TTT #238 ~ What I Loved About….

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together

Happy Tuesday y’all! This week’s topic is “Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here].” I thought for a while about what book I could do or if I wanted to do a series. I decided to pass on some of the ones I felt would be really popular like Thorne of Glass or ACOTAR. Both of those I could easily write multiple posts on. I decided to go with a newer release I read at the beginning of this year. Below are my top ten reasons I loved the book as well as the synopsis for anyone who might be interested in reading it 😉

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
Series:Secrets of the Nile #1
Published byWednesday Books on 2023-10-31
Length: 416 pages
ReviewingeARC from Netgalley
Rating:

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez’s lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

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 a 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.

What the River Knows is the first book in the thrilling Secrets of the Nile duology.

Top Ten Things I Love About What the River Knows

1. Magic System: Ibañez has created a unique magical world in this book. Magic exists in ancient relics, imbued by their past owners. People in the current time no longer have magical abilities, but can use the magic from the items. This adds an element of mystery to the archeological research Inez’s parents are doing.
2. Historical Setting: I love historical books, I love historical fantasy even more! The author has seamlessly blended history with her magical world which creates added tension and mystery as you do not know what artifacts will have magic and what kind of magic they possess.
3. Inez: Inez is an interesting character to follow. A majority of the book is told from her perspective. She is quite naive, and this naïveté plays into the plot. Her worldview is skewed by what she believes she knows about her parents and their research.
4. Whitford Hayes: I love Whit! He is my Rick O’Connell as Inez is my Evie. He is Tio Ricardo’s assistant and assigned to watch over/protect Inez much to her chagrin. He is cunning and mysterious, and yes, I fell head over heels for him.
5. Tio Ricardo: I wanted to hate him because of Inez’s feelings towards him, but it was so hard too. I love him. He’s her guardian while in Egypt, and all he wants is to keep her safe and away from the danger his work brings.
6. The Deaths that Started the Adventure: The story opens with Inez receiving a letter from Ricardo informing her of her parents’ deaths. The mystery surrounding it and their work jumpstart the story and send Inez on an adventure of a lifetime.
7. The Adventure: SO MUCH HAPPENS in this book! Inez travels from her home to Egypt, sneaks her way onto a ship, faces down bad guys who want the treasure for themselves, and so much more. It really moves the plot along at a fast clip.
8. The Mystery: For every answer Inez receives, ten more questions pop up. This book is full of twists and turns from the mystery of her parents’ deaths to the artifacts themselves.
9. The Imagery: The writing is stunning. I felt like I was in Egypt facing down a crocodile on the Nile River, hiding from gunmen, uncovering ancient tombs. From the sights and smells to the action itself, Ibañez did a beautiful job of describing it in vivid detail.
10. Elvira: This list wouldn’t be complete without Inez’s younger cousin who is more like a sister. I love their sweet relationship 💗

Your Turn! Have you read What the River Knows? What do you love about your favorite books? Share below

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