The Villains Club: A Delightfully Devious Anthology

by Janina Scarlet, E. M. Noller (Editor)

Welcome to The Villain's Club!



Here, chaos is mandatory, caffeine is non-negotiable, and every meeting starts with a complaint about heroes who get in their way.  

Inside this delightfully devious anthology, villains finally get their own POV. That means no oversight, no interruptions, just pure, unfiltered rebellion. 



On the surface, these villains may seem like ordinary scoundrels, delinquents, bandits, and baddies. Scratch the surface (preferably with a dagger-shaped, impeccably manicured pinky nail), and you'll find all the complexities, contradictions, impossible choices, and longing for connection that make even villains human. You'll get to know misunderstood monsters, overworked overlords, demons with major Inhuman Resources issues, and even a few villains who might actually be heroes (but we didn't have the heart to tell them).



There are no tidy lessons or shiny trophies here. Sometimes we're the hero, sometimes the villain. 

And sometimes, it just feels good to be bad.



So grab a chair, pour something bubbly, and settle in.



Contributing

·      Brianna Alers

·      Dave Beaudrie

·      M. B. Bruce

·      Dennis K. Crosby

·      Jasmine Griffin

·      Hannah Kate Kelley

·      Chance Kistler

·      Jonathan Maberry

·      E. M. Noller

·      Janina Scarlet

·      Meghan Spelbrink

·      Robin Talamas

·      R. V. Thomas

·      Jocelyn Wallen

·      Morag Wherle

·      Alexis Wright

·      Dewey L. Yeats

Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2026

About the author

Dr. Janina Scarlet is a psychologist, author of 18 books, and a TEDx speaker. She is also the Founding Director of Divine Feminine Publishing. A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Dr. Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy.
Her work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, The New York Times, Forbes, and many other outlets. She regularly consults on books and television shows, including HBO’s The Young Justice. She was also interviewed
for Marvel’s MPower series and was portrayed as a comic book character in Gail Simone’s Seven Days graphic novel.

Reviews

[Amanda Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway. This was such a fun and light read!
Please bear in mind that this is about villains. Some content may be hard for readers.
I loved the mental health supports that are at the end. Especially LGBTQIA+

the villains club review:
Sweet Tooth: Gryer was used a little too much. Story was too short and had really great potential.

Faraday's Cage: This sounds like a rip off of Mega Mind. With splashes of the Villains league from Minions, with Teen Titan characters. Not sure if I like this one.

Monster Smut is Ruining My Life: Love that the main FMC is a horse demon! Absolutely loved this one! Enjoyed the email formatting with Krampus! Again, I wish it was longer!

The Zephyr: Jenisys reminds me of Judy Hopps from Zootopia. Love that she is 35! I am loving her! It gets better as the story goes on. Loved this one! All in one wrap up!

Forgiveness: A lot of pronoun usage. Gave me the witch from Brave. Loved the story mostly. Wasn't sure why bog witch was so important.

The Invitation: Edna Mode (essentially) gets sick of making costumes for heroes as they become more uniform. Begin her villain era!

Roomies: Wheelchair user FMC. And she is old enough to be a granny? Hell yeah! Also a killer! Loved the ending!

A Necromancer's Reprieve: It was ok. Nothing really stood out.

Undermind: Klown is Harley Quinn. Bulk....obvious. Sounds like Undermine has a cult. Interesting. I couldn't help but picture Bonclay as Undermind.

Fangs: vampire teen wants to become orthodontist for vampires. Interesting. Formatted in email way. School denies her due to she is a vampire. Only accepting humans. Then the play after she gets accepted...YIKES! Well done author well done! The ending!!! My word! Chef's kiss!

Seeking Gray: Oh, enemies to lovers.

My Bonnie Girl: What the hell is Bonnie Girl? Oh she is a spider. She is hunting a fairy. Sounds like Pinocchio. Instead he is a spider :D The ending! So gross yet so satisfying!

Before I Croak: Not sure how to feel about this one. Its just odd. Holy bloody death of an animal! It feels like Baba Yaga but with frogs.

Origin Story: Some grammar errors. Overall an ok story. Loved the puppy!

Margot Goes on Vacation: Interesting.

Death and the Maiden: Loved this one. Brianna reminded me of Umbridge from Harry Potter, thrown into Supernatural.

The Sisters Swithin: FMCs in their fifties! Twins. Predictable twist.

The Villains Club: Final one ends with a granny as well. I love Ashley! Super funny! Not sure I like them using magick instead of magic. Magic is fantasy (what they are describing), while magick is what current Pagans use. Though the last heist was a wonderful way to end this book.

[Sarah McNeely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of dark humor, fantasy satire, and morally gray characters, this anthology is both mischievous and heartfelt. It celebrates rebellion, chaos, and the freedom of embracing imperfection—and by the end, you may find yourself rooting for the villains more than the heroes.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, my review is biased as one of the contributing authors to this anthology, but I found the entire collection to be really enjoyable. It was a great balance between heartfelt/dramatic and humorous/light. Twisted tales and stories from the villain’s perspective can get a bit predictable, but I didn’t feel that way with most of the stories. There was a wide range of villain types from supervillains, vampires, witches, and even a spider. They encountered unique struggles and adventures that I never would have expected. I think there were about two stories that I wasn’t a huge fan of, but most of them really nailed it. I laughed out loud a number of times and it brought a lightheartedness that assuaged the stress this world can bring. My favorite stories (aside from my own) were Monster Smut is Ruining My Life, Origin Story, My Bonnie Girl, The Invitation, and The Villains Club. Overall, I would recommend giving this anthology a try, and that’s not just coming from someone who wrote one chapter of this book!