“In Egypt? We're all looking for something."


"Part of me wished I'd never come to Egypt. Then I would have never discovered such a horrifying betrayal. I would never have known how families could turn on one another in unforgiveable cruelty."


"While I stuided each one, I couldn't help hoping that I would paint something that might be worth saving, something that would outlive me."

GENRE: Historical Fantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: Physical, Special edition from Fairyloot
Would I recommend to others?: Yes, please read this book, this is a journey of learning how to deal with abadonment, grief and that the people you love the most are the ones that can hurt you the most. Ibanez wrote this in such a lovely way that it was so heartfelt and emotional yet the historical and mystery part of the book was so well done, you wont be able to put the book down!

Review:
Okay, to say I loved this book is an understatement. This book is going on my Roman Empire list. I devoured this book in 24 hours and I only stopped because life so rudely interrupted my reading session. The writing, the plot, the characters, the development, basically everything was perfect. I think everyone should read this book, especially if you like historical fantasy. (Right before diving & commiting to the fantasy genre, I was reading historical romance, so its no surprise that I love Historical fantasy.) ALSO, the book has some drawing done by the author (as far as my knowledge goes) and its so lovely to have these throughout the book!

In "What the River Knows", we follow Inez as she journeys through multiple struggles in life, including dealing with parents that are never around and having to grow up wondering why she wasnt enough.

"The trip was too dangerous for me, they said. The voyage long and arduous. For someone who had stayed in one place for most of her life, their yearly adventure sounded divine. Despite troubles they'd faced, it never stopped them from buying another ticket on a steamship sailing from the port of Buenos Aires all the wayt o Alexandria. Mama and Papa never invited me along. Actually, they forbade me from going."


"Yes, Inez, you may finally come to the country where we live half our lives away from you. Yes, Inez, you can finally see what we do in the desert, and why we love it so much - more than spending time with you. Yes, Inez, you'll finally understand why we leave you, again and again, and why the answer has always been no."


"I cherised every gift, every letter they mailed to me, even though it was half of what I sent to them. it didn't matter. A part of me understood that it was as much as I'd ever get from them. They'd chosen Egypt, had given themselves heart, body and soul. I had to learn to live with whatever was left over, even if it felt like heavy rocks in my stomach."


"A part of me understood. I was beginning to understand that I didn't trust my own parents. It was hard to when they kept so many secrets. They loved me, but hadn't shared their lives with their only child. It was hard to accept, hard to fathom."

Additionally, Inez is a woman in a society that was set up for men. She struggles throughout the book to be taken seriously due to her gender, her nationality and the society's mentality. After hearing that her parents passed away, she packs her bags and goes to Cairo. The adventure in here, the excitement, the forced proximity (trope) were all so intriguing and kept me holding on to the edge of my seat.

We also learn more about her family, how her father primarily shaped Inez and the daugher-father relationship would have been much stronger had he been inclusive of Inez in their lives. As for her mother, Inez and her had a relationship that was stiff & filled with rules and society's expectation rather than love. Despite this, we go through a journey of grief with Inez. As I'm currently going through the same, I could only relate to the way grief was written and discussed throughout the book:

"The feeling that I couldn't get enough air into my lungs fast enough. It would always feel this way. The pain was a forever fixture in my life. Much like having arms and legs and ears. Their death was a truth that was both strange, and yet profoundly ordinary. People die every day. Well-meaning distant relations told me that one day I'd be able to move past it. But I'd traveled thousands of miles only to discover that I couldn't leave this new weight I carried behind me."




Okay, I'm going to stop ranting and praising this book now but do yourself a favour and read it. You will be taken on a twisting adventure that will have you questioning everything. You will grief, laugh and fall in love and out of love with Inez. This book is so well written and I cannot wait for book two.