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wardenred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Knowledge. Power. Asshole elves.
The thing I loved the most about this novel is the setting. The author pulls a lot from actual witchcraft traditions while adding plenty of inventive fantastical elements of his own making to weave a truly exciting world. I loved the entire spirit realm, the Reapers, the magical races, the way Tarot cards were baked into it, all the beauties and the dangers. Even if I didn't like any of the other things about the story, I would probably want to keep reading the series just to hang around this world some more.
Fortunately, I did like a lot of the other things, so continuing the series will be even more fun. :) Adam was a great character to follow: flawed but with an unshakable core of goodness, relatable, and generally interesting to be around. Pretty much everybody else in the main cast was great to spend time with, as well. I liked what a big role family played in the story, and how we got to see so many different family dynamics: Adam's family, Vic's family, the sibling relationship between the two elves, Argent and Silver, and their complicated bond with their father. It was also great to see how all these different characters interacted with each other and how their relationships evolved throughout the book. Also, I really liked Bobby's chapters—I feel like they added a lot to the flow of the narrative.
In terms of the plot, for the most part it was exciting and tense and I appreciated how the theme of humans being pawns in the immortals' grand long game was handled. I do feel, however, that the way the main puppeteer was revealed was... not ideal. That twist just came very much out of the left field; we haven't had a lot of time with that character, they weren't involved in the plot short of one vague scene far in the beginning, I don't know, it just didn't feel natural. Once the character's agenda was unveiled and their involvement in other parts of the Binders' family story became clearer, yes, I felt I could buy it. But I think there needed to be more lead-up to the initial twist.
One thing I wasn't a fan of was the love triangle, or rather, the storyline that kept trying to be a love triangle even though ti would have worked better if it was more, "here's my ex I'm letting go of while needing to work together for a common cause, and here's the new person I'm getting fond of." I can appreciate love triangles when they represent a broader choice the character has to make between two philosophies, two approaches to life, etc. This triangle kind of hints at being like that, but it doesn't work. If it was supposed to be a choice between the supernatural and the human, certain plot developments erased that possibility rather fast. If it was supposed to be a choice between doing one's duty and doing what's actually right, one look at Adam tells you it's never been a choice at all. So it felt kind of almost useless, just a way to add tension in the one part of the plot that mostly lacked it, because Vic is just... so good and clearly so good for Adam? Honestly, I really love how he just accepted Adam and his feelings for Adam with no drama, even in the middle of all the life-changing weirdness. But I've got to say that I love Silver, too, and I think I'll enjoy following his arc in the subsequent installments. I just like him for who he is, not as a part of any romantic entanglement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Homophobia
aplpaca's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Finally got around to reading this after getting it for Chrismas and super glad I did bc Bruh. Bruh. Bruh. Characters and their dynamics were really interesting to me. Pacing was really nice and had a good amount of mystery while still taking a lot of time to delve into "smaller" characterization and emotional-exploration scenes and stuff. One of the reveals at the end fucking floored me. I'm personally not the biggest fan of one of the major characters being a cop cause the treatment felt a bit copaganda-y to me, but I still enjoy the character and am interested in seeing where his stuff goes. Already ordered the rest of the series so I guess I'll just die for a bit until they get here. Bruh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia and Forced institutionalization
zoeyzebra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Generally kept me entertained, but I could have done without the copaganda, and sometimes the pacing vacillated between quite fast and rather slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Murder
espiargrant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the premise and the world, and for the most part I liked the MC. However, there were several things that kept me from loving the book as much as I wanted to. I felt that Adam was far too wishy-washy with his feelings toward people; he was constantly going back and forth, loving and hating all of his family members, and not in a way that felt natural. Other characters were perhaps a bit underdeveloped, like Vic, Tilla, and Argent.
In terms of the plot, I liked where the story went, but it seemed like there were a lot of unnecessary detours (literally). There was a lot of driving/traveling back and forth between locations to the point where it became irritating and repetitive.
