Dark Academia and Gothic Romance: What to Read After Fourth Wing
If you are still recovering from Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and the emotional devastation of Onyx Storm, you are not alone.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.
Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series reignited something powerful in the romance reading community. Deadly academies. Brutal training grounds. Power you are not meant to survive, let alone master. Romance forged under constant threat where attraction feels dangerous and trust is a liability.
For many readers, Fourth Wing did more than dominate bestseller lists. It reopened the door to dark academia romance and reminded us why dangerous institutions, morally gray authority figures, and survival-driven love stories are so addictive.
If you loved the twisted academy setting, high-stakes competition, and enemies-to-lovers tension of Fourth Wing, these dark academia and gothic romance books belong on your TBR.
This list explores where dark academia and gothic romance overlap and where they diverge. Some of these stories are set in elite magical schools and brutal training academies. Others trade classrooms for crumbling estates, shadowed cities, or cursed institutions. All of them deliver atmosphere, forbidden desire, and romance shaped by danger.
Why Dark Academia Romance Is Having a Moment
Dark academia romance has surged in popularity alongside romantasy, especially among readers looking for books like Fourth Wing. At its core, dark academia focuses on elite institutions, academic obsession, rigid hierarchies, and the cost of ambition. Add romance, and the stakes become deeply personal.
These are not cozy campus stories. Dark academia romance thrives on pressure, competition, and systems designed to weed out the weak. Characters are tested physically, emotionally, and morally. Failure often means exile, ruin, or death.
What makes this subgenre so compelling is the way romance unfolds within those constraints. Love becomes risky. Attraction becomes a weakness. Trust can get you killed.
The Gothic Romance Roots Behind Dark Academia
The overlap between gothic romance and dark academia is not accidental. Long before magical academies dominated romantasy, gothic romance explored similar themes through isolation, obsession, and power imbalance. The Brontë sisters laid much of this foundation. Jane Eyre gave us a heroine navigating rigid institutions, forbidden desire, and moral autonomy. Wuthering Heights leaned into obsession, cruelty, and love that consumes everything in its path.
Modern gothic romance continues that legacy, but often through dark fantasy romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal settings. Today’s gothic romances might feature cursed universities, shadowed cities, secret societies, or supernatural bloodlines, but the emotional core remains the same.
Love is dangerous. Knowledge is power. Institutions rarely exist to protect you.
Dark Academia Romance Books Like Fourth Wing
If the deadly academy and survival-driven romance of Fourth Wing is what hooked you, start here.
On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn
One of the closest matches for readers searching for books like Fourth Wing, On Wings of Blood delivers a lethal magical academy, brutal competitions, and high-stakes power struggles.
The training is unforgiving, the politics ruthless, and the romance shaped by ambition and survival. Enemies-to-lovers tension simmers as characters navigate an institution that rewards cruelty and punishes vulnerability. This is dark academia romantasy at its most addictive.
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Set within an elite magical academy where forbidden power comes at a steep cost, Arcana Academy blends dangerous lessons, political intrigue, and slow-burn romance.
The institution itself feels oppressive and strategic, forcing characters to choose between ambition and loyalty. Romantic tension builds through shared danger, making this a strong recommendation for fans of high-stakes academy romance.
Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy
This dark academia fantasy romance features a cursed heroine, shadowy power structures, and survival-driven stakes.
The academy is brutal by design, and secrets are currency. Romantic tension unfolds slowly, fueled by mistrust and dangerous truths. If you enjoy dark fantasy romance where the institution feels like an antagonist, this one delivers.
Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve
Jaymin Eve’s Spellcaster series is a staple for readers who love elite magical colleges, volatile power, and enemies-to-lovers romance.
Dangerous training, forbidden attraction, and escalating stakes define this series. Romance develops under constant threat, making every moment of connection feel earned.
Dark Academia Romance with Taboo and Psychological Tension
Not all dark academia relies on magic. Some of the most intense stories explore moral transgression and power imbalance.
Jealous Rage by Sav R Miller
This dark campus romance leans heavily into taboo territory with a forbidden professor-student dynamic.
Set against a shadowy college backdrop, the story explores obsession, control, and emotional intensity. This is for readers who crave morally dark romance that pushes boundaries within an academic setting.
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
A cornerstone dark academia gothic romance, Nocticadia combines a haunting university setting with forbidden attraction and macabre secrets.
The atmosphere is lush and unsettling, and the romance is steeped in obsession and moral complexity. Fans of gothic academia will find this one unforgettable.
Gothic Romance Books for Dark Academia Readers
If you love the mood of dark academia but want settings beyond the classroom, gothic romance delivers.
Once Upon a Song by Nadine Wells
This gothic fantasy romance features an insular, eerie setting and a slow-burning, unsettling romantic connection.
Haunting mysteries and secret-laden institutions give the story a fairytale-gone-wrong atmosphere that dark academia readers will appreciate.
Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger
A brooding gothic romance rooted in small-town secrets and generational trauma.
Enemies-to-lovers tension and emotional darkness drive the romance, making this a strong pick for readers who love gothic atmosphere with a touch of fantasy/paranormal elements.
Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken
Blending elite university intrigue with ancient bloodlines and mythic power, Fallen Gods sits at the intersection of gothic romance and dark academia.
Secret societies, forbidden attraction, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics make this a natural fit for fans of shadowy institutions.
Gothic Fantasy Romance and Ritual-Driven Worlds
Gothic fantasy romance and ritual-driven worlds blend forbidden love with prophecy, devotion, and dark magic, creating stories where belief systems are just as dangerous as the monsters lurking in the shadows.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Set within a cloistered cathedral environment steeped in prophecy and ritual, this gothic fantasy romance delivers forbidden knowledge and slow-burn tension.
The romance unfolds beneath layers of belief, duty, and danger, making it ideal for readers who love atmospheric gothic settings.
Dark Academia for Readers Who Love Sharp, Uncomfortable Stories
Dark academia for readers who love sharp, uncomfortable stories strips and leans into obsession, rivalry, and moral compromise, where intellect is a weapon and intimacy cuts deeply.
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
Katabasis is a dark academia novel driven by academic obsession, rivalry, and morally tangled intimacy.
The slow-burn relationship is sharp-edged and emotionally intense, appealing to readers who love dark academia for its psychological depth rather than traditional romance tropes.
Feathers so Vicious by Liv Zander
A must-read gothic romance for readers who want morally corrupt antiheroes, obsessive intensity, and a shadow-drenched world.
This dark fantasy romance leans feral and unapologetically brutal, embodying gothic romance at its most seductive and destructive.
Why These Books Are Perfect for Fourth Wing Fans
What makes these stories resonate with Fourth Wing readers is not just the setting. It is the emotional structure.
Characters are trapped inside systems designed to test them. Romance develops under threat. Power and love collide in ways that leave scars. Whether set in deadly academies or gothic strongholds, these books deliver the same addictive blend of danger, desire, and consequence.
Finding Your Next Dark Academia or Gothic Romance Read
If Fourth Wing left you craving darker worlds, dangerous institutions, and romance that feels earned through survival, this list is your roadmap.
Have a favorite dark academia romance or gothic romance book that deserves more attention? Drop it in the comments. Save this list for later. Share it with a friend who is still nursing a romantasy hangover.
And if you want more trope-based reading guides, honest spice ratings, and romance recommendations that go beyond the algorithm, subscribe to Mom Needs a Chapter.