"Hill of the Angels" is a rather short historical novel about the British Civil War.

The two protagonists were both interesting enough, coming from different backgrounds and experiencing different problems during the Civil War, but, due to the length of the novel, neither one is all that well-developed. The side characters get even less development, making it hard to care when they die.

I haven't read too many books on the Civil War yet, so the storyline itself was rather interesting and I liked that the novel focused on the conflicts that could grow within the same family.

Overall, this is a decent historical novel about a gruesome part of British history.

This was another one of my outstanding NetGalley review books that I decided to go ahead and read. I started reading this some time last year, but became bored of the content and stopped. However, looking back I had already read a third of the book, so I thought finishing this somewhat short read wouldn’t take too much of my time. I’m glad to say it was pretty quick to finish!

As I read, I realized that one of the reasons I had some issue with this book was the two different perspectives that this story was told. Both Abigail’s and Grace’s voices were very similar and it was hard to distinguish one from the other. It could be because they were girls of similar age and were best friends. However, their similar tones made some of the reading unenjoyable since I had to keep reminding myself which name belonged to which storyline.

The plot was fine, but the lull I felt leads me to believe that it was a fairly slow beginning. Once the civil war began, the storyline picked up and many scenes were exciting and quick to read. I was able to feel some emotions, which is always a plus. However, I didn’t care for the amount of death that happened here. Of course, during warring times, death rises exponentially, but it seemed several of the deaths were fairly “convenient” in a way for the story. This means that I felt the author killed off some characters to get rid of some adversity that kept the friendship apart.

Along with the uneven plot, I found the ending to be extremely rushed. For one, years end up passing with minimal acknowledgement. Secondly, so much happens at once, I had to re-read a couple of the ending short chapters to make sure I actually read what I just read.

As a warning, there are some deaths, destruction of sacred sites and items, and hitting young girls. Nothing is too gory or over-explained, except for the destruction of a church might be a bit much for those who hold churches in high regards (I felt very disgusted reading this part).

Overall, this was another “okay” read where it has its positives, but does have some areas of concern.I might recommend this to young adults who enjoy historical fiction that focuses on some of the struggles during a civil war.

Hill of the Angels (Paperback)
by Sue Mayfield
This is an interesting look at human nature in a time period that has not been looked at from the point of view of the little man. The 1600’s was a tumultuous time of Civil War in England. The powers that be, King Charles I, and the leader of the Parliament Cromwell have fought a battle of wits and supporters that ends in the king’s death. The characters in this book follow the life of a Minister's daughter and a sharecropper's daughter. The former is a child of a priest come to the imaginary town that is caught in the push and pull of the King and Parliament. The later is the daughter whose family is divided between supporting one side or the other. The tragedy of Civil War even that time was what divide people neighbor from neighbor, brother from brother, where no one really wins, and everyone pays a hefty price for ideals that are far over their heads. I think this is a great book for history buffs, and teachers a great book with characters that will be relate-able to young adult readers.

I am sorry but this book did nothing for me - I struggled to get through it.

Hill of Angels is different from what I envisioned, yet I enjoyed it to the very end. It is told in first person but from from two perspectives, that of Abigail Booth and Grace Fowler. Each chapter switches between the two girls as they tell their story. I found this a little confusing for the first few chapters but soon became engulfed in the two perspectives. What starts as an innocent friendship soon becomes stories of survival as the friends are torn apart by the beliefs of their family members. It was the two perspectives that gave life to the story. It is easy to focus on one perspective and believe it to be utterly truth. That is, until one hears the other side of the same argument. This is what I found most interesting in this novel.

To read of a civil war, written of friends yet from different perspectives, gave me an understanding of the impact war has on friendships and families. Amongst these perspectives was a historical writing of a civil war, which is highlighted in the documentation following the story. The writing of this novel has been cleverly presented in a manner that takes the reader deep into each character and family, while writing of historical events.

I give this author credit for the brilliance of her writing. The perspective analysis of each character; the family bonds; the friendship that although torn is never forgotten; and the historical elements, all make this a great read.

AMAZING! It's not easy to write a book from a child's point of view but the author nailed! It perfectly well-written and unforgettable. A total recommendation!

was an enjoyable book to read. for me it was a little slow to start, but became more interesting about halfway through. love that the 2 main characters came from different stations in life and became friends and kept their friendship.