A great historical fantasy read.

Inez is an upper class girl who lives in a world steeped in old magic and has everything she could want – except her absent parents, who are always off in Egypt. News of their death reaches Inez and she does what any other person would do, she runs off to Egypt in search of answers from her estranged uncle and now guardian. There are just a few problems, and the biggest one is called Whit, her uncle’s infuriating and very handsome assistant. And maybe the old magic tethered to her from a ring her father sent to her before he died.

Inez wants answers but no one wants to help her, they want to send her back to Argentina. Relying on this old magic to guide her, and her own cunning and bravery, Inez navigates Egypt and makes discoveries that she might have preferred stayed hidden.

This whole book gave me major ‘The Mummy’ vibes all the way through and I loved it. Being a huge fan of the films, and having a fascination with ancient Egypt, it was as if the book were written for me.

I loved the imagery the author weaved throughout the book, I really felt like I was at a glamourous hotel, in a boat on the Nile, and inside a dusty tomb. I found the storytelling good and the language used, both English and Spanish, easy to read. There were drawings used in multiple chapters as Inez is an artist, and I really enjoyed this touch! It added so much to the story and it was so fun to see, it was like I was seeing these scenes through Inez’s eyes more so because of them.

I liked the chemistry between Inez and Whit. The first part of the story there wasn’t much and then the romance escalated out of nowhere. They went from teasing and longing looks to Inez jumping Whit, asking him to not deny what’s between them. However, the romance and tension was top notch after this. Their relationship felt more natural and I enjoyed their banter and opening up to one another.

I wasn’t too keen on the magical objects part of the story. I enjoyed the ring and Inez having part of that magic by touching it etc, but a shoe that’s a light? And a tie that produces boiling water? I just couldn’t get on with those parts. And some parts of the story were very predictable. I wont be spoiling anything, but you could see these plot points and reveals coming from a mile off. That being said, what was a shock was a part near the end and the actual ending. Now that I did NOT see coming and it immediately infuriated me as I have to wait for book 2.

This is a fantastic book, filled to the brim with action and tension, Egyptian expeditions and strong female characters, betrayals and romance. I am looking forward to reading the second book!

Thank you to Hodderscape, Netgalley, and Isabel for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

In short, I need the next book in this series right now. I need Inez and Whit happy and married and I need it now. This is a new favourite series. I can feel it.

In long, what an amazing, twisty-turny, emotional, complex, romantic, and beautiful book. A love letter to Egypt, adventure, Buenos Aires, family, friends, love; I could go on. It's just amazing. I loved the Mummy movies as a kid, and if you love the idea of an archeological magical adventure through Egypt but would like something both historically accurate (for the most part, there is magic here), and with the cognizance of the damage done by Westerners to the country, this is the book for you.

Inez is a feisty, warm, and smart heroine who knows what she wants, admits when she doesn't get something, and loves so deeply it hurts. Whit is a really fascinating enigma. The glimpses we get of his perspective are so fab, and his interactions with Inez are to die for. I can't wait to find out more about him.

The dig team, and Inez's family make the background characters, all who are fleshed out and special in their own ways. The depictions of Egypt are so breathtaking. If you didn't want to see it for yourself before, you will after reading.

I could keep going honestly, for a while. But I'll hold myself here and just say: read this. You won't regret it. Five stars.

Just finished an ARC from NetGalley, and I am reeling! This is such an amazing adventure through Egypt, with the best touches of mysticism and romance, all led by a fiery, self-possessed protagonist.

I fell entirely in love with Inez and how deeply she felt each emotion, of which the author so gracefully depicted. The whole journey she took from Argentina to Egypt, then through Egypt, was both a mystery and such an epic journey, full of twists and secrets and magic. Of course, there was Whit too with his smirks and infuriating-ness. The author does a wonderful job of reviving Egypt in the late 1800s and making it so full of life, plus her characters and their dynamics are just perfect. I’ve fallen into the lovely group of readers kicking our legs impatiently for the sequel!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this life changing ARC!

i don't read much YA but I made an exception for this as the story about a girl travelling all that way to find out the truth about her parents really spoke to me. It seemed such a mystery and story for a YA and I could imagine the scene setting. This is a wonderfully crafted story and I was sorry it ended!

I always wished for a book like the Mummy, or anything with vibes and the romance of the Mummy then this little gem popped up.

I'll say it now, there are not enough Egyptian Mythology book out there, the world needs more, and this sets a high bar from what is expected from them.

We meet Inez, as she travels to Egypt after her parents go missing and she wants to uncover the truth about what happened to them, and also learn more about who her parents were when they were in Egypt without her

Inez uses her head and makes her way to Egypt, only to be stopped at the docs by a man hired by her Uncle, Whit.

Inez cannot be swayed off her mission that easily but she cannot possibly realise what awaits her in Egypt and what secrets and mysteries she will uncover.

Amazing book, lush setting, interesting but not overpresent magic system and great characters.

Could not put this one down and can't wait for more in this world

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the chance to read and review this one... out now so why are you still reading this review and not the book... off you go

I need some time to organise my thoughts.

