If you've read Elif Batuman's The Idiot, I think I'm searching for the dark academia version of that, or something with a similar vibe.
I'm searching for dark academia books that really commit (and, ideally, nail) the academia part. For instance I'd like to feel that the author knows a lot of things about the domain, something like that. Like in RF Kuang's Babel (which I don't like all that much, but did some good things). I'm a big fan of Blood Over Bright Haven, which I feel really did well the fictional science of magic. Despite these examples, I'm not particularly asking for fantasy books.
I've seen books on Tiktok described as dark academia while taking place in high school, which is nonsense, or books that simply happen on a campus, so it's sometimes difficult to find books that are truly dark academia.
by Elge__