Unofficial Summary:
Leslie is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek as a nurse. The locals see him as a failed woman, but he believes he can survive anything that is thrown at him.

Something ugly lurks beneath the surface of the town. Violence is bubbling and Leslie must act fast to keep it contained. But Spar Creek has a mind of its own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie doesn’t understand.

Review:
This is one of those books that even if you don’t like it, it’s going to stick with you a long time. The writing is just that powerful and the topics are just that engrossing.

I devoured this novella; it was really well written. The topics covered in this book were hard hitting, and still as relevant in today’s world as they were in the 1920’s when this book was set. This book covered transphobia, hate crimes, religious zealotry, and traditional gender roles among other things.

The writing is top notch and very vivid. Once I started reading, I was hooked from the start and didn’t want to put it down, but because it was a novella I blinked and then it was over. This is one of those books that I didn’t want it to end, but it also ended at the perfect time, it was delicately done and wonderful.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC. I am anticipating reading this soon and reviewing on my socials.

Between the queer revenge/rage storyline and the richly researched 1920s Appalachian setting, I was hooked from beginning to end. The monster design was unique and weird, and overall it was a very satisfying story.

A dark and broody novella, brutal and satisfying in its climax.

There have always been queer, transgender, and non-binary people. Their stories were buried by a canon that pushed them to the back, or misrepresented what they were: "tragedies" or "metaphorical" or blah blah blah. This novella is not interested in rewriting history; it is writing history, albeit by blending real-life horror with the eerie.

I was suggested this by someone on tiktok and they brought up how creepy it is and how its about appellation mountains but they did not bring up that its historical fiction. I should have read the summery. I hate historical fiction so. DNF

I think anyone who is a fan of Lee Mandelo has some idea of what they’re getting into when they pick up a new book by them—queer angst with a heaping helping of beautiful prose. While The Woods All Black is no different in that regard, I do find that it is a major departure in terms of genre. A journey that I am very happy they took.
Ignoring the conclusion in an effort to avoid spoilers, the majority of The Woods All Black is historical fiction. It documents the journey of a trans man, Leslie, as he works for the FNS as a nurse in the 1920s. He is assigned to Spar Creek, an isolated rural town under the thumb of a fanatical preacher. Not only is this story terrifying in how it depicts religious zealotism, but also peer pressure, ostracization, psychological manipulation, and “corrective” behavioural conversion. To counterbalance all of that there is also this distinct emphasis on the destructive force of queer rage and the inevitability of identity and progression.
Ultimately, this is a book to scare and anger you, but not necessarily leave you that way.
While I like The Woods All Black and would certainly recommend it, I would caution potential readers sensitive to instances of misgendering, dead-naming, SA (off page), and just general misunderstanding and blatant bias against trans-identities to be aware that this novel approaches these subjects through a historical lens—meaning all of these things, and more, occur and are normalized within the social structure of the narrative.

Lee Mandelo has a way with creating palpable tension between characters, and this novella was positively bristling with it. Add those character dynamics to a stage rife with religious manipulation and control, and I was chilled to the core. The pacing of the story is perfect, building from discomfort and unease to terror and righteous indignation. I also loved Leslie and Stevie's relationship, and though I do wish we got a little more of it, Mandelo delivered exactly what this story needed, not a moment more or a moment less. This will definitely be a favorite for fans of a horrormance.

(4.25 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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 like 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 <3

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Not gonna lie, wasn't expecting the monster-fucking. The religious bigotry and harsh realities of transphobia in a deeply southern town in 1929? Yeah. Expected all that.

Mandelo writes a perfect novella: know what you want to say, say it really really well, get the fuck outta there. The story moved so fast, I was half finished before I felt like I took a breath.

A star is subtracted because like....idk how I feel about how fast Leslie and Stevie moved, especially knowing what Stevie went through and his young age (18 is an adult, but barely).

"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."

Our battles have been fought before and will be fought again.

This is a short but shocking account of a nurse in 1920s Appalachia. Commenting on the horrible treatment of the queer and trans community, this book will haunt you to your core in its short 150 pages. Les Bruin has been sent to help the people of Spar Creek as a nurse, but when he gets there the town cannot expect that he is trans. Horrific imagery of a church with too much power and a creature that haunts the woods, it takes everything Les has not to abandon his post. Will he make it out alive or will the town get the better of him?

I found the writing incredibly well done. It flowed effortlessly and the author gives the reader a sense of connection with the characters in the book which is what I think makes this so special.

What’s the worst thing about this book? That it had to end. What’s the best thing about this book? That it knew exactly how and when to end.

That’s the power of a well-written novella: Knowing what to say, how to say it, when to end it, and how to end it well.

I have made no secret of the fact The Woods All Black was one of my most-anticipated titles of 2024. Lee Mandelo’s Summer Sons has lived in my head rent-free since I read the ARC and I was beyond excited when this title was announced. Historical horror? Trans romance? Revenge? 1920s? There was absolutely nothing about this book I’m not 100% here for and now that I’ve read it I can confirm it was absolutely everything I hoped it would be and more.

