Dark Academia

The Secret History

Donna Tartt · Literary Fiction

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of…

dark academia · psychological thriller · morally grey character · found family

The Will of the Many

James Islington · Fantasy

The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world, but they do not know everything.

dark academia · chosen one · quest

Yesteryear

Caro Claire Burke · Literary Fiction

***'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…'*** Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media…

dark academia · psychological thriller · twist ending · unreliable narrator · gothic atmosphere

Nowhere Burning

Catriona Ward · Literary Fiction

Nowhere Burning is a harrowing tale of survival that places the dark fairy tale of Peter Pan and the ruthless dangers of Lord of the Flies into the…

dark academia · coming of age · survival · morally grey character

Katabasis

R.F. Kuang · Fantasy

'a formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' OLIVIE BLAKE 'A novel to savour.

dark academia · grimdark · morally grey character · found family · twist ending

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Grady Hendrix · Horror

*‘I did an evil thing to be put in here, and I’m going to have to do an evil thing to get out.’* They call them wayward girls.

gothic atmosphere · witches · coming of age · dark academia · haunted setting

The Raven Scholar

Antonia Hodgson · Fantasy

Let us fly now to the empire of Orrun, where after twenty-four years of peace, the reign of Bersun the Brusque has come to an end.

dark academia · slow burn · found family · twist ending

Babel

R. F Kuang · Fantasy

From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell…

dark academia · political intrigue · morally grey character · revenge plot · magic academy

If We Were Villains

M. L. Rio · Literary Fiction

Entreated to tell his side of the story to a detective who put him in prison a decade earlier for a murder he may not have committed, Oliver Marks…

enemies to lovers · friends to lovers · dark academia · obsessive love · found family · revenge plot

Bunny

Mona Awad · Literary Fiction

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University.

dark academia · magical realism · gothic atmosphere · coming of age · grimdark

Victorian Psycho

Virginia Feito · Mystery & Thriller

Grim Wolds, England: Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess—she’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · morally grey character · dark academia

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Heather Fawcett · Fantasy

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the…

dark academia · cozy vibes · fae · slow burn · found family

Spoiled Milk

Avery Curran · Horror

“The haunted lesbian boarding school horror show we always wanted.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · haunted setting · found family · paranormal romance

Blood on Her Tongue

Johanna van Veen · Horror

**The Netherlands, 1887.** Lucy's twin sister Sarah is unwell.

gothic atmosphere · paranormal romance · vampires · dark academia

Hazelthorn

CG Drews · Horror

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian,…

gothic atmosphere · coming of age · grimdark · dark academia · haunted setting

Girl Dinner

Olivie Blake · Literary Fiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Girl Dinner is a darkly-fun novel about power, lust, and eating your fill, as wealthy…

dark academia · psychological thriller · morally grey character · twist ending

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde · Literary Fiction

**The Picture of Dorian Gray** is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde.

dark academia · obsessive love · gothic atmosphere

The Red Winter

Cameron Sullivan · Fantasy

A bewitching historical fantasy from a debut author.

dark romance · historical fiction · forbidden romance · revenge plot · dark academia

The Bewitching

Silvia Moreno-Garcia · Horror

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter…

gothic atmosphere · witches · haunted setting · multiple timelines · dark academia

We Love You, Bunny

Mona Awad · Literary Fiction

Longlisted for the 2025 Giller Prize Named a Must-Read Pick by The New York Times, Oprah Daily, People, Associated Press, Marie Claire, Bustle, The…

dark academia · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · closed circle · morally grey character

You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom

Vincent Tirado · Horror

Demons clash with inheritance claims as secrets unfold and violence is unleashed over twelve harrowing hours trapped in a house with the worst thing…

demons · dark academia · closed circle

Weavingshaw

Heba Al-Wasity · Fantasy

In this debut gothic fantasy, a young woman who can see the dead strikes a deal with the magnetic and dangerous Saint of Silence, a purveyor of dark…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · forbidden romance · dark romance · morally grey character

