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.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.

Leslie Bruin has arrived in Spar Creek on a mission from the Frontier Nursing Service. His goal is to vaccinate the town and perhaps seek out those like him, people viewed as failures of their gender or social outcasts. What he finds is a town against his presence, viewing him as a woman that does not fit his expected roles as a woman, and a preacher determined to remove him. Even more there's a presence in the woods Leslie doesn't understand.

I enjoyed this for the most part. I can see how much research went into it to he historically believable and I acknowledge there is part of it that is representative of a community I am not part of. That being said, as someone who grew up in evangelical churches I cannot tell you how strong of a fear gripped me during the sermons by Pastor Holladay.

What dropped it a little bit for me was the age and experience difference between the two main characters as well the insta-love of it. I get that it was a novella but it wasn't developed enough for me to enjoy.

I really thought I would love this. I mean, it promises revenge and horror, what's not to love?? Apparently, everything. Because in reality, there's not really a single part of this that I would call perfect. Every bit of it needed something more.

Starting with the genre. I know that Appalachian horror is kinda a genre in itself, so I was super excited to dip my toes into it. But sadly, this wasn't a great entry. While it tried so hard to summon up foreboding small-town vibes, it failed. I was looking for an atmosphere similar to Small Favors, and this missed entirely. All of the right components were there, but none of them were done well. The setting felt two-dimensional and false. Maybe if this had been longer we might've gotten a better atmosphere, but I don't have a ton of faith in the author's ability to actually write something truly transportive.

As for the "horror" aspects of The Woods All Black, I would've liked this better if they didn't exist. Because when the final reveal came along, it was massively underwhelming. It felt like a cheap way to get to the "blood-soaked revenge" the synopsis promised. Instead of building throughout the book to a final climax, the horror felt like it just happened and then was done.

And finally, the romance bits. They made me so uncomfy. I'm not sure how large the age gap actually was, but our MMC referring to his love as "his boy" made me wildly uncomfortable. Especially because Stevie was in such a vulnerable position for most of the book. Them jumping directly into a relationship felt weird. I would've preferred it if Leslie served as a mentor/father-figure to Stevie, it would've felt a little less groom-y.

For a surprisingly short book, this felt like it took forever to read. I'm glad to be done with it because it means I can stop thinking about it. This isn't a book I'd recommend to many.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

3.75/5 stars
A dark, fast-paced, and eerie historical novella with a trans romance!!
I recommend this for fans of creepy, is-it-all-in-my-head-or-is-it-supernatural stories. Also great for fans of small town horror where residents of a Puritanical, mob-mentality town get what's coming to them.
My biggest critique is that I wanted a bit more detail and time spent with the witchcraft and magic Stevie ends up using to create his monster form. I thought it was brilliant and well-done just a bit too brief for me.
Definitely going to add this to the collection at work!

I don't think that this was for me. I thought that the premise was great but once I started reading this book something didn't clique. I don't know if it was that the characters in this book were just not the best and if so I don't know if they improve throughout the book. I was hoping for something a little different

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Woods All Black releases March 19, 2024

2.5

It’s the year 1929, and Leslie Bruin is a Frontier Nurse who was requested to come to the Appalachians.

The trans rep in this novella was unique to me in the sense that the way they identified themselves wasn’t really as black and white in ways that more modern depictions are.
While I had no issue comprehending between the main narrative using “he/him” while also having the character present as female and introducing themselves as “miss” at the same time, I can see how it might frustrate other readers.

The downfall was definitely in the strong biblical undertones and monster shapeshifting smut areas — it’s just not something I gravitate towards, though I know there’s an audience for it!
I did find it interesting though how Mandelo used that as a way for Stevie to gradually transition and find their voice.

I am not the target audience for thus book and that may be my fault for requesting. The first half or so was interesting. Not exactly what I'd typically read, however; interesting. The historical aspect of this piece allows the reader to reflect on the intense bigotry and hatred directed toward the queen community both then and now. The last half took a turn that I did not enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I was waiting for the haunted Appalachia of it all and was looking forward to it but it fell flat for me. Overall, like I said, I just don't think I'm the target audience and debated providing feedback at all due to that fact. I do think that someone out there would enjoy this book. The writing was good and the storyline made sense. Just not for me.

This is my first of Lee Mandelo’s works and overall, I really enjoyed it!

The Woods All Black takes place in 19020s Appalachia and follows nurse Leslie Bruin on assignment to Spar Creek. Between vaccinating children and assisting in childbirths, Leslie faces judgement from the religious locals who view him as nothing more than a failed woman and will take extreme measures to take him down.

Leslie soon becomes introduced to a young person who is experiencing the same judgements and religious extremism. Throughout the story, Stevie and Leslie form a bond and stand together to protect each other from the dangers that lurk.

Oh! Also, there’s something haunted in the woods! From historical fiction to trans romance to horror, this book’s got it all!

The Woods All Black was immersive, dark, fast-paced, and, dare I say, a little kinky at the end there? I felt drawn to Leslie almost instantly as Mandelo sets the scene very well. I will say that this book had a lot of topics it wanted to address, and some of those topics felt underdeveloped.

TLDR conclusion: I would recommend this book and Lee Mandelo’s writing style.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review

I requested this book because I loved previous titles by this author, the setting, and potential general weirdness. But I didn't end up loving this one. Perhaps I'm too sensitive to all the nastiness and violence directed at the main character, Leslie, and to Stevie, both queer people in overly religious 1920s rural Kentucky. The writing was great, the characters interesting, the hatred real, but I didn't enjoy spending my time in this place with these people.

Lee Mandelo is quickly shaping up to be one of my favourite horror writers, and this book just cemented his ability to have such a distinctive style of storytelling, while also crafting books that feel individually unique. The combination of trans romance with Appalachian horror in THE WOODS ALL BLACK makes such a compelling and full story in just 160 pages, with a world explored just to the point of making you fear what could be in the woods behind you. There’s nothing terribly surprising in the plot, but it still feels methodical and a little bit like a revelation to see how everything plays out. This book surpassed my expectations and I definitely recommend it!

I can’t say I’ve read a lot of historical horror, but this felt incredibly well-done. Mandelo combines historical evidence to create a trans frontier nurse who goes to a tiny Appalachian town seen by a pastor proclaiming the devil around every corner. The world itself is fictional but working off the truth to make it all the more unsettling. I also absolutely love the ways in which queer history is mixed in with more geographical history, along with different queer perspectives, something that I love seeing in historical fiction and horror alike.

Another really solid element of this book is the characters. Even though some of the relationships in the town weren’t perhaps explored as much as they could have been because of the book’s length as a novella, I think we still got to see some really interesting characters and the degrees of harm they caused to queer or in any way different characters. Also, the main character just had an absolutely fascinating inner dialogue with himself.

All in all, I ended up really enjoying this novella, in some ways more than expected. It carves out its own place within horror and (trans) romance, and it’s aware of the boundaries and information it's working with in the genres it inhabits. Well worth the read.