READER HAVEN

12 BEST DARK ACADEMIA BOOKS

Perfect for autumn & spooky season!

The dark academia genre is essential fall reading. Here are the best atmospheric dark academia books with school settings & Gothic vibes - both fantasy novels & mystery/thrillers!

WHAT IS DARK ACADEMIA?

• a sub-genre of fiction that's set at an old college or school with a (sometimes) sordid past and/or Gothic features

• dark & moody, characters are on a quest for knowledge

by M.L. Rio

IF WE WERE VILLAINS

Seven Shakespearean theater students at an elite arts college live in an isolated off-campus home. One of them is found dead, and everyone is a suspect.

by Leigh Bardugo

NINTH HOUSE

A girl with strange abilities joins a secret society that's in charge of keeping Yale's other secret societies (and occult activities) in check.

by Donna Tartt

THE SECRET HISTORY

A group of Classics scholars at an elite New England college seek a new way of living - beyond the boundaries of normal life.

by R. F. Kuang

BABEL

This epic historical fantasy novel (set in the early 1800s) follows a group of students at Oxford University’s (fictional) center for translation and magic.

by Ashley Winstead

IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE

A woman returns to her Southern college for a 10-year reunion with her tight-knit group of friends. But someone thinks they're responsible for murder.

Swipe up for more atmospheric dark academia books!

NEW FALL 2023 BOOKS

fantasy & science fiction

10 BEST COZY MYSTERY BOOKS

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

Swipe Up For More Bookish Inspiration!