Cover of What the River Knows

What the River Knows

Isabel Ibañez

Secrets of the Nile #1

young adult romance(89k)

A Bolivian-Argentinian heiress sails to 19th-century Cairo to uncover her parents' fate — and clashes with her guardian'

Content Warnings
death of loved onegrief

Description

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 a 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.

Secrets of the Nile series

Books like this

Cover of The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

Renée Ahdieh

young adult romanceThe Wrath and the Dawn #1
(187k)

A girl volunteers to marry the king who murders his brides — planning revenge, not love.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Red Winter

Red Winter

Annette Marie

young adult romanceRed Winter Trilogy #1
(14k)

A girl destined to unite with a goddess strikes a dangerous deal with a yokai who could destroy her.

forbidden romanceforced proximitymythology retelling

10 tropes in common

Cover of Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga, #1)

Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga, #1)

Colleen Houck

young adult romanceThe Tiger Saga #1
(67k)

A teen girl travels to India to help break a 300-year-old curse trapping a prince in the form of a white tiger.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbookish heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Axie Oh

young adult romance
(98k)

A girl throws herself into the sea to save her brother — and must wake a sleeping god before the Spirit Realm claims her

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Anatomy: A Love Story

Anatomy: A Love Story

Dana Schwartz

young adult romanceThe Anatomy Duology #1
(110k)

A lady who wants to be a surgeon strikes a deal with a grave robber in gothic Edinburgh.

forbidden romancebadass heroinebookish heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns

Margaret Rogerson

young adult romanceSorcery of Thorns #1
(161k)

A library girl raised to hate sorcerers must trust her sworn enemy to unravel a centuries-old conspiracy.

forbidden romancebadass heroinebookish heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)

Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)

Richelle Mead

young adult romanceBloodlines #1
(191k)

A human alchemist sworn to keep vampires at arm's length is forced to live with one — and protect him.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybookish heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)

Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)

Jennifer L. Armentrout

young adult romanceCovenant #1
(116k)

A half-blood returns to her gods-descended school — and falls for the pure-blood trainer she can never have.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco

young adult romanceStalking Jack the Ripper #1
(183k)

A Victorian lord's daughter secretly studies forensic medicine — and hunts Jack the Ripper.

forbidden romancebadass heroinebookish heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of The Inheritance Games

The Inheritance Games

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

young adult romanceThe Inheritance Games #1
(1.1M)

A broke girl inherits a billionaire's fortune — and must live with his four dangerously brilliant grandsons to keep it.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybookish heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)

Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)

Josephine Angelini

young adult romanceStarcrossed #1
(76k)

She's cursed to make men kill for her — he's her mortal enemy, and the only one worth dying for.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty

Rosamund Hodge

young adult romanceCruel Beauty Universe
(94k)

Trained from birth to kill the immortal man she must marry, Nyx finds herself falling for her sworn enemy.

forbidden romanceforced proximitymythology retelling

8 tropes in common

Cover of Six Crimson Cranes

Six Crimson Cranes

Elizabeth Lim

young adult romanceSix Crimson Cranes #1
(106k)

A cursed princess must save her brothers without uttering a word — aided by the prince she refused to marry.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Amélie Wen Zhao

young adult romanceSong of the Last Kingdom #1
(15k)

A hidden-magic girl and a rogue practitioner must unlock ancient secrets to reclaim their colonized kingdom.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Sue Lynn Tan

young adult romanceThe Celestial Kingdom #1
(130k)

Hidden on the moon her whole life, a girl risks everything to save her mother — and loses her heart to an emperor's son.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

6 tropes in common

Cover of Girl, Goddess, Queen

Girl, Goddess, Queen

Bea Fitzgerald

young adult romance
(14k)

Persephone didn't get kidnapped — she jumped. Now she just has to deal with hell's arrogant, annoyingly hot ruler.

forced proximitymythology retellingbadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of These Violent Delights

These Violent Delights

Chloe Gong

young adult romanceThese Violent Delights #1
(171k)

Romeo & Juliet meets 1920s Shanghai: rival gang heirs and ex-lovers must unite to stop a monstrous plague.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Voice of the Ocean

Voice of the Ocean

Kelsey Impicciche

young adult romance
(6k)

A siren sent to assassinate a prince must choose between duty and the dangerous feelings growing between them.

forbidden romancemythology retellingbadass heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of A Deal with the Elf King

A Deal with the Elf King

Elise Kova

romantasyMarried to Magic #1
(119k)

A healer is taken by the cold Elf King to be his queen — and only she can save his dying world.

forbidden romanceforced proximitymythology retelling

8 tropes in common

Cover of Where the Dark Stands Still

Where the Dark Stands Still

A.B. Poranek

young adult romance
(31k)

A girl with forbidden magic owes a year of service to a demon warden hiding dangerous secrets in his cursed wood.

forbidden romanceforced proximitybadass heroine

7 tropes in common