Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - The Woods All Black

sexy werewolf novel complete with beast-mode erotic scenes. I was not prepared for this and the tone of the story seemed to shift quite dramatically toward the end. I'm glad our two trans masc protagonists got their happy ending but I just wish the book was longer and had delved deeper into the characters and the lore behind the werewolf.

As it is, it felt rush and the best, magical parts seemed to have been skimmed over in favor of the sensual scenes.

An interesting historical read with a dash of the paranormal.

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madscientistcat's review

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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dehydratedfarmer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

TLDR: The trans romance promised in the synopsis is between the 30-year-old main character and an 18-year-old boy with trauma. If the book had been advertised as "trans age-gap monster-fucking Appalachian small-town religious bigotry historical revenge horror," it would have reached its ideal audience.

I loved Summer Sons, and I really wanted to love this book. Transmasc/T4T Appalachian gothic horror sounded like the book of my dreams, and that is indeed a true descriptor for The Woods All Black, but there were a couple things I couldn't get past.

I'd taken a look at the content warnings previously, but I didn't discover an important detail until too late. There were warning signs when the main character Leslie was first revealed to be 30, and later, Stevie as 18, but it still caught me off guard later on because I simply didn't think the story would go there. Leslie and Stevie start a sexual relationship, all the while with Leslie continuing to refer to Stevie as "boy" and "youth." While Stevie is technically a legal adult, the severe age gap personally made me uncomfortable, especially considering Stevie's vulnerable and traumatized status (which becomes increasingly clear as his backstory is revealed). My bad for not doing enough research in an attempt not to spoil the book for myself, I guess.

Structurally, The Woods All Black seems to meander like the many backwoods trails described within it, while the advertised horror remains an underlying element that feels more like creepy atmospheric background than active suspense — though it did ramp up toward the end. The trans representation was good, if painful to read in a setting constrained by 1920s bigotry, and it was interesting to experience the perspective of a trans person before much of the modern-day language to describe queer identities was available. The book's atmosphere feels true to its historical setting, touching upon issues of oppression and societal expectations common to that era, but many of the characters were flat and lacked defining features, while the overarching plot was vague and largely directionless.

Oh, and there was graphic monster fucking. Multiple pages of it. Which wasn't even what bothered me, just was completely unexpected in a huh, well that's happening now kind of way. If the book had been advertised as "trans age-gap monster-fucking Appalachian small-town religious bigotry historical revenge horror," it would have reached its ideal audience, which was not me, unfortunately. Someone will dearly love this book, and I'm happy for them.

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skelepen's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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zalilymoan's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

Es un romance T4T enmarcado en el horror de la gringolandia durante la gran depresión y los valores puritanos. Entrañable, divertido, pero a ratos duro de leer por la violencia con la que combaten y

afortunadamente sobreviven y salen muy victoriosos.

Ojalá el autor nos regale más historias con este duo.

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