Dark Academia Romance
Secret societies. Elite universities. Love that's an obsession.
What is Dark Academia Romance?
Dark academia combines the aesthetic of elite education — Gothic architecture, classical literature, tweed and secrets — with morally complex stories. Add romance, and you get obsessive love in the halls of ivy-covered universities.
These books often feature secret societies, forbidden relationships between students or student/professor dynamics, and protagonists willing to do dark things for knowledge, power, or love.
Dark Academia Aesthetic
Classic Literature
Greek myths, Shakespeare, poetry as love language
Gothic Architecture
Libraries, old buildings, hidden passages
Moody Atmosphere
Autumn, candlelight, secrets in the dark
Secret Societies
Elite groups, dangerous initiations, forbidden knowledge
Best Dark Academia Romance Books
If We Were Villains
M.L. Rio
Shakespeare, obsession, murder
Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Yale secret societies, dark magic
The Atlas Six
Olivie Blake
Magical academia, morally grey
Ace of Spades
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Elite prep school, secrets
Bunny
Mona Awad
MFA program, dark horror-romance hybrid
These Violent Delights
Micah Nemerever
1970s academia, obsessive love