Mad Mabel

Sally Hepworth · Mystery & Thriller

Meet Mad Mabel. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than…

psychological thriller · dark academia · twist ending · morally grey character

Legendborn

Tracy Deonn · Fantasy

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants to escape.

dark academia · urban fantasy · found family · chosen one · magic academy

A Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin · Fantasy

***A Game of Thrones*** is the inaugural novel in ***A Song of Ice and Fire***, an epic series of fantasy novels crafted by the American author…

political intrigue · dark academia · morally grey character · revenge plot

Ninth House

Leigh Bardugo · Fantasy

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class.

dark academia · urban fantasy · trauma recovery · ghosts · demons

Phantasma

Kaylie Smith · Fantasy

Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love. When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one…

enemies to lovers · dark academia · haunted setting · forbidden romance · quest · twist ending

Half City

Kate Golden · Fantasy

**Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense.

dark academia · enemies to lovers · slow burn · chosen one · magic academy · found family

Gideon the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir · Fantasy

"The Emperor needs necromancers.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · locked room · found family

Heartless

Marissa Meyer · Fantasy

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere.

enemies to lovers · dark academia · slow burn · forbidden romance · redemption arc · morally grey character

Immortal Dark

Tigest Girma · Fantasy

Nineteen-year-old orphan Kidan Adane, heiress to a fallen House of humans tethered to vampiric creatures called draniacs, navigates her duty to…

paranormal romance · dark academia · vampires · quest · found family

Iron Flame

Rebecca Yarros · Fantasy

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives.

dark academia · magic academy · enemies to lovers · slow burn · chosen one · dragons

Alchemy of Secrets

Stephanie Garber · Fantasy

It starts with a class in an old movie theater.

urban fantasy · slow burn · enemies to lovers · dark academia

Shadow and Bone

Leigh Bardugo · Fantasy

Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who…

enemies to lovers · dark academia · chosen one · slow burn · love triangle

Boy Parts

Eliza Clark · Literary Fiction

One of Granta's Best Young British Novelists 2023 An incendiary debut novel from a brash new talent—a pitch-black comedy, both shocking and…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · unreliable narrator

Diavola

Jennifer Thorne · Horror

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: *Tread lightly and survive*.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · haunted setting

Natural Beauty

Ling Ling Huang · Literary Fiction

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can.

dark academia · coming of age · trauma recovery · morally grey character

Rain of Shadows and Endings

Melissa K. Roehrich · Fantasy

A world the gods forgot. Of all the worlds and life they created, the gods favored their children the most. But with that favor came the fear that…

dark academia · chosen one · quest · magic academy · political intrigue

Nightshade

Autumn Woods · Fantasy

“I’ll love you with the same intensity that you hate me.” At elite Sorrowsong University, hidden in the misty Scottish Highlands, Ophelia Winters…

dark academia · enemies to lovers · slow burn · forbidden romance · revenge plot · gothic atmosphere

Crown of Midnight

Sarah J. Maas · Fantasy

*She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known.

dark academia · revenge plot · quest · morally grey character · redemption arc

Too Old for This

Samantha Downing · Mystery & Thriller

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

psychological thriller · dark academia · morally grey character · cat and mouse

I, Medusa

Ayana Gray · Fantasy

From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek…

dark academia · coming of age · redemption arc · morally grey character

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt · Literary Fiction

"The Goldfinch is a rarity that comes along perhaps half a dozen times per decade, a smartly written literary novel that connects with the heart as…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · trauma recovery · found family

Hamlet

William Shakespeare · Literary Fiction

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular, and most puzzling, play.

dark academia · revenge plot · twist ending

The Faithful and the Fallen

Seb Wolff · Literary Fiction

A boy is taken in by the monastery at Steepwood, where he discovers a world of sanctity, secrets and sin.

dark academia · coming of age · found family · forbidden romance · historical fiction

