Hello, everyone! It’s always a great day when I get to sit down with a new installment of the Adam Binder series. So, I was super stoked to be offered an ARC of the latest book, Backwoods Banshee by David R. Slayton. Read on to see all of my thoughts about it!
As Adam copes with fresh trauma, he must investigate how Banshees are getting into our world, and who is trying to erase history from the books …
Adam, Vic, and their friends are attending a concert, enjoying a rare moment of peace, when a man suddenly rushes the stage and screams, killing the musician and rendering many of the audience members unconscious. Adam quickly learns this is a banshee which has somehow slipped into this world from The Between, a realm outside of everything.
While Adam tries to solve one mystery, the tension builds between him and his boyfriend, Vic, as Adam struggles to heal from the torture he suffered at the hands of a vicious cult. Still not comfortable with being touched, can their relationship survive Banshees and betrayal?
In classic Slayton style, not everyone is who they seem. Friends become enemies, enemies become allies, souls are stolen, and battles fought. Backwoods Banshee is a fast paced, heart breaking, and wonderful addition to the Adam Binder series.
***Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
Backwoods Banshee was yet another excellent installment of the Adam Binder series. There’s just something about these characters that makes me adore them. They’ve come to mean so much to me, and I love how Slayton always uses a pretty large ensemble cast in such a down-to-earth manner. There were elves, leprechauns, imps, humans, and various other entities that all felt both unique and surprisingly human. They were all written in a way that made me feel like I know them well even when some of them only had a few pages in the story. The core cast definitely felt like a big, sometimes dysfunctional, family, and I loved that.
I enjoyed the direction that Backwoods Banshee took the story. I liked that Adam was sidelined by the elves after the events of the previous book. It allowed for both his ingenuity and his non-elf connections to really shine through. While the story was largely a pretty run of the mill mystery plot, there were enough new elements to make it feel fresh, which is quite the feat for the fifth story in a series. The addition of the banshees, soul stealing, and the mystery of The Between and its connection to the elves all kept me hooked. Then the ending pulled the rug out of from under me. I loved the ending so much, and I’m super curious to see where the twist takes the story next. I’m still not entirely sold on the time travel aspect of this arc, though, but I’m hopeful Slayton will pull it off in the end.
Backwoods Banshee also did a great job of tackling the emotional aftermath of the previous book. Adam was legit tortured, and I’m glad that the effects of it weren’t just swept under the rug. He was dealing with some serious PTSD in this book, and I thought it was portrayed well. I was a bit afraid that Adam’s difficulty with touch and intimacy would cause a lot of problems between him and Vic. Thankfully, their relationship remained the bedrock of the story, and I appreciated how they did their best to help each other cope with their “new normal.” Communication and consideration kept them from having a major blow up, and I was so thankful that there wasn’t relationship drama just for the sake of it. They had their struggles, but they acted like adults about it. That being said, Adam really needs a vacation. My dude has been THROUGH it. lol.
Backwoods Banshee explored some thought-provoking themes, as well. It showcased two very different methods for changing an unfair system. Silver and his court were implementing gradual changes to improve the treatment of mortals and other non-elf beings. Their main goal was making things better without completely upending things in a way that would cause chaos and hurt to many people. Alternatively, the Lost Ones wanted to burn the entire system to the ground no matter how many people it hurt along the way. They saw the system as completely unfair and unredeemable, which meant the collateral damage was just the price to pay for building something better. It made for a really great conflict.
All in all, Backwoods Banshee was another solid Adam Binder adventure. If you’re looking for an urban fantasy series with queer leads, great character work, and stories that tackle important topics, look no further. Therefore, I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on Backwoods Banshee by David R. Slayton. Are you a fan of this series? Let me know your thoughts on this latest installment down in the comments!
