What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review

A huge thank you to Hachette UK for sending me an ARC of What the River Knows!

ABOUT THE BOOK

‘The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in 19th century Egypt, filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

In the glittering society of nineteenth-century Buenos Aires, Inez Olivera has everything, except the one thing she really wants: her parents, who frequently leave her behind on their globetrotting adventures.

Then she receives a terrible letter: her parents have passed away in mysterious circumstances. Determined to uncover the truth, she sets sails for their last port-of-call, Cairo, bringing only her sketch pads and an ancient ring that her father sent to her for safekeeping.

But upon her arrival in Egypt, the ring flares with ancient magic, and Inez is thrust into a treacherous game that could threaten her life – and into the path of her new guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant, who seems determined to thwart her at every turn . . .’ - Hachette UK

MY THOUGHTS

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that I was recently sent an ARC of one of my most anticipated releases of 2023! Isabel Ibañez is one of my favourite author, and I’ve been waiting rather impatiently since this book was announced. 

What the River Knows is a mysterious, twisty, thrilling fantasy with romance, family drama and a unique and fascinating magic system.

Set in nineteenth century Egypt and Buenos Aires, What the River Knows follows Inez Olivera as she attempts to solve the mystery of her parents' mysterious deaths. 

This book was pitched as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile, which was what originally drew me in. If you like a twisty mystery, with an atmospheric setting and an emotional romance at the heart of the story, this is the book for you. 

What the River Knows is a labyrinth of a book, leaving the reader constantly wanting more, and questioning everything along the way. 

Inez quickly became one of my favourite characters, with her stubbornness and wild personality. Whit as a love interest is equal parts charming and infuriating, and I found that their banter and interactions were hilarious, emotional and believable. The dialogue was so well written, and had me feeling so many emotions. 

Without spoiling anything, the end of this book had me screaming. It has been a long time since I finished a book, and had to take a few days to recover before writing a review. The way that Isabel Ibañez writes drama and complex family (and romantic) relationships is incredible, and I found myself tabbing not just my favourite scenes, but the scenes and quotations that called out to me as a writer, as well as a reader.

The way the setting was described paints a vivid and colourful picture, transporting the reader effortlessly across nineteenth century Egypt. As someone who has always been interested in Ancient Egypt, this was such a fun and enjoyable read, with both fantastical and historical elements. 

This has to be one of my favourite magic systems, and while it wasn’t explained in great detail, it left enough to the imagination to seem mysterious while feeling fleshed out and definitely unique. The way that the magic seeped into almost every aspect of this story, both subtly and more directly, was beautifully done. 

If you’re a fan of mysterious fantasies, with family drama, emotional romance and all of the twists and turns, I would highly recommend you pick up What the River Knows on November 14th.

Thank you again to Hachette UK for sending me an ARC of What the River Knows!

If you’ve already read this wonderful fantasy, let me know what you thought in the comments, or join the conversation over on my socials!

LET'S TALK: FANTASY TROPES

I've been thinking a lot recently about different fantasy tropes - the ones I love and the ones I really don't! - so I thought, today, I would do the Fantasy Tropes Book Tag by One's Peculiar!

LOST PRINCESS: A BOOK/SERIES YOU LOST INTEREST IN HALFWAY THROUGH

For me this has to be the Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco. I am currently about a third of the way through book two and it's a real struggle. I really enjoyed book one - and then purchased books two and three in the series - but I've had little motivation to continue, and now I've finally picked up Kingdom of the Cursed, I'm not enjoying it anywhere near as much as book one. 

I had seen a lot of negative reviews for book two, but I decided to give it a go anyway. In my opinion there is just not enough plot in this book - 90% of it is the main character lusting after the love interest. Now don't get me wrong, if that's what you're looking for from a book, you're going to love it! But it just isn't for me.

KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR: A HYPED BOOK/SERIES YOU WERE SWEPT UP BY

A Song of Ice and Fire! I read all but the final book in this series a few years ago. Considering each book is at least around 700 pages, I am still shocked that I managed to read them all in a matter of months. I flew through that series, and I just couldn't put the books down! 

I don't really have any motivation to continue with this series, but it was a huge obsession of mine at the time!

WISE OLD WIZARD: AN AUTHOR WHO AMAZES YOU WITH HIS/HER WRITING

Adrienne Young! I will never stop recommending Adrienne's books, and she continues to be my biggest inspiration as an author!

Adrienne's writing in the Fable series and Spells For Forgetting in particular is beautiful. I have experienced so many emotions while reading those books, and I would highly recommend them to readers and authors alike! Her writing is absolute magic.

MAIDEN IN DISTRESS: AN UNDERVALUED CHARACTER YOU WISH HAD A BIGGER STORY LINE

Thinking about Game of Thrones a bit more: I'm going to go with Ygritte. I loved her character both in the book series and in the adaptation. She was one of my favourite characters, and I would have liked to see more about her for sure. 

MAGIC SWORD: A MAGICAL ITEM/ABILITY YOU WISH AUTHORS USED LESS

I can't think of a specific type of ability, but one thing that drives me insane is when characters immediately accept their abilities. They're shocked for all of thirty seconds, before accepting it as their new reality. And usually, they are able to use their magical item/power with complete confidence.