The Book of Blood and Roses

Annie Summerlee · Fantasy

A vampire hunter goes undercover at a mysterious university—and finds herself falling in love with her roommate, an alluring vampire, in book one of…

enemies to lovers · slow burn · forbidden romance · paranormal romance · vampires · dark academia

A Study in Drowning

Ava Reid · Fantasy

Effy has always believed in fairy tales.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · slow burn · forbidden romance · morally grey character

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Grady Hendrix · Horror

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this '90s-set horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small…

vampires · dark academia · found family · paranormal romance · psychological thriller

Bury Your Gays

Chuck Tingle · Horror

Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell.

dark academia · revenge plot · morally grey character · psychological thriller · found family

Futility

Nuzo Onoh · Horror

For readers of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister the Serial Killer and Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family, this is a monstrous, gleeful, bitingly…

dark academia · revenge plot · morally grey character · grimdark

The Infernal Devices

Cassandra Clare · Fantasy

All three books in the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy are now together in one boxed set!

paranormal romance · dark academia · gothic atmosphere · found family · slow burn

Arcana Academy

Elise Kova · Fantasy

A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of…

dark academia · fake relationship · slow burn · secret identity · magic academy

The Broken Earth Trilogy

N. K. Jemisin · Fantasy

[Volume 2: The obelisk gate] : The season of endings grows darker as civilization fades into the long cold night.

grimdark · dark academia · revenge plot · morally grey character · trauma recovery

Dead Beat

Leigh Bardugo · Fantasy

The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · demons · found family

Her First Lie

Lucinda Berry · Mystery & Thriller

In this chilling prequel to The Perfect Child, USA Today bestselling author Lucinda Berry plunges readers into the dark origins of a family's…

psychological thriller · dark academia · redemption arc

Clockwork Angel

Cassandra Clare · Fantasy

When Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother in Victorian England, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld.

paranormal romance · urban fantasy · slow burn · dark academia

Verity Guild

Mai Corland · Fantasy

High Priestess Kerasea Vestal has spent her life hiding the truth—that she’s the last surviving heir of the magical bloodline the republic…

dark academia · political intrigue · secret identity · chosen one · redemption arc

The Lies of Lena

Kylie Snow · Fantasy

Passionate and Dark. Enemies to Lovers. Forced Proximity. Angst. Lena Daelyra has always lived in fear, as do most Mages in Tovagoth. Mages are…

enemies to lovers · dark academia · forced proximity · slow burn · witches

Nevernight

Jay Kristoff · Fantasy

"In a world where the suns almost never set, a woman gains entry to a school of infamous assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers that…

grimdark · coming of age · revenge plot · dark academia · chosen one

The Atlas Six

Olivie Blake · Fantasy

The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical…

dark academia · enemies to lovers · found family · morally grey character

The Library at Hellebore

Cassandra Khaw · Fantasy

**A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are…

dark academia · morally grey character · magic academy · found family

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco · Horror

A gothic murder mystery set in gritty Victorian-era London, where an intrepid society girl finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a serial…

gothic atmosphere · historical fiction · psychological thriller · dark academia · slow burn

My Darling Dreadful Thing

Johanna van Veen · Horror

*Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.* Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · haunted setting · psychological thriller · found family

Unhinged

A. G. Howard · Fantasy

LAlyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch.

dark romance · dark academia · enemies to lovers · forbidden romance

Graveyard Shift

M. L. Rio · Mystery & Thriller

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel…

dark academia · psychological thriller · closed circle · found family

House of Hollow

Krystal Sutherland · Horror

! An Instant Indie Bestseller! A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · twist ending · found family

The Academy

Elin Hilderbrand · Literary Fiction

It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news: America…

dark academia · coming of age · closed circle · revenge plot

He's the Devil

Tobi Coventry · Literary Fiction

An exhilarating, darkly comic debut novel about a do-gooder whose world is turned inside out when his new roommate—who might be possessed by the…

psychological thriller · dark academia · unreliable narrator · grimdark

The House Saphir

Marissa Meyer · Fantasy

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · forbidden romance · twist ending · morally grey character

