A House of Vipers

By: Emma Jackson

Narrated by: Giordan Diaz, Jorjeana Marie, Max Meyers, Eli Schiff

In this thrilling dark academia mystery that begins a year after the sudden disappearance of a student at an elite boarding school, his brother finds clues that can help him and his friends solve their school’s most elusive puzzle—and find his brother, dead or alive.

“Perfect for Wednesday and The Inheritance Games fans . . . packed with backstabbing, puzzles, and a secret order that leaves you wondering what they could be doing in the darkness.”—Parade

It’s been a year and a half since Sutter Heyward’s brother, Lawson, disappeared from the secluded campus of Meddlehart Academy. Everyone has given up on finding him except for Sutter, who can’t shake the feeling that he’s out there somewhere and desperately needs help to make it home.

That is, until he and his friends uncover clues that Lawson was searching for their school’s rumored buried treasure the night he went missing . . . and there is a secret society on campus still trying to find it. They are the Order of the Vipers. Sutter and his friends don’t hesitate to join the hunt, but they quickly realize that becoming a Viper involves dangerous initiation rituals where the risk is often greater than the reward.

With every clue and secret they uncover, Sutter knows they are one step closer to solving the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. But as he digs closer to the deadly truth, he will discover that some things were meant to stay buried.

Critic reviews

“A mystery that coils around the reader's throat and doesn't let go.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Shiny Happy People

“Buried lies, hidden clues, and mysterious disappearances, all slithering around a delightfully delicate love triangle.” —Megan Davidhizar, author of Silent Sister and Gaslit

“An atmospheric, magnetic mystery, driven by a fierce found family whose relationships are even richer than the missing treasure that they seek.” —Charlotte Lillie Balogh, author of Kill the Lax Bro

"Perfect for Wednesday and The Inheritance Games fans... It’s packed with backstabbing, puzzles, and a secret order that leaves you wondering what they could be doing in the darkness."—Parade

"A pulse-pounding mystery... Expertly rendered character dynamics, a believably suspenseful love triangle, and a focus on the bracing impact of trust and friendship sets this YA debut apart." —Publishers Weekly

"The angst of unrequited teenage love pairs quite well with the life-or-death hunt for buried treasure, and the explosive conclusion satisfyingly wraps things up." —Booklist

"A good addition to the YA dark academia genre with a treasure hunt at its core that will also appeal to fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s “The Inheritance Games” and the National Treasure movies." —School Library Journal

Dark academia mystery wit a dash of love triangle

This was a solid read and a fantastic audiobook!

The main aspect of this book I enjoyed was the love triangle. It had just enough yearning, indecisiveness, and ultimately, a great resolution. I thought Fallon was a very lovely girl and I could tell why both boys were attracted to her. Grayson was my favorite; I loved his backstory and his intense feelings for Fallon. Sutter wasn't as interesting to me because he was so obsessed with finding his brother at all costs - it almost felt like everything (and everyone) else was an afterthought for him. The two side characters were good too: they rounded out the team well.

The dark academia atmosphere was spot-on. We were never without action or emotion - either we had an intense scene or an intense conversation and the story was always moving forward. I really enjoyed the writing style here and I was glad that the characters were open-minded about their situation. They never pigeon-holed themselves into thinking a certain way, like other students sometimes do in academic mysteries.

The narration was spectacular for this one. We have three narrators: for Fallon, Grayson, and Sutter. A tri-narration was ideal for this one, since the three of them are our narrators. I think I enjoyed this one even more on audio, precisely because it was so easy to determine whose POV I was in at any given time.

Overall, I would recommend this one to fans of dark academia mysteries, found families, and especially love triangles. If you are against love triangles in your books, then you should steer clear because that is very heavy in this one.

I really enjoyed this debut and am excited to see what Jackson does next! :)