Pure Dark Academia

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

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created by astral.projection

last updated July, 2025

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Comments

great list!

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curious why These Violent Delights (by micah nemerever, not chloe gong) isn't on here??

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I actually haven't read that one yet! From what I know of it, its more of a psychological thriller set on a campus rather than a true dark academia (some element of the occult) - but its on my tbr :) if we were villains and the secret history edge more on psychological thriller also, so it might end up making the list

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I don't think dark accademia needs to have an element of the occult at all, imo that's a more gothic thing (though ofc there's overlap). Secret History is considered the quintessential dark academia novel and it has no fantasy at all.

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Love the list! A Deadly Education by Naomi Novak would be a great one to add to the list. I am reading it now. The school is fully of monsters that want to eat the students!

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Deadly education is definitely a great addition to dark academia books!

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