Tales of Oakwood Hall

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Caley Reid grew up without a home or family, an orphan in a system that was too busy protecting the children it watched over to actually care for them. To her, the words “family” and “home” carry a profound sense of loss and longing. She poured those feelings into her studies, walling herself off from the world and her emotions, becoming one of the best students her orphanage - and later her university - had ever had the pleasure of teaching.

When she learns that her father has recently died, and that she is now due to come into her inheritance, it shakes her to the core. Desperate to learn about the family just beyond her reach, she puts her studies on hold to follow the trail her unknown parents have left for her.

Now she must learn the secrets of her mother’s ancestral home…a home beyond her wildest dreams, a town where she can find her roots, and a community eager to welcome her home.

But home, family, and community come with responsibilities. Some of those responsibilities seem straightforward; others, she'll just have to figure out as she goes. And some of them just might kill her...

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: MagusJosh

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 539
Views: 158,289

Chapters(90 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

RoyalEclipseRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is slower paced, but fittingly so, it delivered what it set out to deliver and then gracefully bowed out when the time came. There are barely any lore dumps instead a lot is told through exposition, the story is well crafted, the characters feel real and its just a pleasure overall.
It's a vast contrast when compared to a lot of the other novels on here which drag on for hundreds of chapters not achieving anything.
Short, sweet and fulfilling, easiest five star rating of my life.
It's just a shame there isn't more, though it seems there wasn't enough interest for the author to continue, and the story feel like the first book of a trilogy. However it is still a self contained adventure and a pleasant read.
Good job wordsmith.
BurlinDWRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An excellent story that I sincerely hope is the beginning of a longer series.
The protagonist is sensible without being robotic and her reactions to having her world turned upside down are believable.
The world seems to be well-built. My one complaint here is that we only get to see glimpses of it (which is why I hope this is just the beginning).
The pace the story sets is somewhat slow, but I think that it fits the character-focused approach to storytelling that the author took.
DjRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love his work and have read all of his books this is a more slower pace series it kinda reminds me of Dresden files anyways it is a solid story with great grammar. The story is done with a chance to continue. Now if you can't handle a slower story this isn't for you however if you want a solid story with a solid magic system that follows it's own rules then this book is for you
Jeff HellewellRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is one of those stories I felt like I've read before. The whole story flows so smoothly. It was like going camping to a new place.. only to get there and reasise it is the long lost favorite spot from your youth. I really enjoy this author's writing.
Thx for the good stories.
JoethomasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of the best written stories I have ever read on this site. It takes a while to get going but has very interesting worldbuilding and a fun MC. In particular, the author does a great job weaving in folklore and supernatural into normal reality. Can't wait to see where the story will go from here.
TheLeakingPenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The newest entry from an already well loved author, Nexus follows a lot of the classic story tropes, but is determined to make them all it's own.
Our MC Caley is an orphan who has grown up like many of us, trying to find her path in life, working on who she is. And then who she is is thrown into a whirlwind as she discovers she was NOT an orphan, and is the inheritor of a vast and powerful magic, one desired by many, and entrusted to her for it's protection. In the story, Caley learns and grows, through tribulations and successes, and finds herself, finally, at home.
The characters are all unique and well written with their own clear voices. The dialouge and body language reveals much about every character and makes it clear who is speaking at any one time.
The writing is clear and typo free, the work of a veteran of the written word who understands grammar and how best to use it in telling a story.
The prose is tightly writtten, this is a novel being released serially, as opposed to a serial novel, and is paced like a traditional book. The story follows a lot of classic formulas, but doesn't fear to strike out in new and entertaining ways.
Spend a weekend with Caley, Sparkle, Ken, D.T., and the other friends and inhabitants of Oakwood hall. You won't regret it.
ModernDayCassandraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Nexus is a competently written story that absolutely nails the sense of magic I enjoy from a fantasy story. The magic feels magical, the fantastic creatures are fantastic, and the non-magical characters are all enjoyable as well.
The grammar is all in order, I was never dragged out of the story because of awkward grammar or punctuation.
Don't expect numbers or blue boxes, this isn't that kind of story.
PotassiumRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is not a typical story for this site. This is not an LitRPG. This is not an isekai. This is not an OP protagonist growing ever more OP every chapter. This is the beggininh of what promises to be an wonderful fantasy fiction, well-written, with an well-constructed world. Grammar is excellent. Truly recommended.
orbennRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is overall an excellent story of a young woman Caley learning that magic exists and being thrust firmly into its side of the world. While the plot also includes a well crafted arc about becoming more powerful and heroic, the story is rather slow paced and focuses most of its time on Caley's emotional struggles to handle the things she learns and must become, as well as the journey of the handful of new relationships she develops and seeks comfort in with a small supporting cast.
The setting is also excellent and takes pains to remain mysterious and unquantifiable. Magic in this story is medium-soft: there are a few rules which seem clear, but it's also clear that exceptions are everywhere and the limits are unknown, likely unknowable, and perhaps not even static. It's not so unclear that the main character ever pulls things without introduction and foreshadowing, but definitely vague enough that any number of things could happen next.
This story is very well rounded as a completed work. It definitely also begs for a sequel with a tone and pace that is evolved to match Caley's newfound growth, increased ability, responsibility, and resilience. Here's hoping to see that someday.
Alari_BlackmoonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is an early review, since there ain't much still published to comment about, but I followed MagusJosh through two fictions already and I can confidently say that I saw only a wonderful writer growth.
Still, while I said there ain't much of this still, what we see set up in Nexus, with its early chapters, is the potential to a very variegated story with a lot of different events and resolutions. While the wider plot eludes me (again, only 7 chapters out), what I read and the title says it all. This is Nexus, an intersection, with ever winding branches to come and go to. The intrinsic potential of the liberty those settings can give the author, while needing to be carefully expanded about (they're a doble edged sword), are too tentalizing to skip and I'm confident in the author to pull it off.
Give it a try, or wait it out to let chapters pile up, but definetly check it in on your bookmarks or read later. And while you wait, go check you Josh earliest work or it's younger sibling, the gem that is and see for yourselves the growth of this great author.