#the woods all black

[transbookoftheday]

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him—but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares.

Something ugly festers within the local congregation, and its malice has focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills enfolding Spar Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand.

The Woods All Black is a story of passion, prejudice, and power — an Appalachian period piece that explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small-town religiosity, and the necessity of fighting tooth and claw to live as who you truly are.

[libraryofbaxobab]

April 5, 2024:

I... hesitate to call this horror. It's more like tense historical fiction that suddenly veers into fantasy territory. This certainly does not merit the title or cover art, which imply this should be about 17th-century witches, instead of a 1920s nurse fighting for the right to wear pants. I don't know. I liked it for sure, I just wouldn't say it evokes the feelings I associate with horror. Maybe that means I'm desensitized.

The conflict is mostly transphobes vs healthcare, and while that's horrifying in real life, it's also pretty mundane. This is for fans of Upright Women Wanted (Sarah Gailey) with an added power fantasy attached, and a main character who occupies the same gender-space as Alex Easton in the Sworn Soldier series (T. Kingfisher).

You could absolutely market this as a dark paranormal T4T romance. I liked seeing sexual tension between two trans men! I don't usually get that, and they switch who is bottom so that's cool. And the rumors are true: Monsterfucking.

7/10 #WhatsKenyaReading

[lgbtqreads]

Fave Five: Trans Historical Fiction

The Companion by EE Ottoman Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall Bonus: These are all Adult, but in YA, check out The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White Double Bonus: Coming in 2024, The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

[fancifulpurposelesslovely]

Dedication in The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (2024)

[drowninginabactatank]

When you return a library book, pick up a reservation and then end up with 7 more books 🤣

They are selling ex-library books for charity, fill a bag for $5 so of course I had to grab some!

🔸️Tinder by Sally Gardner.

🔸️The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo.

🔸️The Gossamer Mage by Julie E Czerneda.

🔸️Afterwalkers by Tom Becker.

🔸️Magisterium: The Golden Tower & Magisterium: The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

🔸️Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

[whatcha-reading-today]

The Woods All Black | Lee Mandelo

Um hello this is an insane book. It's short, brutal, and a great ride. I've read all of Mandelo's works and I think this might be my favorite. Leslie was wonderfully described and is a great MC. The Appalachian setting was fantastic (though I did want a bit more oomph from the setting, I think in a longer book the environment could have really had some time to breathe). But there's some wonderful violence at the end and multiple on page depictions of queer sex...one that...I won't spoil it but it's wild. The author's note at the end says this book was inspired by Hannibal and BTS and it shows in a very VERY good way.

Format: Physical copy

Read in: June 2024

Favorite 2024

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

goodreads

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him—but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares. Something ugly festers within the local congregation, and its malice has focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills enfolding Spar Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand. The Woods All Black is a story of passion, prejudice, and power — an Appalachian period piece that explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small-town religiosity, and the necessity of fighting tooth and claw to live as who you truly are.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book yet, but it sounds really, really interesting!

[bringinghometherain]

I tore through this book in like 3 days IT'S SO GOOD! Queer, horror, horny, Appalachia, it has it all baby!!!!

[contracat25]

Ok a day late, but here is my TBR for the Trans Rights Readathon! Am I going to read all of these? No probably not, but these are the ones that I am working on/thinking about. I have already started Dead Collections and Self Made Boys and am enjoying them. I'm also re-listening to Light from Uncommon Stars for a book club, which has been a delight. The others are a mix of books, ebooks, and audiobooks that I am really excited to get to.

Like last year, I'll donate some money per book I read to a local group or two near me.

Tbr:

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman

Pluralities by Avi Silver

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

Wild Geese by Soula Emmanuel

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

The Heart Break Bakery by A. R. Capetta

High Maintenance by S.A. Chant

Self Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore

[bensbooks]

Upcoming in 2024: The Woods All Black

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him—but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares. Something ugly festers within the local congregation, and its malice has focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills enfolding Spar Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand.

The Woods All Black is an adult historic queer horror novella, set for release March 19!

[judgingbooksbycovers]

The Woods All Black

By Lee Mandelo.

[surprisinglycurvaciousbatman]

Forever and a day late posting this, but I went to Lee Mandelo’s book release party at Carmichael’s last month and this pin is possibly the best book swag I’ve ever gotten in my life???

[fancifulpurposelesslovely]

The Woods All Black

Holy shit holy shit holy shit. Anyway.

[lilibetbombshell]

[siereads]

The Woods All Black Review

Rating: 5/5

*I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*

I don't know what I expected going into this book. The first half met my preconceived notions with each new layer of information and then it all veered off heavily in a way I had not expected. Which is mostly to say monster fucking but, you know what, kind of here for it. If that's not your jam, however, be warned that it does happen just past the 3/4 mark.

With that little warning out of the way…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It really takes the concept of "I'll become the monster you made me out to be" and flips it into a bid for justice and freedom instead of pure villainy. And what a ride it is to that sweet release of finally being completely free. Free to exist as you are and with the person you love.

The story was, at times, uncomfortable but the resilience of Leslie and Stevie throughout was absolutely flawless. The deep-seated exhaustion of contained rage and playing nice countered by the brash, in-your-face refusal to back down was a wonderfully written balancing act and the way it colors the interactions between Leslie and Stevie is enough to draw you in and keep you invested in the blooming trust they find in each other.

The setting was fantastic. Even without much description for most of the characters, it was easy to get a rather clear picture of who they were and how loathsome much of the town was. The descriptions of the woods and creek, on the other hand, were so vivid that it almost felt like being there myself (which has only further increased my unease of strange woods at night, so props and thanks for that).

I would absolutely recommend this book without question or hesitation.