Book Review: 13 Steps to Evil

All hail the Mother of Villains!

I just finished reading “13 Steps to Evil” by the lovely Sacha Black. If I were to give it a rating, without a doubt, it’s 5 stars!

A little background before I get more into the review itself. “13 Steps” is one of 3 (so far) craft books Sacha has written. There’s also “10 Steps to Hero” (next on my TBR) and “Anatomy of Prose.” (On my To Buy list) All 3 books have accompanying workbooks. She also has a young adult fantasy series, 2 podcasts, Facebook groups for said podcasts, and she’s just an all around lovely lady. I’ll have her links at the bottom of this post. (Side note: I enjoy the Next Level Author Podcast more by watching the YouTube channel. Sacha and her cohost, Dan Wilcox, share the video call and it’s so much more entertaining to watch because they’re hilarious together)

I really enjoyed “13 Steps.” Sacha has a great writing style that mixes her natural snark and humor with being informative. And, I learned so much. I kid you not. I used up 2 highlighters until they were dry because there were so many good things I wanted to remember. I’ll probably have to read it again to actually take notes.

In this book, she covers various topics to help craft the perfect villain for your story. Because, without your villain, your hero has no purpose. Topics include basic things writers screw up about their villains, villainy traits, motive and values, backstory, and villains with mental illness. There’s so much more than that but you have to read the book to get it all. She uses examples from literature, TV, and movies to help her explanations.

I wish I had the workbook that goes along with this book. I’m sure it would help me in my rewrite as I’m trying to work in a new thread involving my antagonists. And, I’m starting the next book, “10 Steps to Hero” tonight. My goal is to have a review up on Friday but we’ll see how that actually goes.

I hope you check out this book. This will certainly be a reread. In fact, I’m keeping both books on my desk for easy reach if I need to reference something. And check out all of Sacha’s links below.

Sacha’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sachablackauthor/

Sacha’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sacha_black

Sacha’s Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sachablackauthor/

YouTube Page For “Next Level Podcast” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnvkIvvQvHBbrO_RtUnlVA

“YouTube Page for “Rebel Author Podcast” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmGEeUxCRW5ZVxwJ_mEunw