White Trash Warlock

Growing up is difficult for many. Growing up poor worsens it. Adam Lee Binder is Oklahoma trailer trash. The low class of society, which most don't give a fuck about. Adam has been able use the Sight to see the other side; the spirit realm and other planes since he was a child and it happened frequently growing older and to every day in his teens. This causes strain on his family resulting in tense relationships. His own brother and mom locked him up in a psychiatric facility, which they think was good for him. It wasn't. Years have passed and college aged Adam is flung back into his estranged older brother's life. He has to save his possessed sister in law. Lives are at stake and his life will never be the same.

Urban fantasy often has middle to upper class protagonists. This is extremely prevalent in YA. You rarely see rural , lower class or poor protagonists in adult and YA urban fantasy. And queer and this case gay protagonists even less. I love how Adam's social and financial situation colored this book. Slayton crafted a highly traumatized young man with a past who perservers and tries to remain kind. Adam really is a cinnamon roll but boy is he broken. You feel for Adam , want to hug him and say everything will be okay. I immediately liked him on page one and fell more in love chapter by chapter.

Every queer experience is unique and every person is different. Adam is real and was real reading his story. I love how Adam felt like a real guy, had sexual urges but wasn't a horndog. He's fully fleshed person. I would be his friend no doubt. You feel that Slayton cares for every character he created. From smaller to more important.


Every being Adam encountered had a life when they were off and on the page. You jump into action from the get go. Every character is important and helps reveal the story or is revealed throughout the book. The pace slows down at parts to help build character but is never boring and always important.


The love story between Adam and his lover past and present builds organically. You understand why they are a thing. And why Adam has doubts with both because of things and power beyond his control. I love how Adam is low powered. This means winning and defeating his enemies won't be easy. Adam being over powered is less of a thing.Adam has to work with other beings to get things done. Beings that are sneaky. Don't mess with the Fae is all I'm saying. I adore Argent and Silver , high fae , who are maybe or not friends. Magic has a price and Adam really pays for it. I know he will grow stronger, build stronger relationships and heal. Be less broken in his story. I'm in for the ride and thank you Slayton for creating Adam Lee Binder.


Cover talk: It is standard with urban fantasy to have the lead or leads on the cover. I expected it but change is good. I still love the first mentioned cover style. The green and purple fit perfect together. It depicts a scene and I'm looking forward what will depicted the following books

This was an easy, quick read and decent for a debut novel. It incorporates all the urban fantasy tropes I'm familiar with.?? The book carries a similar vibe to The Dresden Files but with more diverse characters and a gay romance, which is refreshing.?? Although there are interesting plot twists, the overall story didn't grab me too much by the end. I felt the lack of character development for Annie; we were not given insight into what she was feeling, making her seem like a voiceless character.?? The book explores some dark themes, such as forced institutionalization and child abuse, which I found pulled me out of the intended joyful tone of the story. I wasn't too familiar with the whole “white trash” topic, so I learned a little bit.??

White Trash Warlock is a hell of a good urban fantasy that stands heads above most stories in the genre. If you are looking for a story that incorporates realistic characters, good pacing, an exciting magic system, and LGBTQIA representation. This is the book for you.

“People aren't less just because they don't live the way you do.”

“I didn't say that,” Robert said.

“You think it,” Adam said. “You think we're all trash because we don't have nice cars and ugly houses. Life isn't just about money.”

I am someone who has read extensively in urban fantasy. It had been my choice genre until about three years ago when I became more interested in dark fantasy and graphic novels. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of books in the genre. Many follow a very formulaic structure. The main character is plucky but down on their luck, or they probably do investigations of some sort and are either a wizard, warlock, or witch. Sometimes even a druid like in the great Kevin Hearne novels, The Iron Druid Chronicles. Plot-wise, there is a massive problem with the protagonist's city or family. Usually, a big baddie comes to kill magic practitioners or the protagonist's family and friends. Or protagonist must go through some transformation and become something else. It can be formulaic, but I don't mind that. It is part of the joy of the genre; not every author has to reinvent the wheel to tell an engaging and thought-provoking story. I bring this up because while White Trash Warlock does have some of the genre's more formulaic tropes and tendencies. i.e., a big bad boss that only the protagonist can kill, but at no time when reading White Trash Warlock did I feel it was stale. Quite the contrary, Slayton took some formulaic tropes and twisted them around a bit. He made something that could be an old hat, exciting.

