If You Liked Wednesday, You Will Love These 25 Gothic, Dark Academia, Mystery & Romance Books
Loved Wednesday on Netflix? Discover 25 dark academia in a suspenseful setting like the Nevermore Academy, gothic dark romance books with thrilling plot twists just like Wednesday Addams!
*Important – I don’t own all the pictures used in this post or on my edits, so I always mention the source and credits as all the rights go to respective owners. But I only claim the editing so please contact me if you have any problem. Thank you.
*Disclosure : Some of the links in this post are affiliated, which means if you make any purchase through the link I gain a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a great way to support the blog so thank you!! <333
Related to If You Liked Wednesday, You Will Love These Books :
- What is Going to Happen in Wednesday Season 2 part two? | Ending Explained + 10 Theories and Easter Eggs
- 20+ Gothic, Romantasy, Dark Academia Book Recs
- 90+ Thriller & Dark Romance Book Recs to Get You Out of a Reading Slump <3
- Enigma by RuNyx Review Guide
- Books To Read If You Like Runyx Books (50+)
- Reputation by Taylor Swift Songs as Books Part 1
- Books To Read If You Like Rina Kent Books (50+)
If you like the iconic spooky gothic setting of wednesdays nevermore academy, dark academia, creepy mystery, enemies to lovers, slow burn, stalking, werewolves, crows, dark energy and absolutely obsessed with Wednesday, then you are in the right place.
Because in this book recommendation you will find all of these and some of them will actually feel like you are watching Wednesday but through reading. Explore the world of dark academia books like Wednesday, gothic romance reads and more morally gray characters just like the Addams family in this book rec.
From eerie boarding school with dark academia settings to secret societies, outcast, haunted estates the sinister intrigue of Rebecca, the bloody drama of These Violent Delights, or the compulsive love of Enigma and Gothikana, this book list is more or less of a Nevermore approved reading guide.
So, light up a scented candle, queue up the Cramps and a cozy comfort drink while picking out one of these gloomy dark addictive books.
Enigma by Runyx
Starting with the perfect match, Enigma by Runyx is a dark academia romance novel with dark elements which is the main theme of Runyx books. It’s about Salem Salazar and Cazimir van der who are students of Mortimer University. Salem is obsessed with forensics and Cazimir with Arts. They are academic rivals and Caz is part of the secret society. But both of them are here in this spooky boarding school for their own motives.
With secret societies, twisted power plays, dark twisted truths, slown burn and forbidden romance that feels equal parts dangerous and magnetic and a pure gothic dark academia bliss
Gothikana by RuNyx
Almost all of the Runyx books have a spooky mystery pattern so I picked out another book of hers. Because a quick fun fact, I read this book for the first time when Wednesday season 1 just premiered. And it actually matched so much with the aesthetics and themes of Wednesday. Set in an ancient secluded castle on top of a mountain in Vernemore, Gothikana is a dark academia, suspenseful gothic romance that follows Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverall.
While dealing with the grief of losing her mother, Corvina gets an admission letter to attend a mysterious university of Verenmore. She accepts it as a sign of the universe and finally experiencing the real world after living all her life homeschooled and surrounded by her books.
But as soon as she arrives there she starts hearing rumors and experiencing unexplainable things, a lot similar to things that have been following her for a long time. Until she catches the attention of the silver eyed devil, Vad Deverall who happens to be her literature professor with a similar mysterious past like the castle.
Cat and Mouse Duet by H. D. Carlton
Obsession, danger, a romance that puts its toe in the gray area of morality- Wednesday would most certainly give the nod. Adeline is a gothic romance author who draws the interest of a dangerous stalker who will rewrite her whole life. Their affair turns into a predator and prey where passion, obsessions and surviving are in balance. Dark, exciting, and disturbing in the best manner.
Grimstone series by Sophie Lark
Deadly secrets in an ominous seaside town– just like Jericho, only a lot more evil.
This gothic romantic thriller series is set in the haunted town of Grimstone, where its characters are enclosed between love and danger. The mysteries of the town are revealed and with it, the darkest desires of the characters are revealed. Sophie Lark sets the mood, the suspense and the necessary dose of romance.
The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros
A magic school that is a killing place with secrets hidden behind every wall- Nevermore with dragons.
Violet Sorrengail is a dragon rider who never intended to be one, yet after Ms. Sorrengail is taken to Basgiath War College, the only thing she has to look forward to is survival. Violet has a brutal and exhilarating journey between the dangerous training, fierce dragons and forbidden romance. It is a dark, cutthroat epic fantasy blend of Witcher energy that Wednesday fans love.
