Cue Richard Gilmore saying, “I’m an Autumn,” the moment temperatures dip below 80 degrees. That’s all I need to shift my reading mood to chillier genres like dark academia. Gone are the breezy romances that sustained me the last few months, replaced by darker tomes.

I’ve aged out of required learning, so instead of returning to campus each year, I return to the pages of books filled with close-knit groups of friends, secrets, gorgeous architecture, academics, rivalries, and murder! Dark academia allows us to forget the actual work that goes into higher education so we can focus on the idealized (or not) version—staying up late studying in a scenic library, sipping hot coffee, and sharing hopes, dreams, and academic pursuits.

If you also love returning to campus by way of fiction, check out this list of dark academia recommendations! Let’s be real: most of us couldn’t hack it in this rigorous and deadly setting, so let’s just enjoy the fantasy on the page.

The Secret Place by Tana French or The Likeness by Tana French
🎧 Audiobook / 🎧 Audiobook

Tana French is a masterful writer and her Dublin Murder Squad series is perfect. Both books are set in Ireland and they follow a group of students while trying to solve a murder. Each story varies after that. While The Secret Place is a more traditional boarding school setting, The Likeness takes the academic, close-knit friend group to the next level. You can’t go wrong with any book in French’s popular series.

The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett
🎧 Audiobook

If you’re looking for something similar to The Likeness (academics, murder, doppelgangers), try out Nossett’s 2022 debut.

A fraternity brother is struck dead from a hit and run and witnesses to the accident all confirm the driver of the car looks shockingly like the victim. Detective Kaplan is first on the scene and brings local insight to the investigation, but lines start to blur between past and present as the investigation goes on. Atmospheric and gripping, this is a fantastic campus thriller.

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
🎧 Audiobook

Looking for dark academia with a dash of horror and a twist of fantasy?

Lennon is invited to attend a magical school, Drayton College, because of her unique talents. Drawn into learning to control her power, her charming classmates, the lush campus, and her mysterious adviser, there’s more going on at Drayton than meets the eye.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
🎧 Audiobook

More inclined for magical realism with your dark academia?

This story follows Sciona, the first woman admitted into the High Magistry, as she spends 20 years pursuing a spot as a mage. But once she’s finally accepted, her work has only just begun. When she joins up with an assistant with secrets of his own, they uncover something that could change their world entirely.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
🎧 Audiobook

I hate to admit this has been on my TBR for TOO long, but I keep procrastinating. I know I’ll love and devour this King Arthur-inspired tale so I’m putting it off to enjoy later.

*Title availability may vary by library & region.

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