Enter the atmospheric world of dark academia books. In these novels, intellectual pursuits and moral dilemmas converge in hallowed halls. Here, you’ll find everything from romance to fantasy, classics, mysteries, and other books about school that explore deep, complex themes. Let’s get literary!
What makes a book dark academia?
Dark academia books remain popular. They explore the darker side of human nature through flawed characters in a school setting. Themes include moral dilemmas, violent acts, forbidden love, power struggles, and the like. The settings are gothic, and the tone is complex and introspective, often resulting in thrilling and mysterious narratives.
Academia vs. Dark Academia
Academia refers to educational settings broadly, while dark academia is a subgenre focusing on intellectual pursuits with a Gothic tone. It often features crimes and moral dilemmas.
Related Post: Light Academia Books
Quick Dark Academia Reading List
Top 3 Picks
The quintessential thriller pick: The Secret History
Best mystery: If We Were Villains
Best classic: A Separate Peace
Classic
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Fantasy
- Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Mystery/Thriller
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- Bunny by Mona Awad
- Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
- Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
- If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
- I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
- In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
- The It Girl by Ruth Ware
- The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
- The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus
- The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
Other Fiction
- My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Old School by Tobias Wolff
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld
Dark Romance
- Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
Reviews of the Best Dark Academia Books
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar is one of my all-time favorite classic books, as well as a book on Rory Gilmore’s reading list. It’s about a young woman in the 1950s who struggles with deep depression and feeling trapped.
It fits the dark academia genre well because the protagonist is a college student with a prestigious internship at a New York City magazine. The novel deals with heavy, introspective themes like identity and the pressures of academic and societal expectations. This somber tone captures the dark academia blend of intellectual and emotional struggles.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
It may be a controversial choice to name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone one of the best dark versus light academia books, but so many elements of the dark academia genre are within its pages. Harry Potter can be considered dark academia due to its focus on magical education, intellectual exploration, and the Gothic elements within Hogwarts.
If you haven’t read it yet, I don’t know what you’re waiting for!
Check out the graphic and interactive MinaLima edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for added dark academia vibes.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
If We Were Villains is a Fall thriller book that oozes the dark academia aesthetic.
Ten years before Oliver was released from prison, he was part of a group of Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. It was a passionate environment of immersive theater, where a night of drunken debauchery led to death. Oliver’s finally ready to tell the truth about what happened.
With parallels to Shakespearean tragedies and their extreme emotions running throughout, it’s a daring and ambitious coming-of-age book about college that truly delivers. It explores everything from coping with grief to the motivations that drive us, and it’s the kind of book that will keep you reading late at night.
Related Post: Characters in If We Were Villains | Summary of If We Were Villains | Review of If We Were Villains
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
I Have Some Questions For You reads like a very modern take on the dark academia genre, as it involves a podcaster looking back at the past.
Bodie is a film professor and podcaster who seeks to forget her family tragedy and the 1995 murder of her classmate, for which the school trainer was convicted.
But, when she speaks at her alma mater, she sees flaws in the old case. As she digs even deeper, she must reckon with the past.
There’s a lot to explore here, including statements on racism, justice, and the #MeToo movement.
Reading Tip: I recommend the audio version for its immersive, podcast-like experience.
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
The It Girl is one of two Ruth Ware books that fall into the dark academia genre.
This novel uncovers the truth about the death, one decade earlier, of the gothic school Oxford’s popular student, April Clarke-Cliveden. She was a young woman of “two faces” as many “it” girls are under the stressors of a high-pressure academic setting at a young age.
Her friend, Hannah, is now married to another of their friends, Will, and expecting a baby. But, when April’s convicted killer dies in prison and a journalist presents evidence he may have been innocent, Hannah’s “nesting” stage of life becomes interrupted by a desperate search for the truth.
Hannah reconnects with the remainder of her college group of friends to shed new light on the past. The results offer twists along the way to a heart-racing conclusion.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
For even more from Ruth Ware, check out The Lying Game. When human remains are found in a small coastal village, a resident woman named Kate texts her old boarding school friends that she needs them.
