Zodiac Academy hits a specific nerve. Eight books of bully romance inside a magic school where the power hierarchy is brutal, the romance is slow and punishing, and the FMC refuses to break no matter how many times the love interests try to destroy her. It's reverse harem, it's enemies to lovers on a massive scale, and it takes thousands of pages to pay off. When it ended, a lot of readers stared at the wall and thought: now what?
The problem with finding something "like Zodiac Academy" is that no single book replicates the whole package. Some match the magic academy. Some match the bully romance. Some match the reverse harem or the enemies-to-lovers burn or the series length. We picked ten that each scratch a different part of the itch, and we're being honest about which part.
Spice levels range from closed door to scorching. Series lengths range from two books to nine. We noted what each one does well and where it falls short of the ZA experience so you can pick based on what you actually miss.
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Start HuntingFourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The closest match in energy if not in structure. Basgiath War College is a dragon rider academy where students die on a regular basis, the power hierarchy is enforced by the dragons themselves, and the enemies-to-lovers burns slow and hot. Violet is physically disadvantaged in a school designed for brute strength, and she compensates with strategy. Xaden is the son of a traitor, the leader of the rebellion's children, and infuriatingly protective for someone who should be her enemy.
The academy drives the plot the same way Zodiac Academy does. The training, the rivalries, the lethal stakes of getting it wrong. Less bully romance, more "everyone might die today, including the love interest." Shorter series, tighter arc. Weakness: the world-building outside the academy is thinner than ZA's. Yarros keeps the focus narrow, which means the political layers don't match Peckham and Susanne's scope.
Vicious Fae by Caroline Peckham
Same Solaria universe. Same magic system. Same brutal social hierarchy. If you finished Zodiac Academy and need more, Ruthless Boys fills in what the Heirs were doing from their perspective. It's not a retelling. It's new story threads woven through the same events, and some scenes land differently when you see the other side.
Start this after ZA book 5, not before. The spoilers go both directions, but the reading experience is better with ZA context. The reverse harem element is here, the fae politics are here, and the writing style matches because it's the same authors. Weakness: if you wanted something new, this is more of the same world. It extends the experience rather than replicating it somewhere fresh.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
The school is sentient and actively trying to kill students. No teachers, no safety nets, no adults. Graduation means surviving a gauntlet of monsters in the school's basement. El has destructive power she can barely control and Orion keeps saving people she wishes he'd leave alone. The rivals-to-lovers is quieter than ZA, built on irritation and grudging respect rather than cruelty.
Three books, done, tight ending. The "school that wants you dead" energy matches ZA's survival stakes, and El's voice is sharp, angry, and funny in a way that carries the first-person narration. Weakness: no spice. Zero. If the romance is why you read ZA, this won't fill that gap. If the "hostile school, overpowered FMC, everyone might die" part is what you're after, this is one of the best.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Secret society at UNC Chapel Hill. Arthurian magic, demon fighting, and Bree discovering she belongs more than anyone expected. The academy here is less magical-school and more secret-training-ground, but the rivalries and hierarchy hit similar notes. Bree walks into a space where she's underestimated and outpowered, and she fights for her place.
The way this handles race and legacy sets it apart from every other entry on this list. Bree's identity isn't separate from the magic. It's woven into the mythology in a way that reframes Arthurian legend entirely. The love triangle is well-drawn, both options feel real, and the chosen one reveal hits harder because of the cultural weight behind it. Weakness: two books out, not finished. The wait between installments is long, and book two ends on a cliffhanger.
Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole
Diem discovers she has fae powers in a world that executes anyone with them. Thrust into fae society, targeted by political enemies, and tangled up with a prince who alternates between protecting and antagonizing her. The power progression and the "everyone is against the FMC" setup map directly to ZA's dynamic. Diem starts at the bottom and claws her way up.
