#missing clarissa

Dark Academia novel: Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones (2023)

Quote:

Everyone from Oreville knows the story of Clarissa. Her living ghost haunts the long rain-dark winters alongside the looming specters of Washington’s grim army of infamous serial killers and litany of missing girls…. Clarissa Campbell, who vanished so completely that no one has found a trace of her – not the full investigative force of the Oreville police department, not legions of armchair sleuths and online obsessives, not television news crews or magazine reporters or Clarissa’s friends and family.

It’s finally spooky season and I’m so ready for it. I have quite a few spooky/mysterious books to read this month. I’m planning a couple rereads, a few new to me authors, and a NetGalley read.

1. Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell-- This one I’m picking up on recommendation from Jade from JadeyRaeReads on Booktube. It’s a YA Fantasy novel about a magical clan called the Jan’Tep. Kellen is moments away from starting the four trials that will make him a spellcaster. The problem? His magic is gone. He’ll have to fall back on his cunning to avoid total disgrace or learn from a mysterious Argosi named Ferius Parfax about a different path forward.

2. None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney-- This one was pitched on Tumblr as Criminal Minds meets The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which had my attention immediately. GoodReads says it’s: “a psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.” Say less. You have me.

3. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher-- Kingfisher is an author who is getting all of the attention right now so I decided to dive into the hype. This is the one that I think I would enjoy the most out of everything they’ve written. Kara is freshly divorced and living back at home when she accidentally discovers portals to countless alternate realities. But they’re haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts and the more you fear them, the stronger they become. Shut the front door, right now! This sounds so good. And it’s not too long. 

4. Escaping Eleven by Jerri Chisholm-- This is the first reread I need to do in October. The final book in this series comes out in December. It’s not the best dystopian series I’ve ever read, it’s actually pretty derivative, but it has such a nostalgic feel for me because I love the dystopian genre so much. This one is about a girl who is forced to fight for the entertainment of those above her station. But when she’s forced to face off with someone from the upper floors she realizes there’s more than fighting to survive. She wants to fight for her freedom and this boy may be what she’s been waiting for.

5. The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson-- The second reread I need to get to in October. I’m rereading the whole series before the fifth book comes out in December. This is a mystery series about a boarding school on a mountainside in Vermont, a nearly 100 year old missing person’s case, and a new murder. I think that’s vague enough since this is the second book in the series.

6. Pucked by Helena Hunting (Kindle)-- This one is mostly a joke, but hockey season DOES start up this month. (FINALLY!) I found Helena Hunting through her Spark House series and decided to grab this one when I saw a hockey romance in her backlist. I don’t expect to enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed the Spark House series so far, but I think it’ll be a fun and quick read.

7. Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones (NetGalley)-- In August of 1999, a popular girl goes missing in Washington state. Thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But the case soon grows cold. Over 20 years later, two high school juniors start a true crime podcast, determine to get to the bottom of this mystery. But, in their sleuthing, are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man? And help the true killer walk free?

Originally Waiting on Wednesday created by Jill @ breakingthespine Synopsis Perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Ripley Jones’s Missing Clarissa is a gripping novel about two friends who start a true crime podcast—with dangerous consequences. In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of…