Ticker

powered by Surfing Waves

Saturday, June 22, 2024


Review: THE WOODS ALL BLACK by Lee Mandelo

 


Book Details

Title: The Woods All Black
Author: Lee Mandelo
Publisher: Tordotcom
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
Genre(s): Adult, LGBT, Romance, Historical
Pages: 153
Bookshop Affiliate Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9781250790316
     

Reading Details

Finish Date: January 26, 2024
Format: Physical
Representation: Transgender
Trigger/Content Warnings: Transphobia, Religious Bigotry, Gore, Violence, Rape, Abortion


Rating: 4.5

Favorite Quote/Scene: 
"...get out of here. Fast as you can."

Review: 
I’ve not read a book by Lee Mandelo before but when I saw the description for this book, especially the T4T part, I was instantly interested. I wanted to know about these complex characters, especially in a historical setting.

This book did take me a bit to get into originally, but I don’t think it was an issue with the writing. The book was appropriately paced, I just struggled with reading at the time. I did really like the flow of the book. Despite being a relatively short read, there was enough time between the beginning to the end to explore the world and the complexities without rushing through it all.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. You spend most of the book with Leslie, a nurse that was assigned to Spar Creek. I really liked him because it’s clear that he doesn’t love his job because of the restrictions, but that he also really wants to help people. Our other main character is Stevie a young person born and raised in Spar Creek. We get much less time with him, but I liked him. Stubborn and refusing to be beat down by the town that has changed so much in the past few years.

This was a very engaging novel and, once my brain got into it, I was fully entrenched in the mystery surrounding Spar Creek. I wanted to know more about the characters and the land they were on and what led to the town being so different. I was pleasantly happy with the answers that I received because honestly, it made sense to me.

After reading this book I am absolutely going to read more of Lee Mandelo’s books. His writing style was engaging and fantastical and I absolutely adored it! I think this was a good start for me because it wasn’t overly long, nor did it have a whole lot of world-building that I had to absorb. It had really interesting characters that I would have happily spent 100 more pages with, but didn’t feel flat even accounting for the length of the book.




Disclaimer: I am a bookshop.org affiliate and may earn a commision on books bought using the link on my page.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Interview with Jaimie N. Schock, author of THE TALISMAN WAR series

  Today's interview is with Jaimie N. Schock! Her Talisman War series sounds absolutely fantastic! I hope everyone enjoys ...