When I stumbled across this article in the New York Times (gift link), I hadn’t heard of the Dark Academia trend. I immediately went to my favorite place on the internet, the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club forums, to share my newfound obsession and talk to my fellow readers about Dark Academia: is it a social media trend, aesthetic, literary genre? Yes, yes, and yes.
Maybe it’s nostalgia for school days since I haven’t been a student in, ahem, more than a decade. Maybe it’s wistfulness for a more analog time where academics wrote by soft candlelight with their fountain pens. But I just can’t get enough. I’ve since wiled away a good many hours searching “dark academia” (and its variations “light academia”… “pastel academia” … “classical academia”), created Pinterest boards devoted to outfit inspo, and most importantly, dedicated a special notebook just to my DATBR (that’s Dark Academia To Be Read) list.
There are all kinds of debates about what makes for a Dark Academia novel, but for our purposes here we’re going with the definition built into the term: dark in tone plus an elite, academic setting. Not all of these novels have every one of the numerous hallmark elements, but they all have the right vibe. And Dark Academia is all about the vibes.
If you want to know even more, you can take our latest Book Club class Make Me An Expert on Dark Academia, where we host The Dark Academicals podcasters for a riveting discussion about the hallmarks of Dark Academia.
Here are some of my favorite read-and-loved Dark Academia titles, and a few from my TBR. There’s a good chance your favorite just missed this list, or maybe it’s not on my radar at all, so please please do tell in the comments section!
13 Dark Academia novels you haven’t already seen everywhere (and 7 you have)
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The Secret History
The quintessential DA title and the one some would say practically created the subgenre. I’ve read this over and over, partially because I love reading about these characters, even though there’s not a likable one in the bunch. And partially because it’s been too long since we had a new Donna Tartt novel. ::taps foot impatiently:: More info →
The Group
I read this in college myself and was shocked (at the time; I’d like to reread it now 20 years later) at the juicy, gossipy tone of this group of women at Vassar college in the 1960s. But there’s plenty of betrayal and tragedy and grittiness, even as we follow these students into adulthood. More info →
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
I can’t put it better than this line from the publisher's blurb: “Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party).” The story centers around daughter and student (in that order!) Blue and her dad, who finally settle in a new place and Blue finally finds a group of new friends after a lonely and itinerant existence. It’s pure fun with all their intelligence and quick-witted knowledge flickering back and forth (like a Gilmore Girls episode on the page!—so many references to pop culture, literature, science will send you googling every other page) until the group that centers around a cult-like professor will leave you wondering, along with Blue, What’s really going on here? More info →
Never Let Me Go
Ishiguro is famous for novels where you understand every word on the page, yet don’t quite know what’s going on. Just trust him as he slowly reveals why the haunting vibe in Never Let Me Go is more unsettling than you ever suspected. I’ll say no more about the plot because you have to experience this one for yourself. More info →
Edinburgh
This one landed on my list after a dive down the TikTok Dark Academia rabbit hole sent me to the Edinburgh offshoot (so many quaint coffee shops and tree-sodden streets!). I knew of Alexander Chee from his opera-inspired novel The Queen of the Night, and now I’m excited to follow him from the opera house to a private school in Maine. I’ve been told to research the content carefully before diving in so I extend the same advice to you: mind your triggers here, as the story is set in motion by child abuse. More info →
The Shadow of the Wind
Since we’re not actually in school here, we’re allowed to bend the rules, right? Technically, this is the one novel on this list that doesn’t take place in a higher education setting. But since Dark Academia is all about the vibes, this one is too good in every other way not to be included—it has obsession in the form of an antiquarian book dealer, dark motives and secrets, plus murder. More info →
Picnic at Hanging Rock
This might cross the line into “Light Academia” because of its summer setting. One of the hallmarks of Dark Academia is the role of weather in the story: weather definitely plays a part here, but it’s because the weather is so warm and sunny when a group of girls from nearby Appleyard College for Young Ladies set out for a picnic at Hanging Rock. When three of them disappear, you’ll see the shadows peaking through the clouds. More info →
Shadow of the Lions
Am I the only one who lets gorgeous hardback copies of books I’m really excited about languish on my shelves for too many years? I got this one in an excellent campus novels box from my favorite independent bookstore and still haven't gotten around to reading it. The cover positively drips with ivy vines criss-crossed across a red brick wall, but what I’m really looking forward to is following the story of the return of a former boarding school student-turned-English teacher as he grapples with what happened to his roommate and friend after his disappearance all these years later. More info →
Possession
Victorian letters, journals, and poets, plus two academics trying to unravel their stories—I still can’t believe I haven’t read this modern classic that feels like the most romantic title on this list. The publisher calls this an “intellectual mystery” and I can see curling up with this novel under a blanket this winter and unraveling the mystery with them. More info →
Smoke
