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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
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
An absolutely fun urban fantasy, and it takes place in Denver! I really enjoyed the characters in this book, and the plot is a ton of fun. I love the magic, the spirit realm, and the overlaps between normal life and Adam’s magic one. This book has an excellent pace, an adorable romance, and perfectly placed hilarity to break up the serious. My husband stumbled on this Colorado local book and we both loved it.
📘The Gist 📘: One man’s hunt for a magical poacher is postponed when he is called to Denver to deal with an ancient spirit that’s causing havoc and killing his sister in law.
📒Representation📒: mlm mc, bi mc, Hispanic mc, poverty
💕 For readers looking for 💕: urban fantasy, queer romance, magic, charming all around good guy main character, Colorado setting, well-timed hilarity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
frantic_vampire's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Don’t mind my puddle of tears, because this book had my emotions in a vice grip the entire time I was reading it 😭. Like, dear lord. I don’t think I’ve ever had this many feelings over a book in a while.
Honestly, White Trash Warlock had me in tears from so many different things. But I think it was Adam’s abuse in the school/institution that really got to me. He was treated with such cruelty and yet he made it through and is still one of the sweetest and most caring people in this book! I also really liked the different layers to the family drama. It was so intense and real and just…so good.
The characters are so amazing in this book! Adam is just a sweetheart that deserves all the hugs in the world. Bobby might be a bit of an ass, but his heart is in the right spot. And Vic! I love him already. The world building in this book is also really great! I loved the switching between the spirit world and the real world. It’s a little triply and reminds me a little bit of Spirited Away.
I really loved White Trash Warlock. It was emotional in ways I didn’t expect. And honestly? I think I’ve found a new favorite series. This one is getting a solid five stars. I can’t wait to see what’s next. But first I have to go cry some more over this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Flashbacks to abuse in a mental institution, flashbacks to physical and emotional abuse, internalized homophobia,blynecessity's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Huh. This was actually pretty good. I didn't realize it was the first installment in a series, but I'll probably keep up with the series as the sequels come out.
The writing was a little disorienting because all the POV characters had a really similar tone and I'd sometimes forget who was narrating. Also, the flashbacks were not at all easy to read. I assume the author will improve his writing in time, so no hate on that front.
There were some problematic moments (listed in spoilers at bottom of review), but all in all I pushed through that and managed to still really enjoy the read.
I didn't really looove that there was basically no development or fleshing-out for any of the women in the story, but with such a small cast I'm willing to set that aside as (hopefully) a first-book quirk.
I liked that family was such a big part of the novel! Like, the MC and the plot both treated family as a v important topic, which helped me emotionally invest in the story. I def thoughtthe brother was the warlock for a sec there, but I'm glad the twists and surprises weren't as predictable as all that.
All in all, I'd read the rest of the books and will probably recommend this to some people I think might like it!
So yeahhh, that romanticized pedophilia was hard to get past, but it's mostly glossed over in the story, and the abuser is not making more moves on the MC (now that the MC is an adult?), which is a relief. Still think the abuser should be shot in the head or something, but whatever.
And sure, there was a lot of pro-cop pandering (even though we only meet two cops in the story) but it wasn't as overt as I thought it would get with how the author seemed to be ramping up when the story was still getting started.
And yess, the love interest being magically insta-loved without his consent wasn't great and was def unethical, but the mind-control part lessens towards the end of the book which made it less squicky.
And okay, the main woman in the story was shown for, like, one chapter being defined by her ability to bear children which is reductive, and she then spent the rest of the novel in a coma and just generally being unloved and treated as a literal possession (haha, ghost pun) or property, but I can see how the story would have suffered had the brother been the one in the coma instead.
The writing was a little disorienting because all the POV characters had a really similar tone and I'd sometimes forget who was narrating. Also, the flashbacks were not at all easy to read. I assume the author will improve his writing in time, so no hate on that front.