Hooked (Never After, #1) by Emily McIntire
A love story that is shocking, dramatic and ambiguous in ethical terms–just like Wednesday likes.
Captain hook is not who you think he is in this dark retelling of Peter Pan. He is brutal, charismatic and too seductive particularly when he meets the daughter of Wendy. The grit, obsession and razor-sharp plot will be devoured by dark romance fans.
These Violent Delights Series by Chloe Gong
Rivalries, monsters, and a gothic element dripping with blood– Romeo and Juliet, but with more blood or maybe like Tyler and Wednesday.
Juliette Cai and Roma Montakov are the gang bosses in 1920s Shanghai who are forced to partner together when a creature of monstrosity rears its head in the city. Their love is romantic and sad at the same time because family loyalty is in opposition to illicit love. It is violent, atmosphere and completely addictive.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A haunting estate, a creepy relationship and secrets under gothic tension and suspense.
A young bride enters into the world of riches yet is tormented by the memory of the dead wife of her husband, Rebecca. She is paranoid and obsessed as she walks the dark corridors of Manderley. A literary gothic that defined the norm of the creepy slow-burn suspense.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Obsession, vengeance, and a madly, wildly, love story as the moors.
The love story of Heathcliff and Catherine is painful and does not even obey time, morality, or even death itself. Storms, ghosts, and venomous betrayal make Bronte only novel the final gothic love novel a dark gothic novel, dramatic, and memorable.
Kingmakers Series by Sophie Lark
Heirs of mafia in a fatal school, it is Nevermore Academy when everyone is preparing to work in organized crime.
The second generation of the series are also interconnected standalones with different timelines. The series follows the kids of Brutal birthright series by Sophia Lark as they are set to begin their college journey on an island. “Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.”
The series will give off Harry Potter x Mafia vibes with many great plot twists and found family tropes just like the Rina Kents legacy of gods series. Here is a recommended order to read the series. Will make a Sophie Lark author guide soon with more details.
Here is the reading order :
- The Heir (Kingmakers, #1) by Sophie Lark
- The Rebel (Kingmakers, #2) by Sophie Lark
- The Bully (Kingmakers, #3) by Sophie Lark
- The Spy (Kingmakers, #4) by Sophie Lark
- The Savage (Kingmakers, #5) by Sophie Lark
The Tarkhanov Empire Series by Bree Porter
Cold-blooded empires, antiheroes and villains, and a dynasty which is bathed in blood and authority.
This is an overarching mafia epic that tracks the Tarkhanov family as they are torn between passion and betrayal and survival in a world where loyalty is called upon every moment. It has strong, independent women in the spotlight, and high stakes romance so anyone who loves romantic relationships full of complexity and danger will enjoy the book.
Belladonna Series by Adalyn Grace
As a love interest, death? Wednesday would be so interested.
Orphaned Signa has been raised in the world of death, yet on her visit to the house of her rich family, she finds out her special connection with Death himself. This YA fantasy with a gothic touch and a romantic touch is full of mystery and is both whimsical and sinister.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Secret societies, theater kids, and tragedy–dark academia at its most addictive.
A Shakespeare crazed group of students live and breathe drama until a real life tragedy occurs and shatters their relationships permanently. This novel is an engulfing piece of how far one can go to obsession, loyalty and betrayal as told in retrospect by one of the students.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Secret societies and occult mysteries at Yale, more like Wednesday in an Ivy League atmosphere.
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is enlisted to spy on Yale’s shadowy magical clubs, which turns out to be an opportunity instead of a murder. Bardugo combines gothic horror, mystery and fantasy into a dark academia masterpiece that Wednesday fans will eat up.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Secret magical society + morally grey characters + academia = optimum Wednesday-core.
Six talented magicians are selected to vie with each other in order to be accepted into the Alexandrian Society, a secret society which preserves ancient knowledge. However, as there are few spots on offer, alliances become fatal and betrayals are more than skin-deep. Lighthearted, morally, and intensely, it is the dark academia fantasy.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Lastly, the OG dark academia novel- twisted students, obsession and murder mystery.
A team of high-flying classics students get preoccupied with going beyond banal, which sends them into a downward spiral of deceit and violence. Having been narrated with spooky writing it is both intellectual and unsettling, a fine blend of the love of the dark and wit that Wednesday adores in her reading of dark, cerebral fiction.
And these are my picks for this Wednesday book rec, these 25 books are perfect in case you enjoyed Wednesday but also all of them should be added to your TBR list.
