#what the river knows

[deathsweetblossoms]

Never say you know the last word about any human heart

What the River Knows

#2023favs #bookworm stuff #what the river knows #three stars with some pacing issues but still a fun time

[alinastarkovismycat]

ACCURATE DEPICTION OF ME AFTER I READ THE LAST PAGE OF WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS

#ISABEL YOU MOTHER TRUCKER #WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS

[home-ward]

I’m feeling enchanted today after closing the pages of this book. The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this magical adventure. I highly recommend!

#book blog #bookish love #bookworm #bookish aesthetic #mine #bookblr #bibliophile #bookish #library #cottagecore #dark academia #study inspiration #academia aesthetic #romantic academia #beige academia #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #historical fantasy #ya books

[freckles-and-books]

A Stranger in Olondria is beautiful but slow, so I’m taking a small break with this one.

#books #currently reading #what the river knows #isabel ibañez #books and coffee

[violettesbooks]

A young woman runs away from Argentina to Egypt in hopes of discovering the truth about her parent's untimely deaths only to find a conspiracy involving Cleopatra and a young man she can't seem to escape.

I thought this was a standalone, the ending got to me because I couldn't figure out how things would wrap up and then it ended on a sort of cliffhanger.

I did enjoy it, it was a good, YA mystery and I think the setting was well adapted but I wish I had known it was a duology.

Out: Now

#book review #books by women #books #fiction #new books #isabel ibanez #what the river knows

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Fantasy Roundup

Or, some ideas for what to read when you have a book hangover from Iron Flame:

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

When Emory is the sole survivor of a secret ritual in the caves below Aldryn College, her healer powers, given to those born during the new moon on a rising tide, begin to shift into something strange and uncontrollable. Will her estranged friend Baz, brother to one of the students who died, help Emory figure out her new powers and what really happened that night? This debut fantasy has it all — dark academia, an upper YA that crosses over beautifully into adult, a murder mystery, secret societies, forbidden magic, a pining romance and the most gorgeous book design I’ve seen in a while. The magic system is built around the moon phases and the tides. Curious Tides is book one of a planned duology.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

What happens when Talasyn and Alaric, two soldiers from opposite sides of an entrenched war meet on the battlefield and discover their opposing powers combine to create something entirely new and unexpected? They continue to absolutely hate each other while having to work together to save their people from an even worse fate. Of course. And we all know what happens when two attractive people hate each other. Drawing inspiration from Southeast Asia, debut Filipino author Thea Guanzon has penned a fun, fresh fantasy that balances an authentic depiction of the toll of conflict on a population with a strong cast of characters and all the political machinations of Machiavelli. The Hurricane Wars is book one of a planned trilogy.

Godkiller by Hannah Kane

In a world where gods, fed by the attention, prayers, and offerings of humans, can also be destroyed by them, three disparate people come together to travel to the ruined city that was the last stand in the wars between gods and people. Kissen, a godkiller for hire. Elo, a former knight turned baker. And Inara, a young girl whose life has become intertwined with a god of white lies, Skedi. The four travel together to Blenraden, hopeful that they will find a way to untangle Skedi from Inara. All the feels of quest fantasy with characters that are delightfully flawed and human. The world building was immersive and queer normative with a host of diverse characters. The religious and magic system was at once familiar but with enough twists to make it unexpected. Godkiller is book one of a planned trilogy.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

From page one of The Fragile Threads of Power, I was invested all over again in the world of the four Londons, seven years after the events from The Shades of Magic trilogy (also excellent, if you want to start there). The plot works together like interchanging gears, or a chess game, the movement of each character affecting the others, often unknowingly. There are characters from the original trilogy, new additions, and Tes, the one who, unconsciously, holds the key to everything. Schwab investigates power in this novel -- who has it and who controls it, and by whose standards its morality is judged. Schwab puts a lot of things in motion in this book, and only a few are resolved by the end. The Fragile Threads of Power is book one of planned trilogy. You can always go back and read The Shades of Magic series in the meantime!

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

I can’t think of a more fun combination than 1880’s Egyptian archeological digs, a feisty heroine determined to find out what happened to her explorer parents, and a current of magic running through it all. When Inez Olivera hears that her parents, on a dig in Egypt, are presumed dead, she takes matters into her own hands. Inez books passage from Bolivia to Egypt, intent on discovering the truth. What she finds in Egypt is an infuriatingly handsome young man, assisting her guardian in carrying on her parents discoveries, and men thwarting her inquiries at every turn. Add to this a mysterious ring that connects Inez to the magic of the past and the questions continue to pile up. It will take a trip up the Nile and many near escapes just to get Inez closer to any answers. Packed with action, a slow burn romance, and a huge twist kept me enthralled to the very last page. What the River Knows is book one of a planned YA duology.

Hopefully you find one, or many, of these titles to be a satisfying read!

