It is difficult to escape the “performative” accusations when showing interest in dark academia, so here is the perfect starter pack to get you into the genre and knowledgeable enough to put anyone complaining into their place
We all have to start somewhere and this is by FAR the most talked about dark academia sensation!📚
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Much like The Secret History, this story will lure you in with the lives of pretentious, complicated characters…
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
“You care for me a little bit, I do think,” he admitted, “but I can’t hang all my life on a little bit.
Maurice by E. M. Forster
There is no dark academia without a metaphor for self obsession 🪞📜
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Yes captain, my captain…😢
Dead Poets Society by N. H. Kleinbaum
I might be biased towards Donna Tartt, but the Goldfinch is a masterpiece
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The origins of the fig tree theory🌳
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
When friendships ruin lives…
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Jealousy - poison to the soul but, God, if only it wasn’t so entertaining
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
You will finally be the clever one to say “Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster”
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Post-war Barcelona and a boy obsessed with an author - enticing
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A 2020 booktok sensation that never left my mind
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My love for Leigh Bardugo’s writing grows stronger by the day
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
This 4-book series is a fantasy mystery that ended up being the highlight of my 2025
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Tip: READ THE POEMS!! They might seem boring to some, but they’re filled with plot clues and are a key part of the story.
