Exploring from

Morbid Curiosities

S. Hati

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Morbid Curiosities. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: ambitious teen, overachiever, scholarship student, gifted student, isolated protagonist, untrusting, prickly protagonist, mysterious girl, cutthroat peers, rich students, scientist characters, complex characters

Relationships labels used: rivals to lovers, academic rivalry, friendship trio, found family, class divide, peer sabotage, trust issues, mentor power imbalance, romantic subplot

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

Exclude same author

Max ratings No limit

Notes on Infinity

Austin Taylor · 2025

Two Harvard students chase an anti-aging breakthrough, then fame, money, and secrets threaten their startup and bond.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brilliant students · high achievers · flawed characters · competitive · ambitious · naive · driven · genius stereotype · female STEM protagonist · male science counterpart · founder characters · mentorship-seeking

Relationships labels: friends to lovers · romantic tension · academic rivals · colleagues · founders · partnership under strain · betrayal · toxic pull · found family · family pressure · father-daughter tension · sibling comparison · power imbalance · love triangle

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1286

Continue from here

Dragon Teeth

Michael Crichton · 2017

A spoiled Yale student joins a fossil hunt in the 1876 West and gets caught in a ruthless scientific rivalry.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: spoiled rich youth · naive student · privileged outsider · paranoid rival · competitive scholars · real historical figures · fictional protagonist · coming-of-age protagonist · resilient hero · unscrupulous scientist · arrogant youth

Relationships labels: academic rivalry · male rivalry · mentor-student · betrayal · betrayed ally · forced alliance · competition · team conflict

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1383

Continue from here

Coldwire

Chloe Gong · 2025 · The StrangeLoom Trilogy

In a near-future VR dystopia, two students/soldiers on separate missions uncover a conspiracy that could collapse both worlds.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · female leads · soldier · student · academic rival · anarchist · corporate agent · fugitive · orphan · competitor · resilient · smart · strong-willed · loyal · protective · sarcastic · competent · morally gray

Relationships labels: rivals to lovers · academic rivalry · forced proximity · found family · banter · romance subplot · working partnership · loyalty bond · protective dynamic · friend group

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1418

Continue from here

The Rithmatist

Brandon Sanderson · 2014 · Rithmatist

A chalk-based magic-school mystery follows a boy who can’t do the magic but knows it better than anyone.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: underdog · obsessive learner · nonmagical protagonist · quirky heroine · mentor figure · ambitious student · social outsider · flawed protagonist

Relationships labels: friendship · mentor-student · rivalry · found friendship · class divide · peer partnership

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1421

Continue from here

Blühender Verrat

Marie Graßhoff · 2022 · Spring Storm

A lucky outsider enters a power academy where cosmic abilities, rivalries, and a looming war reshape her future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: socially awkward protagonist · introverted protagonist · underestimated protagonist · self-doubting protagonist · strong female leads · rival mentor figure · mysterious character · ambitious student · loyal side characters · animal companion

Relationships labels: enemies to lovers · rivalry · mentor-mentee · friend group · found family · queer romance · women loving women · classroom rivalry · protective bond

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1425

Continue from here

A Conspiracy of Stars

Olivia A. Cole · 2018 · Faloiv

A teen aspiring scientist on a stranded alien colony uncovers buried truths about her world, her family, and peace on Faloiv.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: aspiring scientist · teen protagonist · curious heroine · determined heroine · logical characters · competitive students · black girl in STEM · hacker · best friend · scientist parents · extremist leader · character-driven

Relationships labels: friendship · found family · parent-child tension · family secrets · romantic subplot · slow-burn romance · rivalry · community conflict · intergenerational conflict · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1441

Continue from here

Smoke

Dan Vyleta · 2016 · Smoke

In an alternate Victorian England, two schoolboys uncover a secret behind the smoke that marks sin, class, and power.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · aristocratic youth · working class contrast · bully · good friend · compassionate friend · angry protagonist · loyal companion · moral outsider · female scientist · sinful heir · villainous prefect · secretive family · rebellious daughter · naive youths

Relationships labels: male friendship · love triangle · class rivalry · mentor control · parent-child conflict · romantic entanglement · bullying · betrayal · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1461

Continue from here

Bumi

Tere Liye · 2014 · Bumi

A 15-year-old girl who can disappear is pulled into a hidden world where her secret ties to larger clan conflicts.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · genius friend · supportive friend · comic relief · secretive heroine · impulsive heroine · overpowered characters · idealized teens

Relationships labels: friendship trio · best friends · classmates · family bond · parent-child relationship · mentor figure · rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1465

Continue from here

Assassin of Reality

Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko · 2023 · Vita Nostra (English)

A gifted student returns to an eerie magical institute where language shapes reality and failure could remake the world.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: stubborn protagonist · older protagonist · intellectual curiosity · transcendent being · ambitious student · alienated protagonist · dark mentor · fascinating protagonist · humanity vs concept

Relationships labels: student-teacher rivalry · mentor-protégé · romance · pilot love interest · classmate distrust · peer support · familial leverage · protective friends · power imbalance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1485

Continue from here

The End of Mr. Y

Scarlett Thomas · 2006

A PhD student finds a cursed rare book and is pulled into a mind-travel mystery about reality, time, and thought.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: female academic · PhD student · curious heroine · flawed protagonist · intellectual heroine · obsessive reader · messy protagonist · sexually active protagonist · poor student · strong-willed · mentally complex

Relationships labels: mentor relationship · academic hierarchy · unhealthy romance · sexual relationship · love interest · rival pursuit · obsessive attachment · community of readers

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1485

Continue from here

Elanus

Ursula Poznanski · 2016

A gifted but abrasive teen uses his homemade drone to spy on others, then uncovers secrets that turn dangerous.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: gifted teen · arrogant protagonist · unsympathetic lead · socially awkward · technically gifted · moral ambiguity · character development · outsider

Relationships labels: friendship · gast family · student relations · crush · romantic pursuit · social rejection · trust

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1494

Continue from here

Hazards of Time Travel

Joyce Carol Oates · 2018

A punished teen from a surveilled future is exiled to 1950s Wisconsin, where identity, love, and reality blur.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · naive heroine · curious student · meek protagonist · passive protagonist · outsider · rebellious student · intelligent girl · controlled subject · love interest · authority figure · psychology instructor · exiled student

Relationships labels: forbidden love · power imbalance · student-teacher relationship · romance under surveillance · familial separation · state coercion · parent-child separation · unrequited devotion · dependency

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1526

Continue from here