Small southern towns after WWI, could request they be sent a nurse from the Frontier Nursing Service. A lot of these backwoods places didn't even have a doctor, and during those times, that was a dangerous thing. Vaccinations can't help if there's no vaccinations or people to give them. In Spar Creek they got a bit more than vaccinations, and prescriptions, when Leslie Bruin arrived.

Leslie fought in the war himself, and then spent some time in Paris before joining with the FNS. Towns Spar Creek don't often welcome outsiders with open arms and Leslie is definitely an outsider. He soon learns that he's not going to be able to do his job effectively. Between religious zealots, racists, and just plain small town meanness, he can barely open his mouth without getting into trouble. He soon learns there's a lot more going on in Spar Creek than he originally thought. Young Stevie for one thing, and those noises in the woods for another. Will Leslie be able to help the citizens of Spar Creek? Will he be able to help young Stevie or anyone at all? And maybe most importantly, will he be able to survive the beast skulking around his cabin every night? You'll have to read this to find out!

I very much enjoyed this novella and read it in two sittings. Spar Creek seemed a few towns here in the northeast, at least in some ways. Religious zealots. Racists. Tightly knit and intolerant of anything that smells even slightly "different." Some places are still that now, so it's easy to imagine how much worse it would have been in the early 20's. Small minded people in small minded places.

What added some spice here was the addition of the mysterious creature in the woods. This aspect kept the story interesting and while I can't say I was all that surprised, I think it took the story in an interesting direction.

I'm struggling to find more to say without spoiling anything, so let me sum up. Small town with a new arrival. Historical fiction with intriguing facts about the Frontier Nursing Service and life in the early 20's. A revenge story you can sink your teeth into. A trans protagonist, other interesting characters, (but mostly jerks), and a mystery monster lurking in the woods. Now, let me double check my math, (scribbling madly, carrying the one), and yep! All this adds up to a WINNER!

Highly recommended for fans of LGBTQ fiction, sexy times with monsters, historical fiction fans, and to those that love tales of revenge!

*ARC from publisher.*arc dark-fiction historical-fiction ...more33 s2 comments Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)2,408 3,614

2.5 Stars
After loving the author's last two releases, I was dying to read another release from this author. I d this one but I fully admit that I was underwhelmed. I didn't find this particularly memorable. This author is capable of reading incredibly complex characters so I was disappointed when these ones fell so flat. I wanted to love this one but it left me cold.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.2024 horror17 s Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)2,421 4,031

4.5 stars rounded up

Set in 1920's Appalachia, The Woods All Black blends horror, revenge, and erotic romance with a trans protagonist. The tone of this novella is unsettling from near the beginning, and draws on real historical fact to flesh out the world and conflicts. The story follows Leslie, a trans nurse who has been recently assigned to serve a small town rife with religious extremism and fear. He tries to blend in by adopting more feminine attire and attitudes, but the pastor has it out for him and another young trans man being pushed into marriage and "proper" gender roles. But there may be something dark out in the woods nearby...

This was an evocative read that kept me hooked and includes some interesting information about how queer people conceived of themselves during the time period. I'm not entirely sure how I felt about some elements of the ending, but in general it was satisfying and interesting. Definitely worth a look! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Content warnings include homophobia, gender-based violence, sexual assault (off-page), misogyny, death, abortion and unwanted pregnancy, graphic sex including with a non-human formlgbtq16 s Katie332 76

Lee Mandelo really said this one’s for the monsterfuckers. The Woods All Black is a captivating gothic Christian-fundie horror novella. We follow Leslie, a war-hardened nurse, who’s been sent by the Frontier Nursing Service to this back-water Appalachian town of Spar Creek. There, he’s immediately faced with hostile suspicion by this isolated community, drummed to a fervor by the local pastor. And given the setting, something unnerving is lurking at the edges of the woods, evoked beautifully by Lee’s immaculate prose. Without giving much away, there are beasts prowling in the dark, Leslie slowly discovers whether they are friend or foe (see first sentence). Lee’s development of Leslie’s character, a trans man existing in a particularly hostile environment in the 1920s, is fascinatingly portrayed and the historical elements were interesting to learn about. As someone who grew up adjacent to Christian fundamentalists, Mandelo absolutely nails the horrific atmosphere even just one religiously-fervent pastor can wield, to an unnerving degree. I found myself struggling to read at times because of how uncomfortably accurate the zealotry was portrayed and had to stop and restart multiple times. Unfortunately, it means this book hits just a little too close to ever be a favorite, but regardless it is spectacularly written. Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5.

