What the River Knows

A Novel

By: Isabel Ibañez

Narrated by: Ahmed Hamad, Ana Osorio

Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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 parents' 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 parents' disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

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

"Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance." - Stephanie Garber #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Take a plucky heroine, a historically grounded Indiana Jones-esque adventure through Ancient Egypt, and add a surprising dollop of magic — it’s a recipe for a delightful read." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

©2023 Isabel Ibañez (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance. What the River Knows is a pulse pounding archeological hunt that exquisitely weaves together glittering pieces of history with fascinating mythology. This book should come with a seatbelt, because you’ll will want to buckle up for this brilliant ride." - Stephanie Garber #1 New York Times bestselling author of Once Upon A Broken Heart

"Take a plucky heroine, a historically grounded Indiana Jones-esque adventure through Ancient Egypt, and add a surprising dollop of magic—it’s a recipe for a delightful read." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Phenomenal. This is a book that truly deserves that word. What the River Knows has it all—page-turning mystery, adventure, intrigue and betrayal, laugh-out-loud banter, and slow-burn romance with characters that jump off the page. I am a fan for life." - Mary E. Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of The Remnant Chronicles

Fun YA book!

Great book for the YA audience. Performance is energetic and helps bring the characters to life. Story is fun and engaging with few dull moments. Seems like the author has done a lot of research into Egypt and it makes me want to travel there.

Wonderful adventure

This was a wonderful find with a great story. I was never bored, and the adventure and mystery kept me hooked. There’s an enemies to lovers romance, and I was always kept guessing. Fair warning: this book is the first in a series (a duology I think) and ends with a slight cliffhanger. I can’t wait until the next one!

Has potential but needs to refine execution 

The plot of the novel is interesting, as it deals with the variety of social and political complexities: gender roles, class hierarchy, dynamics, colonialism, and its impact on different people, who has a right to history and to artifacts, etc.

Unfortunately, this book is 100 pages too long And the protagonist is a naïve, idiotic, and frustrating character. I do not think that that was the intent of the author, I think the author was intending for this main character to come off as strong and witty and independent and fierce, but that is not the case at all. If character created the majority of the problems for herself, and no way did the main character seem to learn from her mistakes, and in fact, continued to rely on her terrible decision making.

To make matters worse, the narrator of the story gave the main character, the very whiny and high-pitched voice, and all I could do was roll my eyes. Every time I listen to the story

All of the book ends on a cliffhanger, I will not continue the series because I found it more frustrating than entertaining. 


frustrated, confused but Still need closure

slow build up, what story are we actually reading? is this about magic? about egyptology and antiquities dealing in 1800's, is this a love story? why did Elvira have to die? I need at least Some things to make sense before a cliff hanger like that! like do I even invest my time into book 2 or just wait for spoilers. slow build up for a whole wild ending was irritating 😒

Magnificent book, so-so performance

This book was incredible. Romance, mystery, adventure, intrigue -- it was everything I wanted. The only thing I didn't like was the narration. While the gentleman who voiced Whit's PoV sections was excellent, the woman who narrated the majority of the book had a voice that was too high pitched and child-like, making Inéz sound like a 15-year-old rather than the young woman of nearly 20 that she is. Also, her character voices weren't at all consistent. Again, the story and the writing were magnificent, and I cannot wait to read the second book. But I don't think I will be purchasing it in audiobook format if they keep the same primary narrator.

Good Story but slightly predictable.

This book is full of adventure and mystery! It is a well written book, but I did find some of the scenario kind of predictable. . still, I am interested in hearing the next book. The narrators voice didn't work well with what I imagined the main character should sound like. it made it hard to stay focused on the story.

I want to like it…but…

It’s an interesting storyline with Egyptian history/folklore crossed with magic, which is a really cool idea. But the whole book seemed, I’m not sure, forced? Storyline is ok, the characters are good and the plot was winding with a last second cliffhanger. I’m going to listen to the next book, if only to figure out what the heck is happening.

Nostalgia for the younger days

I think it’s truly directed towards the YA audience and it took me back to early years of romance, which I thought was sweet. Overall, I really enjoyed the storyline even though it took a bit to pick up speed and had a handful of random plot twists. Kept me interested enough to finish! :)

¡Miercoles!

¡Miercoles!
This was an utterly enchanting story. It has all the elements I appreciate: Slow burn romance, unraveling a mystery, a heroine coming into her own, selfish parents, greedy individuals, and, of course, dastardly villains. Also, Inez is terribly overreactive and dramatic, lol.

Gobsmacked

I’m absolutely gobsmacked. It was twist after twist after twist in this novel. Absolutely flabbergasted and impatient for book 2.