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Dark Academia-Inspired Fiction
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items A curated collection of novels that capture the essence of Dark Academia—brooding intellect, gothic atmosphere, and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. From timeless classics to modern mysteries, these books are perfect for those who crave intrigue, ...
Sections
6
Timeless novels that define the dark academia aesthetic
Academia & Obsession
Gothic Institutions & Cursed Knowledge
Haunted Minds & Literary Horror
Timeless novels exploring intellect, obsession, and dark beauty
Academia wrapped in secrets, deception, and forbidden knowledge
Timeless novels that define the dark academia aesthetic
A haunting tale of ambition and morality, where a scientist's obsession with creating life leads to tragic consequences
Frankenstein: Or The Modern Prometheus
A young man trades his soul for eternal youth, while his hidden portrait bears the weight of his corruption and sins
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Deluxe Hardbound Edition): Literary Classic | Gothic Novel | Moral Decay | Aestheticism | Decadent Society | Supernatural Elements | A Timeless Psychological Thriller | Perfect for Literature Lovers
chilling gothic horror novel about the infamous Count Dracula and the group of people determined to stop his reign of terror
Dracula (The Gothic Chronicles Collection)
A dark and tragic romance set on the stormy English moors, where obsession and revenge tear two families apart
Wuthering Heights (seasons Edition -- Winter)
An orphaned governess with a sharp mind and fierce independence finds love and dark secrets at Thornfield Hall
Jane Eyre: (penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
A chilling exploration of duality and morality, where a scientist creates a monstrous alter ego.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
A governess caring for two children becomes convinced their country estate is haunted—unless it's all in her mind
The Turn Of The Screw And Other Ghost Stories
A quiet, intelligent woman takes a teaching position in a foreign city, where she faces isolation, mystery, and forbidden love.
Villette
Two eccentric sisters live in seclusion after a mysterious family tragedy—until an outsider disrupts their world
We Have Always Lived In The Castle
Academia & Obsession
A group of elite classics students at a prestigious university becomes entangled in secrets, deception, and a murder that changes everything
The Secret History: A Read with Jenna Pick
A group of Shakespearean actors at an elite conservatory find their friendships unraveling after a mysterious death
If We Were Villains: A Novel
A historical fantasy where a student at Oxford’s translation institute discovers the dark cost of knowledge and empire
Babel
A prestigious, mysterious school promises its students a utopian future—if they surrender themselves entirely to its control
Catherine House: A Novel
Surreal, weird, and dripping in literary satire—think cult-like writing workshops and psychological unraveling.
Bunny: TikTok made me buy it!
Less gothic, more cerebral—an introspective Harvard student navigating language, literature, and early internet-age confusion.
The Idiot: A Novel
A more cynical, intellectual take on fantasy, where a young man discovers magic is real but far darker than imagined
The Magicians Trilogy Boxed Set: The Magicians; The Magician King; The Magician's Land
Based on the classic film, this novel follows an unorthodox teacher who inspires his students to embrace poetry and passion.
Dead Poets Society
Gothic Institutions & Cursed Knowledge
young researcher is drawn into the dark world of tarot, academia, and fate at the Metropolitan Museum’s Cloisters
The Cloisters: A Novel
A dark, psychological story about an obsessive friendship between two brilliant but dangerous college students
These Violent Delights Duet (Boxed Set): These Violent Delights; Our Violent Ends
A brutal magical school where failure means death, and a sharp-witted outcast must decide whether to embrace or reject her dark destiny.
A Deadly Education: A Novel
Yale's secret societies, ghosts, and dark magic—with a gritty, paranormal edge.
Ninth House
A gothic, queer dark academia novel that weaves together a cursed girls’ school, a haunted book, and eerie Hollywood adaptations
Plain Bad Heroines: A Novel
Six powerful magicians are chosen to join a secret society of knowledge, but only five can make it through initiation.
The Atlas Six
A literary, globe-trotting hunt for the real Dracula, blending academia, history, and eerie suspense
The Historian
A metaphysical and surreal novel where students at a secretive university are forced to master inexplicable transformations
Vita Nostra: A Novel
Haunted Minds & Literary Horror
A young bride is haunted by the lingering presence of her husband’s enigmatic first wife in a grand and mysterious estate
Rebecca
A young boy discovers a forgotten book and is drawn into a literary mystery that spans decades in Barcelona
The Shadow Of The Wind
A labyrinthine story of secret doors, hidden libraries, and a mysterious underground world filled with forgotten stories
The Starless Sea: A Novel
A murder at a private girls’ school unfolds with heavy atmosphere and intense psychological tension.
The Secret Place: A Novel
A mysterious, otherworldly circus appears without warning, hosting a magical competition between two star-crossed rivals
The Night Circus
An atmospheric mystery set in post-independence India, filled with art, ambition, and scandal
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
Timeless novels exploring intellect, obsession, and dark beauty
A brilliant but impoverished student commits murder and is consumed by guilt, paranoia, and philosophical dilemmas
Crime And Punishment
A man is arrested and prosecuted by an incomprehensible legal system, questioning justice, fate, and free will.
The Trial
A scholar makes a pact with the devil, trading his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures
Faust: The Tragedy
A medieval murder mystery where a Franciscan friar investigates a series of deaths in a monastery steeped in forbidden knowledge
Name of the Rose
The devil arrives in Soviet Russia, bringing chaos, satire, and a mesmerising tale of good, evil, and artistic freedom
The Master And Margarita
A generational saga of power, love, and mysticism in a haunted Latin American estate
The House of the Spirits: A Novel
Academia wrapped in secrets, deception, and forbidden knowledge
A gifted girl at an elite school becomes entangled in the mysteries surrounding her enigmatic teacher’s death
Special Topics In Calamity Physics
A chilling gothic horror novel where a young woman investigates the eerie secrets of an aristocratic mansion
Mexican Gothic
A psychological mystery set at Cambridge, where a music student falls under the spell of a charismatic, possibly dangerous prodigy.
The Bellwether Revivals
An alternative history of England where two scholars resurrect long-lost magic, with devastating consequences
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: A Novel
A dark psychological thriller set at Cambridge University, where a therapist investigates a secretive, possibly murderous student group.
The Maidens: A Novel
A hypnotic mystery about a man living in a labyrinthine house filled with statues, secrets, and shifting realities
Piranesi Indigo Exclusive Edition