___

4/5

Lee Mandelo really said this one's for the monsterfuckers. Queer af, with delightful gothic writing. The religious horror means this will never be a favorite, but still a fantastic read.2023 gothic lgbtq17 s Frankie544 145

Lee Mandelo has perfected the art of the novella. I genuinely wish more publishers would bring them back.

Spooky, atmospheric, cathartic, satisfying, and deliciously, deliciously queer. It's got a creepy rural town, the dangers of religious fundamentalism, a glimpse at historical queer life, a trans m/m romance, and as you've probably already heard, some no holds barred monsterfucking. Mr Mandelo is truly One of Us.

That said, I would have d if the final act went a little longer. Medyo bitin. And I wanted more time with the supernatural spookiness. Would love to see this author write a full blown novel again.adult-fantasy gothic historical ...more13 s Lottie from book club223 580

the only thing I love more than vicious revenge is monsterfucking so this was always gonna be a winner winner chicken dinnerThis entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewadvance-reading-copy queer read-in-202314 s1 comment gray (my.rainbow.bookshelf)268 50

All I have to say is gaslight, gatekeep, boy-girlboss, and above all else fuck your monstersghostly-gays historical-fic trans-books12 s X785 12

Love some Appalachian horror! A great blend of scary and funny and sexy and violent. Although I don’t think this is quiiite perfect, I enjoy how Mandelo is always trying to DO something. More authors should go for it he does!netgalley-arc tor10 s Kirk178 5

Because of Lee Mandelo’s immersive writing style, I was able to place myself in “The Woods All Black”. I repeatedly said to myself, “This isn’t going to end well.” and “Run. Get out of there!” It’s best to go into the story blind and let the story unfold as it happens. For this novella, my emotions ran the gamut from sadness, disgust, anger, shock to elation. Read if you queer horror. Thanks to Tordotcom Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC.9 s Anna StephensAuthor 33 books658

Wow. An incredibly immersive, deeply creepy, and hugely rage-inducing book about control, patriarchy, arrogance and conformity - and those fey queer creatures who stand against it.

The claustrophobia of the setting pours out of every line, and the sense of otherness perfectly mirrors the 'otherness' of the trans characters, perceived as they are as wicked monsters, while the actual monster is possibly the most human of them all.

A masterclass.7 s1 comment Para (wanderer)390 216

Come for the monsterfucking, stay for cathartic queer revenge.

Oh, I loved this fucked up queer horror novella just as much as I thought I would. I love atmospheric gothic horror with creatures lurking in the woods, though of course, the real horror is the hold Christian fundamentalism has on the community. Any deviation from gender norms is severely punished and Leslie soon finds himself shunned, yet he sticks around, compelled to help a local youth who might be in a similar predicament. There is so, so much justified queer anger in this book, and the ending felt so very right.

All in all, amazing. Would highly recommend.

Enjoyment: 5/5
Execution: 5/5

Content warnings: period-accurate homophobia, transphobia, and racism; religiously motivated bigotry; sexual violence (offscreen)

More on my blog, To Other Worlds.5-stars fantasy historical-fiction ...more7 s Maja31 3

Thank you for this e-arc! You know, I am not a monster-fucker, but the rest of this book was so good that I will ignore it lol. Historical trans angst? Religious nefariousness? Appalachian horror? All great!6 s1 comment h o l l i s 2,557 2,169

To say this has an unexpected element in it would be an.. understatement. Hoo-wee.