I wish I could remember where I heard about this title, but it's flown under the radar for too many years. I’m constantly telling people this story feels positively Dickensian to me, minus Dickens’s trademark humor. But then again, I’d expect no less from a novel set in Victorian England with words like “sin” and “secrets” in the publisher’s description. Think if The Handmaid's Tale were set at a boys’ school—a story about wickedness and privilege with a splash of magical realism thrown in. More info →
If We Were Villains
When we talked with Dark Academia darling M.L. Rio in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, the conversation turned to the difference between dishonest and unreliable narrators. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that’s a hallmark of the genre, but it’s certainly a frequent theme. I’m especially enticed by the students’ Shakespeare obsession; they speak in Shakespearean quotes as in-jokes to each other. You don’t need a familiarity with the Bard to enjoy the story, but you’ll get jolts of nerdy delight all throughout if you do. More info →
Catherine House
If authors, inventors, judges, and presidents come from one boarding school tucked in the woods, acceptance for a girl with few prospects should be the gate that opens doors. Instead, Ines finds seclusion and strictures… and something even more sinister. Even so, the atmosphere at Catherine House is so transporting you’d be tempted to enroll yourself. More info →
The Maidens
Girls in white dresses but these are not out of a Maria Von Trapp song. These white dresses belong to a cult obsessed with a Greek tragedy professor who might also be a murderer. I was here for all the winks and nods to Greek mythology throughout plus the Cambridge setting. Audiophile alert: I listened on Libro.fm and the two alternating perspectives voiced by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Louise Brealey enhanced the story for me. More info →
The Stranger Diaries
Elly Griffiths is almost too delightful to put on this list of "dark" titles. Almost. She somehow makes murder, Gothic literature, and a creepy old diary in the style of Agatha Christie whodunits a romp. This well-endorsed British murder mystery features a high school English teacher who teaches a niche course on gothic writer R. M. Holland every year. When one of her colleagues is found dead with a quote from R. M. Holland left nearby, Clare Cassidy starts to see her favorite works of literature in a whole new light. What follows is a procedural campus mystery for book lovers, told in three rotating perspectives—a perfect novel to read curled up in an armchair with a hot cup of tea. And maybe while wearing a tweed jacket or elbow-patched cardigan. More info →
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
The subtitle references arcane history, Oxford, translators, and might also tip you off to the fact that this is a long, meaty chunk of a story. I won’t say much more about the plot since this book has been everywhere since its release (including MMD team members Holly and Shannan’s Patreon bonus episode last fall!), only that my favorite part was the footnotes. Reviews were mixed about this element, but to me, all the asides and deep dives made me feel like I was a student again myself. More info →
I Have Some Questions for You
Am I the last reader who hasn’t read Rebecca Makkai? Surely not, but it sure feels like everyone read The Great Believers when it was the hot novel of the summer five years ago, and now I Have Some Questions for You is out and I still haven’t gotten around to this one yet either. I knew this one was for me though when my friend Kari pressed her copy into my hands and I read the description: “part true-crime, part campus novel”. I’m in. More info →
Ace of Spades
One of the (fair) criticisms of Dark Academia is that because of the elitist history of higher education, marginalized characters and stories are underrepresented in the subgenre. That’s part of the reason this novel is on my TBR list. But the main reason is the story behind the story: the author wrote this in her first year at university, after having binge-watched the original Gossip Girl and wishing the hilarious mean-girl female leads were allowed to be played by Black actresses. Her novel about two competing prefects dealing with an anonymous and potentially deadly prank was published her senior year. While the author's real-life story has a happy ending, I’m not expecting this novel to (don’t tell me yet if I’m wrong!). More info →
The Hawthorne School
I love it when an author’s day job informs their work as a writer. I’m expecting Sylvie Perry’s work as psychotherapist to inform this novel, told through the mother's eyes as she watches the changes to her son Henry after enrolling him in the school of her dreams… that turns into a nightmare. More info →
Old School
For a subgenre set in prep schools, boarding schools, and universities, we get surprisingly few coming of age novels (which I happen to love!). Tobias Wolff’s 2003 debut novel is now a modern classic—a bildungsroman about an aspiring writer obsessed with meeting Ernest Hemingway at a New England prep school in the 1960s. I love complicated, morally gray stories about love for the written word, especially if they feature protagonists so finely drawn I had to flip back and make sure this indeed a novel, not a memoir. More info →
S./Ship of Theseus
This novel-within-a-novel has been one of the most unique experiences of my reading life. I had so much fun buddy reading this with MMD team member Leigh; we could not stop voxing about these characters! The story alternates between two graduate students and unfolds through their written notes in the margins of the book they’re both obsessed by. They have their theories, research, and their own family dramas, plus a budding relationship to contend with, but also a sinister someone hot on their heels who doesn’t seem to particularly want them to uncover the secrets. My favorite part of this read was all the ephemera like maps and postcards and letters actually tucked into the physical copy of the book. It adds to the story, sure, but mostly, it made me feel like an academic myself, satisfyingly sifting through documents in a dusty library trying to solve the mystery of an author whose identity has never been confirmed. More info →
Are any of your favorite Dark Academia novels on this list? What else do you recommend? Please tell us in the comments section!
