The Villain Institute

Hidden Legends: Prison for Supernatural Offenders, Book 1

De: Megan Linski, Alicia Rades, Hidden Legends

Narrado por: Taylor Harvey, A.J. Carter

Love is even more dangerous behind bars.

Ava-Marie

My name is Ava-Marie, and I love living on the dark side.

Getting into trouble is kind of my thing, but one night, I take revenge too far. I’m sentenced to a reform school for magical delinquents... though really, it’s a prison.

As the only supernatural who can control both fire and water, I’m already a target. To make matters worse, I literally share a soul with Charlie, a sexy inmate from the wrong side of the tracks. Surviving at the Institute is almost as risky as falling in love.

But there’s a way out. The Warden is offering a pardon for the team who wins the Darke Games—a sick, twisted competition where more prisoners come out dead than alive.

They think I'm the bad guy. I'm about to show them just how much of a villain I can be.

Charlie

I shouldn’t be at the Institute. I’m in here because of her— the girl who claims to own half my soul.

After losing my sight, I grew up as an orphan, banished from magical society. I learned enough on the streets to survive the gangs and fight clubs inside the prison. But nothing could prepare me for the Darke Games.

Ava-Marie is my worst enemy, but if we’re going to break out of here, we’ll have to get along. Yet the more I let Ava in, the more I want her. I can’t let my desire for her get in the way of my one chance at escape.

Except it already has. There’s a dark power inside of Ava that terrifies me...

And none of us will be prepared when it unleashes.

©2020 Megan Linski, Alicia Rades (P)2020 Megan Linski, Alicia Rades

LOVE this series!!

A.J. Carter did an amazing job!! Made me laugh!! Story line is great and keeps me entertained!

Excellent book!

Kept wanting to hear the next line. Loved it moving on to the next book.

The Villain Institute (Prison for Supernatural Offenders Book 1)

The Villain Institute (Prison for Supernatural Offenders Book 1) ~~ I picked this one up on both Kindle and Audible, and I’m so glad I did — the audio version with Taylor Harvey and A.J. Carter really brought the story to life. From the very first chapter, it’s dark, dangerous, and addicting. Megan Linski and Alicia Rades throw you right into a supernatural prison where the so-called “villains” aren’t always who they seem to be. I loved how the main character fights to hold onto her identity and power even when the world labels her as something she’s not.

The setting is eerie but fascinating — part magic school, part prison, with twisted rules and deadly secrets hiding behind every wall. You never quite know who to trust, and that tension keeps the story moving fast. There’s a perfect mix of magic, rebellion, and mystery, and the chemistry between the characters adds just enough heat to make you want more without taking away from the suspense.

By the time I got to the end, I was fully hooked and already queuing up the next book. The Audible narration was flawless — the emotion, the pacing, everything fit perfectly. I loved switching between listening while driving and reading on Kindle at night; it made it easy to stay wrapped up in the story.

I would definitely recommend this book and series and can’t wait to start on the next book. If you want to know what happens next, you’ll just have to read this series yourself — you won’t regret it.

So good

I’ve listened to so many books by these authors. The books are captivating and do a great job describing the scenes and characters

love

They're supposed to be adults. I have chaperones for a dance. What is this kindergarten

I enjoy the perspective of a blind POV

I prefer the voices be read by their gender. Girl to girl. Boy to boy.

Well written but very not my cup of tea

To me, this felt like a YA novel blended with a very light Fifty Shades of Grey vibe. I didn’t love either main character, as both fell into a repetitive cycle of “I’m special—I’m not special” and “I’m good—I’m not good.”

The story itself was well-crafted, and if you enjoy light romantic fantasy, you might appreciate this book more than I did. While I didn’t connect with the MCs, they were reasonably well-developed and interesting. What kept me going was the world-building and overall plot, though even that had some weaknesses.

For example, the concept of the “Institute” felt overdone: young people are sent there, everything is corrupt, those in charge are the epitome of “bad,” yet there’s still a chance for the “inmates” to earn a full pardon through the games. It seemed like the author took every bad thing that happens in the world, mixed it with a dash of Mad Max: Thunderdome, a dash of Hunger Games, and threw it in a blender.

That said, it wasn’t a bad read—the story was engaging, and the characters had depth. Overall, as my rating reflects, it’s pretty good. Since the series is available on Audible Plus, if you’re a member, it’s worth a listen. I might check out book 2 in the future, but I'm done with the series for now.