🎧︎White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton is the first book in the Adam Binder series. It tells the story of a young gay protagonist who grew up under the most unfavourable of circumstances because of his gift of sight and sexual orientation. The synopsis intrigued me and despite this being my first experience with the author’s work; I went into the story hoping for an exciting read.
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. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: White Trash Warlock
Author(s): David R. Slayton
Series: Adam Binder #1
Narrator(s): Michael David Axtell
Published by Blackstone Publishing on October 13, 2020
Pages: 320
Length: 9 hours and 19 minutes
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy
Source: Won
Format: Audiobook, eBook 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: 
Series Rating:
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.
Now, as stated before, I expected an exciting read. However, it didn’t go as expected. I liked the story, but it did not overwhelm me. There were parts of the story I enjoyed and some not so much. The story started off on a good note, but by the middle of the book, it all changed. The pacing slowed, and it pulled me out of the story. However, at around the twenty percent, the story picked up, and it had me breezing through it. The main story arc was tied up, but like all books in this genre, there were underlying issues that will probably spill over into the next book.
Adam’s childhood was filled with abuse, pain, and sorrow. Abandoned by his father and institutionalized by his brother. He had a unique gift, which no one understood. A gift which gave him the ability to connect with the spiritual plane and feel everyone’s emotions. This, coupled with his sexual orientation, made him an outcast among his peers and, by extension, his family. Adam is now an adult now and is on a quest for answers in relation to his father. While on his quest for the truth, he received a call from his brother, who he has not spoken to since the day he had him committed. Bobby’s wife is in serious trouble and Adam is the only who can help.Â
I thought it rather interesting that Adam’s brother had to turn to him for help after what he did to him. It took me sometime to warm up to Bobby. As the story progressed, my sympathy for him increased, but I am still not team Bobby. Adam was such a strong and relatable character. One cannot help but emphatise with him for all he has been through. His concerns and emotions permeated the pages of the story.Â
The story served up some romance, one which occurred in the past and another that is currently blossoming. It was interesting learning about the past romance. I am not so sure about the current one as it doesn’t feel as authentic as the one from the past. Besides, there are still lingering feelings from one in the past.
The world the author created intrigued me and it’s different from anything I have read before. The author takes the reader to a world where fairies, gods, elves and reapers abide. Some parts of the story were engaging, while there were parts that dragged, causing me to lose interest. I pushed on, as I was keen to learn if Adam could save his sister-in-law.
Narration
Michael David Axtell, a new to me narrator, provided the narration for 🎧︎White Trash Warlock. He brought life to the characters and his portrayal of their emotions was on point. The voice he gave to each character was distinct. I thought he did a good job and I believe his narration enhanced the story.
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Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, an interesting read set in a unique world, which would appeal to fans of urban fantasy. Despite the issues I encountered, I do plan to pick up the next book at some point. I am curious to learn what next is in store for Adam.
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Disclaimer: I won the ebook and got the audiobook through audible plus.
About Michael David Axtell
Michael David Axtell currently lives in New York City with his wife and dog. He works as an actor, singer, narrator and pianist. He is a passionate performer and storyteller and is fascinated by communicating to audiences through different mediums. For a time after college, he pursued music and toured with the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble, Chanticleer. However, he realized he craved a more theatrically based performance path, so he left Chanticleer to pursue my MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama (’17). He also began recording audiobooks for ACX which opened up an entire industry of exciting possibility and opportunity! He currently has twenty credits to his name available.
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 and writes the books he always wanted to read. David’s debut, White Trash Warlock, was published in October 2020 by Blackstone Publishing and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Book two in the series, Trailer Park Trickster was released in October 2021. Book three, Deadbeat Druid, will be released in October 2022. He is represented by the Seymour Agency. In addition to writing, David is a regular presenter and speaker on writing. He has appeared on panels at Fan Expo Denver and taught workshops at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the League of Utah Writers Quills Conference, and the Seymour Agency Winter Retreat. He also regularly speaks to library, college, and high school audiences.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