Leslie Bruin, a WWI war nurse, joined up with the Frontier Nursing Service after coming home to America to help keep women and children healthy even if he doesn’t quite agree with the Service’s eugenics-based mission. He means to work around the margins as he travels from posting to posting. His latest posting is taking him to a very rural town in the hills of Appalachia. Unbeknownst to him, things in that town have happened between when his services were requested and when he arrived that have triggered feelings of ill will between him and the town’s inhabitants before he even arrives.

Yes, the messaging writ large in this book surrounds transphobia, hate crimes, religious zealotry, queer love, and traditional gender roles and conformity. What’s also of great interest is the guilt-shame-fear culture of insulated communities like you’d find in isolated areas of Appalachia, where you’ve known everyone that lives there your whole life. It’s that tumult of feelings in your stomach where you can’t tell if you feel guilty for your actions or ashamed, but you’ll never admit you might have been scared.

The writing is haunting, erotic, bloody, and vengeful. It’s not a southern gothic ballad but a southern gothic folk song, full of revenge and blood-soaked honor.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Dark Fantasy/Gothic Fiction/Historical Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/Novella/Occult Horror/Own Voices/Spice Level 2/Standalone/Transgender Romance

Lee Mandelo once again brings the reader into a world that is deliciously vibrant and hauntingly visceral. The forest exists as a creeping element to the backdrop of a community slowly escalating towards a boiling point. While much of the story revolves around the horrors that people can inflict on each other - there's the constant lurking of the darkness just beyond the peripheral. Mandelo does an excellent job at bringing the reader along Leslie's journey as Leslie attempts to make the best of a turbulent situation. The slow unwinding of the story keeps a lovely pace and the imagery it invokes keep the reader immersed. I would highly recommend The Woods All Black to anyone looking for a read that is moving, powerful, and ultimately hopeful.

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 form

It's 1929, and Leslie has been sent by the Frontier Nurse Service to the small Appalachian town of Spar Creek, where he is to administer vaccinations and assist with childbirth and other women's health issues. We learn from the first page that Leslie is transgender (or an invert, as he refers to himself in the language of the day), and while the fire-and-brimstone preacher isn't too excited about modern medicine reaching into the town, he's particularly upset by Leslie's "determination to not be a proper lady." Turns out there's another young trans man in town, and Leslie's arrival doesn't seem to be helping his own survival prospects. Oh, and there's a vicious supernatural creature prowling the woods behind the town, which further sets everyone on edge.

The first two-thirds of this novella ratchet up the realistic tension and terror of close-minded people in powerful positions physically and psychologically torturing these trans characters. But the final third of the book takes a turn that's...well, I'm not sure how well it sits with me. Without going into detail, I'm not sure the author's intention of revenge plays out exactly how he wanted it to. And there's definitely a scene that was disturbing in a not-great way. So as much as I was looking forward to this book (Mandelo's Summer Sons was EXCELLENT), I can't say I particularly enjoyed it when all is said and done.

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 liked them all (Summer Sons being my favourite by far), and I really like 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 liked 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 liked 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?

This is such an atmospheric book. It's dark and foreboding from the start, my absolute favorite flavor. Leslie arrives in a town where he is obviously unwelcome, despite his good intentions toward the health of the community. He's treated more like a devil than a nurse. The tension steadily ramps up until, much like a horror movie, you will want to yell at him, "What are you doing? Get out of there!" I will definitely be reading more from this author.

This was so weird and unhinged, but I really liked it!! I liked the queer representation, the setting was very atmospheric and I loved the writing style! I felt so angry for these characters, so I loved that it was a revenge story! Very satisfying! This book was definitely more social horror than paranormal horror and I was kind of hoping for more of the latter, so thats why it’s closer to a four start for me. Really glad I read it and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

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.)

Like 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 like 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 like 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 like, YES!

I also loved the transformative, literally, nature of the horror aspect, and how the book does not fall into a prevalent trope at the end.

I was entranced by this slow, ponderous, rather melancholy story. Mandelo is becoming one of my favourite authors.

A historical queer horror gem!
As a gender queer person from Kentucky, this book sang to me in so many ways. Despite being in 1929, we unfortunately deal with the same mindset today as Les did with Preacher Holladay and his congregation. The scariest, most disturbing, and hardest parts to read for me weren't the ones dealing with a monster in the woods or the details of Les having to help the dying people around him, it was the moments Les was forced to listen to the preacher spout bible passages about a "woman's place" in the world. Horrifying, pointed, and well done.
I can't claim my favorite parts without spoiling the story completely but there is a romance in this book that is beautiful and weird and I love it.
If you have read What Moves the Dead and are looking for more trans and queer rep, especially queer veteran rep, in historical or pseudo-historical horror, this is the book for you.