Miss Your 'Wednesday' Fix? These 20 Dark Academia Books Are Equal Parts Delectable and Deranged

I've read my fair share of dark academia books, but this soon-to-be-released romantasy from Rachel Greenlaw totally surprised me by becoming one of my favorites of the year. In this start to a new duology, Sophia DeWinter makes a plan to escape her cruel uncle by gaining access to the notoriously secretive Killmarth College. Before she can secure a position in the school, though, she has to compete in a series of challenges against other magic wielders, all while partnering with her rival Alden Locke. This story had me gripped from the first page to the last, so trust me when I say you'll definitely want to hit that preorder button to get it the day it's released (October 7).

Donna Tartt won the Pulitzer for The Goldfinch, but her first title—about a group of bookish misfits at a New England college who fall under the spell of a charismatic, morally questionable classics professor—is a complete classic when it comes to dark academia novels. Richard, the narrator and newest member of the group, finds himself quickly burdened by very dark secrets. Opening with a murder, The Secret History reads like a slow burn, with tension building gradually and an ending that will blow your mind.

If you're a fan of dark academia and still haven't gotten around to Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, this is your sign to pick it up now. This book, which was one of my top reads from last year, follows Alex Stern who, after being the only survivor after a multiple homicide connected to her drug-dealer ex-boyfriend in Los Angeles, finds herself as an unexpected member of Yale's freshman class with all expenses covered by a mysterious benefactor. At Yale, she becomes mixed in amongst the Ivy League university's dark, secret societies and finds herself in the midst of more than one sinister activity. Honestly, I think it's best to go into this one not knowing too much else, but what you should know is that book two in the series, Hell Bent is already out with the third expected to come sometime in 2026, per Goodreads.

Arcana Academy (the first book in this new series) released this summer, and the second my copy arrived in the mail I dove right into it—and you're going to want to, too. This unique fantasy story features a magic system based on tarot cards and main character, Clara Greysword. After being imprisoned for illegally inking cards, Clara ends up at Arcana Academy at the direction of Prince Kaelis to officially train in the magic. To keep her identity concealed, Kaelis introduces Clara as his bride-to-be, and the two continue their deceit by attempting to steal from the king and create a long-lost card that will give Kaelis complete power. But can Clara really help her enemy gain that kind of control? You'll just have to read to find out. (P.S. The audiobook of this is phenomenal.)

Blood Over Bright Haven has been recommended by nearly every bookish content creator I follow (not to mention, it has a 4.4/5 Goodreads rating), and I'm finally going to jump into it this fall. This standalone novel takes us through Sciona's story as she endeavors to become the first woman admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. After achieving this and earning the title of highmage, she's unwelcome among her peers, and is given a janitor as an assistant who is so much more than he seems. The two begin working together and uncover a secret that could change magic forever, but will also put their lives on the line.

Another book (well, series, as this is the first in the completed The Legendborn Cycle trilogy) that I've only heard the best things about is Legendborn. This young adult story, influenced by Arthurian legend, centers around Bree Matthews, who witnesses a magical attack on her first night in an accelerated program for high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill college. The Legendborn secret society fends off the attacking creatures and, after discovering Bree saw everything a "Merlin" attempts to wipe her memory, but fails. But the attempted erasure reminds Bree that a similar Merlin was present in the hospital when her mother died, so she becomes determined to infiltrate the society to uncover the truth, and eventually finds herself in the grips of a magical war.

I have it on good authority from Sable Sorensen (author of Dire Bound) that The Will of the Many is a must-read, and that's more than enough for me to put it on my fall TBR list (plus, it's earned an impressive 4.6/5 star Goodreads rating from nearly 150,000 reviewers). In this start to a new series, Vis Telimus infiltrates The Catenan Republic, or the Heirarchy, by attending their most prestigious school under the guise that after graduating, he will allow his Will to be leeched away to add to their power. Meanwhile, Vis works to uncover secrets that could tear the Heirarchy apart while rising through their ranks.

And there's no better time to get in on this new series since the second book, The Strength of the Few, releases this November.

Mean girls, occult-ish rituals and murder combine in this delightfully bizarre novel about how women feel about themselves and others, all told through the eyes of five somewhat deranged college students. Set on an idyllic campus in New England, outsider Samantha finds herself at the center of an exclusive group of rich girls (the “Bunnies”) who seem outwardly twee, only to be hiding some grotesque secrets.

