Recently updated on June 12th, 2024 at 02:39 pm
From the dark academia vibes to the fast-paced plot & fantasy elements, Atlas Six was a viral hit. Here are the best books like The Atlas Six
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The Atlas Six was a sensation online, with its dark academia vibes, smart writing and magical library. But finding books like Atlas Six is a challenging task.
Originally self-published, The Atlas Six was a viral hit that garnered over 11 million mentions on BookTok. It became popular among readers who loved the dark academia worldbuilding, attractive characters and character-driven plot.
While there are many dark academia books, finding character-driven fantasy books is rare. Iâve compiled the absolute best books like the Atlas Six. Whether youâre looking for unique characters, dark academia fantasy or books about libraries, Iâve got you covered.
Searching for more dark academia books? Check out my article on dark academia books for more recommendations:
21 Captivating Dark Academia Books Youâre Guaranteed to Love
Let’s see the best books like The Atlas Six
- Best Books like The Atlas Six
- 1. One for my Enemy by Olivie Blake
- 2. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
- 3. Babel by R.F. Kuang
- 4. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
- 5. Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
- 6. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
- Â 7. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- 8. The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
- 9. If we were villains by M.I. Rio
- 10. We set the dark on fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- 11. Ruinsong by Julia Ember
- 12. Crescent City by Sarah J Maas
- 13. Air Awakens by Elise Kova
- 14. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- 15. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
- 16. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
- Other posts you might like
Best Books like The Atlas Six
I browsed the r/suggestabook subreddit, Facebook groups and polled Instagram users to round up a list of the absolute best books like The Atlas Six. I’ve also read and loved every book on this list.
For each book I’ve included a rating, a summary, positives & negatives and similarities to The Atlas Six.
1. One for my Enemy by Olivie Blake
Searching for books like The Atlas Six? I would recommend looking at Olivie Blake’s other works. One For My Enemy is an urban fantasy about witches and magic.
Set in New York, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their criminal ventures.
On one side of the conflict are the Antonova sisters, each one beautiful, cunning, and ruthless.
On the other side, the influential Fedorov brothers serve their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless.
One For My Enemy is perfect if you enjoyed Olivie Blake’s writing style. The worldbuilding is lovely. And the characters are beautiful but flawed.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Same author
- Similar writing style
- Magic
- Urban city setting
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
2. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Magicians is a great pick if you’re looking for books like The Atlas Six. This dark academia fantasy features characters you love to hate and an academic setting.Â
Quentin is brilliant but also miserable. He’s a high school senior obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory.Â
Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. Â There, he receives an education in modern sorcery.
If you’re looking for books like The Atlas Six then you should 100% check this out.Â
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic school/ institution
- Group of friends
- Adult fantasy
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
3. Babel by R.F. Kuang
Did you like the dark academia elements in  The Atlas Six? Then you’ll love Babel. A dark fantasy in an academic setting. Â
We follow Robin Swift. Orphaned by cholera, The mysterious Professor Lovell brings him to London. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek and Chinese to prepare for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford Universityâs prestigious Royal Institute of Translationâalso known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s centre for translation and magic. Silver workingâthe art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver barsâhas made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empireâs quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power. And as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic school/ institution
- Group of friends
- Dark academia
- Adult fantasy
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
4. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Did you like the characters in The Atlas Six? Then you should pick up The Raven Boys. It has a chaotic friendship group, fantasy and dark academia worldbuilding.
We follow Blue. Each year in the churchyard, Blue watches her psychic mother see those who will die that year. Blue never actually sees them herself. Until this year. When she speaks directly to a boy.
He is called Gansey.
Raven Boys has such dark academia vibes. Set in a local private school. Gansey is also obsessed with researching Welsh mythology. And it even references Latin. A great choice if you’re looking for books like The Atlas Six.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Dark academia
- Group of friends
- Magic
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
5. Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
I would recommend Six of Crows if you enjoyed the characters in Atlas Six. I put Six of Crows on this list because of the friendship group in the book. This duology features some of the best characters.
