Leslie Bruin is a trans nurse assigned to work at Spar Creek, a small Appalachian mining town. However, when he arrives, the townsfolk are closed off and secretive, and he can't help but feel a strange presence watching him from the woods.

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo paints an unsettling historical horror that explores queerness, religious trauma, and survival.

First off, this is a wonderfully atmospheric read. You can practically feel the mugginess of a late Kentucky summer and really get a sense of the late 20s time period.

However, there were several aspects I didn’t enjoy as much. For starters, this book is a slow burn. For about 40% of the novella, Leslie isn’t receiving tasks from the townsfolk and instead spends his time passively waiting and listening to town gossip. I wish he could have tried to assist with helping around (and get turned away) or investigate the town’s mystery or at least something!

Moreover, we’re told hints that the land Spar Creek sits on is strange through dialogue, but what did all those hints amount to? We never actual get an explanation of the town’s origins asides from the people there needing to keep altars for whatever reason, and I really wish we could’ve gotten more backstory and that it had leaned stronger into folk horror territory.

Yes, Leslie and Stevie’s character arcs feel satisfying and well done and I've got to give kudos for the raw monster sex in the woods, but the actual mystery subplot feels half-forgotten at the end and leaves so many questions unanswered.

Overall, I didn't love this book as much as Summer Sons, but I do really hope to read more historical horror from Mandelo in the future.

The Woods All Black has a lot going for it. Lee Mandelos prose is continuously vibrant and emotional. The setting and themes surrounding this story are strong, if a common one in trans and gay literature.
The church are violent hypocrites grasping at their proverbs and hyms to subdue a small population under their control. We’ve got the resident rebel, and the new one who comes with ideas of freedom and self expression.
What it turns into is revenge porn. (And monster fucking, which I did not expect). It felt quite self indulgent, which is not a bad thing.
This is going to be cathartic and an enjoyable read for people who need it, but it was not for me!

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo has been a completely unexpected and gorgeous experience. I was expecting Appalachian creature horror to haunt my nightmares. Instead I got a stunning story of revenge, trans resilience, and the ancient atmosphere of a person rooted in the mountain range. With a gory, chaotic, hauntingly beautiful romance to round it out, this should be on every queer horror enthusiasts TBR.

What stood out to me the most was the unexpected turn the scenery of the Appalachian mountains. When I think of the Appalachian mountains, I imagine creatures out of my worst nightmare, shutting the blinds tight before the sun goes down, and never answering the door once the sun sets. So to say that was y expectation walking into this would b an understatement. Instead, Lee Mandelo took a path of respect and adoration I could have never imagined. The setting was such a pivotal background point of the story that wasn’t fully acknowledged until half way through, but the beauty of it is apparent from the beginning.

The Appalachian mountain range is one of the oldest mountain ranges. The reputation it has gained as a haunting and dangerous place is reflected in it’s age. But this story paints it in a space of ethereal beauty. Not something to be toyed with, but something powerful and stepped in sacrifice.

That is exactly the image portrayed in both the setting and our love interest, Stevie. We spend the story following Leslie, a trans man who has been requested in a rural Appalachian town as a nurse. When he arrives he is scorned and basically exiled all while watching religious horrors prepare to be unfolded on another trans boy in town, Stevie.

While Leslie is desperately worried, and attracted, to Stevie, he is connecting with the land and causing chaos. Gotta love him for it.

Stevie quickly becomes the most mysterious and interesting character in the story, carrying rage and revenge on the wind whispering through the trees. He is dynamic, transforms both physically and mentally in just a short period of time, and he carries the story as a whole.

His relationships with himself, his family, the woods, and Leslie are difficult to understand at first, giving the story an air of mystery while working through the severe religious abuse throughout the town. Stevie pushes Leslie throughout the story to stand up for himself, breaking free and supporting the rage and revenge coursing through his veins.

It is a stunning dynamic of brutality and care that seems to be well preserved in trans horror as a genre.

Another crucial aspect of the story to acknowledge is that it is definitely 18+ with some gore forward sex scenes towards the end of the story. They are beautifully done, encapsulating the beauty and power behind trans sex. Lee Mandelo presents the trans body as a piece of art, embracing each aspect of it while still acknowledging the individual comfort of each character. As someone who often doesn’t like gore of any variety, the gore in this story felt like true art. Like a series of paintings I would hang in my house. Gore fueled by rage, revenge, love, and resilience is an intense and important image for the trans community and I loved every second of it.