The enemies-to-lovers is slow and political. The prince has reasons for his hostility that unfold across books, and the fae court hierarchy creates the same kind of pressure that Zodiac Academy's elemental houses do. Four books, ongoing. Weakness: the pacing in book one is deliberate. It builds the political world carefully, which means the action and romance take longer to ignite than ZA's opening salvo of immediate hostility.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Blackcliff is a military academy where the powerful prey on the weak, which is the same core dynamic as ZA cranked up to maximum violence. The cruelty is systemic, sanctioned, and brutal. Dual POV between Laia (a slave fighting to free her brother) and Elias (a soldier who wants out of the empire he serves) builds tension from two directions at once.
Characters die permanently. The training arc is grueling. The stakes feel real in a way that some fantasy academies avoid. Less romance per page than ZA, but when the romantic moments land, they carry the weight of everything both characters have survived to get there. Four books, completed. Weakness: this is YA. The spice is warm at most, and the romance is secondary to the political plot. If ZA's romance was the draw, this won't match it.
Fallen University: Year One by Callie Rose
If the reverse harem element is what you're after, this is a direct match. Academy for supernatural beings, three male love interests who start hostile, and an FMC discovering hidden powers she wasn't supposed to have. The setup mirrors ZA's core promise: powerful men who underestimate the new girl, a school with lethal politics, and a heroine who fights instead of folds.
Shorter and faster-paced than ZA. Three books covers the full arc, which means the enemies-to-lovers progression is compressed but still hits the key beats. The spice is present throughout and each love interest gets distinct development. Weakness: the world-building doesn't have ZA's depth. Solaria is an entire universe. Fallen University is a setting. If you need layers of lore, this runs lean.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
St. Vladimir's Academy. Rose is fierce, mouthy, and loyal to a fault. The social hierarchy among Moroi (royal vampires) and dhampir (guardians like Rose) creates the same kind of power stratification that drives ZA. Rose is at the bottom of the social ladder and at the top of the combat rankings, and that tension fuels the entire series.
The forbidden romance with her older mentor Dimitri is a slow burn across six books. The age gap and the student-teacher dynamic add layers of complication that keep the tension alive even when the characters want to give in. Six books, all completed, no cliffhanger purgatory. Weakness: this is older YA (2007). The writing style and some of the social dynamics show their age. The spice is warm. If you came to ZA for the scorching scenes, Vampire Academy won't deliver that.
The Will of the Many by James Islington
An academy where students literally surrender their life force to those above them in a rigid hierarchy. Hidden identities, political schemes, and competitions that reshape the power structure. The magic system is built on subjugation, which gives the academy politics real teeth. Vis has a secret identity and a revenge agenda that puts him at odds with everyone around him.
Almost no romance. We're putting that upfront. This is for readers who love ZA's competition, political maneuvering, and "survive the school" tension more than the love interests. The tournament arc is excellent, the intrigue is layered, and the reveals land hard. Three books, ongoing. Weakness: no romance means no romance. If you're reading ZA for the Heirs, this is the wrong recommendation. If you're reading for the Solaria power games, this is one of the best academy fantasies being written right now.
The Black Mage: Apprentice by Rachel E. Carter
Ry enrolls at a magic academy and immediately butts heads with the prince. Classic enemies-at-school setup across four books. The hostility starts on day one, the competition is fierce, and Ry has to earn every inch of respect through talent and stubbornness. The enemies-to-lovers arc follows the full trajectory from genuine antagonism to grudging respect to something neither of them expected.
Lower spice than ZA, closed door throughout, but the "girl fighting for her place in a hostile school" energy is there from page one. The series commits to the academic setting in a way that feels grounded. Training, rankings, rivalries, all of it matters to the plot. Four books, completed. Weakness: the writing is indie-level. If you're coming from Yarros or Novik, the prose is simpler. The characters and the enemies-to-lovers arc carry it, not the sentence-level craft.
Tell us what you love and what you avoid. Every book gets scored: how much of what you love is in it, and whether anything you avoid is hiding inside.
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