And then there was the queer romance, which was the main reason I wanted to read this.A Love Triangle? WHY? IMO, this is something a book NEVER needs. And it seemed that Adam having 2 love interests only served to ruin the development of either relationship. Adam's relationship with Vic seemed quite forced, and developed way too quickly for me. Yet, I still preferred their relationship to Adam+Silver which just acted like an obstacle to Adam+Vic, though felt a bit more natural. So in that regard I was disappointed, but the queer romance was still presented better than most that I've read, so I plan to continue the series because at this point I'm absolutely desperate for a book with a solid, happy romance between men. Hopefully the trilogy improves in the 2nd and 3rd books.
In terms of the plot, I liked where the story went, but it seemed like there were a lot of unnecessary detours (literally). There was a lot of driving/traveling back and forth between locations to the point where it became irritating and repetitive.
And then there was the queer romance, which was the main reason I wanted to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Medical content
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Miscarriage, and Forced institutionalization
the_great_tumbleweed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A really refreshingly different fantasy story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization
gavgaddis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"We have Harry Dresden at home."
A fun enough book full of excellent ideas and flair. Emotions are discussed as colors, giving the impression Adam, or magic users in general have synesthesia.
Right up until it just happens with someone else in their chapter.
White Trash Warlock succeeds in an incredibly tricky area: depicting the spaghetti mess of emotions and reasons behind the interfamily politics of dirt poor folk. Some of the character traits was genuinely familiar to my own poor upbringing. Slayton has that to a T.
Where the book starts to strain a bit is pacing and keeping up with the times. Every woman is either a powerful matriarchal figure, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer archetype, or a wife to be fridged.
The ending happens in an incredibly short span of time, with the last eighth or so of the book feeling more like setup to get you to buy the sequel rather than provide a genuinely satisfying ending to the story.
If Slayton is intending on a Jim Butcher-esque monster-of-the-book situation... The first monster is absolutely short-shifted for all the pages and pages of backstory and cool buildup.
Fun popcorn reading but also very much a first book.
A fun enough book full of excellent ideas and flair. Emotions are discussed as colors, giving the impression Adam, or magic users in general have synesthesia.
Right up until it just happens with someone else in their chapter.
White Trash Warlock succeeds in an incredibly tricky area: depicting the spaghetti mess of emotions and reasons behind the interfamily politics of dirt poor folk. Some of the character traits was genuinely familiar to my own poor upbringing. Slayton has that to a T.
Where the book starts to strain a bit is pacing and keeping up with the times. Every woman is either a powerful matriarchal figure, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer archetype, or a wife to be fridged.
The ending happens in an incredibly short span of time, with the last eighth or so of the book feeling more like setup to get you to buy the sequel rather than provide a genuinely satisfying ending to the story.
If Slayton is intending on a Jim Butcher-esque monster-of-the-book situation... The first monster is absolutely short-shifted for all the pages and pages of backstory and cool buildup.
Fun popcorn reading but also very much a first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Murder
cattails's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Classism
flowerparrish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
AMAZING. PHENOMENAL. A TRIUMPH.
Deeply invested and cannot WAIT to read/listen to the next in the series. Astoundingly good start for the first book in a series. World building is cool as fuck, blending traditional and innovative fantasy elements in an urban (and country) setting. Use of alternating POV and flashbacks added to the mystery and suspense brilliantly.
Also, audiobook narration was flawless? Some of the best I've heard.
Content warnings for: miscarriage, mental illness, (forced) institutionalization, child abuse, domestic abuse, murder
Deeply invested and cannot WAIT to read/listen to the next in the series. Astoundingly good start for the first book in a series. World building is cool as fuck, blending traditional and innovative fantasy elements in an urban (and country) setting. Use of alternating POV and flashbacks added to the mystery and suspense brilliantly.
Also, audiobook narration was flawless? Some of the best I've heard.
Content warnings for: miscarriage, mental illness, (forced) institutionalization, child abuse, domestic abuse, murder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use