A review by bribreez
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5⭐️

An adventure filled story with a young girl who finds herself traveling to Egypt to solve the mystery behind her parents disappearance, the legend behind Cleopatra, and elements of magic too. Inez Olivera was the daughter of respectable people who often spent majority of the year in Egypt excavating dig sites and uncovering artifacts. When Inez is told her parents were presumably dead, she found herself wanting answers and decided she would go to their last known location, Egypt. This story was a mixed of adventure, intellect, myths, magic, and a determined young woman who found herself in the middle of a grand mystery waiting to be discovered.

Right away, I liked Inez! Inez was so intelligent, artistic, and knowledgeable on all things pertaining to Egyptian mythology, culture, and more. Inez wanted so badly to join her parents on their trips to Egypt, but for some reason they never took her with them. In a way, Inez felt left out because, she too longed for the freedom to explore and unearth artifacts like the ones her parents were part of. Ideally, people such as Inez’s aunt, wanted her to behave like a proper lady fit to be in society, and while Inez was well mannered, she much preferred to be free and be put in the world exploring. As the story progressed, I grew to like Inez more and found her to be quick witted, sassy, and quick on her feet as seen through the times she tried to evade Whit on some occasions. 

Whit or more formally known as, Whitford Hayes was an interesting character as well. From the moment Whit was introduced, I had a good feeling about him. Whit was also quick on his feet much to Inez’s dismay, but he was also very observant and aware of his surroundings which proved to be one of his many skills that he utilized at any given moment. When Whit wasn’t focused on his job, since he worked for Inez’s uncle, Whit was a mix of snarky, guarded, and in rare occasions flirtatious. Just as with Inez, Whit became more of an intriguing character the more deeper the story got, and I could see that there was more to him behind his guarded walls. Whit was just as much of a mystery to me, and I was enjoying seeing more of him as well learning more about his backstory. 

This book gave me, “The Mummy” vibes! I really loved the way the story combined the Egyptian mythology with the mystery behind what happened to Inez’s parents as well as the significance of the artifacts. Most notably, in my opinion was the dynamic between Inez and Whit. Inez and Whit kind of reminded me of Evelyn and Rick from, “The Mummy” from the way they were at odds in the beginning with each other to gradually developing a friendship and dare I say…a sense of romantic feelings?! Inez resembled Evelyn in the sense that they both were knowledgeable on Egyptian mythology and Whit was much like Rick in how he was quick to any given situation and was known to work in the gray area. So if you liked, “The Mummy”, I think you’ll like this book and most importantly both Inez and Whit. 

Wow! This book caught me off guard and I loved it even more than I initially anticipated. Something about this book drew me in, with the way Isabel Ibañez crafted this wonderful storyline it was just smooth sailing for me all the way through. I was invested in Inez and Whit, I adored them, and seeing them at times clash but also come together really showed the differences between them, but also how they came together when it counted. The mythology of Cleopatra and the history of Egypt was also fascinating, which added a great part to the overall story. The sense of adventure mixed in with danger really progressed nicely from beginning to end, and especially towards the end! While this story mainly focused on the discovering Cleopatra’s tomb, it also focused on Inez’s growth as a young woman, and how she found herself thrusted in the middle of a bigger scheme. In addition, I LOVED the romance between Inez and Whit, or at least the way it slowly built up to in this story. I was eating up any and every moment between Whit and Inez! Whit might have been guarded, and tried to keep his attraction from Inez growing, but that man couldn’t take his eyes off her. As a whole, I throughly enjoyed reading this book, I was surprised, caught off guard with some plot twists, and it made me realize that throughout the story, you never really knew who you could trust. The way this book ended on that SPECIFIC NOTE I HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE, “HELLO?! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!” Regardless, this was a fun book, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book to see what happens with Inez and Whit!