What the River Knows Isabel Ibanez 9781399722179

A historical fantasy set in 1884 this is a story  steeped in rich history with a magical allure that instantly captured my attention. Transporting me to another time the rich imaginary and vivid descriptions did such an excellent job of immersing me in everything Egyption. I have always held a fascination with this culture so to say I had some high hopes for this one is an understatement the narrative here was all I could hope for and didn't disappoint. This is extremely well written had my favourite dual POV and turned out to be such an easy riveting read  Inez spends half the year away from her adventurer parents as they travel every year to Cairo leaving her behind with her aunt and cousins. She longs for them to take her with them but so far they've refused all requests. When she receives a letter from her Uncle informing her that they have passed Inez decides that nothing will stand in her way of discovering the truth so she sets sail for Egypt  unaccompanied without even a chaperone. This managed to surpass all of my expectations and ended up becoming one of my stand out reads of this year. I just adored everything this had to offer and don't let the YA label fool you as this definitely didn't read like a typical YA and if it hadnt included that label I wouldn't have even placed it in that category anyway. Yes it's suitable for that particular audience not being in any way explicit but this also contains some gritty real life scenerios and so being mostly plot focused I didn't feel any lack.  There was so much sizzling tension bubbling away beneath the surface the chemistry between our two main characters Inez and Whit was subtle but also couldn't be ignored  it was apparent that these two were embarking on a deep connection a friendship despite all of the subterfuge and secrets being kept on both sides.  Inez was quite the character and progressively ahead of her times refusing to stay in her proper box and conform to the expected conventions of the times she's bloody relentless and Whit despite attempting to pay lip service to all of the those nicities admires this about her. He finds her amusing and refreshing even when he doesn't voice this it's completely obvious that he is developing a warm regard and affection for Inez. Whit is quite the dark horse mysterious with a dangerous allure that he hides behind his affable smile and warm charm. He is employed by Inez's Uncle though it's unclear to Inez what this role quite is though she surmises it's definitely at times somewhat shady. Whit has a past and many secrets hes keeping he plays his cards close to his chest whilst attempting to keep Inez at a distance. This was magical and mysterious chock full of danger adventure and betrayal. It takes us from Buenos Aires in Argentina all the way to Cairo and then on down the Nile where the team are excavating a legendary Egyption site that is steeped in magic and history all whist inez attempts to discover just what has happened to her parents. We have a budding romance building between Inez and Whit but honestly this was more of a side plot and this is not really a romance focused novel the romance part of this is much more subtle but I did like the potential these two show as a couple. The finale here was such a shocker and I was on the edge of my seat with those final chapters I didn't expect them at all. Everything just kind of imploded with some shocking repercussions for all and then that epilogue just totally fried my head with its obscurity talk about ending on a high note I'm now going to be waiting impatiently for the next book as I'm so completely invested in what happens next.