Tag: isabel ibanez

Book Review: Where the Library Hide (Secrets of the Nile #2) by Isabel Ibanez

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: NA Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Isabel Ibanez
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: November 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

1885, Egypt

Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

ENDING SAVED IT.

OOOO do I love a dramatic and action packed ending. Bless this book for having one because I felt off kilter at the start. I thought the plot got lost initially and even though I loved seeing the development between Whit and Inez, there wasn’t much else happening until a quarter of the way in.

I did love all of the historical aspects and how those have been combined with fantasy elements. I love love love books in this sub genre and this hit the spot for those perfectly.

One of the main antagonists was extremely obvious and was a bit of a let down, BUT I will say I was surprised by one of the reveals and that helped balance out. It led to the chaos that was the final few chapters and I loved seeing how it all went down.

This duology really worked well as a duo. It was not drawn out, there’s good action and endearing characters. I adored Inez and Whit and the audiobook narrators for them did a great job. I can’t wait for more books from this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Historical Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: vague fade to black
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, non-consensual drugging, near death experiences

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ARC Book Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 416 pages
Author: Isabel Ibanez
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: October 31st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

This has got to be one of the best cliffhangers I’ve read in recent memory. When I tell you my jaw DROPPED and I frantically read the last page multiple times trying to figure out what happened, ohhhhh boy. That right there deserves a lot of praise. I love a good blindside. BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN.

The tension in this romance will send you to space. Whit and Inez are two planets orbiting each other but not quite close enough. AND I LIVED FOR IT ALL. Give me all of the build moments. I am a sucker. I loved both of them as separate characters too. Complicated backgrounds and trauma, learning to be open and lean on each other, just all the goodness I love seeing in main characters.

I thought the plot was fantastic and it sent me on multiple internet dives to read more about Cleopatra and Egypt. I loved the way that history was blending in with the fantasy and how lush and beautiful the words built the world. Immersive and daring and WILD twists and turns. I may have caught one, but in no way caught them all.

I NEED BOOK TWO NOW.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: heated make-out
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping, loss of loved ones, near death experiences

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Book Review: Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Isabel Ibañez
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: May 31st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don’t want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.

ALMOST FOUR STARS.

I was really on my way to super enjoying this. I LOVED the setting and cultural aspects. Easily one of my favorite parts of this book. I felt the world come alive with the language, food and cityscape descriptions. There was great writing involved in much of that and the audiobook helped create that tenfold.

Zarela was a main character who I liked as a YA heroine lead. She truly was just trying to do her best in a rough situation. I liked her tenacity to hold on to her family’s legacy and the willingness to learn new things and make tough choices to see everything through. The romance between her and Arturo had the best kind of banter. A bit of enemies to lovers that grew into something more. I do think the steam went a bit past YA levels, but it was still relatively low overall.

What threw me was the villain. I can get behind a lot of background antagonist stories. This one was fine, I’ve seen it before, but what got me was his obsession with claiming Zarela? I don’t want to spoil so I can’t really say much more, it just didn’t click for me.

I’d say this is a pretty solid fantasy for a standalone (which are hard for me to be pleased by). A fast paced read that covers a lot. I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention there’s DRAGONS and flamenco dancing. Lots of incredible things, just a few meh.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: brief/vague open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents, kidnapping, animal death and cruelty, murder, misogyny, grief/loss depiction

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