I absolutely adored What The River Knows, so before even starting the second book in the duology, I knew I'd love this one too!

The book picks up right where the first left off, right after that shocking epilogue we were tortured with. Inez is mourning the death of a beloved family member, whilst still trying to find her parents and explore the mysteries Egypt has to offer her. Alongside this, she's also tackling the sudden proposal from handsome yet scheming Whit.

I'm happy to say Whit is still as charming yet brutish as ever, he's a conflicting character and I loved the switches between POVs since he doesn't always act to how he feels, so reading his genuine thoughts definitely supported the angsty romance and the push and pull the pair had. I also cannot get over how at every opportunity Whit never misses to call Inez his wife. I love me a man who's proud of his stubborn, adventurous woman!

The plot is fairly fast paced, though less action packed and full of adventure compare to the first book- at least until around 60 percent in- it made up for it with the sleuthing, ongoing mysteries, shocking plot twists and family revelations. I enjoyed Inez as a lead heroine, she's got flaws such as her naivety, but it also makes her a well developed character. I enjoyed the direction of the story, as well as all the history and world building.

I'm so glad that we finally got answers to everything, and that the ending was an action packed and intense journey as I'd hoped it would be. The book wraps everything up neatly, leaving off with a happily ever after, and a short but sweet epilogue with artwork, telling us what the characters did with their lives after the book, as well as hinting at a possible spinoff for Arabella, Whit's sister.

Overall, this was a fantastic duology and it gave me all the 'The Mummy' vibes I've been desperately searching for!

5/5 🌟

I’m not entirely sure what to think of this book. On one hand, I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read. On the other hand, I believe there’s a lot that could have been executed better.

What I like most about this series is the setting—late 19th-century Egypt, with excavations and artifact thefts. In that regard, this sequel really delivers. As an adventure story, it’s great.

That being said, there are still a few things that didn’t quite work for me. First, I feel like the magic system doesn’t fit well within this series, and it was even more noticeable here than in the first book. While searching for magical artifacts (à la Indiana Jones) works well, the presence of everyday magical items doesn’t match the tone of the story at all. The book could have easily done without things like magical elixirs or a cup that allows for communication.

Secondly, this book is even more melodramatic than the first—and I’m not just talking about the relationship between Inez and Whit (though their dynamic is also overly exaggerated), but rather the other issues surrounding Inez’s relationships with her family. Honestly, most of the plot twists in this book boil down to family drama. After the second one, it’s hard to care anymore.

Third, I feel like Inez hasn’t grown as a character at all since the first volume. She’s still just as naive, stubborn, and unwilling to listen to those who genuinely want to help her. There’s a subplot (which I won’t spoil) where literally everyone—both the reader and the other characters—knows what’s going on, but Inez remains in denial. It’s a shame because she had real potential to be a great character. At least Whit improves in this book compared to the first one. I still don’t particularly like him, and I don’t think he fully redeems himself here, but at least there’s some development in his story.

Despite my reservations, I did enjoy reading this sequel. Even though I often felt it wasn’t a good book, it still provided great entertainment. My critical remarks don’t need to carry much weight, as I’m sure many people will enjoy reading this. I definitely recommend checking it out for anyone who read the first part.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Whilst book 1 was not the greatest hit for me, I was interested enough to see how the story concluded. However, I really wish now that I had not. It is hard to go into specifics about why I disliked this so much without going into spoiler territory, but it involves troupes I really dislike which is failure of communication and toxic relationships. In terms of the fantasy elements, while I felt that overall in book 1 the subtlety worked, looking at the series as a whole I think it does not. I think this would have probably worked better as a historical fiction book without the fantasy elements. It is a shame, as a magic system based on magical items is a cool idea, but it was not really utilised to full effect here.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year after reading the ending of What the river knows and it definitely lived up to the hype! I grew up to love our main characters (Inez and Whit) even more in the second installment of the Secrets of the Nile duology.
Inez is one of my favourite female characters ever: she’s headstrong, determined, cultured and softhearted, she definitely deserved so much better from the people around her but she got the happy ending she always deserved! Now about Whit: we finally have longer chapters in his pov! I’ve always had a soft spot for lonely, tormented, witty boys who are secretly the biggest sweethearts and Whit totally falls within this group. He does questionable things but for honorable or solid reasons, he’s dedicated to Inez and loves her to a fault, being always there for her through thick and thin.
The cast of secondary characters also earned a spot in my heart, especially Inez’s uncle Ricardo but also Abdullah, Farida and Tía Lorena.
I absolutely loved the little sentences in spanish and sometimes in french, as well as how the author explained the history behind certain artefacts or sites visited by the main characters and how it often mixed with real history. I think that using Cleopatra’s memories as a plot device to provide this was a brilliant idea on the author’s behalf!
I’m honestly quite sad that this series is over and i might have to do a reread of the first book soon.

(Also how beautiful are the covers for this series!?)

Thank you so much to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton and netgalley for the arc, i had a wonderful time reading it! All opinions are my own.