Book Club March Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Having recently spent 1 month travelling in Egypt, this book drew me in with its Egyptian lore combined with magic, mystery and a sprinkling of desire that made me keen to pick it for this month's book.

The book follows Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera who begins the story as a young woman yearning for parents that frequently disappear on overseas adventures whilst she is left in Buenos Aires with her aunt. When her parents die tragically, Inez inherits their fortune and makes the daring decision to sail to Cairo, where she discovers there might be more to their mysterious deaths than she had previously been led to believe. Throughout the story, Inez becomes acquainted with ancient magic and is embroiled in a race against time before she is deported back to Buenos Aires by her overprotective guardian, or killed by those that would not want her discovering the truth. And this all whilst being consistently thwarted by the handsome assistant assigned by her uncle to keep her out of trouble.

The Good Stuff

There were some elements of this book that I really liked and I had high hopes for it being a 5* read.

Firstly, I found the premise behind this book incredibly intriguing. The lingering presence of an old world magic system involving enchanted objects in a world resembling reality was a unique take, and I'm always a fan of anything combining history and travel with magic and mystery. Therefore, I thought the fantasy element of this book was executed quite well and I was curious as to how the magic would reveal itself throughout the book.

I loved the world-building and the author's descriptions of the atmosphere in Cairo and the life of the explorers in Egypt painted an enticing picture which was creatively portrayed. I think she painted the scene very well and I felt I could experience the vibrance of the culture and the excitement of the community vicariously through the book, which all felt even richer to me after having actually been in the city. I also thought the mystery surrounding the death of Inez's parents was set up well and I was very invested in learning how this story would unfold. I have to admit I did not see the twist coming, and be warned that there was one tragic moment towards the end of the book that was completely heartbreaking. The love story between Inez and Whit was also a plus for me as it was felt like a true enemies to lovers with a healthy dose of cheeky banter, flirtation and undeniable attraction.

The Not So Good Stuff

Unfortunately, the execution of the plot fell short in some crucial ways and I thought that the last 4 chapters of this book really let the rest of it down.

Just as we got to the point where all would be revealed, the story took a slightly ridiculous turn and a series of very stupid decisions made me lose all respect for the Inez. Whilst I accept that the protagonist needs to make mistakes to be relatabe, these was portrayed in such a silly way that it just made me lose interest in her story. Can we also just talk about how ridiculous it was that she just let her magical ring be taken so easily? This was a red flag early on for me.

I liked the love story between Inez and Whit, but CY felt it was slightly unconvincing at times as it unfolded in a way that felt too forced and did not make her invested in it.

Rating

CY - I had a lot of expectations for this book, but the second half just didn’t grip me, and I didn’t believe in the love story between the two characters. 3/5.

Kay - I gave this one a 4/5 as whilst I'd love for the book to have had a better ending, I felt the overall execution was done quite well and the setting made this quite a magical read for me.

What are your thoughts? What did you think of the ending and were you invested in uncovering the mystery? Did you believe in the enemies to lovers story of Inez and Whit? If you've read book 2 be sure to let us know whether you would recommend it in the comments!