MINDLESS VILLAIN: A PHRASE YOU CANNOT HELP BUT ROLL YOUR EYES AT

Anything to do with the height and strength of a male love interest - especially when it is coming from the point of view of the female main character. I see this constantly, and it has become really boring. We get it, the man is tall. We don't need reminding every other page. This is often also paired with how tiny and physically weak the female character is which is even more infuriating.

UNTAMED DRAGON: A MAGICAL CREATURE YOU WISH YOU HAD AS A PET

The tiny dragons from the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber. They are small, so they would be possibly the most convenient type of dragon to keep as a pet. 

CHOSEN ONE: A BOOK/SERIES YOU WILL ALWAYS ROOT FOR

I will choose a series I haven't already mentioned in this post, but one that will come as a shock to nobody: the Percy Jackson universe by Rick Riordan.

Now, I haven't read everything by Rick Riordan, but he is definitely one of my favourite authors. I never read the Percy Jackson series as a child, but it was one of the first series I read when I joined BookTube. It will always hold a special place in my heart!

Well, there you have it! Let me know some of your favourite fantasy tropes in the comments!

LET'S TALK: READING TASTES

I've been thinking a lot recently about how my reading tastes have changed over time, especially in the time since I started this blog over ten years ago! Today, I thought I would do the Reading Tastes Tag by Harriet Rosie.

DESCRIBE YOUR READING TASTE IN ONE SENTENCE

Cozy and chaotic

DESCRIBE YOUR READING TASTE WITH CATEGORIES (GENRE, AGE, LENGTH, ETC.)

Genre

Fantasy, retellings, contemporary

Target age group

Young adult

Length

300 - 500 pages

Themes 

LGBTQIA+, dark academia, spooky, romantic, cozy, mysterious

Tropes

Fake dating, lost hero, marriage of convenience, only one bed

Format

Hardback, audiobook, floppy paperback

SHOW US A FEW BOOKS THAT REPRESENT YOUR READING TASTE

A BOOK YOU DIDN’T ENJOY THAT SEEMED LIKE IT WOULD BE YOUR TASTE

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. I have never been a huge sci-fi reader, but I picked this one up in the airport a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. I haven't continued with the series yet, but I would like to read book two!

A BOOK YOU ENJOYED THAT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE YOUR TASTE

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. The subject matter seemed like it would be right up my alley, but I very rarely read literary / historical fiction. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book quite as much as I did, and it has actually become one of my favourite books!

SHOW US SOME BOOKS ON YOUR TBR THAT SEEM LIKE THEY WILL BE EXACTLY YOUR TASTE

**insert photo**

A BOOKTUBER YOU WATCH WHO HAS SIMILAR TASTE TO YOU

I haven't seen many of Regan's recent recommendations, but based on some of her older videos, I seem to have a similar reading taste to Regan from PeruseProject. Of course, we don't share opinions on every book, but I think I've probably gotten more recommendations from Regan than any other booktuber!

HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD THIS TASTE IN BOOKS OR HAS IT CHANGED OVER TIME?

No, it has definitely changed over time! I tend to still read mostly young adult novels, but I now read more adult fantasy than I used to. I also read more contemporary than I did in the past, and as I said, I have been reading more historical and literary fiction over the last few months too!

What are your favourite genres? Let me know in the comments!

RELEASE DAY: GODS OF THE WYRDWOOD BY R. J. BARKER

Gods of the Wyrdwood is out today! 

Gods of the Wyrdwood features a dark, spooky forest setting and an eternal winter. This atmospheric read is full of rich worldbuilding, fate and deities at war. Gods of the Wyrdwood is the first book in a new trilogy from much loved fantasy author R. J. Barker. 

Read the blurb: 

'Ours is a land of many gods, and we are a people with the ability to pick the worst of them.

Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester – a humble man who can nonetheless navigate the dangerous Deepforest like no-one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior.

Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of the small and helpless. When she ventures into the Deepforest to find a missing child, Cahan will be her guide.

But in a land at war, in a forest full of monsters – Cahan will need to choose between his past life and the one he leads now – and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.

Gods of the Wyrdwood is book one in a new fantasy trilogy set within the bounds of a forest straight out of darkest folklore – with outlaws fighting an evil empire and warring deities. RJ Barker is the British Fantasy Society Award-winning author ofThe Bone Ships and Age of Assassins.' (Hachette)

Thank you to Orbit for sending me an ARC!**

GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN | BOOK REVIEW

 

It's no secret that I love Greek Mythology. I talk about this all the time. So when I was offered an ARC* of Girl, Goddess, Queen I knew I was super excited.

You guys know that I don't generally read romance novels. And honestly, I usually hate the idea of Hades and Persephone retellings. But I had heard so many good things about Girl, Goddess, Queen! And I've been following Bea Fitzgerald on TikTok for a while now, and I really enjoy her content. Girl, Goddess, Queen was on my most anticipated releases of the year list, so I jumped at the change to read an early copy.

