Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo

8 reviews

hilarybuff's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

1.0

Not sure what to say about this one. Did not enjoy, probably should have dnf'd, but kept going because I didn't think it would get worse. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape and Abortion

eklektikam's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Abortion, and War

Minor: Medical content

puncturing_plotlines's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria

Minor: Abortion

sheriffrockyraccoon's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I should note the reason for as low of a score as I gave may be influenced by the several queer literature courses I took over my college career. In this case, the novel felt more like referencing other, fuller novels rather than becoming a fully-fleshed story itself. It does receive a full star for truly committed to monster porn, though.

My main issues come from the main character. Leslie is an outsider looking in, and that meant a lot of character development surrounding love interests, “friends”, and antagonists was not present. I also have a strong distaste for stories that have a bias against rural towns, claiming cities are better. In the case of Leslie, Stevie does call this out at one point but it is hardly acknowledged and does not seem to change his opinion. Of course, yes, this town is evil and the population is truly horrible, but it felt as though I were being told through past stories and dialogue why they were so villainous. I would have liked to see more action between the protagonist and antagonist(s), as much of their scuffles really only came from passive-aggressive comments.

I was also frustrated with the pacing, as we don’t even see the monster until halfway through the story. Most of the book consists of Leslie becoming frustrated with the townspeople and, it is noted several times, being unable to read Woolf’s Orlando. It did drive me crazy how many times this was noted. The last fourth of the story is great, there are very exciting and tense scenes (and monster porn) that truly categorize it as a horror. It is disappointing that we did not get more of it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes queer horror, with an emphasis on queer living. Mandelo’s writing is decent and can be very engaging when something is happening to move the plot forward.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism and Rape

basementofbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

saturdayslaughter's review

dark tense medium-paced

3.75

It was so cool to see all this old timey gay stuff! I had a good time following this war veteran invert through rural town hell. I didn’t really go in expecting erotica, I wish I had, I could have enjoyed anticipating it, but anyway that part was good. The story really ramped up for me, and that climax (ha)! Blood and guts and monster sex! 

I do think the build up could have been more effective, the tension with the townsfolk was oppressive but kind of repetitive. 

(was kind of wild for the epilogue to put them back in an context I recognized where they weren’t being immediately threatened, it made the age dynamic suddenly way more apparent. not a bad thing for the story, but the more you have to think about it the more uncomfortable it is.)

I did find the inclusion of the super natural elements lackluster. I think what I was feeling is that it wasn’t treated like a mystery. I theoretically liked the characters choices around Leslie’s reaction to it and the monster, but I didn’t like how Little reaction to it there was. Like he finds a horrifying gory scene in the woods and after running for his life in the moment he kinda just does not think about it again. There’s like one mention of it afterwards. I would have been fine with that if it had been a bit more explicit that he was avoiding it because of the shellshock or the more immediate threats, but it just felt unaddressed. Overall I felt like something was up with the presentation of the supernatural horror bits. There just wasn’t much there besides dark descriptions of a forest. (also something compromised for me in how connected Stevie supposedly is to the forest, vs his ending leaving. it felt like there could have been more there)

While it didn’t have me wowed the whole way through, I am really happy this book exists. What a cool thing, an explicit and gory queer trans historical piece with reference material listed at the end. What a comfort 

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Rape

(it is a revenge story)

cmd586's review against another edition

At about 2/3 of the way in this became too much like porn for me. I put it down as not for me. I was there for the horror, not the graphic sex. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Outing, and Sexual harassment

caidyn's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.25

Wonderfully queer and creepy. Religious and cursed horror. Didn't love some of the sexual stuff, but that's me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Rape