Matchmaking for Psychopaths

Tasha Coryell · Mystery & Thriller

Love is a dangerous game when your clients are killers…from the bestselling author behind Love Letters to a Serial Killer.

psychological thriller · dark academia · morally grey character · obsessive love

Blood & Betrayals

Alexis Rune · Fantasy

Power flows through the ancient halls of Avalon University like a neverending flood.

dark academia · magic academy · political intrigue

Wicked Onyx

Debbie Cassidy · Fantasy

In a ruthless magical academy where she's cursed and powerless, the last Onyx must unravel dark family secrets and navigate dangerous alliances to…

dark academia · grimdark · revenge plot · morally grey character · witches

Hierarchy

James Islington · Fantasy

dark academia · chosen one · quest · found family

Deathbringer

Sonia Tagliareni · Fantasy

For fans of Naomi Novik and Kerri Maniscalco, a dark academia romantasy steeped in necromancy, forbidden love and a twisty murder mystery set within…

dark academia · forbidden romance · slow burn · forced proximity

An Arcane Inheritance

Kamilah Cole · Fantasy

Elle Magazine Best Fantasy and Science-Fiction Book of 2025 A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly…

dark academia · grimdark · revenge plot · found family

The Wings That Bind

Briar Boleyn · Fantasy

It's THE NEVER BEFORE SEEN BOOK in THE hottest romantasy sensation that EVERYONE is talking about!

dark academia · paranormal romance · forbidden romance · vampires · magic academy · chosen one

Oathbound

Tracy Deonn · Fantasy

Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t…

dark academia · urban fantasy · found family · magic academy · chosen one

Heat of the Everflame

Penn Cole · Fantasy

The third book in the Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series.

dark academia · slow burn · political intrigue · high stakes survival

Green and Deadly Things

Jenn Lyons · Fantasy

Centuries ago, necromancy almost destroyed the world.

dark academia · grimdark · witches · demons · quest

A Deadly Education

Naomi Novik · Fantasy

“The dark school of magic I’ve been waiting for.”—Katherine Arden, author of the Winternight Trilogy I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after…

dark academia · enemies to lovers · chosen one · grimdark

The Maidens

Alex Michaelides · Mystery & Thriller

"Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge…

dark academia · psychological thriller · twist ending · cat and mouse

The Bear and the Nightingale

Katherine Arden · Fantasy

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses.

magical realism · historical fiction · dark academia · gothic atmosphere

The Incandescent

Emily Tesh · Fantasy

Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling…

dark academia · paranormal romance · found family · magic academy · slow burn

The Temptation of Charlotte North

Camilla Bruce · Fantasy

A rebellious young woman desperate to escape her predetermined life joins forces with an unlikely ally—a sinister spirit—in this dark gothic fantasy…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · secret identity · demons · redemption arc

Green & Deadly Things

Jenn Lyons · Fantasy

For fans of S.A. Chakraborty, Robin Hobb, and Martha Wells's Witch King, a page-turning standalone fantasy of necromancy and magical mayhem from Jenn…

dark academia · grimdark · witches · demons · quest

Electra

Jennifer Saint · Literary Fiction

Três mulheres enredadas numa maldição antiga.

historical fiction · dark academia

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door

H. G. Parry · Fantasy

the ones that friends cast on each other.

urban fantasy · fae · dark academia · found family

House of Idyll

Delilah S. Dawson · Horror

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom and Guillotine comes a darkly seductive tale of beautiful rock stars, sinister cults, and a…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · psychological thriller · closed circle

Blackwater

Michael McDowell · Horror

On the crest of the worst flood that Perdido, Alabama has ever seen, the mysterious Elinor Dammart is rescued from the topmost room of a flooded…

gothic atmosphere · dark academia · small town

The Resurrectionist

A. Rae Dunlap · Horror

In the tradition of The Alienist and Anatomy: A Love Story, a decadently macabre, dark and twisty gothic debut set in 19th century Scotland – when…

historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · dark academia · cat and mouse · psychological thriller

