An Education in Malice

I read A Dowry of Blood by this author recently, and didn't love it. I thought I would try another book by her to see if I liked it more, or if this author just isn't for me.
Sadly, I didn't love this either. For me, 3 stars means ok. I think the writing is good, but I don't like the theme of these books which seems to be fear and love are the same thing. In both books, the MC loves someone and are terrified of them at the same time. Whether it's fear of abuse or fear of disappointing them, it's fear. It makes the characters seem weak. I'm just not a fan of those relationships at all. I'm amazed at how popular these books are. I like to read strong female characters, not these seemingly brainwashed pushovers.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.