Castle on the Hill: Secrets

by Lloyd A. Green

It is the year 2067 and the Dimensional Art High School, with its uniquely designed technology, has reopened its doors. Ethan and Dora discover one another at D.A.H.S. but their blossoming relationship is interrupted by unscrupulous forces. Someone is scheming to experiment on those who attend the innovative school and gossip has it that a restless entity walks the hallowed hallways. Love and deception find a home at the well-known castle.

Castle on the Hill: Secrets, is a paranormal story set in the old Music & Art High School building, which still exists in Manhattan. This book is a must-read for anyone who reminisces about the warm experiences of high school. Dare to figure out the secrets of The Castle.

236 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

I spent my first few decades growing up in New York City and I continue to be amazed by it's diversity. I was blessed to have had the opportunity to develop as an artist at Music & Art High School. I then attended the City College of New York where I received a degree in psychology. For the the pass thirty years I've worked with the less fortunate who are intellectually disabled. I've got two wonderful daughters who keep me on my toes and a mate who has helped me to see sides of friendship and love that I did not know existed. My stories explore the poignant memories of my early years and the familiar hauntings of the dark side of fiction.

Reviews

[Lloyd Andrew Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Only after you accept that you must die, will you understand that you can live forever."

Take four high school students who have an ever-increasing interest in one another, add a brilliant-but-mad scientist with a creation/immortality obsession, and then top it off with spirits that desperately need to find a host. Mix them all together and you have Castle on the Hill: Secrets, a young adult sci-fi novella filled with conflicts and challenges with secrets around every corner. Will the young adventures survive? The answers lie within the not so hallowed walls of the Castle on the Hill.

http://lloydagreen.com/castle-on-the-...

[Sarah Kirwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

STAYED FOR THE PLOT!

Firstly the plot is amazing!
Set in the future? ✔️
Ghost? ✔️
Science for Art? ✔️
Long lost love? ✔️
Childhood friends to lovers? ✔️

The thing that was confusing and/or challenging where the characters, their development was subpar and rushed, dialogue often felt disjointed, inconclusive and bland. With this said I really enjoyed disliking Professor Stone.

This was definitely a plot driven novel and I do look forward to reading the second book in the Chronicles of the WELL series (Beyond the Castle on the Hill)

Thanks HiddenGemsBook for this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a mother of two teenagers, a teacher, and most importantly in this case, an avid reader, I was captivated by the description of the book. I was a little disappointed as the book began and I struggled some with sentence structure issues or missing words, however, I choose to keep trying and am glad I did. Overall, these issues caught my attention about four times but did not take away from the storyline. They did, however, impact my rating.

Dora starts a new school for art but it isn't art like we know it. This is futuristic art created by the mind and even then there is only a small number of the population who are gifted in this art. At school Dora makes new friends and connects with an old friend. Meanwhile, Dora deals with her feelings towards her father who for many years has prioritized work over relationships. All of this collides for Dora and her friends and they must make some ethical decisions. This book is about advanced technology but also the feelings of a typical girl.

I was given a free copy of this book but this is an honest review. If you enjoy young adult books, this is a book for you.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was provided to me at no charge, and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
Castle on The Hill: Secrets is awkward. The story is disjointed and stilted. The characters are poorly fleshed out. The dialog is random, and not in a good way. The writing itself is poorly edited. This book has been on the market for almost 3 years, and there's still a "than/then" error. This author is either very lazy, or he had a bad editor. I'm allowing it two stars because I read the entire book. I didn't understand it, but I read it.

