Fall is the ultimate season for reading Dark Academia books. But for Team Frenzy, we like to think that Dark Academia season last all year round! From books infused with gothic elements to romance and fantasy, here’s our list of Dark Academia books that are perfect for reading no matter the season.
Babel by R. F. Kuang
A new addition to the canon of Dark Academia classics, R. F. Kuang‘s Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution is a thematic response to The Secret History and tonal retort to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. A novel grappling with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British empire, Babel asks this central question: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?
The Favorites by Rosemary Hennigan
If you were to take Emerald Fennell‘s movie Promising Young Woman and then put it on a college campus, you’d get Rosemary Hennigan’s The Favorites. For Jessie Mooney, joining the Law and Literature cohort is about more than the prestige. She’s convinced that the secret relationship Professor Crane had with her sister is what killed her. And Jessie will stop at nothing to take him down.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
From the author of Juniper & Thorn and The Wolf and the Woodsman, comes her YA debut! In this haunting standalone dark academia story, Ava Reid blends together gothic mystery and historical fantasy. Effy, an architecture student, is offered the opportunity to redesign the crumbling manor of her favourite author. There, she meets Preston, a literature student determined to prove her literary hero is a fraud. Together, the two of them must piece together the reclusive author’s legacy as dark forces both mortal and magical conspire against them.
The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven
Laura Steven’s novel is perfect for those looking for a dark academia book with a thriller edge! Ten years ago, four students lost their lives in a series of infamous murders, forcing Carvell College of Arts to close its doors. Now, Carvell is reopening and Lottie is determined to find out what really happened. But when her roommate stumbles upon a sinister ritual in the school’s haunted library, it’s up to Lottie to uncover the truth before the North Tower strikes again. Samantha Shannon, author of The Bone Season, calls this book, “An intimate exploration of women’s anger, blended with mystery and sapphic desire.”
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs
This dark academia book has everything we love: libraries of magical books, deadly secrets spanning centuries and continents, and a story about two sisters. Fans of Practical Magic and Ninth House won’t be able to resist picking up this tale of family, magic, and betrayal. Following two estranged half sisters who must work together to guard their family’s magical library and unravel the deadly secret at the heart of the collection.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Six friends, one college reunion, and one unsolved murder. Ten years after graduation, not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. In fact, someone orchestrated the whole weekend reunion to trap the real killer. Told in racing dual timelines with a dark college setting, Ashley Winstead‘s novel is a dark academia thriller book takes an even darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition. All in all, this is a thriller so addictive you won’t be able to put it down.
The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
There’s nothing more dark academia than a library full of secret tunnels, hidden passageways, and of course, a cute ghost boy! Radcliffe Prep is the third most haunted school in the country. Este enrols with the hope of feeling closer to her late father, a former student. But then she meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that. But following in her father’s footsteps might be even more dangerous than she thought, when she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just a myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.
All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
When Tara is offered a chance to join the elite academic society at her school, obviously she leaps at the opportunity. But before she’s even begun to settle in, strange things begin to happen. And when she discovers the terrible secret at the heart of Magna Viri, her dreams turn to nightmares; Nightmares threatening to consume her. Erica Waters delves into the human capacity for great love, great art, and great evil in this gothic dark academia book.
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
A library with a deadly enchantment. A fae lord who wants in. A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power. In a land ruled by ruthless fae, Lore will do anything to escape their grasp. And that includes making a desperate deal with a fae lord to organize an enchanted library that no fae may enter. As she navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two very dangerous and very attractive male fae to survive. And although they have undeniable chemistry, Lore is in danger of losing her life, and her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.
On sale February 27, 2024