Fighting Spirits in White Trash Warlock | Book Review

【 WHITE TRASH WARLOCK 】

This was much sadder than I expected.

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Queer
Author: David R. Slayton
Published: October 2020
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 320 (paperback)

Content warning (click to see)

posession – death – guns – abandonment

I think that honestly sums up my main thoughts about this book: it was much more serious, sad and contemplative than I had expected from a book with such a fun cover.

I decided to jump into this audiobook because the title is so strange and I thought yes! Satire! Surely! And expected many laughs to be guaranteed within its pages. Now, I’ll start by saying I think my review is slightly altered by the fact I didn’t love the narrator for the audiobook. But I also didn’t connect with any of the characters and ultimately, this fell flat for me.

The main character is quite lonely, self-deprecating and depressed. The ‘white trash warlock’ comes from the almost self-loathing nature of the main character who knows he’s from a background of poverty and has little self-worth. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but more that these themes were a huge shock to me and not at all what I expected from the book.

I think this whiplash-like alteration of my understanding of the book is what knocked the stars off for me. Whilst this has a lot to say about being proud of who you are, it felt at odds with the ridiculousness of the magical side of the story – and I think humour would have paired much more naturally with the story of this book.

Not to mention I absolutely hated the character of his brother (and I think we’re meant to). He was an absolute ass.

The queer rep in this was probably my favourite element of the book. The romance that blossoms happens in such an unexpected way and I really enjoyed the connection the two characters built. This romance was what carried the story for me and got me through to the end.

Grab a copy!