Motherthing

Ainslie Hogarth · Horror

When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect.

dark academia · haunted setting · revenge plot · dark romance

House of Hunger

Alexis Henderson · Horror

Wanted: A bloodmaid of exceptional taste.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · found family · coming of age

Patricia Wants to Cuddle

Samantha Allen · Horror

When the final four women in competition for an aloof, if somewhat sleazy, bachelor's heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest,…

dark academia · psychological thriller · survival · twist ending

Just Watch Me

Lior Torenberg · Literary Fiction

Fleabag meets Big Swiss in this visceral, darkly hilarious, and surprisingly moving debut novel about a charismatic misfit who livestreams herself…

dark academia · coming of age · morally grey character · trauma recovery · unreliable narrator

The Infamous Gilberts

Angela Tomaski · Literary Fiction

The Remains of the Day meets The Royal Tenenbaums in this darkly funny debut novel about a wealthy, eccentric family in decline and the secrets held…

dark academia · historical fiction · gothic atmosphere · found family

The Wicked King

Holly Black · Fantasy

The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

enemies to lovers · dark academia · grimdark · fae · political intrigue · morally grey character

Nettle and Bone

T. Kingfisher · Fantasy

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized…

dark academia · grimdark · revenge plot · found family

Theodora's Tea Shop

Christy Anne Jones · Fantasy

A richly imagined, dark and dazzling cosy fantasy about learning to love ourselves by wondrous new Australian novelist, Christy Anne Jones.

dark academia · cozy vibes · trauma recovery · coming of age · gothic atmosphere

All Hail Chaos

Sarah Rees Brennan · Fantasy

SHE TRIED TO FIX HIM. SHE MADE HIM WORSE. Rae is a fantasy reader who's been transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery,…

dark academia · grimdark · unreliable narrator · portal fantasy · revenge plot

Anatomy: A Love Story

Dana Schwartz · Fantasy

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

dark academia · enemies to lovers · slow burn · forbidden romance · dark romance

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards

Sara Raasch · Fantasy

Ali Hazelwood meets Dungeons & Dragons in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia romcom where rival grad student wizards are forced to work together…

enemies to lovers · slow burn · dark academia · forced proximity · he falls first

Glow of the Everflame

Penn Cole · Fantasy

A sequel in the "Kindred's Curse Saga" by Penn Cole, focusing on Diem Bellator as she navigates a world teetering on the edge of war and faces the…

dark academia · forced proximity · enemies to lovers · slow burn

The Councillor

E. J. Beaton · Fantasy

When the death of Iron Queen Sarelin Brey fractures the realm of Elira, Lysande Prior, the palace scholar and the queen's closest friend, is…

dark academia · political intrigue · morally grey character · quest · cat and mouse

Local Heavens

K. M. Fajardo · Romance

A speculative romance reimagining of The Great Gatsby set in 2075 New York, in which Filipino American Nick Carraway has just moved to the heart of…

slow burn · forbidden romance · dystopian society · dark academia

The Examiner

Janice Hallett · Mystery & Thriller

Told in emails, text messages, and essays, this unputdownable mystery follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously…

dark academia · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · twist ending

The Last Witch

C. J. Cooke · Horror

A deeply compelling historical horror novel following a woman accused of being a witch who must use her voice to fight for her life—and the…

gothic atmosphere · historical fiction · survival · witches · dark academia

Juniper & Thorn

Ava Reid · Horror

From highly acclaimed, bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the…

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · dark romance · redemption arc · trauma recovery · witches

Kala

Colin Walsh · Literary Fiction

ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 • INSTANT IRISH TIMES #1 BESTSELLER • ONE OF ELECTRIC LITERATURE'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR • “A…

dark academia · psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · cat and mouse · twist ending