If you are looking for a trans romantic horror filled to the brim with revenge and blanketed in the ancient air of the forest, this is for you. For lovers of All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes and Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White, this atmospheric tale will quench your thirst for vengeance and adoration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

This book is a masterclass in queer horror.

The novel is set in 1920s Appalachia and follows Leslie Bruin, a transgender nurse, who is hired by a small town to administer vaccines and assist in midwifery. However, it is clear as soon as Leslie gets into town that he is not welcome and that the town has fallen into a well know trap of small town religious extremism. But Leslie is determined to help people, particularly once he meets a kindred spirit falling victim to the town's violence. However, as the tension in the town builds, so too does the strange activity in the woods that surrounds it.

This is a book that perfectly understands its genre. The book is filled with gorgeous prose that feels very Appalachian, filled with turns of phrase and an overall tone that melds beautifully with the setting. It captures the horror of small town life for trans people, where even though there's clearly supernatural horror going on in the woods surrounding Spur Creek, it never quite matches the constant tension created by bigotry and the real threat of violence from everyone living around you. It's a tension known all too well by queer people, especially trans people. Without getting into spoilers, this book also provides a really compelling take on the relationship queer people have to monsters and monstrousness. It feels very much in conversation with all of the stories queer people have about resonating with villains, monsters, and the Other across horror media.

The queer representation in this book is very well done. The narrative does an excellent job of balancing multiple pronouns. Leslie's internal dialogue uses he/him and masculine words and is such a clear contrast to the townsfolk using very feminine language for him. It's also very refreshing to read a book where a trans person continues to pass as their assigned gender, but also has been out long enough that they have a very clear understanding of power dynamics and how to play with gender to suit their needs. The romantic elements of this book are not tame or chaste. They are intense and intimate and very very spicy. And the spice is very gender affirming.

This book is not going to appeal to every reader, nor should it. It is unashamed about what it is and who it is for. It's rare that a book hits so many marks for me, but Lee Mandelo really hit it out of the park with this one for me.

I enjoyed Summer Sons. So I was pretty excited to see a new title The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo.
As usual the writing style is my absolute favorite. I don’t know how Lee Mandelo does it but he is a phenomenal writer.
I was absolutely hooked, this story has everything you want.
The Author's way of writing draws you in like a warm blanket, comforting as much as it creeps. Utterly fantastic.

Thank You NetGalley and Tordotcom for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Lee Mandelo you will always be famous to me!!!! I'm a big fan of his previous two works, and I'm thrilled that this one continues the trend. This novella follows Leslie, a transmasc nurse with the Frontier Nursing Service who gets stationed in small town Appalachia in the early 1900s. To be honest, the first 3/4 of the.novella was pretty standard us-against-them religious holler bigotry against Leslie and Stevie, another trans guy in town. I was actually a little disappointed that it was, for me, feeling rote and lacking the Mandelo flair. The last 1/4 delivered though. I think people are going to really hate it (and judging by some of the other reviews, they do lol) but I loved it. Queer Appalachian body horror, sign me up. I think some folks in other reviews are profoundly misunderstanding what it is like to be isolated and queer and viciously angry and meeting someone else who is like you, and how the lines of sexuality and identity can be blurry.

Either way, I loved this one, and I will continue to pick up everything Mandelo writes in the future.

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 like 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 like 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 like 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 those that love tales of revenge!

*ARC from publisher.*

"Spill enough blood on it and the earth was bound to go strange."

A nurse is sent to a clannish Appalachian town to vaccinate the local citizenry, and help with expectant mothers in an area where infant mortality is high.

To say the least . . . he does not receive a warm reception.

I see that I'm in the minority in NOT loving this one, so I'll attempt to explain why the book didn't do much for me.

I felt as though I was being held at a distance by the writer. I don't know if it was to build an air of mystery or what, but it kept me from caring much about the characters. While there's some beautiful writing here, the author started to build suspense, and then . . . nothing happened. For a horror novel, I didn't really find the book creepy or scary. And, I never really got the townsfolk's immediate hostility toward Leslie. Did they sense his sexual ambiguity, or did they just not cotton to outsiders of any stripe? I did find it funny (funny ha-ha), however, that unlike our modern-day ignorant hicks, this bunch was more than willing to get vaccinations. Wow! Look how far we haven't come . . .

