Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

5 reviews

livlamentloathe's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book had me on edge the whole time but it’s SO deeply satisfying. I grabbed it without knowing much, just cause I’d liked Summer Sons. And oh man did it overwhelm my expectations!!

HIGH recommend to queers, non-cis queer folk especially. Please enjoy this strange, dark tale of justice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Hate crime, Medical trauma, and Transphobia

Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Gore, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Deadnaming

Minor: Abortion, Death, Homophobia, Confinement, Rape, and Physical abuse

This book does NOT bury its gays. There is a lot of triggering subject matter but trust me when I say it’s worth it for the ending.

emilyceratops's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Excellent!! Perfect amount of spookiness. Some of the hottest sex scenes I've read recently. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual content, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Death

Minor: Abortion, Bullying, and Pregnancy

hardbackhoarder's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The pacing was a bit off - there was a slow build up for the good first 3/4 of the book with a rush of events at the end that felt jumbled in execution.

Was not expecting furry/beastiality? smut which really isn't my thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Murder, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Deadnaming, Cursing, Cannibalism, Blood, Biphobia, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Rape, and Dysphoria

Minor: Confinement and Panic attacks/disorders

thecriticalreader's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The Run-Down: The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo is an exquisitely imagined historical horror romance that delivers a gritty, feral catharsis. 

 

Review: 

Lee Mandelo has done the unimaginable with The Woods All Black. In just 150 pages, he has created an immersive, historically detailed trans romance horror story. The novella follows Leslie, a nurse from the Frontier Nursing Service assigned to provide vaccination and other health services to an isolated religious Appalachian town called Spar’s Creek. Leslie puts up with the town’s distrustful attitude toward him in order to help a young resident, Stevie, whom he recognizes as a gender- nonconforming kindred spirit. As the residents grow increasingly hostile toward Leslie and Stevie for failing to act like proper God-fearing women, Leslie finds himself embroiled in a conflict that involves forces beyond his comprehension.

 

It's rare to find a piece of queer historical fiction that does not simply transplant modern ideas about gender and queerness into a historical setting. While there is nothing inherently wrong about this approach from a storytelling perspective, it does promote a rather limited and inaccurate understanding of the past. By contrast, The Woods All Black makes a genuine attempt to reimagine queerness and gender nonconformity as its characters might have understood it. For example, the book’s protagonist identifies as a female “invert,” a sexual identity popularized in the late 1920s that in today’s understanding of gender and sexuality might be most akin to a he/him lesbian or transmasc nonbinary identity. Furthermore, Mandelo’s extensive historical research—combined with his sharp imagination— lends this book a remarkable sense of historical realism. At the same time, however, he manages to craft a story that is both affirming and relevant to the present, and modern queer readers will see parts of themselves represented in these characters. 

 

Despite the book’s short length, The Woods All Black never seems rushed or underdeveloped. On the contrary, its characters come alive on the page with remarkable depth. The steady pacing contributes to the ever-increasing narrative tension, which is released in a brutal, cathartic climax. Mandelo’s writing rejoices in a gritty, animalistic version of trans masculinity—a tender ferocity borne of a lifetime of societal oppression and constraint. The graphic nature of this book won’t be for everyone, but for those who need this narrative, it will be a blessing they didn’t know they needed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Homophobia, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Medical content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Abortion, Confinement, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape, War, and Racism

Additional Content Warnings: Misgendering, war-related PTSD

amandalachelle's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Abortion, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, War, Violence, Transphobia, and Rape

Minor: Excrement and Confinement