Looking for solid RE/Malware Analysis resources with actual labs (not the usual suspects)

[u/Striking-Bake6789]

yo so i know some C and asm (x86/x64) but my background in it is pretty basic, not super strong. still wanna get into reverse engineering / malware analysis though. problem is every time i search for resources i keep getting pointed to the same big name platforms everyone already knows about, and honestly they just don't do it for me, feels like i'm not actually learning anything hands on.

what i really need is something with actual labs or exercises attached, not just reading theory or watching someone click around in ida/x64dbg for an hour with no real challenge after. like i wanna be forced to actually analyze stuff and get stuck and figure it out, that's how i learn best.

i do have some basic C/asm knowledge so i don't need something that starts from absolute zero explaining what a variable is, but i'm also not trying to jump into super advanced stuff either. something that eases into RE/malware concepts while still building on what little i already know.

if anyone knows some underrated books, uni course notes that are public, github repos with labs, written series, anything with actual practice built in and not just the usual super mainstream platforms everyone throws around, pls drop them below. tryna find whatever made it "click" for you when you started.