We follow six teenagers. Kaz Brekker, a criminal prodigy, is one of the teens. He is offered a deadly heist for a huge payout.
Kaz will need all the help he can get to pull it off. So, he assembles five other teens to help him.
Magic, found family and super sassy banter. Â Much like The Atlas Six, it has great LGBTQ+ representation and being LGBTQ+ Â is also portrayed as something completely normal.Â
Her goal was to present a positive, happy couple. Â You can read the author interview with Leigh Bardugo where she discusses queer relationships in Six of Crows on YA Pride –Â you can check it out here.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic
- LGBTQ+ Representation
- Group of friends
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
6. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
A Marvellous Light is a spicy adult fantasy romance with queer representation. It also has a mystery to solve and a secret magical society.
We follow Robin Blyth. Due to an administrative error, he is named liaison to a secret magical society. So, he is forced to  contend with magic’s dangers and a deadly curse while he searches for his missing predecessor.
To do this, he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey. Edwin Courcey is his prickly magical society counterpart but he clearly wishes Robin were anyone else.
This is ideal for Atlas Six fans. Similar to Atlas Six, it has plenty of dark academia references and scenes set in libraries. Plus, it also has a secret society of magicians.
If you’re searching for adult books or queer books like Atlas Six, you should pick this up.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Secret Magical society
- Dark academia
- Adult fantasy
- Spicy
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
 7. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Legendborn is a fast paced ya fantasy book. But it has lots in common with Atlas Six – a secret society and dark academia worldbuilding.
We follow Bree Mathews. After the death of her mother, she wants to avoid family memories. So, she joins a residential program for gifted high school students.
But then she witnesses a magical attack on her first night. A Mage tries to wipe her memory. But he fails.
If you’re searching for secret societies, then I highly recommend picking this up. It also has a diverse cast, an amazing female lead and dark academia vibes. Plus it also features great commentary on slavery and racism.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Secret Society
- Queer characters
- Dark academia
- Magic
Buy on Amazon | Waterstones |
8. The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
The Grimrose Girls is a modern take on classic fairytales such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. But with a darkly magical twist.
The heroines of the stories are re-imagined as friends attending an elite boarding school. After their friend dies, the police rule the death as suicide. But they decide to investigate to find out what really happened.
Grimrose Girls is a unique concept and fantasy retelling. The mystery was really gripping and well-paced. And the story kept mentioning tantalizing details that kept me engaged.
The story also uses the darker versions of the fairytales. And this added to the dark academia, mysterious tone of the book.
The book is also full of queer characters including lesbian, bi and transgender representation in the book. If youâre looking for a fantasy retelling or love the dark academia aesthetic then you should definitely pick this one up.
Buy on Amazon | WaterstonesÂ
9. If we were villains by M.I. Rio
If you’re looking for a dark academia read, a secret society of a smart group of friends then you should check out If We Were Villains.
We follow Oliver Marks. He’s just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day heâs released, heâs greeted by the man who put him in prison.Â
 Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
If you enjoyed the characters in The Atlas Six, then this is the book for you. It features a secret society with pretentious members who end up doing morally questionable things. Â
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Secret Society
- Dark academia
- Smart. pretentious friends
- Morally gret
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
10. We set the dark on fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
I’ve included this book because it includes great dark academia worldbuilding and queer representation.
We Set The Dark On Fire follows Daniela Vargas. She lives in a dystopian world where each man is entitled to 2 wives. A Primera and a Segunda. The Primera is intelligent, calm and analytical. The Segunda is the mother figure.
Outside the wall, the people go hungry. Dani started life outside of the wall. And she must use her wits to survive illegally in the capital.
The world-building is excellent. And the book has such dark academia vibes. It opens in a prep school for girls. But it discusses so many important issues such as immigration politics and forced marriage.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Queer representation
- Dark academia worldbuilding
Buy on Amazon | Waterstones |
11. Ruinsong by Julia Ember
This is included as it features dark academia worldbuilding, magic and queer representation.
In this world, singers have magic powers when they sing certain songs. And they can heal, cause pain and heat people.
