Dark academia is an aesthetic and book genre that has gained a lot of popularity in the last year or so, thanks to TikTok.
Dark academia’s look comes mostly from boarding schools and old universities. Think school uniforms, tweed jackets, stone columns, dark wood, dimly lit libraries with old books and drifting dust.
The books that fall into the dark academia trend could have many aspects of this multifaceted genre. They often take place in a school or university and have menacing themes like crime or secret societies. The characters may study classical philosophy, poetry, or literature. Death, existentialism, and mortality are often subjects. They aren’t usually high fantasy, but often involve arcane knowledge and more speculative elements.
As we settle into the new school year, check out this list and indulge your blazer-wearing, coffee-drinking, mystery-loving self.