Ahem.

So I accidentally went from one WW1 book to another but other than both featuring nurses who had worked on the front lines, and dealt with things few can even imagine, that's really where the similarities end. Because this quickly gets.. uncomfortable. Eerie. Claustrophobic. And, well, all sorts of phobic. This has that small-town bigot patriarchal religious zeal vibe going for it in spades and even in novella form it's a lot. It also, not surprisingly, smashes itself up against the painful realities of what reproductive care and education looked (and that, somehow, in some places, we're stupidly reverting to these days.. insert silent rage-filled scream here). But then, just when you're sitting there seething, fuming, frustrated, things get.. weird. And that's where I'll leave you.

If you dark fantastical horror revenge stories, and very queer ones at that, you should definitely give this a go.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

---

This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.2024-reads abuse arc ...more6 s takeeveryshot 330 1 follower

finally some good transfag content 6 s julia ? [owls reads]1,758 367

Lee Mandelo wrote this book for meeee :D

I seriously cannot begin to tell you how up my alley this book was. The late 1920s setting in Kentucky with all the period-typical awfulness that existed (and still exists!) was the perfect background for Leslie's character and his journey throughout the book. I very much enjoyed all the gender fuckery that happened here with the queer rep and all the different ways people can present and be themselves.

The religious bigotry plot made me so damn angry! as usual with things that. There were some uncomfortable and outright horrible scenes to read through in regard to that. They added so much tension to an already pretty tense book and Mandelo challenged that perfectly within the plot.

Leslie and Stevie's everything hit me right in the gut! Their interactions were my absolute favorite parts of the story, even more so as things progressed and escalated with each passing chapter. Every twist surrounding them was incredibly satisfying to me as a reader and I loooooooved that Mandelo Went There with the weird stuff. This was honestly such an amazing read <35-stars arc favorites ...more5 s sophie492 15

queer, gory, horny and a WILD ride. this is one of the rare novellas i wish was a whole book. the age gap was not it for me (one of them is eighteen :/) but the rest is done SO well. much, much better than feed them silence!! highly recommended, if you read the content warnings first and decide you’re on board. every paranormal/horror romance fan better eat this up or else best-of-2024 horror-etc queer-collection6 s3 comments Ashley2,956 2,052

This is 4.5 stars that I'm rounding down to 4 stars for now, but I might end up rounding up to 5 when I go to write my review. We'll see! More thoughts later. Lots to say about this short book.americana bloody-and-gross class-gender-race ...more5 s Joyfully Jay7,998 462

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.75 stars

This is a dark romance — emphasis on the dark — and comes with strong trigger warnings for religious homophobia, mob violence, gun violence, rape, victim blaming, pregnancy because of rape, murder, attempted murder, abortion, homophobia, death in childbirth, and the shunning and casual cruelty of a small town turning against one of their own. It’s also a story of two kindred souls finding one another, aware of the pain they share between them, and turning fear and loneliness into love. But, again, it’s a dark book and will not be for everyone.

If you enjoy dark stories of revenge and justice — and remember to mind the trigger warnings — this book is definitely something you might enjoy. If you good characters bringing the hand of retribution to bigots, of seeing someone get tired of playing polite turn around and give someone a piece of their mind, and of two kindred spirits finding one another and igniting a bonfire of a glorious reckoning on someone who roundly deserves it, consider reading this book.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.


elizabeth4 s katabaza462 34

„One blood and one flesh” yes yes and one flesh one end bitch (rip leslie he should be reading gideon the ninth not fucking orlando) This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2024-most-anticipated gender-fuckery horror ...more4 s dobbs the dog738 15

Received from NetGalley, thanks!

CW: rape (off page), gore, homophobia, transphobia

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

This was a strange book. I think I've now read most of Lee Mandelo's books and have d them all (Summer Sons being my favourite by far), and I really how unique they each are.

I will admit that it took me A WHILE to get into this one. I found it quite slow for the first half and as you can see if you look at my dates read, it took me forever to get through this novella! But once I got into it, I was in.

