Required Reading: Dark Academia Edition

At its core, An Education in Malice will appeal to fans of dark academia and dark romances. This Dracula retelling is dizzying and seductive, offset by genuine human emotion. It’s perfect for fans of The Atlas Six or House of Hunger.

Leaning into the lush possibilities of dark academia, The City of Stardust is full of cutthroat scholars, a dark and dangerous education and a secret society of magicians. It’s perfect for fans of The Atlas Six or R.F. Kuang’s Babel.

A dark academia standalone that dives into the power of language and the evils of imperialism, student revolutions and a history of violence, Babel swirls with magic, lore, and Kuang’s signature attention to detail. It’s smart, witty and terrifying; the type of book you can’t stop reading and can’t stop recommending!

The opening salvo of this epic fantasy series introduces readers to a compelling cast of characters rich with complexities and flaws. With a deep connection to dark academia, this tale of ambition and survival perfectly positions itself for a sprawling series that will win over countless fans.

Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House is a dark academia novel packed with murder, mystery, and ghosts. When Alex Stern, who has the uncanny talent to communicate with the dead, is offered a spot in Yale’s incoming freshmen class, she’s more than skeptical of her acceptance. With paranormal occurrences and shady secret societies, Ninth House has earned its spot as your next binge read. Who knew ghost communication was a coveted skill at Yale?

A supremely sarcastic sorceress, and supposed harbinger of death, does her best to survive and thrive in this first book in the Scholomance series. Novik maintains her stunning world-building and intriguing characters with this first-in-class novel, and you’ll want to follow Galadriel straight through this insane school and right into the sequel.

A classic among the dark academia genre, The Secret History is a captivating thriller about a group of college students who slowly lose their morality as they search to transcend the triviality of their own lives. Tartt’s writing is lyrically haunting and as our unreliable narrator leads us through the disturbing events leading up to a murder, we find that these disillusioned college students believe that anything is justifiable, even the most horrific of acts.

A love story for the ages set against a backdrop of feuding otherworldly creatures, this is fun and addictive from start to finish. Diana is an unlikely witch who falls into thrall with a scintillating vampire. Their love story sets off a chain of events centuries in the making that will leave you reaching for the next book in the series.

In typical Ishiguro fashion, prepare to have your heart ripped out and then put back in again, even better than it was before. It’s the twisting tale of reassessing the past and what makes us who we are, and it will linger long after the last page. Also, it won the Nobel Prize.

Through the fictional clique of the Bunnies, Awad offers a candid and barbed portrait of the nuances of femininity and societal expectations forced onto women. With dynamic characters and an ever-twisting plot, this is a masterpiece just waiting to be devoured.

A dynamic debut, Rory Power’s Wilder Girls is an accessible yet thought-provoking tale that strikes the perfect blend of literary introspection and commercially driven plot. With a feminist tilt that will especially appeal to teen girls and their mothers, this nonetheless universal story of friendship, loyalty and the flaws of authority has a broad appeal across genres and ages.

When shocking secrets are blasted out to students at Niveus Private Academy via an anonymous texter, two students’ lives are turned completely upside down on the cusp of graduation. However, they soon realize that Aces happens to only be targeting Black students — in fact, the only two Black students in the elite private school. This twisty ride of a thriller will leave you reeling as you uncover the disturbing secrets lurking in the dark corners of the school and will linger with you long after the last page.

Southern Black Girl Magic meets Arthurian Legend in this unputdownable contemporary fantasy from newcomer Tracy Deonn. Rife with edge-of-your-seat suspense, lush world-building and intricate plot details, Legendborn also adeptly weaves in important commentary on the history of racism in the American South and the effects of that trauma and grief today. Simply put: This book is not to be missed.