— Lori

#island books #lori robinson #book notes #fantasy reads #ya fantasy #curious tides #pascale lacelle #hurricane wars #godkiller #hannah kaner #v. e. schwab #fragile threads of power #isabel ibanez #what the river knows #thea guanzon

[island-in-ignorance]

I will read anything even KINDA equated to The Mummy (1999). Anything even kinda similar to that movie will be an absolute banger.

So yeah I'm absolutely gonna tear up What The River Knows.

#books #booklr #tbr #romance #fantasy #romantasy #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #isabel ibañez #the mummy (1999)

[bradshawsbaby]

But it ended on a cliffhanger and the sequel doesn’t come out until November 😭😭😭

Someone please go run and read What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez so we can ✨discuss✨!!!

#it’s perfect for fans of the mummy #book recommendations #what the river knows #isabel ibanez

[bookishlyvintage]

✨️ a moment please ✨️

[Owlcrate November 2023 book box pick]

#unboxing #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #fantasy #ya fantasy #the mummy #stenciled edges #new books #special edition #bookblr #booklr #owlcrate #books

[allyofavonlea]

What The River Knows

by Isabel Ibañez

★★★★☆

A unique, lush, enchanting historical fantasy with forbidden/slow-burn romance and a story brimming with magic, mystery, love, betrayal, lies, and friendship.

Inez spends her time drawing and hiding from Argentinian high-society responsibility while her parents are gone to Egypt six months out of every year. One day, she receives a letter from her uncle that her parents are missing and presumed dead after an excursion. Right before their deaths, her father sent her a mysterious ring brimming with magic and glimpses of the past. Filled with questions and needing answers, Inez sets sail for Egypt whereupon she meets a wily, charming, insufferably cute Whitfield Hayes who reveals that her uncle insists she go back to Argentina immediately. In fact, every attempt to glean any information about her parents and their deaths is met with misdirection, avoidance, or omission. Never one to give up, Inez sneaks aboard her uncle’s boat to set sail upriver to his archeological excavation site and seek the answers she needs.

This was wonderful to read, and Inez is a curious, independent, strong FMC whose stubbornness was well written so as to be entertaining. I absolutely loved seeing Egypt through her eyes, and loved her banter with Whit.

THE ENDING had me on my knees. In fact, the only reason I knocked off a star was because I felt that things were getting a bit too repetitive halfway into the book. Inez kept asking her Uncle and Whit about her parents, and they kept refusing her. Once they finally begin the adventure to the excavation site, things pick up and continue accelerating until that absolutely whirlwind ending that I did not expect at all. I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW!!

(Also, I love that Ibañez wrote Egypt in this time period without shying away from the effects of British Imperialism. We are reminded of it time and again, and Egypt is never romanticized.)

#Isabel Ibanez #what the river knows #four star reads

[deathsweetblossoms]

What The River Knows has me reeling over that ending. Like what???

MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER CUT

First of all, the death shocked me. I did not expect that to happen. I thought everyone was making it out alive and I was in pure shock for about ten minutes, full not processing what I was reading.

I think Whit is pulling a fast one on his family, I think. Per his strange final POV. He’s been cut off by his mother, I’m assuming? Who else would the She be who has finally cut him off completely? So he sends the telegram to Porter and says “his plan is in motion, it just has to work”. Then he proposes.

But this brings up all sorts of questions - he’s spent the entire book telling Inez not to trust him and that he only trusts his brother and sister. Leading me to think there’s some nefariousness with his parents.. perhaps his mother is a bit devious? He’s intentionally very mysterious.

Also, if he marries Inez, and I hope they go through with it, he’s obviously going to ruin the betrothal to the secret, unrevealed fiancé.

I am just all sorts of WTF about this but mainly excited for book 2.

Here’s some things were left with:

Porter is coming to see Whit, as planned by Whit? He intended for his brother to sail out with that telegram?

Whit is interested in alchemy, like Inez’s mother. They are both looking for the same pamphlet/scroll but neither was able to find it

The mention of Nefertiti’s tomb makes me wonder if she will be the next tomb we’re looking for in book 2

The mom is alive and missing, but the lover she had the affair with is dead

There’s another big boss we don’t know about

That annoying dude still has Cleopatra’s ring

Papa is still alive, I’m assuming. And now Inez has to find him

Wondering if there will be some second book romance shenanigans because of a betrayal ? I hope not. I want to see them grow their love, not create even more distance.

#what the river knows #bookworm stuff

[bookishbethanyerin]

• Review: What the River Knows •

I'm not quite sure how Isabel Ibañez has done it, but she has taken one of my least favorite plot devices – withholding information to purposefully keep someone ignorant of a situation – combined it with the chronic folly that is being a teenage girl, and turned it into an addicting tale that you'll want to devour in one sitting.

