Today I’m excited to participate in the Bookstagram & Creative Tour for White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton! This is the first book in an Adult Contemporary Fantasy series with #ownvoices rep about a gay magician with the ability to see into a realm populated by elves and all sorts of spirits, forced to help his estranged brother when a murderous spirit possesses his brother’s wife. Published on October 13, 2020 from Blackstone Publishing!
Now read on below for a review, a Character Q&A plus an International giveaway!
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White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton
Series: The Adam Binder Novels #1
Published by Blackstone Publishing on October 13, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon|Book Depository|B&N
Source: MTMC Tours, Blackstone
I received this book for free from MTMC Tours, Blackstone in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Not all magicians go to schools of magic.
Adam Binder has the Sight. It’s a power that runs in his bloodline: the ability to see beyond this world and into another, a realm of magic populated by elves, gnomes, and spirits of every kind. But for much of Adam’s life, that power has been a curse, hindering friendships, worrying his backwoods family, and fueling his abusive father’s rage.
Years after his brother, Bobby, had him committed to a psych ward, Adam is ready to come to grips with who he is, to live his life on his terms, to find love, and maybe even use his magic to do some good. Hoping to track down his missing father, Adam follows a trail of cursed artifacts to Denver, only to discover that an ancient and horrifying spirit has taken possession of Bobby’s wife.
It isn’t long before Adam becomes the spirit’s next target. To survive the confrontation, save his sister-in-law, and learn the truth about his father, Adam will have to risk bargaining with very dangerous beings … including his first love.
What to expect from White Trash Warlock?
Am I officially obsessed with White Trash Warlock? Yup, I think I am!
This is the kind of book that makes you flip pages non-stop. Adam Binder lives in our world but has the Sight, the magical ability that allows him to see into another realm full of elves, spirits and demons. This ability is what allowed him to pull through those cold days spent in the psych ward his brother, Bobby, had put him in so he could study a medical career. But as soon as he turned 18, Adam has lived with his Aunt Sue (and epic seer!) in a trailer park, and has lived estranged to his mother and brother, until his sister-in-law is possesed by an ancient demon and Bobby needs his help.
Adam is the type of characters I absolutely adore to read about! His heart is just in the right place?! He has gone through so much and yet he doesn’t hesitate to help those that need his help. When he first sees his sister-in-law, Annie, lying down in a state that reminds him of his days spent in the psych ward, he puts his grudge aside and dives straight into solving the mystery that surrounds the ancient demon hovering over Annie. And I 100% loved that about him.
Parts of this book reminded me a lot about the spirit world in Avatar & The Legend of Korra, particularly of Vaatu (who is the spirit of darkness and chaos). But I absolutely loved how in White Trash Warlock you get all sorts of spirits and witches/warlocks, including a certain elf called Perak who was the one that taught Adam how to spirit walk. There’s a lot of room to explore in this world and something I highly anticipate doing in the sequel!
Oh, but I also adored meeting Vic who is a young cop and the superior love interest for Adam, if I do say so myself. He also has an adorable sense of humor and I 10/10 need more of Adam and Vic together. (Oh, and he’s Mexican!!!)
If you are looking for a magical read set partly in our world with adorable characters that will cling to your heart and have you rooting for them, then look no further than White Trash Warlock!
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Meet the Main Character from White Trash Warlock!
Hi everyone! Today we have a wonderful character Q&A with Adam Binder, the main character of White Trash Warlock!
Hi, Adam! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Um, I’m from Guthrie, you might have heard of it. Maybe but probably not. It was the state capital for like a minute. It’s pretty. Red brick streets and old houses. I live there with my great aunt Sue, in the trailer park down by Cottonwood Creek. I used to live down by the lake, where the fireflies and spirits are just everywhere. They drift over the water and through the trees.
Can you tell us a little about your magical abilities? When did you first discover them?
