Endearing and captivating

A fun read, couldn't put it down and went straight into the sequel. The characters are strong and realistically dysfunctional in this believable departure from the real world.

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Dark and sweet

Magic made homey and extravagant at the same time ! Great work, great characters. Cant wait for the next one

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New read

I’ve never heard of the book or the author so it was a new read for me. Glad I did, it was a well written and enjoyable book.

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Unexpected

I did not expect a lot going into this read, but found this to be a good story with an interesting urban take on fantasy. It admittedly had its stops and starts with a smattering of predictability, but, there are pleasant twists and the characters weren't two dimensional. The gay male protagonist is always a bonus for a fujoshi like me, and its not some syrupy lemon triangle. Narrator has a sexy voice. Thumbs up, looking forward to the next.

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Absolute Hidden Gem

I was in a rush before a long drive and started White Trash Warlock without knowing what it was about. I'm so glad I did! I listened to all 3 books in a week. The characters and world are fully fleshed out and dynamic. The story is layered with the perfect mix of simple and complex.

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Love it!!

loved the book and narrator is great.
I would definitely recommend it as a great read. I just really hate a sudden stop to a Cliffhanger.

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So unexpected. And SO GOOD.

I loved this book. Such an interesting story with characters that reel you in. Narrator did a fab job considering all the different personalities, bravo! Excited to keep listening.

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A wonderful Urban Fantasy!

White Trash Warlock introduces us to Adam Binder, a low-grade magic user from the small town of Guthrie. He’s spent years chasing after a dark, twisted sort of magic that tastes too familiar. When his older brother, Bobby, calls him after years of not speaking together — years of silence caused by his brother committing him to a psych ward for hearing voices — Adam has to put aside any misgivings to help his sister-in-law, Annie.

Because Annie’s been possessed by a murderous spirit. But when Adam gets to Denver, he realizes that there’s more at play than he ever could have imagined. In order to survive, Adam is forced to do the one thing he’s never wanted to do; he’ll have to bargain with powers he’d rather avoid.

Our main character, Adam Binder, is the very definition of an endearing underdog. Everything about him made me love him, from his cynical outlook on life to the way he is so unflinchingly good. I wanted him to win more than anything!

Beyond having an amazing main character, White Trash Warlock — and further, the Adam Binder series — has an AMAZING magic system. Rife with a sense of realism, Slayton created a magic system that drew me in. There’s something about magic as colours that intrigues me endlessly, and I absolutely adored the way Slayton built magic into this universe.

I also absolutely adored the way that Adam wasn’t all powerful. And, even more than that, it was his LACK of great magic that made him so invaluable. Adam didn’t rely on big feats of magic; rather, he carefully approached the different challenges he was faced with, always trying to analyze what he knew and didn’t know as he listened to his instincts.

On a heavier note, the story deals heavily with parental trauma, specifically trauma surrounding alcoholism. While this is something that usually hits a little too close to him, I found that Slayton handled it with exceptional care. Beyond that, it was almost TOO well done, and the ever-tremulous relationship between Adam and Bobby hit hard.

White Trash Warlock is a dual-POV novel, and we get to see both Adam’s and Bobby’s point of view. This made the story SO much better than it would have been if we’d only seen Adam’s POV, and every time we got to dip into Bobby’s mind, I understood him more and more.

By the end, I wanted nothing more than for the two of them to go to family counselling and work through their generational trauma because I loved them with all that I had.

As much as I loved the familial relationship between Adam and Bobby, I equally loved the romantic relationship between Adam and Vic. I mean, magical soul-bonds? Accidental magical marriage?? These two were thrown together, sure, but they built something so genuine together that made my heart MELT.

As previously mentioned, Adam is definitely cynical, and his hesitantly with Vic was realistic, understandable, and still kinda heartbreaking. Because of that, every single time Vic was earnest and honest with his affection for Adam made my heart MELT!

White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton is an AMAZING introduction to the Adam Binder trilogy that perfectly introduces us to a vibrant magic system and wonderfully flushed out characters. It’s well written with an easy-to-digest pace that keeps the story going AND keeps you wanting to read.

This was an easy four-star read, made even easier by the absolutely wonderful performance by Michael David Axtell who made this book even more enjoyable. With a clear tone, subtle-but-distinguishable accents, the audiobook kept me engaged from start to finish and added another element of mystique to an already amazing book.

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1 person found this helpful

A fun modern fantasy novel

This book pulled me in more than I expected it to! It was a quick listen but I had a hard time taking breaks. Overall, this was a good time. My biggest qualm was the sudden cliffhanger ending.

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Great!

Such a great adventure story with some romance thrown in. I really like the characters and it just get more complex the further you dig.

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1 person found this helpful