P.S. 25 boarding school novels that are better than your class reunion and 22 atmospheric gothic novels for a darker reading mood.
About the author
Ginger Horton is our Book Club Community Manager here at MMD. Her go-to genres are literary fiction and classics. You can find Ginger on Instagram at @gthorton or the MMD Book Club account @MMDBookClub.
66 comments
A little surprised that Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern novels–Ninth House and Hell Bent–didn’t make this list. Warning–these books put the DARK in Dark Academia. If you like your Dark Academia with a healthy dose of fantasy, these might be for you.
Totally agree! I was introduced to Leigh Bardugo through Ninth House, instead of the Grishaverse like everyone else. These Alex Stern books are so much fun!
You can tell the holes in my reading life by this list, can’t you? 🙂 I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but I have seen these EVERYWHERE, and really should give them a try. Even though it’s not my go-to genre, I try and read a fantasy book or two each year because you never know what you’re missing out on until you try, right?
I absolutely loved the Bardugo novels! Ninth House is one of my all-time faves. They are incredibly dark, though. The whole atmosphere, characters, fantasy, chef’s kiss!
Years ago I read The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman and it was captivating to me. Not sure it fits DA but it was a good read.
This was not on my radar, but by the description, this sounds right up the DA alley. Thanks!
Ninth House would be a good addition to this list! And so would They Never Learn, a new release I’m currently reading. Love Dark Academia in the fall!
I’d not heard of They Never Learn. Thanks for putting that on my radar. Hope you’re enjoying it!
I loved Ninth House, too. They Never Learn was utterly fascinating and fun to read. I also loved Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian. Also Dark Academia. If you like Layne Fargo, her other book Temper was fantastic!
The Maidens was excellent on audio. Would be a good pick for a spooky October read.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is a magical universe version of Dark Academia! Rowing on the foggy Thames with danger in the air, cursed brooks hidden in the Bodleian Library, ivy covered Oxford dorms, forgotten alchemy, ancient scholarly vampires and intellectual witches, it’s got a bit of everything.
I enjoyed A DISCVERY OF WITCHES but never thought of it as dark academia. But I think you are right.
I know what’s scary dark is so subjective, but is this one really gory? 🙂 The vibes appeal to me, but I’m a little squeamish so think more like Hitchcock psychological less like horror thriller if that makes sense.
I keep seeing the tv show advertised too and it definitely looks DA!
I would not say that it is gory , I’ve only read the series I haven’t seen the show at all.
This series was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the title of the post. Such a great series.
I’m really enjoying all of the Dark Academia talk. I read Special Topics in Calamity Physics when it came out and could not find anyone who read it to discuss. Thinking of reading again and maybe a book project?
We read this a few years ago as a flight pick in Book Club. I keep thinking I’d love to go back and reread it slowly some day and really annotate all those references and allusions. That would make such a fun book project. I’d love to hear what you’re thinking!
This is a great list! I would add A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. For anyone who loves dark academia it cannot be missed.
I have heard so much about this book over the years from readers who love it, and yet I never realized it was Dark Academia. Thanks for putting that on my DA radar.
Some good ones here, but The World Cannot Give *must* be added to this list! One of my favorites last year!
That’s a new title to me; thanks for recommending it here!
Immediately thought of Ninth House.
I watched the movie version of “A Picnic at Hanging Rock” a few years ago. It was very atmospheric. Particularly because my husband was out of town and there was a thunderstorm raging outside!
It was. What a time to read it. I was a bit underwhelmed by it but I think that’s because its older and I had a my expectations set high. I wanted a clearer ending!
Great list! Madam could be added – atmospheric tale about a Scottish boarding school for girls that’s been described as Rebecca meets Secret History.
I have The Ruins by the same author on my TBR list as well. I’ll add this one!
I’m excited to read some of these dark academia books listed! I would certainly add The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch.
How could I have forgotten how perfect The Thirteenth Tale was? I read it years ago, and loved it, but long before I knew about Dark Academia as a trend. Great suggestion. And I just bought The Hangman’s Daughter for my kindle because have you seen the cool new *motion* book covers?
Today I learned Dark Academia is a genre!
