Academy of the Villains: The Complete Series

By: Elisa S. Amore, Kiera Legend

Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso, Stephen Dexter

Experience the heroes of your favorite fairy tales all at the same academy!

Since the beginning of time, the two magicians Merlin and Morgana have been in competition with each other. Merlin uses supposed heroes and Morgana uses supposed villains to steer the fate of the world in their direction. It is a battle that has been raging for ages.

And it's now coming to an end.

When Morgana sends Gwynnifer to the Academy of the Villains everything changes. Gwyn makes friends with the villains in Morgana's service. Except that Gwyn doesn't find them evil at all. Neither the beast, nor the big bad wolf, nor Maleficent seem evil to Gwyn. She quickly realizes that she and her new friends are just pawns in the war between the two magicians.

But Gwyn is more than a pawn. She is a player herself.

And she's determined to win.

©2025 DreamInkes Publishing (P)2025 DreamInkes Publishing

Vibes similar to the show “once upon a time”

Has the hint of stories we are familiar with, granted the darker versions, along with others. It was an interesting story. Though I would have been happy if the story continued due to the ending. It wasn’t a cliffhanger, and generally a good ending for the main character, but left a lot of questions that made it feel like the story could continue with one or two more books.

binge

I enjoyed binging this series that pits merlin and morgana by using Gwyn as she navigates helping the "villains" of the many fairy tales.

Creative Storytelling

A family feud, brother v sister, an epic war of magic, Merlin v Morgana. Merlin has imprisoned some of history's biggest villains inside a dome where they believe they are high school students. Morgana sends her prodigy, Gwyn, into the dome to release them. She arrives with no memories, but as her mission reveals itself, she realizes the villains are victims as well. She believes each one is unfairly imprisoned and should be allowed to choose between a life of good or evil when they are released. As they fight their way out, they take a twisted trip down memory lane and are forced to relive the wrongs they have committed. In the battle between Merlin and Morgana, there is no good guy. Neither can be trusted. And the teens aren't necessarily villains, only pawns in their quest for power. But Gwyn is determined to free them and give them back their choices and lives. She can only hope her faith in them is justified.

I loved the imaginative story involving a handful of fairy tale villains and legends of old. This was creative storytelling, although the pacing was a bit slow at the start. The assortment of teens from different stories, sharing histories in this adventure, was imaginative and fun. I got a thrill with each reveal. The twisted trip down memory lane was my favorite part of the series. I loved the levels of the battle. Morgan and Merlin were the ultimate puppet masters. The teens fought with one another and against the obstacles sent their way by Merlin. But the biggest battle was internal. Did they choose their path from before, or the new one set at their feet by Gwyn? Do they stay together or choose to be alone? Light or dark? Good or evil? Love or bitterness? The world's future hangs on their decisions, as does their happiness.

This series was narrated by Patricia Santomasso and Stephen Dexter. Patricia was new to me, while Stephen was very familiar. I thought they both did an exceptional job with their many roles. I was able to keep each character straight with their portrayals. They brought tension, emotion, and excitement to the story. I enjoyed this series more in audio than I did the traditional books, and I attribute this to these two. Kudos.

A New Take on Villains

I enjoyed this story of students made to be villains but with a twist that told another story. At first, I was disappointed there weren't more villains that I knew, but that was only because I wasn't patient. The authors deliver. The story is fun and has great tension. The narrators fit the character pretty well with the female narrator being better than the the male.
Over all, I enjoyed this escape from reality.

I received a copy of this audio book for review; all opinions are my own.