What the Wind Knows (Secrets of the Nile #1) by Isabel Ibanez

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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 parent’s 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 parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

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

Review: This was such an intriguing historical fantasy, young adult novel that followers Inez Olivera who has been raised in upper society of Buenos Aires in the nineteenth century. While she has a privileged lifestyle and a beautiful home, she has always felt deprived and left out by her parents' choice to spend much of their life away from her in Egypt. When she receives word of their tragic deaths, she packs up her sketch pads and an ancient gold ring her father mailed her and sets off to find out what happened to them. 

I loved the immersive, old world feel to this novel. Inez's journey into the heart of Egypt was filled with twists, scheming, and steeped in history. I would describe this book as light fantasy. This is primarily a historical fiction tale, however, Inez can sense hints of magic and previous owners when touching historical objects. The artifacts and her search bring her in contact with traces of Cleopatra's presence, which was a fun addition to the story. 

Beyond the mystery behind the disappearance of Inez's parents and the treachery she uncovers, this story had great tension with her budding love interest. I thought this novel did a great job of staying young adult. There is a love story, this is well written, but yet the content was very appropriate for more youthful readers. But yet was still a book I enjoyed as an adult reader.  

I did think this dragged somewhat. I listened to the audio version, which was well done. But this was 17 hours and much of it felt like a lot of filler, with slow progress in the plot. Some wonderful, dramatic scenes! But I do think this could have been condensed. 

Stars: 4