Chilling YA Audiobooks That Explore Dark Academia
by Brian Laurito
Back-to-school season is upon us, and you know what that means! It’s time to see your friends, study for exams, and … uncover the dark secrets of your academic institution. That might seem unlikely, but in these fantasy and dark academia audiobooks, anything is possible. From a mystery set at a magical HBCU to a supernatural haunting at a boarding school, below are some of my favorite dark academia audiobook listens!
-
The Narrow
Is there any better setting for a YA paranormal thriller than a haunted boarding school? I don’t think so! In Kate Alice Marshall’s deliciously terrifying audiobook, two teenage girls — Eden and Delphine — must uncover the secrets of the deadly river that runs behind the Atwood School if they hope to protect one another from an occult murderer. However, the river isn’t the only thing with secrets. Will the girls be able to trust one another before their paranormal foe strikes again?
-
Blood at the Root
When a friend described this to me as “Harry Potter at an HBCU,” I knew this had to be added to my TBR. LaDarrion Williams’s debut YA fantasy follows 17-year-old Malik as he discovers that his long-lost grandmother is a legendary conjurer with ties to a hidden magical university. Enrolling at Caiman University in search of answers about his heritage and powers, Malik finds friends, love, and more questions. When a centuries-old evil threatens his new home, it will be up to Malik and his newfound friends to save their world! A story of community, legacy, and roots that connect us all, Blood at the Root is a must-listen.
-
The 66th Rebirth of Frankie Caridi
Starting at a new school is enough to make anyone nervous, but Frankie Caridi has bigger worries than whether or not she’ll fit in with her new classmates. Following her younger brother, Lucie, to the mysterious Pythagorean Institute, she quickly realizes that the school is anything but ordinary. Built like a prison, led by a cult leader-like headmaster, and seemingly the source of her strange new dreams, Frankie knows she has to learn more about the Pythagorean Institute. Can she uncover the secrets of the school — and herself — before it’s too late?
-
Our Wicked Histories
This gothic YA horror story might leave the schoolyard behind — the prestigious British art school, Greyscott’s, serves only as part of the audiobook’s inciting incident — but I loved it too much to leave it off this list! Trading the British art scene for an Irish ancestral estate, Amy Goldsmith’s Our Wicked Histories follows teenage Meg as she travels to Wren Hall for a Halloween weekend trip where she hopes to win back her former friends and her place at Greyscott’s, but soon learns that both Wren Hall and its inhabitants are hiding deadly secrets. Read by Laoise Sweeney in an immersive British accent, fans of gothic horror and YA thrillers alike are sure to love this one.
-
The Champions
Fans of The Cheerleaders, are you ready to return to Sunnybrook? In this follow-up set eleven years after the events of Kara Thomas’s last novel, the town of Sunnybrook is ready to leave the deaths of five cheerleaders in the past and look to the future of its hometown heroes — the high school football team known as the Tigers. When the new girl in town, Hadley, is assigned to cover the Tigers for the school paper, however, she learns that Sunnybrook’s golden boys might not be so golden after all. After one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, Hadley will have to dig into Sunnybrook’s haunted past if she wants to protect its future. Narrator Brittany Pressley brings Thomas’s suspense-filled novel to life with such skill, listeners will be dying to learn what happens next.
-
Shadows of Perl
Are you ready to return to J. Elle’s world of magic, mystery, and romance? In the stunning sequel to House of Marionne, Quell Marionne flees Chateau Soleil for the House of Perl — a place where she can truly embrace her dark power. At the same time, Jordan Wexton — second-in command of the Dragun brotherhood — knows his duty is to do anything to protect the source of all magic. As unrest grows, however, he begins to wonder: Is killing his beloved Quell the only way to save the world? Beautifully performed by Carlotta Brentan, Kate Simses and Vikas Adam, Shadows of Perl is perfect for romantasy fans.
-
Wednesday: A Novelization of Season One
Get ready to explore the halls of Nevermore Academy in a brand new way! In Tehlor Kay Mejia’s delightfully dark retelling of the Netflix smash hit, Wednesday Addams will have to master her emerging psychic abilities if she wants to stop the supernatural killing spree that is terrorizing the nearby town. In this beautifully performed audiobook, Ines del Castillo puts her own spine-tingling spin on Wednesday Addams!
-
The Lies We Conjure
Considering this audiobook doesn’t take place in a typical dark academia setting including it on this list might technically be cheating, but if a magical locked room mystery doesn’t satiate your dark academia cravings, I don’t know what will! The Lies We Conjure follows two Colorado high schoolers — Ruby and Wren — who accept an eccentric old woman’s offer to pay them $2,000 each if they pose as her long-absent grandchildren at a fancy dinner party. Less than an hour after arriving at the mysterious Hegemony Manor, however, the girls find themselves in a precarious situation: The hostess is dead, they’re stuck inside until they find out who did it, and if any of the party’s other guests — each a powerful witch — discover their true identities, the hostess won’t be the only one who dies tonight! Filled with magic and mystery, dark academia fans are sure to find a new favorite in The Lies We Conjure.
-
Zodiac Rising
Manhattan, magic, and murder? Oh my! In Katie Zhao’s latest audiobook, Zodiac Rising, the Descendants of the Chinese zodiac live in a magical boarding school hidden away from mortal eyes. When one of their own is killed in a struggle over the statues that grant the Descendants their full power, a team of four teens — a vampire, a shapeshifter, a mortal with mysterious heritage, and a werewolf — must come together to steal back what is rightfully theirs! A mystical heist story with a dark academia twist, this is one you won’t want to miss!
(On sale: 10/1/2024)
