content Warnings

ashleypaling's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I’ve been anticipating this book’s release for months, and Isabel Ibañez did not disappoint!! What an immersive read from start to finish. I immediately loved Inez’s character and of course swooned when Whit came onto the page. The air of exploration and adventure was keeping me reading, and oh my god that ending?! I will be waiting impatiently for the sequel!!

Content Warnings

booksalacarte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What the river knows- 4.5⭐️ 2.5🌶️

New Adult Romantasy

Historical fantasy

Magical realism

Egyptian Setting

Coming of Age

Hispanic Heritage

Mystery

Secrets

Grief

Banter

The magic system is mysterious and intriguing. I was hooked with the idea of a fading ancient magic and finding out what that meant. I wish there had been more of it. It seemed as if it was mentioned and used like an after thought rather than something rare and mystical. Magic was literally collected as junk items and trinkets. The excuse that the Magic’s history was lost would make it more desirous, I would imagine. It was odd the. To have it play such a big role as a plot tool was contradictory.

The political atmosphere and perilous nature of archeology during such a significant time period was so well done. Bringing topics to the forefront that should have never left or that are still relevant today. I adored the descriptions of the architecture and weight of Egypt’s ancient history. I also loved the intersection of cultures. The use of Spanish was purposeful and immersive.

The plot was fast and because of all the secrets being discovered. I ate up every bit of this story.

As a kid who grew up obsessed with Ancient Egypt, the movie The Mummy and all its sequels I officially adore this book. It wasn’t exactly the tone and flavor of the movie, and I appreciated that.

The romantic tension and banter in this book was chef’s kiss! The slow burn was burning! The banter is so perfectly done! I can’t help but picture a young Brenden Fraser as Whit and loved every morally grey second of it. Maybe he was a bit superficial… I’m sure we will learn more about him and his past in the next book.

Inez was a great FMC! Young and tenacious to a fault. I felt so much compassion for her complicated relationship with her family. It was also so satisfying to see her outgrow her naivety from the first half of the book and become a bit jaded, but still have the impulses of a 19yo girl.

My only true disappointment was in Elvira, Inez’s cousin. I think the author missed out on an opportunity. To keep this spoiler free, I won’t elaborate…

Can I just say that I didn’t know this was going to be a series and my brain flatlined when I read that epilogue. I NEED the sequel to be released immediately.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tw:

Parental death

Alcoholism

Gun violence

Kidnapping

Death

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