Recs if you like The Cloisters...

campuses, the occult, a bacchanalia or two. only true dark academia in this list 🍂🚬☕️

fantasy murder mysteries yayy

I've been a fan of card magic for quite some time and tarot is so in!

true dark academia that ranges from fantastical/supernatural to psychological literary fiction

I lived in NYC from the age of 21-27 and I will never forget OR shut up about it, ever 🖤😆

A mix of different books that all centre around the “dark academia” genre ✨

A curated collection of stories told through cracks, mirrors, and shifting truths. These narrators bend memory, distort reality, and reshape the world to fit their own needs. Some lie with intention, others with fear, and some simply because the truth is too heavy to hold. These are the books that linger. The ones that make you question what you know. The ones you leave and don’t really know what just happened.

Fiction that is set in medieval or medieval-esque settings, crossing genre boundaries.

Forget everything you know about the golden hour. In these halls, knowledge isn't just power—it's a blood sacrifice, a cursed bargain, or a secret that could tear the stars from the sky. Whether you're navigating the lethal corridors of the Scholomance, deciphering the forbidden linguistics of Oxford’s silver-working, or joining a secret society at Yale that deals in the ghosts of the past, this list is for the scholars who prefer their ink black and their magic dangerous.

Occult obsession and dark academia with explorations of trauma, corruption, and sacrifice.

books where tarot cards are featured/used as a plot device created bc i’m (unintentionally) amassing a collection lol

Experiential reading. The mood, the words, the descriptions will transport you. You won't know if you're on your couch or in the snow-covered woods on an island off of South Korea.

Fiction and nonfiction books about or inspired by medieval Europe.

cause it’s always september in my heart📖

Includes dark academia, fantasy, and literary fiction--but takes place on a campus or in some way relates to student/teaching life.

The Mummy (1999) is one of my top 3 favourite movies of all time, so I've been searching for books that have the same feeling. A bit goofy, a bit of archaeology, a bit of fantasy horror (though light on the horror like the movie) and a down bad man who just goes along with whatever his lady wants. I haven't read most of these; I just did some googling, and these are the most common comparisons I could find. Recommendations are very much appreciated!

These books are chosen for “Read with Jenna” by Jenna Bush Hager.

Latest book added: October 2026

set in nyc/new york