The An Education in Malice book hangover is real, and scrolling through "readers also enjoyed" lists isn't going to cut it. We read An Education in Malice, tagged every mood and trope that made it click, and hunted down books that match on the things you actually cared about — not just "it's also Dark Academia." Gothic energy? Check. Dark Academia? Check. That can't-stop-reading pacing? We've got you.
We broke down An Education in Malice into the elements that made it hit — and found books that match each one.
The Cloisters hits the same gothic and dark and dark academia notes that made An Education in Malice impossible to put down. Katy Hays brings atmospheric and dark to every page.
You loved An Education in Malice for the gothic and dark and dark academia? Gothikana is your next obsession. Same emotional frequency, different story — and RuNyx might just become your new auto-buy author.
Looking for more gothic and dark after An Education in Malice? The Beautiful Quartet by Renée Ahdieh is the book your TBR has been begging you for. Heat level: comfortable.
The Cloisters hits the same gothic and dark and dark academia notes that made An Education in Malice impossible to put down. Katy Hays brings atmospheric and dark to every page.
Answer one question and we'll point you to the right book.
Based on mood, trope, and pacing analysis, the most similar books to An Education in Malice include The Cloisters, Gothikana, The Beautiful Quartet. Each matches on specific elements like gothic and dark that made An Education in Malice resonate with readers.
We recommend starting with The Cloisters by Katy Hays — it shares An Education in Malice's core Gothic energy while bringing something fresh to the table.
An Education in Malice is a standalone novel. You can jump right in without reading anything else first.
An Education in Malice has a spice level of 3/5. The recommendations on this page range across spice levels — each one is labeled so you can find your comfort zone.
Yes — several recommendations on this page have lower spice levels while keeping the same Gothic energy. Look for the ❄️ or 🌶️ (1/5) tags.
Every "Books Like" page on Sort By Cravings is built from element-level matching — not surface genre tags. We compare mood profiles, trope density, pacing, heat levels, and emotional tone across our entire library of 12 profiled books to find reads that match on the things that actually matter to readers. Read our editorial standards.