The River She Became by Emily Varga Published by Macmillan Audio on June 30, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads
I’m going across the River. And I’m going to save us all.
Yaseema is a brilliant scholar and loyal servant of the Empire—or so they think. By day, she catalogs the fae relics of her conquered kingdom. But by night, she reclaims the artefacts in secret to restore magic to her dying land.
Until she finds the long lost key to cross the River into the fae world and save her people. But a ruthless realm awaits her there, ruled by monsters wearing beautiful skin—especially the cold-eyed captain who sees through her lies. But even he isn’t what he seems—under the guise of upholding a cruel regime, he works to overthrow it from the inside. To succeed, he needs the same lost relic Yaseema the crown of an ancient Fae Queen.
With magic that is a mystery even to her, Yaseema can help him find the crown and save his family from a fate worse than death. Unless she steals it first to help her own.
To survive, they must work together to outwit ancient curses, battle creatures born of nightmares, and find a power that could resurrect their worlds. But as secrets unravel and loyalties blur, they face the greatest danger of losing their heart to each other.
Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Mummy, this thrilling start to a new fantasy duology bursts with dangerous romance, heart-stopping twists, and a heroine who dares to steal back her future.
There is something deeply compelling about a novel that treats history and cultural identity as something worth fighting for.
This story interested me because of its theme of anti-colonialism. The author clearly shows the harm caused by centuries of colonialism and the need for repatriation of relics from other cultures. It’s a topic I feel strongly about and the author handled it with the gravitas it deserves. I just wish the parallel experiences of our MCs were explored more.
Our two MCs are well-written, and complex. I liked them both individually, as they were easy to connect to. Surprisingly, I enjoyed Kiyan’s perspective the most; his backstory and internal turmoil were developed really well! But the romance? It’s your generic romantasy and I didn’t care for it.
The worldbuilding also felt … off. Perhaps the author was trying to do too much with combining the Fae world with Yaseema’s world. Descriptions were provided but it was still hard for me to envision. I also didn’t understand the magic system, especially when Yaseema suddenly manifests powers. How did she get it? How was she controlling it? The fact that these powers would change to suit the needs of the situation was far too convenient for my liking.
Ultimately, what let me down with this story is its comparison to The Mummy, my all-time favourite movie. I was looking for some treasure hunting and high stakes but that never happened. The ending was lackluster, as well.
I will say that the narrator did a fantastic job in creating distinct voices for our characters and providing an immersive experience for readers.
Overall, I just didn’t enjoy this novel that much. Unfortunately, the expectations from the publisher branding weren’t met so I will be giving this series a pass.