The Woods All Black is a book that wound up to be something way different than what I thought it was going to be. The synopsis is deceitful because excuse me, there is monster and human sexual encounters. There is NOTHING in the synopsis about that happening. This reader thought this would be a horror thriller that's set in a historical era post World War I about a transgender male who is placed in a small town Appalachia, who is heavily influenced by religion. NOT expecting to read about a monster who is created and then has sex with a human.

Separate from the monster sex, I think this book could have been something greater. They story could have expanded in some ways, but yes it's a novella. The main character is slightly annoying, but that's understandable in a world that is set back from the rest of the world that they have experienced, they are just doing their best. Some of the timeline of the other characters in the background seem a little fuzzy. But overall, the story (minus the monster thing) was good. A solid 4 stars.

However, the monster and human physical interaction... That totally ruins it for me. Therefore, I am rating it a 2 out of 5 stars. If another reader wants to figure out the pages that this physical interaction occurs and other mentions of it in the future for others, then please feel free. This story is not something I could freely recommend versus other stories out there. It will live in my mind to recommend to those who are bit more freaky outside the usual norm.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Lee Mandelo for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Woods All Black is a short, impactful novella set in 1920s Appalachia. Leslie is a transgender former army nurse whose job has sent him to a rural, closed off town of Spar Creek. There is something unsettling about the town and its fiery preacher that sets him on edge, even after the horrors of the trenches in World War I.

This book tells such a complete story and touches on so many complex topics despite its short length. I really enjoyed the perspective of a historical LGBTQ character, and admittedly, didn’t really know much about the experiences of transgender individuals in the past. The author provided a list of sources used in their research and further reading suggestions in their acknowledgements, which is such a nice resource. There were some unexpected moments in the story that really surprised me, and it is quite violent at times, so check CW!

Lee Mandelo is an author that I automatically read. His debut novel Summer Sons is one of my favorites of all time. The Woods All Black is a southern historical horror novella that is slow to the build up but knows how to give the reader the pay off. The pacing fills the reader with dread, knowing something terrible is going to happen in the town of Spar Creek. But what’s coming? A reckoning. That’s what.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for this ARC. This was a creepy and disturbing story. I very much enjoyed this small snippet of historical horror set in 1920s Appalachia. Coming in around 150 pages it is also a quick read.

The Woods All Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.75)

It’s 1920 and Leslie just got assigned a nursing job in small backwoods town of Spar Creek. The problem is the preacher of this town immediately hates gender non conforming Leslie on sight. This disdain is the deciding factor in how the town feels and interacts with Leslie. Even as Leslie puts on a act of a good Christian woman the town refuses his help. Making his job impossible to do!
Then we meet Stevie who is just like Leslie. Leslie try’s helping Stevie escape the town, even as he realizes there’s more going on with the boy than meets the eye. But when the preacher and the town take things too far the only solution might be to burn it all down.

The Woods All Black does an incredible job blending horror, revenge, religious extremism and an erotic romance! And yes there’s some good ol monster fucking!

Lee also incorporates so much of his queer historical knowledge into this book. It adds so much depth to the book! We get some historical facts about how some queer people self labeled during that time period as well as how they lived and blended in with society! I was also very excited to see Lee do a story in Appalachia! Trans people have a long history there so I’m loving seeing trans authors writing about it!!
But what Lee did a little too well for me personally was the religious extremism and the preacher. So many times I felt like I was sitting in that church house and it added so much to the horror aspects for me! Anytime the preacher was on page I was on the edge of my seat.

This book took so many elements that I love and so seamlessly and effortlessly incorporated them to create a unsettling and rage filled story! This is a must read especially if you love a little “the monsters they made us” type queer story!

Lee Mandelo continues a streak of excellent books. I will be recommending this to so many, including our Genre Fiction book club

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯."

I stayed ten minutes with my pen poised over the paper trying to find a more... professional way to start this review; but it's my review after all, and I'll write it however I please. With that: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 is HOT! In both senses of the word.

Set in 1920's Appalachia, this novella follows Leslie Bruin, a FNS nurse assigned to the small town of Spar Creek to inoculate the population and help deliver babies. Unfortunately for Les, this close-knit community led by an infuriating preacher shows only contempt towards him and his 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 ways. And as something strange brews in the woods, tensions peak around the explosive behaviour of one Stevie Mattingly, a boy Les has been trying his damned best to help.