I’ve always had the Sight. My mom thought I just had a lot of imaginary friends, but I can see into the Spirit World, sometimes better than I see the real world. I got lost a lot in those visions. It got so bad my brother had me locked up. I can’t do much, just put a little energy into things, like keep my car running longer when she’s low on gas or sense things from the Spirit World trying to hide in ours.
If you could have any skill, what would it be?
More magic, but naturally, like an elf does. I don’t have hardly any, and I’m not dumb enough to bargain for it. It would be great to be able to help people, heal them or fix things with just a thought. Elves are like that, or at least they would be if they weren’t you know, pricks.
Tell us about your relationship with your brother, Robert.
Bobby. He wants everyone to call him Robert now, to forget about where we come from, who we were. He’s just wants to be Doctor Binder now, but he’s always going to be Bobby Jack to me, the guy who locked me up in Liberty House so he could run off to medical school.
What’s the kindest thing someone has ever done for you?
My Aunt Sue took me in when I left Liberty House. She didn’t say a thing or ask for any money. She just opened the trailer door and let me stay with her, so we take care of each other.
Best and worst childhood memories?
All the bad ones are from my dad, but all the good ones are too. Like the time he slapped me for calling him Daddy, because it was too…well Bobby said it was because of a John Wayne movie. But then there was this one Christmas when he got a part time job working security at Sears and he used it to shoplift so we got all kinds of action figures, little things he could steal while pretending to protect the store.
Most weird or peculiar supernatural creature you’ve encountered?
I was hunting down an artifact in Greensboro, in the Carolinas, and there was this thing. I still don’t know what to call it. It looked like a elephant or a wooly mammoth, but it was made of mushrooms, rotting leaves and twigs. It had moss and poison ivy growing all over it. It smelled like a compost heap. I thought it was going to attack me, but it spat out a frisbee, like a really old frisbee. It just wanted to play fetch. So I did. It was so gross, so slimy, and warm. The elephant thing left a trail as it ran to bring the frisbee back. Bits of it fell off, but it seemed so happy. I played with it until my arm got tired.
What was your first impression of Vic?
He’s really hot. I mean, like gorgeous. The uniform didn’t hurt. He’s got this perfect black hair and these eyes that see everything. I never thought brown eyes could be piercing, you know? You hear that about other colors, but Vic looks at you like he sees everything.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A Jedi. Maybe later, a mechanic, but I need my GED for that.
Do you give second chances or hold grudges?
I’d like to think I could forgive people, but Perak? Or Bobby? I don’t know.
What can we expect from YOU in White Trash Warlock?
I’ll do what I have to help Annie, even if it means putting up with Bobby. She’s always been nice to me, at least over email, and it’s the right thing to do, you know? I like road trips. Maybe I can spend some time with mom, get some answers about dad and why he disappeared, where he went. And maybe I’ll get the chance to tell Bobby I told you so.
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Intl Giveaway on Instagram!
Head over to my Instagram account where you can enter the Instagram tour-wide giveaway TWO readers will win:
– A signed copy of White Trash Warlock & a bookmark!
– One or two character cards (designed by artists Jen and Kate, also known as Kaiju)
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Follow the Tour!
October 19
@paperfury – Boostagram + Book Blog
October 20
@shelf_blame – Bookstagram
October 21
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram + Book Blog
October 22
@hooked.by.books – Bookstagram
October 23
@greta_in_blues – Bookstagram + Book Blog
October 24
@of.books.and.bone – Bookstagram
October 25
@ly_brary – Bookstagram + Book Blog
October 26
@dom.reads – Bookstagram
October 27
@thereadingcornerforall – Bookstagram + Book Blog
October 28
@djreadsbooks – Bookstagram
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About David R. Slayton
David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his partner, Brian, and writes the books he always wanted to read. White Trash Warlock is his first novel. In 2015, David founded Trick or Read, an annual initiative to give out books along with candy to children on Halloween as well as uplift lesser-known authors or those from marginalized backgrounds. Find him online at www.DavidRSlayton.com.
Aah, I love this so much! And that Q&A with Adam is fantastic!! ??✨