The story follows Inez, a railroad heiress who has spent her life in Buenos Aires while her parents largely live in Egypt, funding her uncle's excavations. But when she receives a magical artefact from her father and then the sudden word of her parents’ mysterious deaths, Inez goes to Cairo and inserts herself into their world – only to find that her uncle absolutely does not want her there, and there is Lots of Scheming afoot.

And of course, there is Whitford Hayes, a charming, rakish, British gentleman who works for her uncle. Inez knows she can't trust him, but she is outrageously attracted to him anyway.

Though none of the twists and turns here necessarily came as a surprise to me, Ibañez creates an evocative world of magical realism, and characters that are easy to love – Inez, though young and too trusting, is audacious and amusing, and Whit is very swoony, if a complete mess.

Set during the archaeological boom in Egypt, What the River Knows is an intriguing read that seamlessly blends historical fiction with magical realism, adventure, and a strong dose of mystery. Though the book will likely frustrate you to no end as Inez tries to learn the truth about her parents' fate, what her uncle is up to, and who she can trust, it's a hard book to put down.

And the epilogue? It'll have you screaming.

4.25🌟

0.5🌶️

#book review #arc review #what the river knows #isabel ibañez #isabel ibanez #YA books #books

[richincolor]

New Releases

We've got four new YA books on our radar this week! Check out what's on deck for launch this Tuesday:

The Lotus Flower Champion by Pintip Dunn and Love Dunn

It looks like paradise…only it’s not. This was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Thailand. One last wish for my dying mama. Instead, we’re stranded on a lush, stunning island with ten strangers—held captive as Thai mythology unfolds around us…and within us.

Now we’re being tested. We’re expected to face our greatest fears—and possible deaths—in hopes of awakening some kind of dormant gift…or curse. One by one, we’re transforming, echoing the strange and sometimes wondrous abilities found in Thai folktales. But my mama has only days to live, my papa is missing, and I’m forced to trust a group of strangers…including our evasive, dark-eyed tour guide, who resembles a minor god. Toss me in the ocean and feed me to the naga now.

Only I’m no hero. My days are managed by numbers and the compulsions that used to keep me safe. I have to prove how far I can go. To survive. To protect my family. And to find a way off this perilous island where everything is a lie…including reality.

Carry My Secret to Your Grave (Murder, She Wrote #2) by Stephanie Kuehn

Small town murders. Big time thrills. The second installment in the suspenseful, modern update of the classic mystery TV series. Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Sadie, and Gossip Girl.

“Someone knows where you live. And whoever they are, they want you to know… you’re next.” Bea Fletcher never met a cold case she didn’t want to solve. So when she finds herself staying with family near Lake Paloma, she’s torn. Sure, she’s not thrilled to be bunking with her moody, taciturn uncle and his wife while her father’s out of town. Being away from Cabot Cove means less time for Bea to work on her true crime blog, visit her great-aunt Jessica, and spend time with new friends Leisl, Leif, and Carlos and the mysterious underground treasure hunting game they’ve been playing.

But Lake Paloma has mysteries of its own, including the unsolved drowning of teenaged Eden Vicente the year before. And when Bea starts to ask questions about Eden’s death, the answers lead her closer to home than she ever imagined. If Bea isn’t careful, she could be the next girl to end up at the bottom of the lake.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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.

The Space Between Here and Now by Sarah Suk

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom–a moment Aimee has never remembered before–she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn’t match up with the story of how her mom left–at least, not the version she’s always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she’ll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

#the space between here and now #murder she wrote #the lotus flower champion #what the river knows #ya lit

[therubyreader]

I just finished What the River Knows and I’m going to need about three to five business days to process this

#I’ll write a review during the week as I have a lot to talk about it #so like keep an eye out for that #I’m actually screaming at the ending what is going ON #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #Isabel Ibáñez #val reads

[homerjacksons]

[instagram]

#books #book aesthetic #bookedit #bookblr #bookstagram #book stack #pretty books #naked hardcovers #after the forest #kell woods #wild is the witch #the nature of witches #bring me your midnight #rachel griffin #belladonna #adalyn grace #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #her majesty’s royal coven #juno dawson #ninth house #leigh bardugo #a day of fallen night #samantha shannon

[wildereader]

Library haul!!!

This is definitely a MUCH better financial decision than my last couple trips to the bookstore 😅 I have an even mix of fiction and nonfiction right now, and I’m excited to get to all of these… even if I know I’ll have to renew some of them a few times before I’m able to finish them 🫣 And this isn’t even counting the ebooks I have on Libby right now!!!

#book haul #library haul #bookblr #booklr #bookworm #bibliophile #book lover #bookish #readers of tumblr #support your local library #librarylife #a tempest of tea #hafsah faizal #our ancient lakes #jeffrey mckinnon #what the river knows #isabel ibanez #the curious compendium of wonderful words #erin mccarty #the warm hands of ghosts #katherine arden #why we read: on bookworms libraries and just one more page before lights out #shannon reed #book poll