This intriguing opening scene sets the stage for the story of four girls, who were known for their incessant lies and problems at the school.
They reconvene as adults, and while Kate remains guarded, the remainder of the group, led by new mother Isa, slowly uncovers the truth behind the lies. Ultimately, they must decide whether to lie or tell the truth going forward.
This novel blends past and present, a moody setting, and a questionable professor/father to keep you glued to the pages. It’s another twisty and intriguing academic tale from Ware’s catalog of page-turning thrillers.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
If you love Alex Michaelides books, The Maidens is a great fall book with nods to Greek culture and history, both of which are prominent in dark academia.
Mariana is a therapist who believes a charming Greek tragedy professor at a university has murdered her niece’s friend, a member of a female secret society. After another death, Mariana becomes determined to prove the professor’s guilt at any cost.
It has complex layers beyond those of most thrillers, which kept me intrigued throughout.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go is one of the most unique books on this list, as it’s technically science fiction. But, with dark secrets coming to light in an academic setting, it still fits the mold.
Hailsham is a boarding school where students are heavily trained in the arts. But, they are allowed little contact with the outside world and are watched over by “guardians.”
After leaving, Kathy becomes a “carer” for people called “donors,” and alongside her former classmates, they uncover the shocking truth about both Hailsham and themselves.
This novel offers an unforgettable statement on the value of human life. The writing is so refined that it is a page-turner, but the mystery story is revealed in little tidbits throughout, simultaneously making it a slow burn.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
The One of Us Is Lying series of books qualifies as dark academia because they involve murder and secrets at detention—like the 80s cult classic The Breakfast Club, but with a deadly twist.
After five students walk into detention at Bayview High (the brain, the beauty, the criminal, the athlete, and the outcast), one ends up dead, and the others are left suspects, scrambling to uncover the truth behind the death.
Everyone has a secret in high school, and this maxim certainly applies to the characters. As they struggle to keep their secrets and to solve the mystery, there are satisfying twists.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
The Plot is a literary thriller with literature at its core. This is a growing sub-genre that blends suspense, an untrustworthy professor protagonist, and a school setting.
A struggling author turned teacher steals the plot of his student after his death in an attempt to earn back his literary esteem.
When an anonymous email calls him a thief, his paranoia kicks in, and he begins to investigate who’s behind the email and the source of the plot, leaving the reader to question who owns the story.
This one really had my heart racing, and it’s pretty juicy too! It’s so propulsive.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Secret History defines dark academia. If you read only one book on this list, make it this quintessential pick
It’s about an outcast from California who is desperate to fit in at a preppy college in Vermont in the 1980s.
He becomes friends with his fellow Greek classmates, and their obsession with Greek has deadly consequences. The crew spirals downward as they process the gravity of their actions.
This book has some of the best dialogue I’ve read, and the ending makes your heart pound in suspense. This modern classic is a must-read for literature lovers. It transports you to the time and place and makes the characters feel real.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
A Separate Peace takes place at a New England boys’ boarding school. Gene, a lonely intellectual, befriends Phineas, a handsome athlete. What happens between them shatters their innocence forever. The story is a commentary on lost innocence during World War II, when America, too, lost its innocence.
It’s easily readable and very satisfying in a modern context. And it’s oh, so dark!
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
They Wish They Were Us is set at Gold Coast Prep in Long Island, New York, where scholarship student Jill’s best friend Shaila was killed by her boyfriend three years earlier.
But, like the lives of Jill and her group of friends (“The Players”), nothing is what it seems. Jill begins to question Shaila’s death while also dealing with academic issues like cheating and getting into an Ivy League college.
It’s a quick and engaging mystery with the dark academia aesthetic.
More Popular Books on My Reading List
MORE DARK ACADEMIA
Dark Academia Reading Challenge
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Recap
You’ve now explored the hallowed halls of the best dark academia books. Within the walls of the gothic towers in these novels lurk secrets, violence, and moral dilemmas that keep readers glued to the pages.
TOP 3 PICKS
Get started with these devious books:
- My top pick: The Secret History
- Best classic: A Separate Peace
- Most thrilling: If We Were Villains
