Where I live in the United States, some schools have already started. Others start later, but where I’m at, they usually start at the beginning of August. It’s early, I know, but we’re used to it here. It’s normal, and now I don’t think anything about it. But with school starting here now, that means it’s time to find some great books that revolve around school itself. So, that means some great dark academia books!
So what exactly does dark academia mean? After looking it up the dark academia meaning is actually vague. But for me, dark academia is usually books that take place in private or prep school. It usually follows the “elite” kids, and obviously, something dark happens and secrets are exposed. There are some exceptions to this where it doesn’t completely take place in a private school. But it usually follows students who have something dark hidden, and it gets found out and exposed.
But here are some great dark academia books that you should add to your TBR!
Dark academia books
What exactly are dark academia books to you? I know this can be different for just about everyone, but the books I have added are exactly what i consider when I think of dark academiz books. Doing research on this has only made me realize how much I actually like these type of books as well. Even if you aren’t going back to school these are still some pretty great reads to pick up!
Ace of spades
Ace of Spades is one of the dark academia books that I’ve been seeing around a lot lately. It seems to be getting a lot of good reviews as well. This is one that I have been meaning to read but I haven’t had the chance. It’s one of those situations where I already have a ton of books to read as it is.
This is one that I would like to try and read soon though. It seems really good! If you’ve read this one already what did you think?
Here is what Ace of Spades is about.
Niveus Private Academy is the school where money paves the way, and the students are always perfect. At least until now. There is an anonymous texter called Aces who is bringing two students’ dark secrets to the surface.
Devon is a talented musician who buries himself in playing his music. When his photos go public, he’s not able to escape the spotlight. Chiamaka is the head girl and isn’t afraid to get what she wants, but it doesn’t take long for people to find out the price she paid for power.
Someone is out to get the two of them—someone who has all of the power.
You can find Ace of Spades here.
Plain Bad Heroines
Plain Bad Heroines is another of the dark academia books that I keep hearing a lot about. I’m actually not really even sure why I haven’t picked this one up but I know I should.
I’m not really sure why but I do ten to like reading books about all girls school or all boys school. I guess it has a lot to do with the fact that it is just so foreign to me. This is a type of school I would have hated growing up. It’s not that I was boy crazy or anything. In fact I really wasn’t and I could have cared less. Girls are just so catty and I would have hated it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t read about them!
Here is what Plain Bad Heroines is about.
Plain Bad Heroines takes place in 1902 at The Broohants School for Girls. Flo and Clara are two impressionable students. They are obsessed with each other and a young writer named Mary MacLane. This author just so happens to be the author of a scandalous, bestselling memoir. In order to show their devotion, they start their private club called The Plain Bad Heroine Society. They meet in secret in an apple orchard, where they have their wildest happiness, but unfortunately, their death. When their bodies are found, they are discovered as victims of angry yellow jackets, but they also have one of Mary’s books lying beside them. Five years later, the school ultimately closes its doors after three more people die mysteriously.
A century later, the abandoned school is now back in the news when a writer publishes a book celebrating its feminist history. Her book inspires a controversial horror adaptation. As the gates are opened back open, the past and the present ultimately become entangled.
Catherine House
I actually haven’t heard a lot about this one, but the synopsis has really caught my attention. This one almost seems like it revolves around magic, even if it didn’t I still would think that it was interesting.
I’ve been seeing a lot of videos where people talk about celebrities selling their soul to the devil and that’s partly what this reminds me of. I’m sure I’m wrong about that and there’s some sort of twist to it.
This is going to be one that’s going to be added to my TBR soon though!
Here is what Catherine House is about.
The Cather House is different. It’s a school for higher learning, and it’s not like others. It’s hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania. It has an experimental curriculum and a very weird and selective admissions process. But so far, the school works because when they come out, they have some of the world’s best minds in some of the most prominent jobs. The few that are selected, the tuition, room, and board are all free. Acceptance comes with a price. In order to go, the students are required to stay three years, even during the summer, and they are secluded from the outside world. No family, friends, television, or music. Their clothes even have to be left behind. If they do this, then the school promises the graduates power and prestige. They can become anything they have ever wanted.
Never Saw Me Coming
I haven’t been seeing a whole lot about Never Saw me Coming either. I got an advanced copy of it because it sounds really good. Granted I still haven’t read it either but I figured more people would be talking about it.
I feel like we don’t get many books from a psychopath’s character or maybe I’m just missing them. But I feel like this is a really cool concept and I know I need to get to it soon!
Here is what Never Saw me Coming is about.
Chloe is a freshman honors student. She’s a leggings-wearing “hot girl next door”. What makes her different is that she just so happens to be a psychopath. Her hobbies include frat parties and planning to kill Will Bachman, a guy who seriously wronged her.