This novella takes place during the interwar period in the US, with our MC Leslie being a part of the Frontier Nursing Service, and he has been sent to a very small town in Appalachia, where he will be giving vaccinations, assisting with births, and whatever else may be required of him.

I have read several historical books with trans characters, taking place prior to having our current terminology and they have felt quite different to me. I'm not trans, so it's not really on me to say what is and isn't "right" for trans rep in a historical context, these are just my own thoughts on how it came across to me. So, for me I d how this book spoke about Leslie and how he thought of himself. I also found it interesting that when he meets another trans boy, that Stevie has a different take on things. Leslie is using the terminology that he knows, that he's learned from the queer community, but Stevie, having been raised in this very rural, isolated place, has his own ideas about who he is. I d that as Leslie and Stevie got to know each other they both, maybe not so much questioned, but made realizations about their own identities. Not so much Stevie, he's pretty solid in how he sees himself, but definitely Leslie, in terms of how he sees himself and how he's been playing a particular role that isn't quite right for him, but it's the one he thinks he's supposed to play. Very good stuff.

This is a horror book, but it almost went along the lines of Chuck Tingle horror, in that the horror is the extremely religious, close-minded rural town, as opposed to anything else. And while there is a monster lurking in the dark woods, this book very much asks the question: who is the real monster? net-galley-and-other-arcs trans-rep4 s Tina839 39

An entrancing historical fiction with a fantastical horror bent, The Woods All Black is, at heart, a queer love story with a tinge of “beauty and the beast.”

Leslie, the main character, is female-presenting but he identifies as male. The story is in third person, so whenever Leslie is talked about by others, he is referred to as female, such as people using she/her or calling him “Miss,” but in his point of view, he’s male, so I will be referring to him by his preferred pronoun. (Just in case anyone is confused by that, though it’s really not that confusing.)

the other two Lee Mandelo books I’ve read, this one doesn’t go where you expect. I adored Feed Them Silence, but this one? Wow - this one blew me away.

I love historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on people who never really got a voice back in the day. In this case, Leslie is just trying to live his life and ignore what others think of him. In said life, he’s a nurse who witnessed horrors at the front of WWI and is now tasked with travelling to small towns administering vaccines against stuff polio, but also trying to impart some marital sex advice as well as midwifery if needed.

This particular small town is lorded over by an uber-traditionalist pastor who wants Leslie out of town. He also wants Stevie, another young woman who is questioning her sexuality/sex/gender, to settle down and get married in order to “fix” her.

The horror aspects of the book are pretty light, in truth; it is not a gothic mystery or a creature feature or anything that. This book stays very heavily in the historical fiction camp until it takes a wild turn into horror at the end. Yet, it’s more action with a fantastical bent than horror. It’s not really scary, just a bit gory.

If you love historical fiction, this book is chock-full of details and is very well well-researched. Mandelo doesn’t shy away from the grimy, gross parts of life back then, either. He also makes it clear that not everyone in the town believes the same way as a pastor - there are those who agree with the poster somewhat, those who disagree but stay quiet, those who try to warn Leslie he’s getting into danger, and those who make themselves scarce to avoid persecution themselves. It’s incredibly realistic and makes more of a point about acceptance and how societies function than an entirely evil town out to get the queers. It brings up ideas of power dynamics and mob mentality, as well as highlighting the lack of choice women had about contraception and pregnancy.

Now, where is the beauty and the beast aspect, you’re asking? Well. Those of you who are prone to a particular form of romance novels will be pleasantly surprised by something that happens in the novel. I can understand people finding that scene a bit offputting, but I found it, well … I was into it. In fact, I was , YES!

I also loved the transformative, literally, nature of the horror aspect, and how the book does not fall into the 'bury your gays' trope .

I was entranced by this slow, ponderous, rather melancholy story. Mandelo is becoming one of my favourite authors. horror-light lgbt netgalley ...more3 s coco87 3

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