I had a lot of high hopes for this one. It sounded amazing and there are many parts I thoroughly enjoyed. On the flip side, there are a few issues I couldn't ignore. 

I'm going to talk about the things I liked first: 

I enjoyed the atmosphere Ibanez created. If you are into Egyptian artifacts/history then you will enjoy this. Cleopatra is the main focus and finding her tomb. Most of the setting in this book takes place in Egypt, and there are so many descriptive details, it makes you feel like you are there. 

My favorite part of this book is Whit and his part in the enemies-to-lovers romance. He's so mysterious but at the same time very easy to read. At least, he's easier for us to read than Inez! I thought the romance was a slow burn but done so very well. I think the pacing for their relationship was perfect but anything but instant love is a big win for me. 

Now, I want to talk about some things I didn't love: 

The pacing. Wow, it was all over the place! The beginning had us going at a decent pace and then around the middle, it started to really slow down. I had a hard time wanting to go back to the book at several points. I did love the details but sometimes it was a lot. I don't need to know all the details of the outfits being worn. The worst part of the pacing was the end. The last 25% of the book is just a hot mess. There are so many plot moments that didn't make sense. A few times, there are emotional moments thrown at us but we jump right into something else, without being able to process. I do think there was something added that didn't need to be there at all. It just didn't fit with the theme of the book and was a bummer. The pacing was the biggest issue I had with this book. 

Another thing I have mixed feelings about is Inez. I was so back and forth with either loving or hating her character. There are several instances when she makes the dumbest decisions without thinking things through. She throws caution to the wind and then gets frustrated when things go array?? I had a hard time following her logic. On the flip side, there are times she had amazing comebacks, and I liked how she stood her ground. 

One other thing I want to point out- is the magic. I'm a bit confused by it and it wasn't executed well. It sprinkles itself throughout the book at odd times with no explanation. Where does it come from and how does it happen? I would like more of that explained in book two! 

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this one. It had a lot of potential but the pacing was hard to overcome. The mythology and adventure aspect was a lot of fun. The romance was so good and the ending has me wanting to pick up book two! 

Many thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.