- by Lev Grossman
Like A Deadly Education, it follows a young magician confronting the dangers and moral complications of an elite magical education.
- The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
A gifted student’s brutal education becomes a gateway to dangerous power in this grim epic fantasy.
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Its competitive magical institution, secretive scholars, and morally fraught alliances closely echo the social pressure of Scholomance.
- The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
As a surprising bridge, its protagonist’s education across competing societies echoes Novik’s interest in institutions, power, and individual freedom.
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
It combines elite academic life with dangerous occult forces and a resourceful outsider protagonist.
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Its young wizard’s formal training and hard-won understanding of magical responsibility make it a foundational companion.
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
A brilliant but vulnerable student navigates a demanding magical university while building a dangerous reputation.
- The house in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
This gentler fantasy examines how a seemingly dangerous institution can be transformed by empathy, community, and chosen family.
- by Maggie Stiefvater
Its ensemble of students, latent magic, and charged school setting provide a more lyrical variation on magical coming-of-age fiction.
- by Rainbow Rowell
A volatile magical school, rival students, and looming supernatural danger drive this affectionate yet subversive academy fantasy.
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Its determined witches reclaim suppressed magic through solidarity, offering a more historical and collective answer to magical oppression.
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Its intimate encounter with ancient magic and childhood danger offers a more dreamlike route into the vulnerability found in Novik’s novel.
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
A young woman’s unusual relationship with magic places her against restrictive authorities in an atmospheric coming-of-age fantasy.
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Novik’s earlier fantasy likewise pairs a formidable magical threat with a young woman learning to claim unexpected power.
- by Naomi Novik
Its resourceful protagonists navigate perilous supernatural bargains in another intricate, morally alert fantasy from Novik.
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The bridge is its study of intelligent outsiders trapped in an environment whose rules are hostile, unstable, and difficult to read.
- by Samantha Shannon
Its gifted heroine survives a coercive supernatural system while learning the limits and costs of her abilities.
- The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
It blends institutional danger, supernatural powers, and a clever protagonist trying to survive an opaque organization.
- by Genevieve Cogman
Its magical bureaucracy, dangerous training, and briskly resourceful heroine make it a playful companion to Scholomance.
- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Its ensemble survival story shifts Scholomance’s dangerous community into a hopeful exploration of belonging, difference, and cooperation.
- by Melissa Albert
A young woman enters a hostile storybook realm where inherited magic and dangerous narratives threaten her autonomy.
- The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa
Its controlled society and threatened young characters provide a quiet, unsettling bridge to Novik’s concerns with institutional power and survival.