Cadence is a strong mage. She was born in poverty and rose to success. But she works for the evil Queen Elene. And Elene forces Cadence to use her power to torture others.
This book is like a dystopian and queer phantom of the opera. The unique world-building is full of strong-willed women wearing beautiful ball gowns taking down evil. It also has one of the most unique magic systems with singing as a vehicle for magic. Â
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic
- Dark fantasy
- Dark academia
- queer representation
Buy on AmazonÂ
12. Crescent City by Sarah J Maas
If you specifically liked the attractive characters and chaotic group then you’ll probably enjoy Crescent City. The writing style, plot and worldbuilding are very different to Crescent City. But it has a cast full of morally grey, attractive characters.
Crescent city is an urban fantasy that features a range of mythological creatures such as mermaids, fae and werewolves.
It follows Bryce who is half-fae, half-human. And she is tasked with investigating a series of crimes with Hunt Athalar â a fallen angel. But they discover some dark powers at work.
Let me tell you â I was on the edge of my chair reading this. Sarah J Maas poses a number of mysteries at the start. And this hooked me in. The book was also full of unexpected plot twists.
There is some info-dumping at the start. But the world-building is exquisite and the urban fantasy setting is developed very well. Sarah J Maas writes strong sassy female leads very well. And Bryce is an incredible main character. But all the side characters were very well developed.
If you’re looking for books suitable for a younger audience- then this isn’t for you. It’s definitely more suited to an adult audience. If you’re looking for  books like Crescent City -then I have a whole blog post full of recommendations. You can check out my article on books like Crescent City here
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- urban fantasy
- magic
- chaotic characters/friendship group
Buy on Amazon | Waterstones
13. Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Air Awakens is a dark academia-style fantasy. Ideal if you like mysterious societies and magic.
We follow Vhalla, a library apprentice. Â She lives in The Solaris Empire. They’re one conquest away from uniting the continent.
Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers – a mysterious magic society. She’s been happy in her quiet world of books (same). But she unknowingly saves the life of a powerful sorcerer and the crown prince.
Vhalla discovers a powerful elemental magic lurking within her. A magic that could shift the tides of war. Now she must decide her future, embrace sorcery and leave the life she’s known. Or remain as she’s always been.
I can understand why book lovers enjoyed this series. It has a great enemies to lovers romance. Vhalla is a great female character and she has fantastic character development throughout the book.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Mysterious society
- Dark academia
- Libraries
- Magic
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
14. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Ninth House is an excellent dark academia fantasy. This paranormal fantasy is set in an urban, academia setting.
We follow Galaxy âAlexâ Sterm. Raised by a hippie mom, she dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends and dead-end jobs.
By age 20, she is the only survivor of a horrific unsolved multiple murder. At her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance. Attend one of the worldâs most elite universities on a full ride.
But whatâs the catch?
Alex is tasked with monitoring the activities of Yaleâs secret societies. Â But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- School/institution setting
- dark academia
- secret societies
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
15. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Searching for books about magical societies/ schools? A Deadly Education is about a chaotic magical school.
A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance â a school for the magically gifted. Failure means certain death. Until El begins to unlock its secrets.
Survival is more important than any grade. The school wonât allow students to leave until they graduate. Or die.
 The rules are deceptively simple: Donât walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.El is uniquely prepared for the schoolâs dangers. She possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic school/ institution
- Dark academia
- High stakes
Buy on: Amazon | Waterstones
16. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Dark academia, magic and romance. This dark fantasy features a unique magic system around tarot cards. The gothic worldbuilding is ideal for Olivie Blake fans.
In Blunder all magic comes at a price. We follow Elspeth. She touches a magical providence card and is possessed by the Nightmare.
When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it.
This is such an atmospheric read. Spooky, nightmarish and gothic. The magic system is unique compared to other fantasy books and makes for such interesting reading.
Elements in common with The Atlas Six:
- Magic
- romance
- gothic worldbuilding
Buy on Amazon | Waterstones |Â
This post was all about books like The Atlas Six
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