The best dark academia books
If you love reading gothic novels set in a boarding school or elite university, you’re probably already familiar with the term “dark academia”.
With billions of views, and over 760,000 posts, the #darkacademia hashtag has taken TikTok by storm. The videos and carousels often involve dark-hued preppy fashion, oak-pannelled libraries, and a certain kind of book. As a literary genre, it’s heavy on nostalgia with sombre overtones, romanticising life within educational institutions while depicting shady goings-on behind closed doors, and interrogating themes like greed, privilege, ambition, and hedonism.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best dark academia books – from beloved classics to exciting new releases – to help you decide what to read next.
The dark academia books everyone is talking about
Babel by R. F. Kuang (2022)
Best for: readers who enjoy an intellectually rich fantasy that asks big questions about power, exploitation, and the world we live in.
Babel spent multiple weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list when it was published in 2022, and we can see why: it puts a completely fresh spin on dark academia. The novel is set in Oxford, 1836. Robin, an orphan from Canton, enrols in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, otherwise known as Babel, where magic and language help fuel the British Empire. Robin believes Babel is a safe haven until he gradually realises that serving the Empire means betraying his motherland. But how can a student make a stand against a whole system? Clever, immersive and endlessly thought-provoking, Babel is dark academia at its most ambitious.
Our team says: "Interrogating colonialism and structures of power through a fascinating turn at a magical version of Oxford, Kuang is not afraid to write confrontationally in this academia-heavy standout of the genre. If you're interested in exploring language, privilege, and morality through a compelling set of characters, this is a must-read." – Jess Reid, E-commerce Manager at Penguin.
Bunny by Mona Awad (2019)
Best for: readers who enjoy horror, satire, and books about cult-like female friendships.
In Bunny, Samantha is a scholarship student at a small New England university who is invited to join a clique of girls who call each other “Bunny,” and is drawn into their sinister off-campus activities. As Samantha takes part in their rituals, she plunges further and further into the group’s saccharine, lonely, and terrible world. Bunny blends sharp, witty satire with psychological horror to create one of the genre's most unforgettable campus novels – a perfect follow-up for fans of The Secret History.
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017)
Best for: readers who enjoy a campus mystery with an unreliable narrator and/or have an interest in Shakespeare’s works.
Oliver, the protagonist of If We Were Villains, has served 10 years in prison for a murder he may or may not have committed. As a student, he was part of a group of seven actors studying Shakespeare at a prestigious arts conservatory. It was a toxic environment of jealousy and competition that blurred fact and fiction and, ultimately, resulted in murder. This is an all-consuming story about obsession, academia, and the dark side of human nature.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (2019)
Best for: readers looking for a darker, magic-infused take on the classic ‘secret society’ campus novel.
Blending supernatural mystery with one of the world's most famous universities, Ninth House is a modern fantasy novel and dark academia classic. The plot centres on Alex, who dropped out of school as a teenager and fell in with the wrong crowd. Now 20, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. While recovering in hospital, a mysterious benefactor offers her the chance to attend Yale, all expenses paid. But there is a catch: Alex must monitor the university’s secret societies, whose occult rituals are far more sinister than she ever imagined.
Nightshade by Autumn Woods (2025)
Best for: readers looking for dark academia that’s trending on BookTok, or fans of atmospheric mysteries and forbidden romance.
In Nightshade, Ophelia Winters has been granted a rare scholarship to Sorrowsong University, a prestigious Scottish institution that usually only accepts students from influential families. She’s there to study, of course, but also to investigate her parents’ mysterious death near the castle grounds. The only problem? Her best chance of getting answers lies with Alex Corbeau-Green – the son of the man she suspects, and her most valuable ally. Incredibly atmospheric and full of gothic mystery, it’s easy to see why this is currently one of the most talked-about dark academia books.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'dark academia' mean?
Dark academia isn’t an official subgenre of fiction, it’s more of a literary aesthetic. But these books share certain characteristics: they’re set in elite institutions within higher education, they have a moody or melancholic atmosphere, and they explore the dark side of intellectual pursuits, whether that be elitism, murky morality, or an unhealthy obsession with academia.
Their morose mood, along with their majestic settings, demonstrate how these books have been heavily influenced by Gothic literature.
When and where does dark academia come from?
There are plenty of literary forefathers to the dark academia aesthetic in literature – whether that be the brooding novels of Wuthering Heights and The Picture of Dorian Grey, or Frankenstein’s focus on the danger of intellectual pursuits. The subgenre also takes inspiration from campus novels that were popular in the first half of the 20th Century, according to JSTOR.
However, the origin of the specific term “dark academia” is more recent. The term was thought to have originated on Tumblr blogs in the mid-2010s, with a particular focus on Gothic interiors and aesthetics. Interest then exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with a boom in TikTok and social media usage, which has led to a continued interest in dark academia books today.
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