Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

6 reviews

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

ryanandrew23's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, Homophobia, Death, Transphobia, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

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

barometz's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Misogyny, Violence, Animal death, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cannibalism, Abortion, War, Cursing, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria

Minor: Lesbophobia

moonyreadsbystarlight's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.75

The main character, Leslie, is an invert traveling through Kentucky in the 1920s on duty as a nurse, to give vaccines and provide care around childbirth. This begins as more of a historical novel. Leslie is assigned to provide care and vaccines in a small town Appalachian. He receives unprecedented religious pushback in the town, which complicates his job and potentially his livelihood. But there are people he is determined to help before he leaves. 

The horror element slowly builds as the woods are clearly more than they seem. So much of the story culminates towards the end, making this a bit of a slower burn, but trust that it ends with a bang. 

The blurb promises "historical horror, trans romance, and bloodsoaked revenge" and most certainly delivers on all in more ways than I was anticipating (it gets gruesome and spicy, but also I can see where Madelo's writing style was impacted by the time in which he is writing.).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Homophobia, Violence, War, Gore, Abortion, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

margaret's review against another edition

dark tense

5.0

*screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming and*

Lee Mandelo said is anyone going to find homoeroticism in the monstrous and then didn't wait for an answer 

so like. THE WOODS ALL BLACK is basically a perfect novella?? and I don't know what to do with myself now that I've read it??

the story follows Leslie Bruin, a nurse traveling to a small town in 1927 Appalachia to administer vaccinations and health care. viewed as a woman, he is greeted with hostility by the townspeople who consider any deviation from the norm to be dangerous. throughout the 160 or so pages, an eerie, unsettling atmosphere underpins a story that asks: who are the true monsters - the ones who dare to live as themselves, or the ones who would force them back into the boxes prescribed upon them since birth?

this book has so much to say about queerness and transness, intolerance and complicity, justice and revenge. it breaks apart every expectation I had going in. I personally love when queer historical books allow their characters to be undefinable by modern standards, because even today's labels of gender and sexuality are imperfect and limiting. 

I can't tell you how many times I screamed aloud while reading this, and after I finished I had to pace around my apartment for ten minutes. it was horrifying and sickening and satisfying and cathartic; I wanted to burst with how much I loved it and how awful (complimentary) it was. plus, lee mandelo's writing is SO gorgeous. this cements him as a favorite author for me, and this as one of my new favorite novellas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Medical content, Gore, Transphobia, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Animal death, Rape, and Cannibalism