Dark Academia

Dark Academia is a literary and aesthetic genre that revolves around the themes of elitism, classicism, intellectualism, prestige, mystery and death taking place in a higher education setting.

Updated July 12, 2025
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A deadly education : a novel
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic. FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD * "The dark...
Babel ; or, The necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial...
Blood over Bright Haven
Wang, M. L.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever in this "provocative stand-alone novel [that] deftly incorporates elements of science and philosophy into dark academia" (...
Bunny
Awad, Mona
Ebook
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Enter the Bunnyverse with the "wild, audacious . . . unforgettable" (Los Angeles Times) #DarkAcademia novel that started it all - the precursor to We Love You, Bunny "[A] cult classic." --People "[A] viral...
Catherine House
Thomas, Elisabeth
Paper Book
"[A] delicious literary Gothic debut." -THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, EDITORS' CHOICE "Moody and evocative as a fever dream, Catherine House is the sort of book that wraps itself around your brain, drawing you closer with each hypnotic step." - THE WASHINGTON POST<...
Ghosts of Harvard : a novel
Serritella, Francesca Scottoline
Paper Book
TEEN VOGUE BOOK CLUB PICK .A Harvard freshman becomes obsessed with her schizophrenic brother's suicide. Thenshestarts hearing voices. "A rich, intricately plotted thriller . . . Serritella, who is a Harvard grad herself, writes about the campus with an insider's...
Hell bent
Bardugo, Leigh
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller * Goodreads Choice Award Winner "A tour de force of suspenseful pacing and empathetic writing." ―The New York Times "All hail the queen of dark academia!" ―NPR Wealth. Power....
I have some questions for you
Makkai, Rebecca
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Named a Best Book of 2023 by The Washington Post, People, USA Today, NPR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, The Boston Globe, CrimeReads and more "A twisty, immersive...
If we were villains : a novel
Rio, M. L.
Paper Book
In my dreams I hold a knife : a novel
Winstead, Ashley
Paper Book
"[A] mordant debut novel....examines what it means to covet the lives of others, no matter the cost."--The New York Times "Tense, twisty, and packed with shocks."--Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive The Night Six friends. One college reunion. One...
Madam
Wynne, Phoebe
Paper Book
"The simmering menace and mystery kept me absolutely gripped...a smoldering novel that I could not put down." --Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne "Rebecca meets The Secret History: gloriously dark, gloriously Gothic." --Sara Collins...
Middlegame
McGuire, Seanan
Paper Book
A HUGO AWARD FINALIST! WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVEL, 2020! A Pick on the 2020 RUSA Reading List! New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to...
My dark Vanessa
Russell, Kate Elizabeth
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  "[An] exceedingly complex, inventive, resourceful examination of harm and power." --The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice "A lightning rod . . . brilliantly crafted."--The Washington Post Recommended by The New York Times...
Ninth house
Bardugo, Leigh
Paper Book
"The best fantasy novel I've read in years, because it's about real people... Impossible to put down." --Stephen King Enter a mesmerizing world of power, privilege, and dark magic among the Ivy League elite in the first book in the Alex Stern series. ...
Society of lies : a novel
Brown, Lauren Ling
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * "A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn't put this twisty tale down."--Julia Bartz, author of The Writing Retreat ...
Survive the night : a novel
Sager, Riley
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of New York Times Book Review's "summer reads guaranteed to make your heart thump and your skin crawl"; An Amazon Best of the Month Pick; Named a must-read summer book by The Washington Post, USA Today, Vulture<...
The Atlas six
Blake, Olivie
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022 A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee The much-acclaimed viral sensation from Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six--now newly revised and...
The boundaries we cross : a novel
Parks, Brad
Paper Book
He swears by his boundaries. But did he cross the line? At 8 o'clock on a blustery, mid-January morning, Charles Bliss is summoned to the head of school's office at Carrington Academy. Charles, a teacher at the elite Connecticut boarding school, is surprised by the...
The Cloisters : a novel
Hays, Katy
Paper Book
In this "sinister, jaw-dropping" (Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary) debut novel from the author of Saltwater, a circle of researchers uncovers a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York's famed Met Cloisters. When Ann Stilwell...
The golden enclaves
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate. FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD * ONE OF...
The last graduate
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik's groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling trilogy continues in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education. "The climactic graduation-day battle will bring cheers, tears, and...
The magicians : a novel
Grossman, Lev
Paper Book
Lev Grossman's new novel THE BRIGHT SWORD is out now! The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY "The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of...
The Maidens
Michaelides, Alex
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides's long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." --The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly...
The picture of Dorian Gray
Wilde, Oscar
Paper Book
Oscar Wilde's enduringly popular story of a beautiful and corrupt man and the portrait that reveals all his secrets-The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel as flamboyant and controversial as its incomparable author. Entranced by the perfection of his recently painted...
The secret history
Tartt, Donna
Paper Book
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch. ...
The starless sea
Morgenstern, Erin
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world--a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea. "[A] gorgeously written epic love story, filled with magic and...
They never learn
Fargo, Layne
Ebook
From the author of the "raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless" (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve--perfect for fans of Killing Eve and Chelsea Cain.
The broken girls
St. James, Simone
Paper Book
The "clever and wonderfully chilling" (Fiona Barton) suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare... Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good....

