The Dark Academicals
Sarah Purnell & Sophie WatersThe podcast where we delve into the mythos of dark academia one book at a time.
| Publishes | Twice monthly | Episodes | 82 | Founded | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | BooksArts | |||
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Latest Episodes
‘The Dark Academia Journal’ will be published on 10 September 2026 by Wildfire and you can pre-order it right now!
Jennifer Niven is a huge name in YA, most known for ‘All the Bright Places’ which was released in 2015 and neither of us had read her since then.
As soon as we saw a 2025 dark academia release from her that was compared itself to ‘The Secret Histor... more
Welcome to Season 13!
We’re kicking off with an audio-only novella from one of our very favourite authors, Ali Hazelwood, as she tackles dark academia and paranormal romance in ‘Bound’.
A reluctant con artist and a professor with too many secrets a... more
This is it! The last episode in for this season! Can you believe we’ve done 12 of these now? So we’re going out with a bang with some horror in the form of ‘The Library at Hellebore’.
Is it… dark academia though? Well…
In this episode we discuss:
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- I’m not sure they even read the books
I’d listened to a couple of episodes about books I was considering reading, and the podcast seemed fine. It’s not something I ever reached for first, but I do a lot of long bus rides through mountains with no signal, and I’d listen if I had an episode in my downloads. Then, they did an episode about a book I’d read several years ago, and I thought their take was weird, but I assumed I’d forgotten a lot. But then I went looking for episodes about books I’d read recently, and it’s clear they misse... more
Apple Podcasts1314MOOOoook
United Kingdoma month ago - Not great
Not informed, little research. Avoid.
Apple Podcasts1Reviewer0012212
United States6 months ago - Great bookish podcast
Love the podcast and subject matter.
Any chance you will be doing “Engleby” by Sebastian Faulks? Reading it now and it seems right up your alley.
Apple Podcasts5Chris MachnackiUnited States2 years ago - Slow
Why do these two have a podcast? They sound miserable and uninformed about the books. I won’t waste my time on this.
Apple Podcasts1readinginthesouthUnited States3 years ago - Speed It Up
I’ve listened to this podcast, which can be so much better, but it’s painful. It’s filled with a lot of long pauses and spaces where they seem to be “giving each other strange stares” like-“You know what I’m saying…”
The sound needs to be improved because it’s like they are either far away from the mic or super close.
It seems like they are freestyling a conversation with no outline. Start by writing out good and bad points of the book. Explore then give your opinion. Don’t drop your “Well, ... more
Apple Podcasts2ChachadosUnited States4 years ago
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Chart Rankings
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Apple Podcasts | #68 |  Indonesia/Arts/Books |
Apple Podcasts | #143 | Indonesia/Arts |
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | Gender Skew | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interests | Professions | Age Range | |||
| Household Income | Social Media Reach | ||||
Frequently Asked Questions About The Dark Academicals
What is The Dark Academicals about and what kind of topics does it cover?
Two hosts deep-dive into dark academia themes through literary analysis of Gothic, campus-set novels and fantasy-influenced works. Episodes center on atmosphere, power dynamics in elite academic settings, moral ambiguity, and the genre's blend of mystery, horror, and scholarship. They pair close readings with personal reactions, spoiler-filled debates, and genre-context notes, often exploring how schools, libraries, and mentorship shape characters and plots. A standout approach is the season-driven, book-by-book format with anatomy-style discussions that frequently tease future picks and interactive elements such as audience prompts via Substack or social discussion.
Noteworthy for its unapologetically academic vibe combined with accessibl... more
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1. Books & Chat: Short Book Reviews & Literary Discussions
2. The Big Picture
How many episodes of The Dark Academicals are there?
The Dark Academicals launched 5 years ago and published 82 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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