This T4T historical horror is everything I could have ever asked for. It's got a rural american setting surrounded by woods and sticky heat (I told you it was hot! I'll let you discover the second meaning of it by yourself, though); queer characters trying to survive while dealing with Frontier PTSD and bigoted religious communities; and, more importantly, MONSTROUS TRANS RAGE (I finished it feeling like I could tear a transphobe's throat with my teeth).
The prose is lush and plunges you right into the skin of Les as he navigates his way around this hostile town for 140 pages; and you will not want to put this book down.

It's evident Lee Mandelo did a lot of research for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, but it's blended so well in the story, it only serves to make it feel realer. You get a glimpse into the lives of queer folks in 1920's America, and it makes you want to read more of it.

This is a new favourite for me, and a full five stars! Leslie and Stevie will stay with me for a long, long time. I'm also very excited to discover Mandelo's other works.

Thank you so much to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for a review!

So, let me start with saying that I’m a huge fan of Lee Mandelo and “Summer Sons” is one of my all time favourites! Needles to say I was very excited for another release. Unfortunately, I’m left a bit underwhelmed… Not to say the book was bad by any means, but for me at least, it fell flat and wasn’t at all memorable.

The Woods All Black is a historical, queer horror set in 1920s Appalachia that gives an unsettling and claustrophobic feeling from the very first pages. Leslie, a trans nurse is assigned to Spar Creek for the usual work - vaccinations, birthing babies, and helping the townsfolk with any medical needs. Once there, he’s met by the churchy bigots, led by their extremist priest. The priest, of course, has it out for Leslie from the moment he shows up, as well as for another young trans town-boy.
The setting of the story was one of the main reasons I decided to reach for it. A creepy, religious, small town in Appalachia, surrounded by dark woods makes for a perfect horror backdrop. And yet, I feel like it didn’t quite reach its potential. For a horror, there wasn’t a whole lot of horror - I wanted more of the creepiness, I wanted more of town secrets, I wanted to feel the fear in my GUT. As far as the plot goes, not a lot happens for a big part of the book, the entire action takes place in the last 10%. It DOES take a wild turn at the end, I will give it that! (Lee really said it’s a win for monsterfuckers today 😜)
There were parts of it I enjoyed - the queerness, the setting, the authors wonderful gothic writing and the gory revenge plot! Nothing makes me rage quite like religious bigotry so I was glad they got what was coming to them!

But, as I mentioned before, there is something missing that would make this book great. Maybe if it was longer, the author would be able to flesh out the creepy atmosphere better and the characters wouldn’t feel so one-dimensional.

Lee Mandelo is one of my favourite authors of all time, and this one certainly did not disappoint! Unsettling, riveting, and absolutely gorgeously written, I will be coming back to reread this one often.

Okay wow, the minute I picked this up and got a couple chapters in, it was impossible to set down! Mandelo knows how to craft a story that keeps you engaged. I was immersed in this historical setting, the eerie feeling building up until the end. I do think my own Exvangelical background fed into the emotional response I felt reading this - the sermons and holier-than-thou attitude of the townspeople really got to me. I will say the romance part is the one plotline that felt weakest and at times made me uncomfortable. Sheerly because of the age gap and situation that they met, it felt both too fast and a bit like Leslie might've taken advantage of the vulnerable situation Stevie was in.
But other than that? An incredible read. I finished this in one day!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite the read. I was so interested in this book and the synopsis really drew me in, but the execution was just a mess.

The pacing felt off and the characters felt flat and unconvincing and there was one part in particular that really caught me off guard and left me thinking WTF (IYKYK) and all of the true 'horror' in this didn't happen until the last 10%.

Overall, I just felt like The Woods All Black didn't know what it wanted to be, it was mostly historical fiction, little bit of romance and little bit of horror whereas I wish it had just picked one of those to do really well.
However, this book mainly has 4 star rating so it may just not be for me.

The Woods All Black is what I imagine would happen if a Jenna Parton painting came to life: familiar, yet off-kilter, deliciously haunted and eerie. The worldbuilding in combination with the historical research immersed me in the narrative from page 1. Each turn of the page had me feeling like someone was just behind me, looking over my shoulder, following me.
I inhaled this book and could have spent 100 more pages with Les, but the brevity of the narration felt all the more impactful.
If you have loved Mandelo’s previous work, this won’t disappoint. Highly recommended for fans of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass,

Also, minor spoiler:
Obsessed, fully obsessed with the surprise Monster Fucking. A W for the Monster Fuckers.