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The Divines
Eaton, Ellie
Paper Book
The Elin Hilderbrand Literati Book Club Pick! Recommended by Entertainment Weekly * CNN * Harper's BAZAAR * E! Online * Refinery 29 * Bustle * Shondaland * Vulture * The Millions * Lit Hub * Electric Literature * Parade * MSN * and more! "For when you want a coming-of-age...
Magic for liars
Gailey, Sarah
Paper Book
A 2020 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL Sharp, mainstream fantasy meets compelling thrills of investigative noir in Magic for Liars, a fantasy debut by rising star Sarah Gailey. Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it....
Anita de Monte laughs last : a novel
Gonzalez, Xochitl
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death A Best Book of 2024:...
The will of the many
Islington, James
Paper Book
At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this "brilliant and gut-churning masterpiece" (Library Journal, starred review) by the internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington. The...
Bloody genius
Sandford, John
Paper Book
Virgil Flowers will have to watch his back--and his mouth--as he investigates a college culture war turned deadly in another one of Sandford's "madly entertaining Virgil Flowers mysteries" (New York Times Book Review). At the local state university, two feuding departments...
Real life
Taylor, Brandon
Paper Book
Almost everything about Wallace, an introverted African-American transplant from Alabama, is at odds with the lakeside Midwestern university town where he is studying for a biochem degree. For reasons of self-preservation, he has kept a distance even from his own friends - some dating each other,...
Tell me everything : a novel
Brockman, Cambria
Paper Book
"A compulsive page-turner with shades of Donna Tartt's The Secret History peopled by a new generation."--Catherine Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY...
Choose me
Gerritsen, Tess
Paper Book
From New York Times bestseller Tess Gerritsen and acclaimed thriller writer Gary Braver comes a sexy murder mystery about a reckless affair and dangerous secrets. Taryn Moore is young, beautiful, and brilliant...so why would she kill herself? When Detective Frankie Loomis...
Never let me go
Ishiguro, Kazuo
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love. As a child, Kathy–now thirty-one years old–lived at Hailsham, a private...
Never saw me coming
Kurian, Vera
Paper Book
Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel Named a New York Times Best Thriller of 2021 "I devoured this riveting book through a day of travel...My desire to rush to the end clashed with my desire to savor every word. Who would be the last...
The plot
Korelitz, Jean Hanff
Paper Book
** NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ** The Tonight Show Summer Reads Winner ** A New York Times Notable Book of the Year** "Insanely readable." --Stephen King Hailed as "breathtakingly suspenseful," Jean Hanff Korelitz...
For your own good
Downing, Samantha
Paper Book
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER "Witty and macabre."--Caroline Kepnes "Slick and chilling."--Megan Miranda "I read all of her [books]. I've read everything."--Cecily Strong from SNL for Vanity Fair "A perfect...

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