Dark Academia

[ThemUnsYouseUns]

Anyone else really into dark academia as a genre? Any recommendations?

Some I’ve already read:
The Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (Absolutely adored these two and hoping there will be another in this series!!)
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
If We Were Villains by ML Rio
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Babel by RF Kuang
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Cloisters by Katy Hays
In These Hallowed Halls (short stories - various authors)

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, which has a sequel being published soon.

There is a third in the Ninth House series due next year. If you sign up to Leigh Bardugo's newsletter, she has a preview of the final book in the trilogy.

Thanks for this! That’s wonderful to hear there will be a third Ninth House book.

I read Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth recently. Will give A Study in Drowning a go.

I thought you meant the book that is literally called Dark Academia: Why Universities Die. Also good but probably not what you’re looking for!

Ha! I would actually like to read this as well. Thank you!

I enjoyed Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy. I’m sure I’ve read some others but I can’t think of them right now which is really annoying me!

The Cornish Trilogy by Robertson Davies.

it’s been many years since I read them but they are fantastic.

One of them is set in a university and absolutely fits the Dark Academia theme, but can’t quite re
which one it was.

So excited to see someone mention Robertson Davies and The Cornish Trilogy - my absolute favourites. The first one - The Rebel Angels - is the one in the university. Nobody every talks about Robertson Davies, but his work is delicious 🙂

I like this genre. I’ve just read a decent one called “The Professor’s Son” by Jessaly Croft.

loved a lot of these on your list so will definitely follow up some of the other recs - I’ve been looking at atlas six for a while

definitely second the scholomance trilogy.
Deborah Harkness’ Discovery of Witches

others I’ve enjoyed that aren’t necessarily dark academia but I felt had a similar “vibe” were Starling House by Alix Harrow (a house rather than a school) and the ministry of time by Kaliane Bradley (lighter in tone and civil service rather than uni/college)

Good call on Deborah Harkness @Pes0penguin it's a very well written series of books. I'm currently reading The Black Bird Oracle and loving it.

It’s brilliant isn’t it @DesiccatedCoconut

it’s been many years since I read it, but I think about it a lot. Just certain parts that have really stuck in my mind.

Something has been niggling at me though, it’s a memory of a character but it might not be the Cornish trilogy, I am possibly getting two books confused.

Is there a female character, possibly in the Lyre of Orpheus, who has a German name beginning with L, possibly Lindis or Lysset or something, possibly a strange looking / unattractive looking character, involved with one of the protagonists. Also possibly something to do with being an acrobat or similar?

it’s all so jumbled in my head and I think I may be confusing it with another book.

Also, have you read the Deptford or Salford trilogies and how do they compare?