was it criticized for any reason?
Yes, the  main argument against Lyell is that he took an "a priori" approach in his work.
Principles of Geology
Charles Lyell's "Principles of Geology" was met with a lot of criticism when it was first published. The main argument against Lyell is that he took an "a priori" approach in his work. 
how do some chemicals in plants protect them from their enemies Through allelochemicals  that influence the behavior, growth, or survival of herbivores. name some animals/species that fall under the last-mentioned category. White-tailed deer , elephants, zebras, and giraffes. how would this category be defined? A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. where does the term come from? Herbivore is the anglicized form of a modern Latin coinage, "herbivora," cited in Charles Lyell's 1830 "Principles of Geology." who is this person mentioned here? Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, was a Scottish geologist who demonstrated the power of known natural causes in explaining Earth's history. what are some of his most renowned books? "Principles of Geology" . what did he conclude from studying volcanoes? His conclusions supported gradual building of volcanoes, so-called "backed up-building", as opposed to the upheaval argument supported by other geologists. what were his contributions to the study of glacial features? Lyell proposed that icebergs could be the means of transport for erratics. During periods of global warming, ice breaks off the poles and floats across submerged continents, carrying debris with it, he conjectured. When the iceberg melts, it rains down sediments upon the land. when was his book mentioned above published? From 1830-1833.
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Principles of Geology [SEP] Criticism
Charles Lyell's "Principles of Geology" was met with a lot of criticism when it was first published. The main argument against Lyell is that he took an "a priori" approach in his work. This means that Lyell was pulling from a theoretical idea instead of pulling from empirical evidence to explain what was occurring in the geological world. One opponent of "Principles of Geology" that agreed with this point was Adam Sedgwick. This opposition from Sedgwick comes from his thinking that evidence is all that is needed to support an idea, and that the evidence of geologic events points to a catastrophic event.