The Delusions

Jenni Fagan · Literary Fiction

THE BOLD NEW NOVEL FROM THE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE PANOPTICON, LUCKENBOOTH AND OOTLIN '1984 for the afterlife' Irvine Welsh 'Outstanding' Lemn…

psychological thriller · unreliable narrator · dystopian society · dark academia · twist ending

Let Us Descend

Jesmyn Ward · Literary Fiction

In this reimagining of American slavery, Jesmyn Ward describes a journey from the rice fields of the Carolinas to the slave markets of New Orleans…

historical fiction · survival · trauma recovery · dark academia

Honor & Heresy

Max Francis · Fantasy

Northgard has known war for far too long, but the city's plight has just begun.Roy Dawnseve, heir to Dawnseve Manor, cares more for philosophy than…

dark academia · redemption arc · coming of age · political intrigue

Death's Daughter

S.A. Barnes · Romance

DELUXE EDITION—a beautiful hardcover featuring sprayed edges, a foil case stamp and designed endpapers.

dark academia · dark romance · forbidden romance · obsessive love · paranormal romance

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder

Nina McConigley · Mystery & Thriller

A bold, inventive, and fiercely original debut novel that begins with an uncle dead and his tween niece’s private confession to the reader—she and…

unreliable narrator · psychological thriller · dark academia · revenge plot · twist ending

The Centre

Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi · Mystery & Thriller

A The New Yorker Best Book of the Year • A New York Times Editors' Choice • An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense “The most…

psychological thriller · dark academia · unreliable narrator · twist ending

Oxford Blood

Rachael Davis-Featherstone · Mystery & Thriller

The first in a series of compelling and skillful dark academic thrillers from a brilliant new voice in YA fiction.

dark academia · psychological thriller · twist ending

Fiend

Alma Katsu · Horror

Historical horror maven Alma Katsu turns her talents to the modern world for the first time, in this terrifying tale about an all-powerful family…

historical fiction · grimdark · dark academia · demons

The Invocations

Krystal Sutherland · Horror

Now in paperback! AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . . Zara Jones believes in magic because…

psychological thriller · witches · dark academia · cat and mouse

A Thousand Perfect Lies

Monica Murphy · Mystery & Thriller

Secrets don’t die. They just transfer schools. New York native Billie Vale arrives at Wickham Academy, England’s most elite boarding school, with a…

dark academia · psychological thriller · revenge plot · secret identity · twist ending

A Sorceress Comes to Call

T. Kingfisher · Fantasy

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · dark romance · forbidden romance · witches

The Child Thief

Brom · Fantasy

Peter is quick, daring, and full of mischief—and like all boys, he loves to play, though his games often end in blood.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · fae · portal fantasy · grimdark

Femme Feral

Sam Beckbessinger · Fantasy

A hyper-competent tech leader who thinks she’s going through perimenopause discovers she’s actually turning into a werewolf in this feminist,…

dark academia · urban fantasy · paranormal romance · werewolves shifters · romantic comedy

These Shattered Spires

Cassidy Ellis Salter · Fantasy

Gideon the Ninth meets Leigh Bardugo in this YA high fantasy about four magical rivals who are forced to work together to stay alive during a deadly…

dark academia · found family · survival · magic academy · enemies to lovers

Black Woods, Blue Sky

Eowyn Ivey · Fantasy

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is.