The plot of the story rolls out thus. Adam Binder is a sensitive man. Sensitive in being able to feel the energies of the paranormal. He has a gift or a curse, depending on how you view it. This sensitivity rules his life, and he tries to work around it; he is often overwhelmed by the energies and feelings of masses of people. “Adam Binder hasn't spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices.” Being committed causes great turmoil between Bobby and Adam, as it should. Something dark and murderous possesses Bobby's wife, Adam comes to Colorado from rural Oklahoma to see if he can help. This dark thing that is infecting people in the city is a power unlike anything Adam has ever seen, and to survive, he must call on energies above his paygrade. Plus, there is a great love triangle and banter with immortals of all sorts.

“He wants to help you. It's okay to ask for things, Adam. It's okay to need or want things for yourself.”

Adam is brash and egotistical at times, but at other times he is calm and broken. The author does an excellent job of walking the line of not being too much of either quality. It adds authenticity to Adam's character. Furthermore, Adam and his brother Robert's backstory and family drama are infinitely more in-depth than the usual passing mention of a troubled past. Their pasts have defined who they are. It shows in the way they talk and interact with each other. I connected with these characters in ways that I did not from authors like Laurell K. Hamilton or Jim Butcher's urban fantasy. We learn about the backstory of the main characters Anita and Dresden in those series, but it takes a lot of time and books to make the connection that White Trash Warlock sought to make right away. That makes White Trash Warlock stand above its contemporaries in the urban fantasy genre.

The pacing of the tale is smooth, with action and bits of horror in all the right spots. My only complaint about the story was it was too short. I wanted more from author David Slayton. Not a bad complaint to have, and I am desperately hoping for a sequel as the story ends in the perfect spot to jump into another book.

“Bobby gripped his fork. “I just want you to be happy, Adam, to be-“

“Normal. I know,” Adam said, trying to keep calm. “But I'm not normal, Bobby. And I don't want to be. Stop trying to fix me.”

Also, author David Slayton wrote and is essential to mention that Adam Binder lives in a state of food insecurity. It is quite the contrast to his brother Bobby, a doctor who lives a very fluffy life in a big house where he never has to worry about what he will eat next. Adam also has been witness to and been the victim of domestic violence. Adam is also gay and has faced discrimination from his family. All of these aspects of Adam's life enhance Adam's character and give it, again, authenticity. None of the writing that Slayton did regarding these aspects of Adam's life come off preachy or forced. It feels like Slayton touched on all these things with great sensitivity and understanding.

So, if you dig urban fantasy that is deep, well written. It has excellent characters, pacing, and plot, and an authentic lead protagonist White Trash Warlock is for you. It is a hell of a good book.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/6aL0KfwJis4

Going into this book i didn't know what to expect. The title seemed as though it was poking fun at itself and perhaps the whole thing would be some bad take on impoverished folk playing D&D. But do not let the title fool you. It's not that at all.

This is an ‘rural-fantasy' about Magic, spirit realms, and a young queer man who is cast away and put into a psych ward by his small-town family for his magical ‘sight' abilities to see into the spirit realm . He then has to work on re-building those burned bridges with his family who he dropped contact with in order to save his sister-in-law at the request of his older brother. Along the was we follow Adam as he comes to terms with who he is personally as well as magically. Alternating his site on a whim between the real-world and the magical realms really played well to add intrigue to the world around him.

The story is a bit funny here and there just to keep you engages and warm up to the characters, it keeps the story feeling fresh and enjoyable. The writing really takes you places with the use of synesthesia where our Main Character associates colors to moods and smells to magical objects that really immerse you in the story.

There is quite a cast of characters that appear in this story including reapers, Manticors, Elves, and even Leprechauns. They were all done really well, each with their own emotions and motives that they play to.

All in all I feel that this is really a well-rounded and solid story that possibly suffers from a poor title. I would recommend that you check it out.