Thank you again to Penguin for sending me an ARC! There will be some spoilers in this review.

What is Girl, Goddess, Queen about?

'To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.

The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.

Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.

But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .' (Penguin)

My thoughts

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Persephone and Hades. Their relationship (minus the miscommunication) was one of the most realistic and healthy portrayals I've come across in a popular romance novel. They both respected each other and worked as a couple to ensure they were both happy at every stage of their relationship. I really appreciated the work the author put in to undoing some of the awful relationships we see in popular romance novels, especially on TikTok. I do feel like the miscommunication was a bit forced in some places, and I found myself getting frustrated because certain characters were behaving in a way that just didn't feel natural considering the development of the relationships. But generally, I was very impressed with the way their relationship was handled.

I also loved that we saw a very powerful, strong Persephone, who fought for herself throughout the novel. She was headstrong and confident, and never backed down from advocating for herself. I do think it would have been beneficial if we had seen her come across something she did struggle with, as I feel like it would have made her feel a little more relatable. However, she is a literal Goddess, and her strength and power is kind of the point of the novel. 

I think it was really interesting how the author discussed some very heavy, important topics in such an accessible way. Greek Mythology is full of men doing terrible things, and I think this book discusses those topics in a way that is manageable and accessible to young adult readers. Those aspects of the story weren't glossed over or ignored, but they were woven into discussions between the characters very naturally.

The last thing I want to mention is the banter. There were so many moments that had me laughing, and I really appreciated the humour in this book. It worked so well with the characters, especially when other side characters such as Styx and Hermes were brought into the scene.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you're new to Greek Mythology retellings, and you find them intimidating, I'd highly recommend you start with Girl, Goddess, Queen! Or if you're like me and you read a lot of Greek Mythology retellings and you're feeling a little overwhelmed by the intensity of them, this might be a great book to pick up! It was very wholesome and much less intense than the other retellings I have read.

So, have you read Girl, Goddess, Queen? Let me know what you thought in the comments! 

* I was kindly sent an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I'VE BEEN LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOK BLOGGER OF THE YEAR AWARD!

 

I'm super excited and honoured to tell you all that I've been nominated and longlisted for the Book Blogger of the Year Award 2023!

I'm so grateful to everyone who has voted for me. This is my twelfth year as a blogger, and I'm honoured to have even been nominated by my readers for the Book Blogger of the Year Award!

Voting for the finals is now open, if you'd like to vote in this round, you can do so here! 

Congratulations to all the other bloggers and content creators who have been nominated for the various categories of the UK Book Blogger Awards 2023! 

THE SONG OF ACHILLES BY MADELINE MILLER | BOOK REVIEW

My interest and enthusiasm for mythology is something I’ve been sharing through my social media platforms for a long time now. So, when I would tell people that I hadn’t in fact read the most hyped mythology retelling - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - people were often confused. I mean, I get it. For a while I was also kind of confused as to why I hadn’t read it. But, I have always struggled when it comes to reading books which have received a lot of hype online. And honestly, I can’t think of a book which I have seen receive the same level of hype as The Song of Achilles.

I read Circe by Madeline Miller at the end of 2022, and I think on some level I started with Circe because it was the less hyped of the two. I didn’t enjoy Circe anywhere near as much as everyone else online seemed to, which was disappointing - although, I didn’t hate it by any means, I gave it a three star rating.

So, when it came to choosing the first book for my book club Mad About Mythology, I knew that it was finally time for me to read The Song of Achilles.

What I liked about the book

I really enjoyed the writing style - more so than in Circe actually. I also enjoyed the character development, and how much Achilles and Patroclus grew throughout the story. There were a lot of moments which demonstrated the emotional journey (I hate that phrase!) that both these characters went on, both separately, and together. Their relationship and the way they viewed each other changed a lot over the course of the book, and I really appreciated that. Their feelings for eachother reflected the events of the novel, and I feel like Patroclus especially reacted to a lot of things in a very realistic way. I don’t often see that level of development in a book like this, so when it is there, it really stands out.

What I didn’t like about this book

Okay, I don’t say this very often but - I think this book actually could have been longer! I just feel like there was more to this story. I think my main problems when it comes to The Song of Achilles aren’t actually with the book at all, but rather with the way that people online talk about it. So many people push this book as ‘spicy’ which (in my opinion at least) it absolutely is not. There are romantic/sexual scenes within the book, but they are not graphic when compared with the books which usually receive the ‘spicy’ label online. When I see people talk about this book on social media platforms - especially on TikTok - it is described as a ‘heartbreaking romance’ and I mean, it is sad, and it does have a romance in it, but it is so much more than that. So I don’t have any big criticisms of the novel itself, other than the fact that it didn’t make me cry. Everyone told me it would make me cry, and I don’t know if it is just because I knew the story, and I knew what would happen, but I didn’t even get a little bit teary. It was sad, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t make me cry…

So, overall, I am glad I finally picked The Song of Achilles up, after all this time. It was a great book to kick off my new book club with, and I gave it a solid four star rating.

Have you read The Song of Achilles? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!