This YA read set in an academy in the afterlife is just begging to be on your list of books for spooky season. I snagged it in my Book of the Month subscription (with sprayed edges and all!), and binged it in just a few days. This one follows a group of students who are competing in the Decennial—a series of trials in which one will become victorious and earn a permanent spot at Blackwood Academy. But the competition isn't without risk, and the only way out is through. Even then, there are secrets the school is hiding that up the stakes even more.

In 1970s Pittsburgh, sensitive, mysterious, working-class Paul meets charming (and cruel) Julian as university freshmen. Their unlikely friendship, bound by their intellect, quickly develops into an intimate and toxic obsession. Think Call Me by Your Name with a Secret History edge in a novel that examines the depths of human desire and darkness.

As a dark academia-lover, it honestly feels criminal that I haven't gotten to Naomi Novik's The Scholomance series yet, and I'm determined to this year. This trilogy starts with A Deadly Education at the dark and dangerous Scholomance school where many of the students assume El is the evil witch the school wants her to be. El is focused on just making it out alive without killing anyone. Well, except maybe Orion Lake.

By the author of The Silent Patient, this thriller follows Mariana Andros as she investigates the murder of one of “The Maidens,” a secret society of young women studying under suspiciously charismatic classics professor Edward Fosca at Cambridge University. Students begin to drop like flies and Mariana is convinced that Fosca is behind it—but is he?

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis is easily one of the most-anticipated dark academia reads of this year, and it's finally out now (with some seriously stunning sprayed edges for the limited deluxe edition). This standalone story follows Alex Law, who has sacrificed everything to work with professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, who dies in a magical accident and is sent to Hell. Alex, along with her rival Peter, is determined to reach him to receive his recommendation, though, and follows tales of Orpheus and Dante to do it. (P.S. If you want even more academia from Kuang, you'll want to check out Babel, too.)

Another book that's on my radar to get to this fall is The Incandescent by Emily Tesh, who authored the World Fantasy Award-winning Silver in the Wood. This one tells the story of Doctor Walden, Director of Magic at Chetwood School and one of the most powerful magicians in England, as she tries to secure the school against demonic attacks. But what if the real threat is actually her?

A twisty YA thriller, Àbíké-Íyímídé’s debut chronicles two students, Devon and Chiamaka, as they navigate Niveus Private Academy and its anonymous, texting bully who’s out to spill their dark secrets. (Think Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars at an elite private school.) The novel also pushes dark academia to new places as it explores themes of institutionalized racism.

In 1950 Vermont at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school that’s rumored to be haunted, four roommates bond until one of them goes missing. Flash forward to 2014 and journalist Fiona Sheridan can’t get over the closed-case murder of her sister, which took place at Idlewild 20 years prior. When she learns that the boarding school is being restored, she decides to write about it, only to discover some shocking revelations linking her sister’s death to the past.

I finally picked this book up off my shelf when I set out to put together this list, and I so wish I had read it sooner. This historical fantasy novel starts out at the magical Camford college in the 1920s, where Clover has earned her spot in the hopes of finding a cure for her brother who was cursed by a faerie during World War I. She quickly becomes friends with Alden, Hero and Eddie, until one golden summer changes everything. The true fallout of that summer comes out years later, and Clover has to make an impossible choice between saving the magical world she loves and doing what she knows is right.

Listen, this book is dark, but given that it's probably my favorite audiobook I've ever listened to, I couldn't leave it off this list. (That said, be sure to check the trigger warnings before diving in.) In this novel, Lilia makes a decision to accept a place at Dracadia University in the hopes of getting the chance to study a mysterious illness that killed her mother. The island where the university is housed is just as spooky as the disease itself—as is Professor Bramwell, who's known across campus as Doctor Death. After securing a place as Bramwell's assistant, Lilia finds herself caught up in an intense romance with the pathologist, while the university's secrets begin to unfold.

(BTW, plenty of other readers are just as obsessed with this book as I am. So many, in fact, that it's set to be traditionally published this December, but you can still snag a copy of the indie paperback before then, too.)

The classic story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is now considered by some to be the Bible of the genre. Basically, Oscar Wilde did dark academia an entire century before it even became a thing. So if you haven't made it around to this classic read yet, I suggest jumping on it ASAP.