The Write Reads Blog Tour & Review: White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton

Hi Everyone! I am so excited to be taking part in the epic blog tour of White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton, which is hosted by the incredible Dave from The Write Reads!

White Trash Warlock

Author: David R. Slayton

Publication Date: 13 October 2020

Genre: Adult Fiction – Urban Fantasy

Representation: M/M Queer

Pages: 320

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Guthrie was a good place to be from, but it wasn’t a great place to live, not when you were like Adam, in all the ways Adam was like Adam.

Adam Binder hasn’t spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices. When a murderous spirit possesses Bobby’s wife and disrupts the perfect life he’s built away from Oklahoma, he’s forced to ask for his little brother’s help. Adam is happy to escape the trailer park and get the chance to say I told you so, but he arrives in Denver to find the local magicians dead.

It isn’t long before Adam is the spirit’s next target. To survive the confrontation, he’ll have to risk bargaining with powers he’d rather avoid, including his first love, the elf who broke his heart.

The Binder brothers don’t realize that they’re unwitting pawns in a game played by immortals. Death herself wants the spirit’s head, and she’s willing to destroy their family to reap it.

Before I even get into this review, I didn’t realize that this book was queer, and as soon as I found out, I literally squeed! This book is so unapologetically queer and gives a voice to those who grew up not seeing themselves in fantastical stories. For that alone, I commend the author!

So, I’m just going to go ahead and say this…if you are a fan of Supernatural but wanted openly queer characters then White Trash Warlock is the story that you were looking for.

Adam Binder is mortal but has been gifted with the sight to see supernatural beings. He’s also a poor white kid from the trailer park in backwoods Oklahoma, which doesn’t accept anything magical or gay…two strikes against him. His own family couldn’t deal with his magical abilities, so they had him sent away to a psych ward. Talk about your family drama.

Adam’s brother Bobby (well now it’s Robert since he’s an esteemed medical doctor and has shed the trailer park life) desperately seeks Adam’s help when his wife becomes possessed by a spirit. What Adam doesn’t expect is Bobby admitting to seeing the supernatural culprit. So Adam wasn’t the only one with sight?!

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions while also battling some truly fantastical elements. There is so much trauma that Adam unpacks when it comes to both his mother and brother. They’ve always taken the “don’t ask don’t tell” approach to both his magical ability and queerness, which has left him fiending for himself with a his great aunt Sue who is the Black sheep of the family thanks to her openness when it comes to the sight.

I loved Adam and Vic’s relationship throughout the story. First off, Vic is Mexican and bisexual, and due to the open communication that Vic has with his family, he’s never had to hide his sexuality. This was such a stark contrast to Adam’s experiences, and I thought the author did a phenomenal job of showing how someone like Adam (who only experienced abuse and vitriol) could slowly let down his barriers in order to just hold Vic’s hand when others were watching. It was both heartbreaking and super sweet to watch their relationship progress.

The trauma that Adam has faced at the hands of his family members is heart wrenching. Even though he’s suffered so much abuse at the hands of his father, he can’t let go of his dad’s sudden disappearance from his childhood; especially since he grew up thinking he was the only one with the sight. This plotline really took me for a spin. I’m not going to give anything away, but oof, it was painful.

Overall, if you’re looking for a gritty urban fantasy that is unapologetically queer then this one’s for you! I can’t wait to see what else is up this author’s sleeve.

Thank you to Dave from The Write Reads for the blog tour invite. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.