She’s one of seven kids part of an unusual clinical study for psychopaths. There are students there just like her who lack empathy and can’t fully grasp emotions like fear or guilt. The study is led by a psychologist who requires them to wear smart watches that are able to track their moods and movements.
Eventually, one of the students is found murdered, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey. She races to find out who the killer his; she must create her plan, and she’s forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths.
Wilder Girls
Wilder Girls has definitely become one of my favorite books over the past few years! I don’t know if I fully consider this a dark academia book. Don’t get me wrong this story has a lot of dark parts to the movie, but there isn’t a whole lot involment around school.
So, I do kind of question whether or not I should add it to the list, but I figured I would since I know a lot of people will like it.
Here is what Wilder Girls is about.
Things started slowly. At first, it was the teachers who died off one by one. But then it began to infect the students and turn their bodies into something weird and foreign to them. Now they are cut off from the rest of the world and have to fend for themselves on their island. They don’t bother to go outside the school’s fence, where this disease has made the woods even more dangerous than they already were. They are waiting for the cure that they were promised.
When one of the kids goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means escaping quarantine and braving the horrors that have become their new world. When she does escape, she realizes that there is more to their story than what they were told.
One of Us Is Lying
I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you have read One of Us is Lying already. I’m not fully sure if I would consider this apart of the dark academia books, but it does have a lot of thrills and it does take place around a school.
The author of this book has become very popular over the past few years and it’s really no surprise. Her books are really good and I’m pretty sure one of them is getting adapted into a movie or a tv show! If you’ve been wanting to check out one of Karen’s books then this would be a great one to start off with.
Here is what One of us is lying is about.
On a Monday afternoon, five Bayview high schoolers walk into detention.
There’s Bronwyn the brain, Addy the beauty, Nate the criminal, Cooper the athlete, and Simon the outcast.
Simon is the only one who doesn’t make it out of the classroom. Before detention ends, Simon is dead. According to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. Monday is when he died. On Tuesday, he planned to release juicy details on all four of them that leave them as suspects.
But everyone has a secret, right? How far would you go to protect them?
People Like Us
This is another book that I got a while back but I still haven’t had the chance to read it yet. I know many of you will probably really enjoy it though! At least as much I will if took the time out to read it.
It’s honestly crazy that I even picked this one up because I’m a very visual person. The covers are the first things that I go for and if it doesn’t catch my attention then I more than likely won’t pick it up. And even though the cover isn’t bad it’s also not one that would grab my attention either!
Here is what People Like Us is about.
Kay has some skeletons in her closet. But to her, the past is the past, and she’s completely changed. Now she’s the star soccer player. She has a group of gorgeous friends who run the private school. When a girl’s body is found, her carefully curated life begins to fall.
The dead girl leaves Kay a computer-coded scavenger hunt that unravels suspect after suspect. That is, until Kay finds herself in the crosshairs of a murder investigation. When she’s backed into a corner,r she’ll do whatever it takes to survive.
How We Fall Apart
How We Fall Apart is one that I have been seeting around a lot as well and it definitely caught my attention. I love a good thriller and I’m sure this will be right up my alley. If you’re interested in thrillers then I’m sure you’ll feel the same way as I do!
Here is what How We Fall Apart is about.
Nacy is shocked when her ex-best friend goes missing and is then ultimately found dead. What’s even crazier is that the rumors that Nancy and her current friends spread are that they are the prime suspects. Someone anonymously started incrimination through the school’s social media app.
They used to be good friends with Jamie, and she knew all of their darkest secrets. Somehow, now this anonymous person knows them too. Now they need to hurry and find who the true killer is before he exposes more of their dark secrets.
The Ivies
Doing this post I have come to realize that I have way too many books on my TBR. The Ivies is another one of the dark academia books that I’ve bought but still haven’t gotten the chance to read yet. Now that I’m thinking about it this list would be great TBR for next month so I can knock some of the books off of my list.
Maybe I’m crazy but the competition to go to Ivy schools have always been a mystery to me. Going to college just outright seems pointless to me anymore unless you go for something that actually requires that degree. And to me it’s still crazy that some jobs are still requiring a degree for things people can easily learn on the job. But that’s my opinion. I guess that’s partly because I never cared anything about going to college in the first place so though the thought of kids fighting and possibly killing like in this book to kill the competition is crazy to me.
Am I the only one who feels that way?
Here is what The Ivies is about!
The Ivies are the most sought-after universities in the US. What’s more important than the ivies? That would be the five girls with the same mission. Their mission is to get into one of the Ivy League schools by any means necessary. They improve their odds by decreasing the odds of others. The competitive college admissions process is serious and sometimes deadly.
Conclusion to dark academia books
There are a ton of dark academia books out there that I’m absolutely positive that you will enjoy! Make sure to join our newsletter because I will be updating this blog post quite often. If you have any suggestions of what books will fit this list perfectly then leave me a comment. I would love to know what they are!
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