[H.M. Gooden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy and have voluntarily reviewed this book. I found the book confusing at times and sometimes the plot and dialogue lagged. The characters were ok, but sometimes felt like foils to the plot instead of as well drawn as they could have been. This book has immense potential but because of this I couldn’t give it 4 stars as I thought it may have deserved

[Leslie Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC for a honest review. This book was very well written. Ethan and Dora had great personalities. I loved the science that was incorporated into the story. Recommend

[Justine Wach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh My God! The book was so good. The plot was strong, the characterization was amazing. Everything was great. Firstly, I am interested to the book when the synopsis mentioned about long lost love which is one of my favorite love story. The plot was strong like I have mentioned before however, the beginning of the book was slow. The tension wasnt there; I dont really bother with Professor Stone and all in the beginning. The uprising part was marvelous. The climax and ending was beyond. I loved how the book ended. I was impatient to know what happened next. I liked how the author wrote about Ethans monologue, it instantly made us know this was the guy that used to play with Dora a long time ago. After reading that chapter, I was like this was it the hero was here. Dora and Grace were amazing friends, no complaints about that. Everything was good. I liked how the author wrote about Dora and Ethan became close and all, it just made us felt that connection between them after being separated for such a long time. I liked how the chapters about Dora and Professor Stone become alternate, one chapter we were fine and happy and the next chapter gave us the suspense about the newest experiments and the newest conclusions. I was eager to know what happened next because every chapter ended with such a beautiful way that gave us suspense, everything was hanging; I am dying to know what happened next. And the same thing applied to the history of the school and Professor Stones W.E.L.L. experiments. Lets talk about characters now. There were no complaints about the characters. Everyone was flawless and especially Ethan. I loved how Ethan characters were strong from the beginning till the end of the book. He was a genius since he was young and throughout the book he continued to blossom. I like the idea of the book which was set up in 2067 which the machines did everything started from closing the doors to S.D.T.; a system that students used in school. Overall, the book was amazing. I like the new idea of 2067 and how the book being presented as something from the future and modern.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Castle on the Hill: Secrets, by Lloyd Green, is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel set in the future that follows a rekindling romance between Dora and Ethan. The couple had last seen each other when they were eight years old, playing together in Doras garden, but Ethan's family moved away after an incident in Dora's fathers lab and they did not see each other again until fate brought them back together at the Dimensional Arts High School. When Dora's father reaches out to Ethan regarding an experiment he has been studying, Ethan quickly unravels Professor Stone's hidden agenda, but is his knowledge enough to save them? This is a story full futuristic technology, ghosts, a possibly semi-mad scientist, and enough romance to make you say awwwww!!!

The writing style of the story flowed nicely and plot was very interesting. I did feel that some information was missing in some parts, that left me feeling a little confused about what was going on, but it wasnt enough to ruin the book for me. I think the author does a great job in building this futuristic world for his audience, but that there could have been just a little more information in some parts to better help the reader understand certain aspects. All in all I loved the story. I felt that the characters were all detailed with enough back story to allow the reader to fully understand the current day relationships between them all, and I also felt that they developed well past their back stories. I would definitely recommend this to those that enjoy the sci-fi/fantasy genre and it is safe for all ages.

[Julie Baswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dora’s father, Professor Stone, was a brilliant scientist, but not much of a father. When she got older, Dora was accepted into a specialized school for the arts called the Castle, of which Professor Stone was instrumental in bringing about. There, she reacquaints herself with her old friend Ethan. When Ethan confides that he is currently working on a project with Professor Stone, Dora is concerned. But even being careful doesn’t prevent the unthinkable from happening.

This sci-fi read had plenty of secrets going on. I liked the futuristic setting, and felt that it was indeed achievable. But I felt like the relationship between Dora and Ethan was lacking. I didn’t feel the closeness that was supposed to be there. Nevertheless, I was entertained.

[Traci · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

I tried. I really tried. I thought I could get past the poor editing and the clunky dialogue, but I just can't. I only made it to page 50. Well, really, I was going to stop somewhere about 35 but I was reading on my lunch and didn't have anything else. Maybe with some editing and realistic dialogue (what teenager calls another a "rumpkisser"?) it could be a mildly intriguing YA novel, but as it stands it's just not good.

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core story was a good one but the execution is a little off. I found it to be drawn out and the characters lacked depth. With a little editing this could be a fantastoc story