10 Dark Academia Books That Feel Like a Secret Society Invitation

You know the feeling—you turn the page, and suddenly you’re in on something you shouldn’t be.

Here are 10 books that feel like being handed a wax-sealed envelope under the table.

1. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio — Theater kids, Shakespeare, and one suspiciously tragic cast.

2. Bunny by Mona Awad — A grad school fever dream drenched in pastel blood.

3. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake — Six magicians, one library, and very questionable alliances.

4. Babel by R.F. Kuang — Translation magic, academic exploitation, and revolution.

5. A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee — Gothic boarding school, queer romance, and whispers of witchcraft.

6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt — Obsession, elitism, and a murder before the first snowfall.

7. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo — Ivy League secret societies, ghosts, and a heroine with nothing to lose.

8. The Cloisters by Katy Hays — Tarot, art history, and the intoxicating pull of fate.

9. The Likeness by Tana French — Undercover academia with a chilling identity twist.

10. Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates — A game among friends that becomes deadly.

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Pro tip: Don’t read all ten back-to-back unless you want to start suspecting your book club of plotting your downfall.