Dark Academia

Last Updated: September 27, 2023

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

At Niveus Private Academy, Devon and Chiamaka are the only students chosen to be Senior Prefects who are also black, which makes them targets for a series of anonymous texts revealing their secrets to the entire student body. Both students were on track toward valedictorian and bright college futures, but this prank quickly turns into a very dangerous game and they are at more than one disadvantage as it looks like things could turn deadly.

How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

How We Fall Apart
by Katie Zhao

Nancy Luo, Krystal Choi, Akil Patel, and Alexander Lin, juniors at Manhattan’s elite Sinclair Prep, are forced to confront their secrets after Jamie Ruan, once their closest friend, is found dead.

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Promise Boys
by Nick Brooks

J.B., Ramón, and Trey, students of the Urban Promise Prep School, must follow the school’s strict rules, but when their principal is murdered, the three boys must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested.

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong

Someone Is Always Watching
by Kelley Armstrong

Blythe and her friends—Gabrielle, and brother and sister Tucker and Tanya—have always been a tight friend group, attending a local high school and falling in and out of love with each other. But an act of violence has caused a rift between Blythe and Tucker . . . and unexpected bursts of aggression and disturbing nightmares have started to become more frequent in their lives. The strange happenings culminate in a shocking event at school: Gabrielle is found covered in blood in front of their deceased principal, with no memory of what happened.

The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian

The Chandler Legacies
by Abdi Nazemian

Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story. Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms. And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin. At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born–and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

The Headmaster's List by Melissa De La Cruz

The Headmaster’s List
by Melissa de la Cruz

When fifteen-year-old Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Argyle Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The New Girl
by Jesse Q. Sutanto

A transfer student and scholarship recipient, sophomore Lia Setiawan is angered when she discovers a cheating ring, but by the time she finds a dead body and shuts down the campus drug dealer, she fears she might be the biggest snake in the Draycott Academy nest of vipers.

The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton

The Rumor Game
by Dhonielle Clayton

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for Washington, D.C.’s elite, a rumor gains momentum as it collects followers on social media, pulling three girls into its path–Bryn, who wants to erase all memories of the mistake she made last summer; cheer captain Cora, who desperately wants to believe in her boyfriend’s faithfulness; and shy Georgie, newly hot after a summer at fat camp and ready to reinvent herself–but who can stop a dangerous rumor once it takes on a life of its own?

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Whispering Dark
by Kelly Andrew

After being assigned to her university’s prestigious and controversial neo-anthropological studies program, eighteen-year-old deaf student Delaney Meyers-Petrov must learn to channel her ability to slip between worlds–and, along with her capricious TA Colton Price, who seems determined to despise her, must uncover buried institutional secrets.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

We Set the Dark on Fire
by Tehlor Kay Mejia

When she is asked to spy for a resistance group working to bring equality to Medio, Daniela Vargas, a student at the Medio School for Girls, questions everything she’s worked for.