Section 1: Urban Fantasy Books Similar to Trailer Park TricksteR
Both main characters have troubled pasts with magic. For Adam Binder, his connection to the magical world made him appear schizophrenic and got him locked up in an asylum. In Labyrinth Lost, Alex is one of the most powerful witches in her family, but magic is why her father disappeared, making her fearful and untrusting of it.
Protecting and reconnecting with family are also key themes that connect both books. Adam and Alex will have to go to great lengths to save their families and other loved ones. In fact, both characters will have to cross dimensional boundaries and embrace their magic like never before if they want to succeed.
Section 2: Most Powerful Themes Represented in Trailer Park Trickster
As Adam starts his new relationship with Vic in the first book, he holds back on some key secrets. Doing so causes significant problems in their relationship and is only magnified by all the magical chaos trying to attack the couple and rip them apart.
Holding back information must be a Binder family trait since so many family secrets are uncovered in this story. We finally learn the truth about Adam’s father and discover some strange family history about Adam’s ancestors. As each secret unfolds, Adam’s relationship with his brother, mother, and cousin becomes fraught with distrust, which does not bode well when these people have to work together to fight the big bad.
Even the immortal characters are holding back secrets, which puts them in great peril.
Silver, the Elven Prince, lies and schemes politically to try and stop his father’s monstrous prejudice from causing acts of genocide. In doing so, he forces his father’s hand and must face the alternative he desperately tried to avoid.
Death, the deity, also has convoluted secret agendas that pull the Binders and now Vic down a bizarre rabbit hole. While we don’t fully know in this book why Death needed certain events to happen, it’s clear that their choice to play everything close to the chest simultaneously risks the plan blowing apart completely.
Section 3: What I Did Not Like about Trailer Park Trickster
While a lot happened in book 1 that would change Robert’s perspective and make him more accepting of the supernatural and his brother, it wouldn’t explain the entire character shift. Robert goes from being a fastidious control freak to a more complacent character who’s there to comfort and cheer Adam on. It feels like he was downgraded from a developed character to a plot device.
Reducing Robert’s role could have been a structural decision. Slayton uses a parallel plotline framework that splits the narrative between the two main characters' perspectives. Book 1 was split between Adam and Robert. Book 2, however, is divided between Adam and Vic. Therefore, you could argue that since Robert is no longer a main character, we wouldn’t see as much development as we did in the first book. Nevertheless, to me, it seemed slightly dismissive of the character.
Section 4: Who Will Love and Hate Trailer Park TricksteR
If you easily get lost in multiple plotlines, prefer human-focused magic stories, and are not a big fan of cliffhangers, then you may not like reading this book.
Section 5: L. Rigdon’s Star Rating of Trailer Park TricksteR
The story continues directly from the first book, maintaining the pace and format incredibly well. I enjoyed how Slayton took the time to reveal new layers of the characters we already met. He does the same with his magical world, letting us see more of the infrastructure and what makes it so fantastic.
Instead of just seeing more depth of the characters and the world, Slayton also shows the flaws that make these characters, places, and individuals so beautifully unique and broken. He highlights all of their decisions, good and bad, showcasing the cause and effect of their choices.
The series' first and second books end on cliffhangers, which normally would drive me insane. Thankfully, Slayton understands how to do a cliffhanger correctly. He ties up the immediate storylines but leaves you with just enough curiosity triggers to make you run to the next book.