This book was… disappointing. It took me too long to read it and even longer to make up my thoughts. Which is a shame because I thought I‘d love it. Egypt and The Mummy? My favourite movie from my childhood? Count me in! What I got was a bit different.

Let’s start with Inez. Silly, young, naive Inez. I think she was intended to be like Evelyn in the Mummy, but while Evelyn is such a headstrong character, Inez is almost too innocent. I couldn’t connect with her at all.

Secondly, the magic. It wasn’t present enough for me to believe that it was an integral part of the fictional world.

And then we have the pacing. The novel was slow and the plot felt stuck on multiple occasions. I was expecting much more fast-paced action, chase scenes, tomb robbing, a swashbuckling hero (Mr Fraser, I’m looking at you!).

Don’t get me wrong, I know that I’m the problem. My expectations were too high. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not the target audience for this novel, and that it would fare much better in the hands of a teenager who has no preconceptions at all. Maybe this is my cue to stop reading hyped YA.

I thought the scale of this was really interesting - being set in Cairo and everywhere else, and the sibling dynamic was nice to read about too. Couldn't quite gel with the writing style but was a strong concept.

Where do I even start with this book? It was such a fun adventure to go on, and it kept me reading way past my bedtime. I was seriously invested, in both the story and in Whit and Inez.

The worldbuilding is lush, the setting is perfect, and the characters are fleshed out. I want to live inside this book and inside this world. There’s a hint of magic as well, and I hope we see more of it in the next book.

What The River Knows has everything fans of The Mummy could ever want in a book, without it feeling like a rip off of The Mummy (being a fan myself, I can confirm that it’s a great comp).

This book was a very anticipated read for me but at first I was a little skeptical as the overall theme wasn’t speaking to me BUT god am I glad I read it. NEVER judge a book prematurely this one ended up being one of my absolute favorites from 2023. I absolutely loved this book, the romance was great, the mystery and plot twists were great and the characters are fantastic. I would absolutely recommend this book! It has a unique and fun concept and is very different from a lot I have read. It is historical fiction with magic realism and it's so well made and thrilling I loved every second of it! Once I started this book I had a hard time putting it down, it is very easy to read except it uses a lot of phrases and words from MANY different languages and it was sometimes hard to know what they were referring to but after a while it got better! (maybe that was a me problem xD) The author did a beautiful job with this book and I don't wanna say too much but that ending had me screaming! and I want the next book NOW!

If you enjoyed Divine Rivals this book will ABSOLUTELY be for you!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free e-arc in exchange on an honest review!

My opinion's of this book as slightly skewed from how i am left feeling from the epilogue! Yes this book ends in a cliff-hanger and you don't realise till the last page which is absolutely excruciating! I'm now desperate for the second book in this duology and i can only hope it comes out in the next year!

This book really does give The Mummy vibes and its rich in Egyptian history and mythology. It felt a little heavier on the historical side as opposed to the fantastical side and id love to see more of the magic system come out in the next book- its hinted a little that there's more to it so fingers crossed!

The banter is SO good and the slow burn romance is done very well. The FMC goes through so much and she handles herself very well- she's funny and strong and everything you'd want in a book like this!

I'm rating it 4 stars... it cant be a 5 star for me as I did want a slightly bit more from the magic/fantastical aspect of it... and it may had been a 3.5/ high 3 up until the last bit where it put me through all those emotions (not always good ones) and then that epilogue! Wow!

Pretty good I must say. The cover was quite bleak so I didn't expect much but this book smacked me across the face and told me not to judge a book by its cover. The characters were remarkable and memorable to the point where I find myself quoting random lines for the fun of it.

When Inez's parents are killed in mysterious circumstances in Egypt, she travels half way across the world, alone, to find answers. But nothing in Egypt is as she expects, and when she joins her uncle's expedition to find the tomb of Cleopatra, she gains more questions than answers.

What the River Knows is an adventure-filled historical YA, packed with mystery, captivating historic details, a touch of magic and a great slow-burn romance. And that ending! I gasped when I read it. I can't wait to find out where this series is going next.

“No human ought to be treated as if their work didn’t matter, or their choices, or their dreams.”

This book was so much fun and had me hooked from the beginning with the murder mystery and the Egyptian mythology that was woven into the story.

Inez was such an interesting character, strong, outspoken and wants more from the world than what she’s been told she’s allowed to have.
Hayes was so mysterious and I just want to know more about him. I loved his banter with Inez and how they both clearly were attracted to each other but refused to admit it.
I really loved the slowburn romance develop between them.
We also have some great female friendships in the story and I especially loved how Elvira always had Inez’s back and tried to help her even when Inez pushed her away.

The story has some magical elements that was really interesting to see how it was woven into the story.
There are discussions on colonisation and how England stole so much wealth and historical artefacts from Egypt and we also see how there were those who tried to protect them from being stolen.
The story is steeped in Egyptian culture and ancient Egyptian history, specifically, Cleopatra.

The ending had some plot twists that left me shook and the betrayals that shocked me. Especially that last chapter, the way it ends. I need answers 😭

The book is a murder mystery with the mummy vibes and a dash of romance and a young woman trying to find her place in the world that constantly underestimates her.

