ŷ������

read on: (29.11.24.)

꒰🥬꒱ what the river knows by isabel ibañez

�� ★★★★.25 shocked stars

i. | the formalities.
----> let's quickly jump into my thoughts on this !!

plot: perhaps one of this book's best features. THE PLOT TWISTS WERE SPECTACULAR. the excitement, action, and mystery were unbelievable. only the first one fourth or so was a little slow, and then everything happened at once. it gets WILD.

setting: you say the words egypt, excavations, pharaohs, cleopatra and the nile in ONE sentence - and i'm in !! i absolutely adore the whole setting and overall schematics of this book, ibanez really got you into the egyptian atmosphere omg.

some tropes: i am telling you, this actually has a resemblance to divine rivals. which, honestly, there obviously would be since ibanez and rebecca ross are close friends !! some tropes i noticed (and LOVED) were forbidden romance, touch her and you die (one scene but still), historical fantasy, magical realism, egyptian mythology, slowburn, adventurous fantasy. if that doesn't convince you to read this, then read on.

�� grief was like a memory keeper. it showed me moments i’d forgotten, and i was grateful, even as my stomach hollowed out. i never wanted to forget them, no matter how painful it was to remember.��

ii. | before we begin.
----> i just LOVE how this is dedicated to rebecca ross (my fav author) and even how their books give you a similar vibe! honestly, if you even liked divine rivals, you would definitely enjoy this one. also, the EFFORT ms. ibanez put into this book?? CRAZY. just take a look at the author's note; she's done her research. lots of it. she's so genuine towards her work and i love to see that.

�� in egypt? we’re all looking for something.��

iii. | the characters.
----> let me be honest: I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST. at any time. never. even now, i have NO idea whom i should be trusting and whom i should not. i could finally start trusting one person, but then they'd do something insane that'd make me doubt their trustworthiness all over again 😭

inez olivera 💌 - oh my goodness, i loved her. from the beginning, i truly did love her personality. she was different from other girls her age, not in a pick-me way, but more of a unique personality. she loves art (like me) and adventures (unlike me) and she's such a genuine person !! sure, she maybe a little too trustworthy at times, but that makes her more real.

�� i did love my dresses, but did they have to be so delicate?��

whitford hayes 💼 - don't ask about my emoji choice. it just ... is. BUT ON TO THE MAIN POINT. mr. whitford hayes, ladies and gentlemen! this guyyy bro. i didn't know when to trust him either but his wit, humor and snarky remarks were everything. he has SUCH a mysterious background and i have to say, i really hope we get to know more about him in the sequel. THE WAY HE CARES>>> and also omg the letter he sent at the end of the book broke me. i am SCARED (iykyk).

�� that was the smile i didn’t trust—i just knew it came with consequences.��

cayo & lourdes 🎫 - i honestly loved the perspective we had considering inez and her relationship with her parents. it really shows how much a child cares about his/her parents, no matter how present they might be in his/her life. cayo was such a wonderful father (from what we got to see) & lourdes surprised me in so many ways! and i loved the representation of inez's pain regarding her parents and how mournful she was of the fact that she got too little time with them, and didn't know them entirely.

�� their death was a truth that was both strange, and yet profoundly ordinary.��

the others 🔫 - the side characters were a nice addition! again, i never knew when to trust whom and that was SCARY. but i liked it, especially seeing as all the characters provided us with a nice atmosphere in general.

�� art should outlive its creator.��

iv. | this ending was insane.
----> THE PLOT TWISTS BRO. CRAZY. and i'm not even kidding. the ending was absolutely jaw-dropping; everything happened and unraveled so quickly, you don't even get time to process the previous events before something else happens!! what shocked me the most? THE EPILOGUE (iykyk). my reaction while reading: the last line of the last chapter - mwah. my reaction while reading: the epilogue - what. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK. NOW.

�� time is the worst kind of thief, sneaky and effective and gone before you realize what's been taken.��

all in all, GO READ THIS. oh, and PLEASE check out ellie's review. it's PHENOMENAL. i beg you.

xx
almas the almighty

─────────────────── 𝜗𝜚 ───────────────────

pre-review.
i totally, most definitely, absolutely did NOT binge this in one day........okay, i did. my heart hurts. rtc <3

pre-read.
i've heard sm abt this, but honestly speaking, it was ellie's review that convinced me i had to read this ASAPP!! i have a feeling i'll like this one !!