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What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Young adult

What the River Knows

by Isabel Ibañez

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Quick Take

If you’ve ever identified with Indiana Jones, you must read this lush and fantastical romp through 19th-century Egypt.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Puzzle

    Puzzle

  • Illustrated icon, Magical

    Magical

  • Illustrated icon, Quest

    Quest

Synopsis

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 an ancient 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.

Why I love it

“Magic had a mind of its own, and no one knew why it leapfrogged, or clung to one object or person, but not the other.”

Anyone who has laid eyes on The Great Pyramids of Giza knows Egypt is a land suffused with profound magic and mystery. Sign me up for any novel that traverses its storied and enthralling history and culture. In her new novel, What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez beautifully evokes not just this country and its cultural underpinnings, but also tackles the importance of protecting heritage and cherishing the oft forgotten magic hiding in our world.

Inez Olivera is the daughter of two high-society, globetrotting parents. She wants for nothing besides more time with them. Then, one day a letter arrives announcing their tragic and unexpected deaths. As a result, Inez inherits a fortune but also a host of unanswered questions (and a pesky new guardian with an annoyingly handsome assistant). All the available clues point to Egypt so she charters a boat to Cairo to unravel the mystery her parents left behind and start putting together the puzzle…

What the Rivers Knows is a special book. Magic clings to every page of this story. It has a lush and perfectly realized world replete with old-world glamor, strange portents, and trouble around every corner. It also features a captivating cast, most notably its spunky heroine, who finds not only love but her own path in unexpected places. Don’t miss out on the adventure, grab your copy!

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Red, White & Royal Blue
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The Great Pretender
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Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
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400+ pages
View all
The Courting of Bristol Keats
Pictures of You
Intermezzo
The Dagger and the Flame
The Wild Huntress
The Pairing
The Wives
A Short Walk Through a Wide World
Just for the Summer
The Familiar
The Book of Doors
The Fox Wife
The Women
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Family Family
Ruthless Vows
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
The Future
What the River Knows
What We Kept to Ourselves
The Fragile Threads of Power
The River We Remember
Shark Heart
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
Warrior Girl Unearthed
The True Love Experiment
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
Yours Truly
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Hell Bent
A Wilderness of Stars
A Fire Endless
Babel
Before I Let Go
Bloodmarked
Foul Lady Fortune
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
The Attic Child
The It Girl
The Change
Part of Your World
Kaikeyi
The Cartographers
Peach Blossom Spring
A River Enchanted
The Postmistress of Paris
The Book of Magic
Apples Never Fall
The Night She Disappeared
Damnation Spring
Sisters in Arms
One Last Stop
Firekeeper's Daughter
The Four Winds
Black Buck
The City We Became
Legendborn
Pretty Little Wife
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Magic Lessons
Star Daughter
The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes
Notes on a Silencing
A Good Marriage
The Library of Legends
The Sound of Stars
Yes No Maybe So
Anna K
American Dirt
Not So Pure and Simple
Dangerous Alliance
The Glittering Hour
Red, White & Royal Blue
When the Stars Lead to You
The Great Pretender
Ninth House
Imaginary Friend
The Goldfinch
Permanent Record
The Chestnut Man
This Time Will Be Different
The Rest of the Story
Storm and Fury
Free Food for Millionaires
The Golden Hour
A Nearly Normal Family
Summer of '69
Ask Again, Yes
All the Light We Cannot See
With the Fire on High
We Hunt the Flame
Wicked Saints
Sky Without Stars
Beyond the Point
Opposite of Always
Enchantée
The Gilded Wolves
Kingdom of Copper
On the Come Up
Unsheltered
Nine Perfect Strangers
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Oracle Year
Circe
The Astonishing Color of After
The Philosopher's Flight
The Great Alone
The Woman in the Window
Pachinko
The Nightingale