This was both an Anticipated book, as well as a NetGalley ARC. This is marketed as similar to The Mummy, but as YA, and those vibes were definitely present. I did really enjoy our characters and the setting. What kind of let it down was the magic. It felt more like an afterthought, and for something so special it had very little direct influence on the world in general. To be fair, this story would have been almost exactly the same without the magic, and I wish it either had been explored more or just left out all together. The end though still makes me intrigued to pick up the sequel!

I loved this book! Inez was a fun, loveable character to follow, the setting was beautiful written, and the plot felt like it was the perfect mix of fast paced but not breakneck speed.

I am bummed that I’ll have to wait so long for the sequel

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Books for the advance reader copy of What the River Knows for an honest review.

Inez Olivia belongs to the upper society of Buenos Aires she lives with her aunt as her parents are away for half of each year in Egypt.

When word reaches her of their shock death she runs off and makes her way to Egypt to question her uncle and learn more about what really happened to them.

Only on arrival he wants her to head straight back home and sends his assistant Whit to send her back.

What they don't count on is Inez doing everything in her power to stay. She learns of their expedition to Egypt and stows away on their ship to learn more about their expedition and ultimately her parents.

Overall I really enjoyed this book I loved the writing style it really captured my attention and made me feel like I was seeing the same sights as the characters.

I really liked Inez as a character from her brazeness and determination. I also really enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope between her and Whit.

However the book had so many twists and turns and betrayals it is clearly open for a sequel and I need to read this following that shock ending.

I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this YA Egyptian adventure/mystery about a young Argentinian girl whose archaeologist parents go missing in Egypt. The first half of the book built the story over a steady pace, the blossoming attraction between Inez (our protagonist) and Whit (mysterious English scoundrel) was a fun element to the story, as we gradually found out more about Whit’s past and how he found himself in Egypt.
At around the 60% mark, there was a plot twist (no spoilers!) that became pretty transparent, pretty quickly. A new character was introduced, and this became a catalyst for exposing parts of the story that lacked credibility, compared with the first half. Up to that point, the mystery elements had been opaque and intriguing, and I hadn’t noticed any obvious inconsistencies. This part of the book felt a little clumsy in comparison, and I found I had more and more issues with what happened (or didn’t) as I read the rest of the story. By 75% of the way through, this felt like it had resolved itself and the story seemed to be (mostly) back on track.
I loved Whit’s character; full of charisma, rebellious, stubborn and weighed down by a mysterious darkness.
The downside of this story was twofold for me: the plot twist, which I felt lacked credibility, was clumsily done, and the trauma it would have caused to Inez, skipped over. The depth and complexity of emotion on this point was ignored, which for me created a significant plot hole.
Secondly, the last part of the story stretched the imagination somewhat, and there was a character death towards the end that felt out-of-sync with the spirit of the rest of the story.
It’s clearly been written with the sequel in mind, as there was an almighty cliffhanger at the end.
That being said, it was an enjoyable read with a decent pace and plenty of action, particularly in the second half.
4 stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read an ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting to. I like the fact that it grappled with colonialism and Egypt's violent history, though given the main character's South American roots I would have expected a little acknowledgement of Spanish colonialism as well - all the venom seems to be aimed towards the English with no recognition that the Spanish were just as bad! I thought the romance element was well done and having Whit's side of the story represented was good, though I would have liked more of it. I did see a few of the twists coming, but that didn't affect my enjoyment, and the ending was surprisingly intense. I'm intrigued to see where it goes next.

While I found the book interesting, and certainly was determined to finish it, I cannot say I overly enjoyed it. Inez was heartbreaking with obvious abandonment issues that led her to be impulsive and naive (A dangerous combination). The characters overall were flat, and while some of the romance was very swoon worthy, it was very tropey. The book read like a children's 9-12 adventure tale and the illustrations didn't help.

Overall, not one of my favorite books that I have read and if I was to read more in the series, it would only be to see if Inez got a happy ending.

4.25-4.5 / 5

This book was absolutely fantastic!
Set in Egypt, this book not only highlights the country but also the culture, its history and the people creating an absolutely wonderful atmosphere and setting for this equally amazing story!

I cannot speak on the historical accuracy regarding anything mentioned, let alone anything Egypt related, but the least this book made me do is google certain stuff and educate myself more.


The chemistry between Inez and Whit was just absolutely exquisite. Both characters individually were incredibly likable, witty and funny but them together paired with the constant flirting was an absolute treat.

What I think really came through in this book was the constant back and forth of Inez’s emotions and feelings mourning a life with her parents she didn't get to have and at the same time being jealous, maybe even envy, and mad at them for leaving her in Buenos Aires most of her life while they were in Egypt (presumingly) having the best time away from her.

The book has about a handful of illustrations which I thought were a great add on to the overall story and helped visualize certain aspects.

There were a couple of plot twists I hadn’t seen coming! Especially the ending and I'd say the last 50-ish pages were amazing and make me really really excited for the sequel!!