We started off this Fully-Booked: Literary Podcast episode celebrating the arrival of September, cooler weather, the back-to-school energy, and the perfect time to switch gears into a new thematic focus.
Both Meaghan and Shirin reflected on how September always feels like a fresh start. You know that itch to go buy new notebooks and highlighters even if you’re not in school anymore? Yeah, we felt that too.
So, what better time to explore a genre that thrives on moody libraries, old books, dark hallways, and hidden secrets than now?
That’s right, dark academia is the focus for this entire month. And to kick things off, we decided to talk about something we constantly see popping up in the genre: secret societies.
Why are we so drawn to them? What makes them tick in these stories? And what’s with their mysterious pull?
Before diving into the deeper conversation, we chatted a bit about what’s currently sitting on our nightstands.
Note
The following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click the play button above orlisten on your favorite platform with the links below.
What We’re Reading Right Now
Shirin is deep into The Perfect Marriage by Geneva Rose. It’s a twisty thriller featuring Sarah, a hotshot D.C. defense attorney, defending her husband after he’s accused of murdering his mistress. Wild, right?
Immediately, we flagged the glaring conflict of interest (because, come on, no court would allow that), but hey, it makes for juicy fiction. Shirin also noted that a follow-up novel called The Perfect Divorce just dropped, which continues the aftermath.
Meaghan, on the other hand, just wrapped up Riley Sager’s With a Vengeance. She described it as fast-paced, set in the post-WWII era aboard a train between Philadelphia and Chicago.
A group of people receives mysterious letters, and once they’re all aboard, well, the bodies start dropping. Very Murder on the Orient Express vibes. Meaghan praised its multiple POVs and breadcrumb-like structure that keeps you guessing until the end.
We also talked about an advanced review copy we received for The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg. It’s a fantasy romance set in a world where magic is banned, except for a rare few like Nim, a healer summoned to help a mysteriously sickly prince.
The story takes a bit to get going, classic world-building slow burn, but once it does, it sinks its claws in. And heads up: it ends on a cliffhanger, with the sequel due out in March 2026. Yes, already.
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What Is Dark Academia, Anyway?
For folks unfamiliar, dark academia typically centers around elite academic institutions, think Ivy Leagues, boarding schools, and other prestigious settings.
The stories usually emphasize the weight of academia: obsessive studies, literary discussions, tight-knit friend groups, and, often, an undercurrent of something more sinister. Gothic elements are common, and the narratives skew toward mystery, fantasy, or even horror.
These books often create a sense of isolation. Characters don’t just go to school, they live there, they breathe it, they’re consumed by it. You’re removed from the regular world. And within that bubble, anything can happen.
We noticed that dark academia settings are fertile ground for another recurring trope: secret societies. Whether it’s a fully fleshed-out elite club with rituals and initiations or just a close-knit group of friends doing forbidden things on campus, these groups show up again and again.
And readers, us included, can’t get enough.
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Why are we so obsessed with secret societies? That was the big question for this episode. And honestly, we think it boils down to mystery and exclusivity. We’re fascinated by things we’re not supposed to know about. The moment someone calls something “secret,” our ears perk up.
There’s something about imagining a club that’s lasted for generations, that operates in the shadows, often with power beyond what any school administrator can touch. Sometimes these societies are up to no good, but sometimes they’re just weird. Either way, we’re intrigued.
We discussed how authors use secret societies in different ways. Sometimes, like in Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, they’re connected to real-world schools like Yale and layered with supernatural elements.
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Other times, it’s more about the vibe, like in Bunny by Mona Awad, which leans into surreal horror with an elite MFA program setting. Whether the story leans toward thriller, fantasy, or horror, secret societies tend to act as a catalyst, a place where rules are broken and things go very, very wrong.
But societies don’t always have to be ancient or formalized. Sometimes it’s just a group of friends forming their own “unofficial” club, their own version of a secret society. The vibe is what matters.
We joked that even watching horror movies together on school grounds could become “secret society” territory once something suspicious starts happening. Add a couple of murders into the mix, and suddenly you’ve got a full-on thriller.
Dark Academia’s Strengths And Blind Spots
We also acknowledged that dark academia isn’t a perfect genre. It has a very specific aesthetic, and often that means it leans heavily into Western, Eurocentric, and white narratives. The schools are usually old and elite, think Oxford, Yale, Cambridge, and the characters tend to be, let’s be honest, not very diverse.
There’s been some movement in recent years to challenge this. RF Kuang’s Babel is a good example of a dark academia novel that explores colonialism and linguistic imperialism through a more inclusive lens. But overall, we agreed that the genre could really use more diverse voices, settings, and stories.
We also noticed that there aren’t that many dark academia books that hit mainstream popularity.
You’ve got your big ones, The Secret History, Ninth House, The Atlas Six, but beyond that, the list doesn’t roll off the tongue. Maybe part of that is because dark academia books are often harder to adapt.
There’s a specific tone and internal world that’s tough to translate to the screen. It’s not all action and explosions, it’s slow burn, literary references, atmosphere.
We laughed about how sometimes a book gets labeled “dark academia” just because it has a moody setting and a few scenes in a library. But it takes more than that.
At its core, dark academia is about obsession, intellect, and that very specific emotional intensity that comes from living inside a pressure cooker of ambition, secrecy, and youth.
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What’s Next And Where It’s Going
Toward the end of the episode, we reflected on how trends in publishing evolve.
Right now, dark academia is having a moment, but 10 to 15 years ago, it was dystopians ruling the shelves. (Looking at you, Hunger Games.) So will secret societies in schools continue to capture readers’ attention? We think yes, at least for a while longer.
The themes are too juicy to ignore: forbidden knowledge, power dynamics, identity, and the weight of legacy.
We’re curious to see if more authors will push the boundaries of what dark academia can be. Set it outside the Western world. Put it in modern institutions. Twist the genre. Make it weirder. Make it more inclusive. We think there’s so much room to grow.
And while we’re at it, let’s keep questioning: how secret are these secret societies if we all know about them? And how many of them are just chess clubs with better lighting?
This episode was a perfect kickoff to our September theme. We scratched the surface of what makes dark academia and its secret societies so appealing, and we’re excited to keep digging into the genre all month long. If you’re into moody, mysterious reads that give you a chill while making you feel a little smarter, this is your month.
In the meantime, check out our reviews on the site, and follow us on social if you’re not already. We’ve got more episodes and articles coming your way soon.
And as always, keep on reading.
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