There were some problematic moments (listed in spoilers at bottom of review), but all in all I pushed through that and managed to still really enjoy the read.
I didn't really looove that there was basically no development or fleshing-out for any of the women in the story, but with such a small cast I'm willing to set that aside as (hopefully) a first-book quirk.
I liked that family was such a big part of the novel! Like, the MC and the plot both treated family as a v important topic, which helped me emotionally invest in the story. I def thought
All in all, I'd read the rest of the books and will probably recommend this to some people I think might like it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
crystalmethany's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Body horror, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
johneepixels7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was such a fun read!
I found that the story had a strong start and finish. At the beginning we meet Adam Binder in the middle of a mission on find his missing father. It's not long before a new mission commences, prompted by a text from Adam's estranged brother Bobby (Robert), bringing Adam to his brother and equally estranged mother. As we are introduced to the characters and learn about their past and current relationships, the magic systems are woven into the story with ease and are delightful to discover.
The writing style is pleasant to read and I loved the subtle changes from inner thoughts to action, to plot, to describing the magic. I really enjoyed getting to know Adam and felt the character's backstory and depth were consistent and relatable, esp. when he talks about the discrimination he felt both as being gay and someone of magic. I also found many of the other characters likable and well-described.
Despite enjoying the actual plot and writing style - around the middle, I began to find it challenging to feel motivated to pick up and read. This confounded me because I was enjoying it, but I think a part of me just needed to admit that as much as I liked the story - it just wasn't enough for me to want and need to continue the book at any chance I could get. I didn't get the "I have to know what happens next right away" feeling. Maybe at that point, I didn't feel like the stakes had increased and it was just going at a pretty steady pace. ,
The ending thoough, was fantastic - a lot action, suspense, a bit of gore/gruesome moments and a lot of stakes at hand. I sped through the last 1/3 of the book faster than the previous third.
One other thing I really enjoyed and had me questioning it's validity (also within the story itself) is the love story that takes place. There's a lot of heartwarming and sweet moments that had me "aww'ing" and placing a hand on my chest over my heart.
In all, I'm excited to learn that a second book in the series is coming out later this year - especially with the ending we're left with! I actually do want to know what happens next for Adam Binder.
I found that the story had a strong start and finish. At the beginning we meet Adam Binder in the middle of a mission on find his missing father. It's not long before a new mission commences, prompted by a text from Adam's estranged brother Bobby (Robert), bringing Adam to his brother and equally estranged mother. As we are introduced to the characters and learn about their past and current relationships, the magic systems are woven into the story with ease and are delightful to discover.
The writing style is pleasant to read and I loved the subtle changes from inner thoughts to action, to plot, to describing the magic. I really enjoyed getting to know Adam and felt the character's backstory and depth were consistent and relatable, esp. when he talks about the discrimination he felt both as being gay and someone of magic. I also found many of the other characters likable and well-described.
Despite enjoying the actual plot and writing style - around the middle, I began to find it challenging to feel motivated to pick up and read. This confounded me because I was enjoying it, but I think a part of me just needed to admit that as much as I liked the story - it just wasn't enough for me to want and need to continue the book at any chance I could get. I didn't get the "I have to know what happens next right away" feeling. Maybe at that point, I didn't feel like the stakes had increased and it was just going at a pretty steady pace. ,
The ending thoough, was fantastic - a lot action, suspense, a bit of gore/gruesome moments and a lot of stakes at hand. I sped through the last 1/3 of the book faster than the previous third.
One other thing I really enjoyed and had me questioning it's validity (also within the story itself) is the love story that takes place. There's a lot of heartwarming and sweet moments that had me "aww'ing" and placing a hand on my chest over my heart.
In all, I'm excited to learn that a second book in the series is coming out later this year - especially with the ending we're left with! I actually do want to know what happens next for Adam Binder.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
thestench's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The first in a new urban fantasy series and I can't wait to read what comes next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Homophobia