Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

13 reviews

herelieshenry's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I think Mandelo’s writing is superb and some people will eat this book up—the romance subplot just wasn’t for me and I didn’t expect it going in, so I think I was expecting something slightly different. The atmosphere of dread was very well done though, and the historical Appalachian cadence of the dialogue was stellar. I think I’ll enjoy Mandelo’s other works more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, and War

blacksphinx's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This is the second time I've read a horror novella from Lee Mandelo that I didn't think qualified as horror. I guess it does because it is a rape-revenge story, but it's mainly a historical queer empowerment novella about monsterfucking. Normally I'd love such a thing but our protagonist is so useless though, and 95% of the story would have shaken out the same way if he wasn't there at all. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Dysphoria

Minor: Confinement, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and War

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I liked this! short without feeling rushed, it felt like watching a standalone episode of a very well-made miniseries. i like revenge and i love when oppressed characters get to kill bigots so lots to enjoy here! none of that “but we’d be as bad as them if we fight back” tom foolery; just desserts for the entire town! Oprah-level payback if you will 

@ Sony consider the river scene required reading for the next Venom movie pls & thx

edit: mandelo thanking joon for Indigo in the acknowledgements is so real, apobangpo

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry

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

Minor: Colonisation and War

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

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.

thegayestghost's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I really enjoyed this. My one gripe is I really wish Stevie were older than 18. It makes the sex scenes a little awkward. Besides that it was great!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Not what I expected but in a good way! Preferred the historical horror aspects than the trans romance but still good nonetheless.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Confinement, Sexual assault, and Abortion

hardbackhoarder's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Confinement and Panic attacks/disorders

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Racism, Rape, and War

Additional Content Warnings: Misgendering, war-related PTSD

amandalachelle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Confinement and Excrement

barometz's review

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Lesbophobia