What the River Knows (Book 1)
Available at Bookshop.org
4/5
For fans of: The Mummy, Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Regency era, historical fiction, fantasy, coming-of-age, Egyptian mythology, Cleopatra, archaeology
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? YA Fantasy, historical fantasy
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Whitmore Hayes is quite the Rick O’Connell character but absolutely cannot be trusted, Inez is quite the gorgeous, headstrong, and fiesty Evelyn but with far less life experience
Is it spicy? Some steamy kissing and light groping
Is it violent or gory? Hands are thrown between ne’er do wells and our scruffy Whit, but nothing overly violent or gory
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you
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 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.
Review:
This was definitely a booktok buy and while I think the book is overhyped, I still had a lot of fun here. If you are looking for The Mummy vibes, yes, they are here. Our FMC, Inez, is fiesty, annoyingly persistent, loyal to a fault, and naive. Boy is she naive. Our MMC, Whit, is the third son of English nobility hot on the heals of a dishonorable discharge and working for Inez’s uncle. He is charming, rugged, and reeks of whiskey, so obviously very good with banter. Their romance is, to me, very one-sided. She can’t stop lusting after him and he just has a lot going on. I would have preferred Inez grow a few more relationships with other characters rather than focusing solely on Whit. I would say the romance is the weakest part of the story, but that could be due to Inez just being naive. Did I mention how incredibly naive Inez is? About everything?
I loved everything about the world building of 19th century Egypt full of political tension brought on by imperialism, the race to find amazing discoveries before the treasure hunters do, the glamour of extremely wealthy old world charm, the eye-rolling (from me) over coventry-era attitudes, and the addition of a light dusting of magic bringing Cleopatra to life. With that being said, the plot is not consistent and I wasn’t a fan of the pacing of the first half of the book. But once the second half kicks in with all the action and big reveals, it becomes quite the rollercoaster. Since this is a planned duology, the cliffhanger is CRAZY. If you are looking for a fun adventure down the Nile, I highly recommend it!