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · dark romance · forbidden romance · trauma recovery

The Reaper

Melissa Roehrich · Fantasy

Before he was the Fire Court Third, he was the Reaper.And before he was the Reaper, he was her Ash Rider.Moranna.

dark academia · forbidden romance · slow burn · fae · redemption arc

The Exorcism of Faeries

J. L. VAMPA · Fantasy

L. Vampa comes a brand new dark academia romance in the vein of Ninth House meets If We Were Villains and A Botanical Daughter.She is the daughter of…

dark academia · dark romance · forbidden romance · slow burn · fae · enemies to lovers

King of Scars

Leigh Bardugo · Fantasy

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible.

dark academia · grimdark · morally grey character · redemption arc · political intrigue

A Day of Breath

Darby Cox · Fantasy

A dark and imaginative fantasy filled with demons and religious conspiracy, A Day of Breath is a perfect read for fans of Naomi Novik and N.K.

dark academia · grimdark · demons · political intrigue · trauma recovery

American Gods

Neil Gaiman · Fantasy

Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that…

urban fantasy · dark academia · quest · found family

The Hurricane Wars

Thea Guanzon · Fantasy

*The heart is a battlefield.* All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars.

enemies to lovers · slow burn · found family · dark academia

Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake · Fantasy

A young earl's future in a sprawling castle could be changed by a feral girl and a cunning servant in this acclaimed gothic fantasy trilogy's second…

grimdark · gothic atmosphere · dark academia · political intrigue · morally grey character

Wisteria

Adalyn Grace · Fantasy

Blythe Hawthorn has never let anyone tell her what to do...

dark academia · slow burn · forbidden romance · morally grey character

A Bond so Fierce and Fragile

Sophia St. Germain · Fantasy

Torture. Darkness. Loss. That’s what the Fae king has planned to break her. But Elessia is prepared to fight. She is ready to fight her way out of…

dark academia · forbidden romance · fae · slow burn · redemption arc

The Faithful Dark

Cate Baumer · Fantasy

READERS LOVE BAUMER'S DARK WORLD .

dark academia · gothic atmosphere · forbidden romance · demons · psychological thriller

The Queen of Nothing

Holly Black · Fantasy

The novel follows a mortal, Jude Duarte, as she returns to the troubled Faerie realm to solve an important riddle and save the king and the land she…

enemies to lovers · dark academia · grimdark · fae · redemption arc

Devil of the Deep

Falencia Jean-Francois · Fantasy

Lu watched the love of his life walk the plank and sink into the inky-black depths of the sea.

second chance romance · dark academia · paranormal romance · forbidden romance · obsessive love

The Changeling

Victor LaValle · Fantasy

"The wildly imaginative story of one man's thrilling odyssey through an enchanted world to find his wife, who has disappeared after having seemingly…

dark academia · urban fantasy · fae · trauma recovery · obsessive love

Prince of Swords

Elise Kova · Fantasy

Welcome back to Arcana Academy. Tarot magic, forbidden desire, battle, and betrayal collide for the power to change the world in the thrilling second…

dark academia · forbidden romance · slow burn · enemies to lovers · magic academy

This Savage Song

V. E. Schwab · Fantasy

**KATE HARKER** wants to be as ruthless as her father.

enemies to lovers · dark academia · urban fantasy · slow burn · demons

The Fox Hunt

Caitlin Breeze · Fantasy

Dive into the dark underbelly of England’s most ancient university, where behind closed doors a circle of privileged students enter into a dark pagan…

dark academia · grimdark · closed circle

A Forsaken Prophecy

Stacey McEwan · Fantasy

In a world of high-class magic and gangster grit, a star-crossed couple must decide where their loyalties lie in the sizzling romantasy follow-up to…

forbidden romance · dark academia · slow burn · political intrigue

Year of the Mer

L. D. Lewis · Fantasy

A dark, bloody epic fantasy reimagining of The Little Mermaid that goes far beyond the fairy tale to explore family legacy, war, and what we will…

dark academia · revenge plot · quest · morally grey character

A Mastery of Monsters

Liselle Sambury · Fantasy

When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him.

dark academia · grimdark · revenge plot · found family · demons

Uprooted

Naomi Novik · Fantasy

"Our Dragon doesn't eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.

enemies to lovers · slow burn · dark academia · magical realism · found family · gothic atmosphere

A Gathering of Shadows

V. E. Schwab · Fantasy

Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession.

dark academia · quest