Here Are 12 Captivating 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. I’ve compiled the absolute best books like the Atlas Six. Whether you’re looking for unique characters, dark academia fantasy or books about libraries, I’ve got you covered.

Let's see the best books like The Atlas Six

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. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians is a great pick if you're looking for books like The Atlas Six. It's a dark academia fantasy featuring characters you love to hate  and an academic setting. 

It follows Quentin. He's brilliant but also miserable. He's a senior in high school and is obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. 

So imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York.  There, he receives an education in modern sorcery.

But magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined.

If you're looking for books like The Atlas Six then you should 100% check this trilogy out. 

2. Babel by R.F. Kuang

If you liked A  Secret History,  The Atlas Six or Jonathon Strange and Dr Norrell then you will absolutely love Babel. It's a dark fantasy  set in an academic setting.  It  talks a lot about the power of language and the evils of authoritarianism. 

It follows 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 University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.

Babel is the world's centre for translation and magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s 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.

3. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

If you're looking for a book with great characters and dark academia vibes then you should check out The Raven Boys. It has a chaotic friendship group, fantasy and dark academia worldbuilding.

The Raven Boys follows Blue. Each year in the churchyard, Blue watches her psychic mother see those who are going to die that year. Blue never actually sees them herself. Until this year. When she speaks directly to a boy.

He is called Gansey and is a student at Aglionby school. The students there are known locally as Raven Boys.

Raven Boys has such dark academia vibes. It’s set in a local private school. Gansey is also obsessed with researching Welsh mythology. And it even references Latin.

The characters are what make this book. On the surface, it seems like a quirky loner meeting rich boys. But it’s so much more than that!

The characters are all fully developed with fleshed-out (and tragic) backstories. The relationships between them are some of the best I’ve read in YA Fiction. A great choice if you're looking for books like The Atlas Six.

4. Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I am obsessed with Six of Crows! It's a fast-paced ya fantasy duology. I put Six of Crows on this list because of the friendship group in the book. This duology features one of the best friendship groups with attractive, diverse and chaotic. 

Six of Crows follows six teenagers living in Ketterdam. Kaz Brekker, a criminal prodigy, is one of the teens. He is offered a deadly heist for a huge payout.

But it’s an impossible heist. And Kaz will need all the help he can get to pull it off. So, he assembles five other teens to help him.

There is so much to love about Six of Crows – magic found family and super sassy banter.  Much like The Atlas Six, it has great LGBTQ+ representation and being LGBTQ+  is also portrayed as something completely normal. 

 In an interview with Ya Pride, Leigh Bardugo writes that her goal was to present queer relationships as completely normal. 

Her goal was to present a positive, happy couple.  You can read the author interview with Leigh Bardugo where she discusses queer relationships in Six of Crows on YA Pride - you can check it out here.

5. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

There is so much to love about A Marvellous Light. It's an mlm romance about magic, a mystery to solve and a secret magical society. I've included A Marvellous Light because it's a fantasy with dark academia vibes and lots of references to books/libraries.

It follows 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.

I love the secret society of magicians. And the Edwardian setting and mlm romance sets it apart from other books including secret magical societies.

 If you like historical fiction or dark academia then you need to read this one. It's fantastic to read about gay men in an Edwardian setting. And the dark academia setting makes it perfect if you're looking for books like The Atlas Six.

There are so many incredible mlm books. If you're looking for books with mlm romance then I have a whole blog post full of recommendations. You can check out my blog post on mlm book here

 6. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Legendborn is a fast paced ya fantasy book with an action packed plot and plenty of twists and turns. It's perfect if you're looking for a fantasy books with a secret society and dark academia vibes.

It follows 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 flying demon feeding on human energy. A Mage tries to wipe her memory. But he fails. And instead Bree unlocks new memories of her mother’s death.

If you're looking for a mysterious, dark haired and morally grey main character then this is a great choice. It also has a diverse cast, an amazing female lead and dark academia vibes. It also features great commentary on slavery and racism.

If you're looking for  books like Legendborn-then I have a whole blog post full of recommendations. You can check out my article on books like Legendborn here

7. 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 you’re looking for a fantasy retelling or love the dark academia aesthetic then you should definitely pick this one up.

8. 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. 

It follows Oliver Marks. He's just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he’s released, he’s greeted by the man who put him in prison. 

 Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off. But the casting changes and the secondary characters usurp the stars. 

The play spills dangerously over into life and one of them is found dead.

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.  

9. We set the dark on fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

I've included this book because it includes great dark academia worldbuilding. Plus it has one of the  best wlw enemies to lovers romances. It's a Ya  dystopian urban fantasy novel featuring a wlw romance and Latine 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. She is also married to one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.

The premise was intriguing. And the main character was instantly likeable. She also grows a lot through the book. But the romance is what makes this so perfect. Two badass women who are married to a Straight man but fall in love with each other.

The world-building is also 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.

 We set the Dark on Fire features an intriguing dystopian premise and a likeable, strong-minded main character. This YA  LGBTQ+ Dystopian book explores immigration politics, toxic masculinity and feminism.  A great choice if you're looking for fantasy books with dark academia vibes.

10. Ruinsong by Julia Ember

This is yet another seriously underrated lgbt book. I don't see this recommended nearly enough online. Ruinsong is an ya lesbian book set in a dystopian world. It has lush world-building, a twisty plot and feisty main characters.

In this world, singers have magic powers when they sing certain songs. And they are able to heal, cause pain and heat people.

Cadence is an incredibly strong mage. She was born in poverty in an orphanage and rises to success. But she works for the evil Queen Elene. And Elene forces Cadence to use her power to torture others.

  But when she is reunited with her childhood friend she must make a choice. Does she take a stand or follow the queen.

This book is like a dystopian and queer phantom of the opera. The world building is so unique. It's full of strong willed women wearing beautiful ball gowns taking down evil. It's a dark fantasy where girls take down their enemies while wearing beautiful pink ballgowns. 

It also has one of the most unique magic systems with singing as a vehicle for magic.  It was really well developed. And the magic system and well developed characters really hook you into this story.

11. 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 – a fallen angel. But they discover some dark powers at work.

Let me tell you – 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

12. Air Awakens by Elise Kova

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. 

This post was all about books like The Atlas Six