Creighton Hill: a book review

All righty!!! Today I get the privilege of giving you my review of Morgan's book, Creighton Hill, released this past Monday. But first, an excerpt:

 "No one can mysteriously disappear leaving no trace. It isn't realistic."
  " You're right, Emily," her grandfather said thoughtfully. "It isn't realistic. However, a good many things happen in this world that are not realistic, things supernatural."

Emily, Allen, Jill, Joey, and Anna have grown up on their grandfather's tales of ancestors who mysteriously disappeared from Creighton Hill, the plantation home that has been in their family for centuries. When Grampa's death forces them to move into Creighton Hill, the truth about the supposed disappearances is the first thing on their minds. Allen, Jill, Joey, and Anna's, that is. As for Emily, why must they keep at their supernatural hogwash?

Could it be that their family really does just have an unusual history of early deaths? Most people seem to think so. But Grampa's research has uncovered something different.

When mysterious writing matching descriptions found in ancient accounts begins appearing to the children, they know something's up. they must find out what really happened to their ancestors, and work together to discover the reason behind the mysterious writings.

Creighton Hill is the first book of the Time Captive trilogy, a tale of faith, family, fantasy, and a fight for truth and freedom.           

My Score: 5/5!!

The Book: I have read and enjoyed Morgan's first two books, and Creighton Hill is no exception. The plot is made up of mysterious disappearances in a family, with a child vanishing every 20 years. No one knows why or how; they're with family one day and gone the next.

The settings take place in several time periods and go between our world and the land of Calhortz. There is a lot of back and forth, but it is easy to follow. The characters have been written so well that it is easy to begin thinking of them as real people. 

The style of Creighton Hill makes me think of C.S. Lewis' beloved Narnia books. The traveling to other lands, a land in need of freedom from evil rulers, and the help coming in the form of strangers from another land. This book has something for everyone; and this is just the first book in the trilogy!! Book 2 has a planned release for this Fall. 

The Characters:
 I enjoyed getting to read about the different characters, but I think my favorite is Abigail. She is the second one in the family to disappear. Her time period is 1820 (Jane Austen!!!) and plays the violin. If I had to pick a favorite character from the 4 main children, I think I would pick Joey. He has a sweet relationship with most of his family. He and Emily do have a troubled relationship, though. Emily is bitter and quick to find fault. Joey seeks to defend his siblings, but that is often through irritating Emily and distracting her from the other children. 
As I said earlier, the characters are very well written and can easily be seen as real people. The antagonists and heroes have been well cast and play their parts extremely well. The story is well rounded, the switches from character to character is smooth, and they are completely believable.

About the Author

Morgan Elizabeth Huneke is a homeschool graduate who lives in Georgia. She has enjoyed creating characters and writing stories since early childhood. Her other interests include reading, playing the piano and violin, and politics. She is the author of Across the Stars and The Experiment.

Thanks for reading my review! I've started reading a new series called "The Selection" and have finished the first 4 books. New material = more posts =)

Katelyn