the ultimate guide to dark academia books ☕🦉

an overview of all the dark academia book recommendations you can think of!! also movies, shows, music and even games :)

00:00 intro into dark academia
1:35 the dark academia circle
3:04 core dark academia
14:12 books with dark academia vibes
18:33 books that are dark academia to read
23:29 movies, music & games
28:13 bloopers

🌻 w a n n a s e e m o r e?

🌸 m y e t s y s h o p
I sell bookmarks, bookplates and art prints!

🌼 s o c i a l m e d i a
• twitter: @thebookleo
• instagram: @thebookleo

🌺 a b o u t m e
Hi! My name is Leonie and I am a 25 year old girl who loves talking about books! From YA to non-fiction to classics, I read it all (although fantasy will always be my fave). I live in the Netherlands and go to university, but make booktube videos in my spare time :)

🌹 m u s i c
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Classical Piano and Orchestra music:

[val.daffodils]

This HAS to be my favorite video like ever. We want a video for every aesthetic! Light academia, cottage core, old money, fairy core…

[isaa]

Other recommendations:
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- Faust by Goethe
- Maurice by E.M. Foster (there is a movie, too)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
- Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis (yes there's a book, too)
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- anything by Kafka if you just want the dark vibes
- Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown (historical aspects, murder, old secret societies, ... )
- The Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi (a bit of the above but make it YA historical fantasy)
- The Red and the Black by Stendhal
- The Perfume by Patrick Süßkind
- Malina by Ingeborg Bachmann
- Rebecca (and many other books) by Daphne du Maurier
Child appropriate: Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, his dark materials by Pullman, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Movies:
- Kill your Darlings
- Crimson Peak
- Blame (2018)
- Another (anime)
- some movie adaptations of books mentioned
(there's no particular order. Some recommendations fit dark academia and its core more, other's are here for their vibe or status as dark classics)

[sharong]

Personally, I feel as though obsession and critique are more crucial parts of a dark academia story. Otherwise, it’s just a book that takes place in a school. It needs that sense of desperation and mania around what they’re studying

[LitCouture]

This is amazing…”Let me embody dark academia while teaching you about it in a perfect dark academic tone.”

[anamaria]

the true OG of dark academia is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - it has most of the points listed, although it's not an academy where the events take place, but it is very academic in nature, since it's about a magnificent library and scholars guarding its dark secrets. As for obsession... well, someone eats a book (spoilers - it's poisoned) just so not to share it with anyone else. From the beginning of the book - In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro - which is Latin for: I searched for quiet everywhere, and found it nowhere except in a corner with a book.

[pendragon]

Reader: What is dark academia? Leonie: I was there, Gandalf....I was there, three thousand years ago.... Any way, based on your definition, sounds like maybe C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy from the 1930s anticipated Dark Academia by about 70 years. Especially books 1 and 3 of that series. TV Shows like The Order should probably also fit in.

[annalehneis]

This is one of your best videos yet. So much fun! Also loved the bloopers at the end 😄

[books_and_universes]

This was probably better researched AND better executed than any of my actual A-level English (or German) classes taught by actual English (or German) teachers. You deserve a honours degree in literature just for that tbh 😂🥰📚

[Onceuponatime]

I think the book “In my dreams I hold a knife” has *Dark Academia* vibes in it. It has those *Academic settings*, *Death*, *Murder mystery*, the main charcter’s *Obsession*, etc..

[FaeryLaume]

This makes it to the "inner core of the onion" for my list of most entertaining, most adorable booktube videos I've ever watched. Thank you!

[silviadeluca]

I think the Italian version of "The secret history" might be "The name of the Rose", by Umberto Eco. I'm pretty sure it's very much known even outside of Italy, yet I sadly don't see it appear in videos like this. It's basically dark academia at its finest, and it was, like, the 1980? I recommend it :)

[cannedasparagus]

I love this. Been feeling down recently, but with an unhealthy amount of the book leo i’m feeling better:)

[francespeterson]

I would argue that The Raven Cycle is a core dark acamedia book. Blue both joins the world the rest of the boys and the elite, private school and joins their quest for Glendower and the boys join Blue in her occult, clairvoyent world/family. The main theme and focus of the book are the Gangsey's obsession with finding Glendower and magic as well as their obesseion with each other and their friendships. Arguably the least dark academia part of the series is the academic setting. But Aglionby Academy is a prominent setting in the book and drives a lot of the themes and characters (even though a lot of the scene are set during non school hours). The premise of the book starts with the reader learning that Gansey is going to die this year and Blue is almost certainly the cause. And I think the series critqiues many different elements of society but elitism definitely is one of them. Also obviously the occult and magic vibes!

[KaylaTalksBooks]

Interesting. I feel like Interview with the Vampire could be considered the second circle of dark academia for all the philosophical conversations and death in it.

[marisophi]

Some more games that would be in the dark academia vibes catagory:
-1000 year old vampire: it's a journaling game; so you can get your quill and ink if you want (or just a pc ofcourse), and then you basically journal as a vampire who lives to be 100s years old and forgets everyone they've ever loved... it's sad and dark, it's kinda fucked up sometimes, but also beautiful. And the handbook is also very beautiful and dark academia-esque with lots of references to the occult and supernatural.
- apothecaria/apawthecaria: also a journaling game, but you are basically a healer helping others out by designing remedies for them. So it's like the medicine branch of academia with a touch of fantasy and autumness which adds to the vibes!
- call of cthulhu rpg: you play as a character who investigates mysteries, the occult and supernatural. You could play as an archeologist, anthropologist, a linguicist, journalist, professor or whatever you want, but it definitely is very very dark academia! Especially because the darkness pulling the player characters in is also an element to this game. I've never played it but i watched critical role's actual play and it is sooo good.
- and just good ol' dungeons and dragons :)

[_sarathedreamer]

I shall now refer to if we were villains and the secret history as the core of dark academia onion this is perfect 😂

[kaitlyng]

Yep, Babel definitely fits! Checks all 5 requirements :)

[evaggeliatseliou]

I learned two things from this video, 1. I can hear Leonie explain ANYTHING for HOURS
2. She actually has beautiful eyes. It's a lovely combination of blue and green. Truly ✨mesmerising✨😍😄

[rachels]

Babel absolutely fits into the 5 pointers of dark academia and has been my gateway drug to this genre. It was SO good, I hope you get to read it someday!

[VeronicaSpitsa]

the aesthetic of your room and your humor, just your presense in this video tbh, are making this masterpiece even better!