I’m so glad to introduce you! I’ve been obsessed since discovering it myself, though I suppose I’d probably been already loving it since my high school English teacher assigned A Separate Peace freshman year.
I asked my grad school professor about the genre in my first grad class. He’d never heard of the genre, so he gave me the opportunity to do a deep dive on the genre. That was actually a fun project and my first grad school project. I’ve had a love for dark academia ever since.
Excellent on audio – “Madam” by Phoebe Wynn. A mystery takes place in an all-girls boarding school in Scotland.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
I recently read The Headmaster’s Wife and wonder why I don’t see it on more DA lists— the twist got me and the atmosphere is perfect for fall!
Possession is my favorite book of all time!! And I love The Secret History, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and The Shadow if the Wind. Never connected the dots to put them all together, but I see it now.
I’d add to your list A Separate Peace, The Tragedy Papers, and Paper Covers Rock.
I loved Possession, but it remains the most difficult book I’ve ever read. This was before Kindle was invented, and I had to keep a dictionary close by to keep up. For those wondering, the title refers to romantic possession, not supernatural. It is academic to it’s core, but so so lovely.
P.s. There is a 2002 movie based on the book Possession, with Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s also wonderful and atmospheric, and is why I read the book!
I didn’t know about the movie!
I needed SparkNotes to get through it. I liked parts of it, but overall didn’t feel like the effort was rewarded.
Stop what you are doing right now and read Posession. One of my all time favorites
You said it best! One of my all-time favorites.
Oh I love this list – Special Topics in Calamity Physics and Possession are two of my favorite books and I always wonder why people don’t discuss them more. I didn’t know they were part of a genre – adding the rest to my TBR right now!
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey. Even though it was written 70 years ago and the college setting is therefore dated, the study of character is still absolutely spot on, and the inherent ambiguities of what causes a crime to take place (if it does), whose action/s starts or contributes to that process, where guilt lies, what constitutes the real crime, where blame lands and where it belongs, is just jaw-dropping. All this in a slim book with a very simple story set in a girl’s college, with an underlying post-war assumption that some girls will need a profession. It’s a book that I have found myself thinking about long after I read it.
I agree, Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey is so good. Classic mystery noir for sure.
The Secret HIstory is my all time favorite novel. I am patiently waiting for the Rebecca Makkai book at my library. Tried to get through Possession; couldn’t do it, will try again though as too many people I know have loved it for me not to give it a go. Thank you for this list it is very much my vibe.
I really loved The Cider House Rules by John Irving. The tone of this book would fit in this list nicely, I think.
Would My Dark Vanessa fit? It’s certainly DARK, and it takes place at a boarding school.
To this list, I would add:
“The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova
“A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance Trilogy. A Deadly Education. The Last Graduate. The Golden Enclaves. Only 1/4 of the students live through graduation.
Wow, between the excellent original 20 books in Ginger’s post, and the comments (so far), I have 40 books for a Dark Acadamia Deep Dive!!! I’m excited about this! The list is going in one of my more permanent book journals. (I have daily scribble journals that are for NOW, and better quality journals for what I know I want to KEEP.)
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
I would add The Cloisters by Katy Hays. And I agree about Discovery of Witches.
Love this list! I would also add Bunny by Mona Awad.
I love this list and the comments! I’ve read so much DA lately but was happy to find books to add to my TBR. One I never see on any lists is Tana French’s The Likeness: it’s a beautifully written detective story in which the detective goes undercover in a setting that feels thrillingly like The Secret History.
What about The It Girl by Ruth Ware? Not too spooky and a quick read.
Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, (Chocolat), is a great backlist DA novel. Well written fiction & fun to read. Another reader commented on Picnic at Hanging Rock. The novel, is excellent. Early 1900’s Australian setting, & atmospheric for sure. The movie version was very good.
I agree about Gentleman and Players! Very good.
I would add Truly Devious and The Inheritance Games
I just finished Truly Devious the other night and immediately started the next one! Really enjoyed it
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. There is also a movie of it starring Maggie Smith.
For a couple YA titles, Legendborn by Tracey Deonn would certainly fit this category and They’re Watching You by Chelsea Ichaso.
And the classic YA novel Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan.
Based on how many of these I’ve read and loved, I have been a fan of Dark Academia without realizing it! Added many of those that I haven’t read to my TBR, because THAT’S not long enough!
I toured a library in a university in Portugal that could be the setting for this genre. This is also the setting for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I love the vibes and will be checking many of the titles out. Perfect for the season.
I, too, was late to the Rebecca Makkai train but you MUST read her. I Have Some Questions For You is a marvelous story that indeed raises questions throughout, not just about the plot developments, but current headlines as well.
From the golden age of detective fiction… What about Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers? It’s set in a fictional women’s college at Oxford. I think that would fit in nicely!
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