Author: Isabel Ibañez
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa
Continuing this month’s apparent theme of “Historical Fiction with a Gorgeous Cover,” I chose Isabel Ibañez’s What the River Knows as my young adult read. The book was released in October 2023, and is the start of a duology, with the sequel expected next month, in November 2024. There is a little bit of a magical element in the story, but it is primarily an enemies-to-lover romance mixed with the action and adventure of an archeological dig in 1880s Egypt.
Nineteen-year-old Inez lives in Buenos Aires, but when she learns that her parents have mysteriously died while working in Egypt, she immediately sneaks away to board the next steamship. Once she arrives in Cairo, she joins her guardian, Tío Ricardo, and his handsome right-hand man, Whit, as they continue to search for Cleopatra’s tomb, work that Inez’s parents were involved in. Tío Ricardo and Whit repeatedly try to send Inez back home, but she won’t be deterred. Even an encounter with a crocodile and a storm at sea can’t stop her from figuring out what happened to her parents. In the end though, a devastating betrayal, a tragic death, and a budding romance will leave Inez in a complicated position.
Now, this book does not have the fastest of starts – it takes it awhile to get going. I think, too, that the writing could have been a little better. If the dialogue had been sharper, if the descriptions had been less repetitive, this book’s 400 pages could have been reduced down a bit. The encouraging thing, though, is that the last quarter of the book is certainly the best part, so it does have the momentum – and a cliffhanger – to carry into the second book. I think if author Ibañez can clarify some aspects going forward, can keep the action going, and can properly tie up all the loose ends, this could be a solid duology for the young adult genre.
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