Anthony St. Clair. The future Duke of Ashford. A reckless enigma… and my greatest temptation.
I’ve come here, to Oxford University, on a mission—to uncover the truth about what happened to my sister—no matter the cost. Until I meet him…
Saint is my passport to a sensual world of wealth and privilege, but something wicked is lurking behind these ivy covered walls. Secrets these people will kill to protect.
Loyalty is everything to them… but will it be my ruin?
With autumn just around the corner, it’s the perfect season to turn to some spicy dark academia romances. For those of you unfamiliar with this popular generic mashup, romance is fairly self-explanatory, but dark academia is…well, less so.
Generally speaking, dark academia is a fairly malleable subgenre that takes place in loosely academic settings (think libraries, universities, etc.) or has an academic kind of feel. That’s the “academia” part. The “dark” part comes from the presence of everything from Gothic elements to secret societies and murders. Again, it’s all pretty flexible, as most genres are when you really try to nail them down. That being said, if you want to do a deep dive into the nitty gritty of what constitutes dark academia, check out this article on the common characteristics of the genre or this essay on common themes, tropes, and types of dark academia.
One thing I do want to pause over is the issue of diversity in both romance and dark academia, because I think it’s important to be aware of the issues related to what you’re reading.
Concerning romance, if you want a quick overview of the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation, look no further than this recent article in OutWrite Magazine. It gives a thoughtful overview of some of the main excuses given for the homogeneity of the genre as well as the faulty logic behind those excuses. Relatedly, beloved romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice‘s annual State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report clearly illustrates the ongoing issues with racial representation — and a disturbing trend that seems to suggest the small surge of romance novels by BIPOC writers that followed in the wake of 2020 is waning.
At the same time, critics have been writing about how little diversity there is within dark academia, especially where race is concerned, for a while now. More specifically, this article on whiteness in dark academia from The Guardian looks at the ways the genre relies upon and reproduces symbols of whiteness and privilege that have roots in classic European literature.
Similarly, the website Bookish Brews provides an in-depth critical analysis of this issue in the article “Dark Academia: The Truth About the Genre & Subculture.” They point out that the genre’s obsession with institutions of higher education tends to ignore the fact that such institutions “have a history of systematically barring entry to BIPOC students at best, and at worst, being actually built by enslaved people. At the very least these institutions were able to rise from the wealth that was forged on the backs of enslaved people.” Moreover, the article points out the uncritical portrayal of western knowledge, glorification of colonialism and imperialism, and erasure of histories of discrimination that so often dominate the genre.
As dark academia continues to evolve as a genre, it’s slowly addressing some of these concerns, and we can only hope it becomes more diverse and critical of the inequality of academic institutions. These new genre-expanding additions to dark academia, including several listed below, have all the appeal of the dark academia tone and setting while confronting its shortcomings.
With all of that in mind, I’ve curated a list of deliciously spicy dark academia romance reads for you — and one that offers up something for everyone. Because it’s back-to-school season, and you deserve a little spice with your studies!
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
Laura Sheridan thinks she’s at a normal university, but Saint Perpetua’s Women’s College is no ordinary school. Certainly, Laura seems to be excelling in her studies when Professor Evelyn De Lafontaine takes a liking to her. Her rivalry with Carmilla, another student, could be par for the course at any competitive university, but it turns out Professor De Lafontaine is a vampire and Carmilla is her willing blood supply. The three women develop a love triangle that unfurls alongside Laura’s own self-discovery and her growing awareness of the magic and politics undergirding Saint Perpetua’s.
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
Due out this September, An Academy for Liars is by far one of the most interesting works of dark academia I’ve encountered so far. Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart (again), but when she decides to pick up the ringing phone in a random phone booth, everything changes. The call is an invitation to a secret school of magic in Savannah, Georgia: Drayton College. There, Lennon discovers she has the power of persuasion. As if that wasn’t enough, her advisor is very attractive and a bigger threat to the school is making itself known. There’s a lot happening in this one, and every page is worth it!
Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
Slated for release this September, Tigest Girma’s debut novel turns vampire lore on its head. In Immortal Dark, vampires (aka draniacs) and humans coexist via carefully designed rules. Kidan Adane and her sister June are orphans, but when their last aunt dies, their family legacy threatens everything. June goes missing, and Kidan is determined to get her back at all costs. But in order to do so, her journey will take her deep into the hallowed halls of Uxlay University and a vampire named Susenyos who may be her sister’s abductor. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between them will keep you burning that midnight oil despite the fact that this is just the first book of a highly-anticipated trilogy.
Serpentine Valentine by Giana Darling
Billed as a sapphic retelling of the Medusa tale, Serpentine Valentine is a dark academia revenge tale for the ages. Trigger warning: the novel focuses on sexual assault (including an explicit depiction early in the book), so read with care. When Lex’s professor assaults her, the university punishes her instead of him. But Lex isn’t going to quietly disappear; instead, she vows to seduce her assailant’s daughter, Luna. When the two begin to develop real feelings for each other, the revenge script is blown wide open. The portrayal of Lex and Luna’s relationship is raw and poignant, and it feels like a true celebration of both queer love and women.
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
This is a slow-burn romance for sure, but the mounting tension between Lilia and her mentor/professor Devryk Bramwell (nickname: Dr. Death) is a lot of fun. Lilia’s been trying to find a cure for the mysterious illness that killed her mother, but nobody seems to know anything about it. But when a paper she writes gains her entry to Dracadia University (think: Ivy league in Maine) and the opportunity to work with Dr. Death (whose weird worms might just have everything to do with Lilia’s mom’s disease), she takes it. The atmospheric elements of dark academia in Nocticadia are downright immersive.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
A magical YA retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in Shanghai during the 1920s, exploring colonial power dynamics, and featuring a truly diverse and well-written cast of characters? Yes, please! I cannot believe this is Chloe Gong’s debut book — it’s just so good! Juliette Cai has been out of the country for the past few years after Roma Montagov betrayed her, but now she’s back and the rivalry between their families’ gangs is more intense than ever. FYI: this one’s dark academia in the felt sense of the genre. With a monster in the mix, These Violent Delights manages to add new layers to Shakespeare’s original tale of star-crossed lovers, and one of my favorite things about it is the way Gong has given new life to characters who were once relegated to the sidelines (ahem, all those cousins and other teens). Bonus: the second/final book in the series was released earlier this summer!
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
What would you do if you could be invisible? Alice Sun decides to cash in on her ability. She’s at the top of her class, along with her rival Henry Li, but her parents can’t afford to keep sending her to the hyper-elite school — hence the money-making scheme. What starts out as a relatively innocent pay-me-to-spy-on-someone-for-you business model quickly spirals into something much more sinister. Good thing Alice has her roommate and Henry on her side, because she’s gonna need allies. The spice level is a little lower on this one (which makes sense, given that it’s a YA novel), but it’s no less intriguing for that.
Half Truths by Claire Contreras
Okay, so a hockey romance doesn’t necessarily appear to scream dark academia. But hear me out! Half Truths (book 1 in a 2-book series) follows Mae as she transfers to a new college to try to unravel a family mystery. Once she arrives, things get real pretty fast. In addition to the secret societies she discovers shortly after arriving at her new school, there’s also Logan the hockey star. With the simmering sexual tension between these two, the intrigue lurking around every corner, and the danger heating up all around them, this book will keep you turning the pages as Mae works her way toward solving the mystery that brought her to Ellis University.
Craving More Darkness for Your Bookshelves?
Don’t worry, there’s plenty more dark academia out there you can pluck off the shelves to fill your own reading nook — including this post featuring some goods to create your very own dark academia reading nook! This list of queer dark academia reads and this list of dark academia romance books will both have you running to the nearest bookshop to swipe these titles from the shelves. Or you can zero in on some great writers in the subgenre with this post on popular authors of dark academia.
