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Devil’s Oak: Waking the Feminine Wound
Devil’s Oak: Waking the Feminine Wound is a short story collection that features strong female characters against a backdrop of ghosts, fairy tales, and urban legends. The thirteen stories subvert the historical narrative of women in fairy tales, positioning them as bold and willing to step into the face of danger. Story summaries below:
“The Braided Veil” features a young orphan in Victorian New Orleans who seeks revenge upon her mother’s abuser.
“Devil’s Oak” addresses the horrors of slavery through the eyes of a young girl who learns that her family owned human beings.
“Good Little Girls” takes readers back to childhood in which a sick girl explores her neighbor’s attic on a stormy day; she discovers more than she bargained for.
“The Game” features relational aggression in the 1990’s in a “mean girls” style that takes a grisly turn.
“Selkie Skin” leans into Celtic lore, following a young pregnant girl who longs for freedom. “The Ripper Society” reaches back through time to Jack the Ripper’s wife, who discovers his misdeeds and takes matters into her own hands.
“She Has Seen the Wolf” is a longer story that connects to my novel, The Butterfly Circle; when a graduate student learns she is pregnant, she uncovers her family’s connected history to a haunted home for unwed mothers.
In “Roots in the Cove,” a woman in an unhealthy relationship shapeshifts into a bear on a trip to Gatlinburg and finally finds her freedom.
Both “Marsh Girl” and “Cicadas in the Suburbs” explore the psychological challenges of suburban life, including postpartum depression and the longing for the magic of youth.
In “Honey Tree,” a divorced woman seeks comfort from the bees, and in “Crow Woman,” a widow faces metaphorical death and is reborn.
Finally, “Ghost Apples” is a retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the queen; she shapeshifts into a wolf to protect a young girl who has been attacked and seeks revenge upon her abuser.
This book will be published in October 2025 as epub, paperback, and hardcover.
To purchase epub, paperback or hardcover copies, see the purchase link on our Goodreads page https://www.goodreads.com/mtopenpress
“The Braided Veil” features a young orphan in Victorian New Orleans who seeks revenge upon her mother’s abuser.
“Devil’s Oak” addresses the horrors of slavery through the eyes of a young girl who learns that her family owned human beings.
“Good Little Girls” takes readers back to childhood in which a sick girl explores her neighbor’s attic on a stormy day; she discovers more than she bargained for.
“The Game” features relational aggression in the 1990’s in a “mean girls” style that takes a grisly turn.
“Selkie Skin” leans into Celtic lore, following a young pregnant girl who longs for freedom. “The Ripper Society” reaches back through time to Jack the Ripper’s wife, who discovers his misdeeds and takes matters into her own hands.
“She Has Seen the Wolf” is a longer story that connects to my novel, The Butterfly Circle; when a graduate student learns she is pregnant, she uncovers her family’s connected history to a haunted home for unwed mothers.
In “Roots in the Cove,” a woman in an unhealthy relationship shapeshifts into a bear on a trip to Gatlinburg and finally finds her freedom.
Both “Marsh Girl” and “Cicadas in the Suburbs” explore the psychological challenges of suburban life, including postpartum depression and the longing for the magic of youth.
In “Honey Tree,” a divorced woman seeks comfort from the bees, and in “Crow Woman,” a widow faces metaphorical death and is reborn.
Finally, “Ghost Apples” is a retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the queen; she shapeshifts into a wolf to protect a young girl who has been attacked and seeks revenge upon her abuser.
This book will be published in October 2025 as epub, paperback, and hardcover.
To purchase epub, paperback or hardcover copies, see the purchase link on our Goodreads page https://www.goodreads.com/mtopenpress
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Published October 15, 2025
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About the author
Mary Carroll Leoson
2 books9 followersLeoson is a Pushcart Nominee and Member of the Horror Writers Association who specializes in paranormal, historical, and literary horror fiction. The Butterfly Circle, the first book in a trilogy, was published in July of 2023 by Manta Press. Leoson's writing has also been featured in the The Lost Librarian's Grave Anthology, Castabout's Halloween Anthology, Free Spirit Historic Tales Anthology, Twisted Vine Literary Journal, Coffin Bell Journal, Untoward Magazine, Underwood Press' Horror Journal ("Black Works"), GNU Journal, The Gyara Journal, Genre: Urban Arts, and Obra/Artifact. She holds a Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy & Literature, an MFA in Fiction, an MA in English, and an MS in Psychology. When she's not writing about ghosts or co-hosting the podcast Exhuming the Bones (Ohio Chapter of the Horror Writers Association), she teaches English composition, literature, and creative writing at the college level in Nashville, TN. You can learn more at www.maryleoson.com
For an inside look at The Butterfly Circle and the next two books in the trilogy, check out this interview on Exhuming the Bones: https://exhumingthebones.buzzsprout.c...
For an inside look at The Butterfly Circle and the next two books in the trilogy, check out this interview on Exhuming the Bones: https://exhumingthebones.buzzsprout.c...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 1, 2025
I find myself gravitating towards and in search of stories (whether it's film, books, social media, podcasts), told by women, about women. I also have a deep appreciation for writing that takes on trauma, tragedy, and truth. That is why the title alone, Devil's Oak: Walking the Feminine Wound, was enough to draw me eagerly in to read an advance review copy.
The book has several aspects that I think work very well. The first is that it is a short story collection. With the age of social media and "micro stories" constantly at our finger tips, I feel as though short story collections are still not given the proper platform that they should. While there is nothing instant, easy, or vapid about these beautifully written stories, I loved the experience of reading one after another, knowing there would be many to follow. The second aspect I really enjoyed was the structure, as the collection is broken up into sections: Maiden, Mother, Crone. Each phase of a woman's life is accompanied by a specific kind of pain that is exquisitely captured through different lives and POVs. The theme of pain permeates the collection, which is to be expected when the word "wound" is in the title. Alongside that, and even more importantly, is strength. While several of the characters are victims of horrific actions or situations, they are more than that; they have agency, intelligence, resourcefulness, justified anger, sacrifice, resilience, and complex flaws and emotions that give them depth and make their stories impactful.
