A review by sarai0410
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a pleasant surprise. Right from the jump, Ibañez had me searching for answers alongside Inez - especially in regards to how on Earth her parents could leave their daughter behind as they lived another life in Egypt. The atmosphere of this story was top-notch and instantly put me in a The Mummy rewatch mood. The use of language and the beautiful settings in both Argentina and Egypt had me wanting to be there with Inez as she unraveled the mystery behind her parent's deaths. The character of Inez, her personality, and her actions (for the most part) made sense considering her sheltered and privileged upbringing away from her parents, but there were most definitely some decisions made that made me want to yell "girl, wtf are you thinking??" The relationship between Inez and Whit was okay, but it didn't feel like a true rival-to-lovers experience. Honestly, I'm happy that the romance was not the focal point of the book and I was much happier with the pseudo-trope than it taking over the mystery.

I thought the mystery and twists were done quite well and I found myself genuinely surprised by a couple things, especially
when Lourdes chose to lie to and betray her daughter after having essentially abandoned her for half of her life. Also, THE ENDING - are you kidding me?? Such a good cliffhanger and made me want to pick up the finale immediately.


A couple things that I wish we had more of: 
  1. The magic system was incredibly interesting, but I wish we would have had more exposure to it, or more of an explanation on how it worked as it seemed important to the plot, but there wasn't enough of it within the story to feel that it was truly important. 
  2. More time in the exploration of the ruins. I loved the bit that we got and I would have loved to see more. I do love that illustrations were included throughout the book though because it really did enhance the experience and feel that Inez is an artist. 

Unfortunately, at the time of this review, the finale, Where the Library Hides is not due to release for another 6 months, and I will be impatiently waiting for to read more about Inez and Whit while they unravel the remaining mystery involving
Lourdes and The Company, and the possible deceit of Inez by Whit
.