Leoson's mastery of tone and atmosphere make this collection an enthralling experience from beginning to end. It is the perfect book to read on a Midwest autumn evening, as leaves fall, wind moans, and Winter looms just around the corner, with its threat of darkness and an unshakable cold. It made me wish I'd been sitting by a fireplace, a cup of tea in hand, snuggled under blankets, a pretense of physical safety, though my heart was far from safe.
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
The book has several aspects that I think work very well. The first is that it is a short story collection. With the age of social media and "micro stories" constantly at our finger tips, I feel as though short story collections are still not given the proper platform that they should. While there is nothing instant, easy, or vapid about these beautifully written stories, I loved the experience of reading one after another, knowing there would be many to follow. The second aspect I really enjoyed was the structure, as the collection is broken up into sections: Maiden, Mother, Crone. Each phase of a woman's life is accompanied by a specific kind of pain that is exquisitely captured through different lives and POVs. The theme of pain permeates the collection, which is to be expected when the word "wound" is in the title. Alongside that, and even more importantly, is strength. While several of the characters are victims of horrific actions or situations, they are more than that; they have agency, intelligence, resourcefulness, justified anger, sacrifice, resilience, and complex flaws and emotions that give them depth and make their stories impactful.
Leoson's mastery of tone and atmosphere make this collection an enthralling experience from beginning to end. It is the perfect book to read on a Midwest autumn evening, as leaves fall, wind moans, and Winter looms just around the corner, with its threat of darkness and an unshakable cold. It made me wish I'd been sitting by a fireplace, a cup of tea in hand, snuggled under blankets, a pretense of physical safety, though my heart was far from safe.
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
September 15, 2025
ARC review - Devil’s Oaks by Mary Carroll Leoson
This is the kind of short story collection that lures you in with curiosity and leaves you glancing over your shoulder. Each story gets darker, creepier, and more deliciously twisted - and I was hooked from the first page.
So many questions that will never be answered throughout me tapping my kindle - Was that little girl really her daughter in “The Good Little Girls”? And what about the missing body in “the Game”? Don’t even get me started on “Selkie Skin” — that mother reveal had me clutching my kindle like I there will be a corrupt file.
But the one that broke me - “She Has Seen the Wolf”. Picture this: I’m reading it in my spa pool at night, and suddenly my security lights start flashing on and off. I bolted inside faster than you can say “urban legend.” If a book can spook you out of the water, you know it’s doing its job.
“Roots in the Cove” left me desperate to know what happened to Veronica, while “The Marsh Girl”, “Cicadas in the Suburbs”, and “Crow Woman” are just begging for a Netflix miniseries. These stories creep under your skin and stay there.
If you like your short fiction sharp, unsettling, and unforgettable…welcome to Devil’s Oaks.
✨ Huge thank you to BookSirens and Mary Carroll Leoson for the Advanced Readers Copy of Devil’s Oaks in exchange for my honest review.
This is the kind of short story collection that lures you in with curiosity and leaves you glancing over your shoulder. Each story gets darker, creepier, and more deliciously twisted - and I was hooked from the first page.
So many questions that will never be answered throughout me tapping my kindle - Was that little girl really her daughter in “The Good Little Girls”? And what about the missing body in “the Game”? Don’t even get me started on “Selkie Skin” — that mother reveal had me clutching my kindle like I there will be a corrupt file.
But the one that broke me - “She Has Seen the Wolf”. Picture this: I’m reading it in my spa pool at night, and suddenly my security lights start flashing on and off. I bolted inside faster than you can say “urban legend.” If a book can spook you out of the water, you know it’s doing its job.
“Roots in the Cove” left me desperate to know what happened to Veronica, while “The Marsh Girl”, “Cicadas in the Suburbs”, and “Crow Woman” are just begging for a Netflix miniseries. These stories creep under your skin and stay there.
If you like your short fiction sharp, unsettling, and unforgettable…welcome to Devil’s Oaks.
✨ Huge thank you to BookSirens and Mary Carroll Leoson for the Advanced Readers Copy of Devil’s Oaks in exchange for my honest review.
August 28, 2025
I really enjoyed getting into this collection of stories and how it uses the theme perfectly, each story was everything that I was wanting and enjoyed that it wasn't just known legends or fairy tales. The writing of Mary Carroll Leoson was so well done and enjoyed the entire package of this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 28, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was pleased this "feminine" centric collection wasn't too heavy handed as I find anything that forces viewpoints on the reader unappealing.
It's a decent read with a couple of duds and a couple of stand outs, which is usual for short story collections but I do have a problem with the editing as it stands. Many of the stories are littered with errors of one kind of another which is grating. As an ARC this is forgivable and hopefully the issues will be corrected. I did feel bad all the stories very atmospheric which is a talent not all writers have.
I was pleased this "feminine" centric collection wasn't too heavy handed as I find anything that forces viewpoints on the reader unappealing.
It's a decent read with a couple of duds and a couple of stand outs, which is usual for short story collections but I do have a problem with the editing as it stands. Many of the stories are littered with errors of one kind of another which is grating. As an ARC this is forgivable and hopefully the issues will be corrected. I did feel bad all the stories very atmospheric which is a talent not all writers have.
August 30, 2025
Most short stories in this book didn't live up to my expectations. But there were some that kinda light up the feminist within me. I enjoyed the last short story the most.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews