The book really showed that there was a lot of research, which is something I admire and love. I hate when retellings are not considerate of their sources. Even though it was action packed, it felt a bit slow sometimes, but still, I enjoyed the book. Great for fans of Greek mythology and accuracy regarding historical or mythical details. I love it!

The author clearly had conducted a ton of research for this novel. However the pacing and the style of the story was not for me. It just dragged on and didn’t keep me interested

Action packed and a massive thrill ride in parts but also slower paced (and unnecessarily so!) in others. A period of history I did not know much about but overall, not one for me.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Very slow-paced and action-driven story; it’s very obvious from the get-go that the author has put a lot of research and love into writing this. It felt a little dense at times, so many things were happening, however I enjoyed reading this. Greek mythology has always fascinated me.

Absolutely fantastic. I admit this is one of my favourite periods of history but it was a fantastic read. Historical detail spot on & characters meaningful. First class.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Hades by Mark Knowles lives and breathes greek mythology and it’ll be a fantastic read for, I believe, experts of the field.

I appreciated to list of introductions to the story’s elements at the beginning, though I had to turn back to it more than once to remember were, what, and who are we talking about.

Given that, I found it a slightly more challenging read, because my background in greek mythology is not extensive.

However, when cross-checking facts on online, I can tell that Mark Knowles has gone above and beyond to accurately integrate and represent greek mythology wholeheartedly in his story.

As mentioned by others, there were times where the story could pick up the pace, yet maybe perhaps that’s something enthusiasts are looking for.

This is the first I've read by this author. Now, while I liked his writing style and the story was interesting. I feel it kept dragging on and on in some of the scenes. Nevertheless, I love that this author had so much knowledge about Greek mythology and incorporated his research into this book. The book is action-packed and slow-paced. If you love fast-paced books, this is not the book for you. However, if you love books that take their time and are filled with action scenes, this is the book for you. Personally, I would have loved a faster pace with this book.

This is obviously a work of passion for the author. You can feel the amount of research and dedication he has put into it.

It's slower paced than other Hades books I've read and told in multiple, short POVs. Usually that makes for a faster read but I think the pacing is what drew this one out. It's not a bad read but you definitely want to take your time to enjoy it.

I love books that are linked with mythology, particularly Greek mythology. There’s just something about it that scratches an itch in my brain, I can’t explain it.

You can tell by reading this book that the author put a lot of love and research into this. I feel like though I know a lot about mythology already, I learnt a lot just from reading.

Hades brought all the great elements that you would want when reading something like this.

This was slow-paced and action-driven which I personally don’t usually enjoy but I think this was done extremely well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First, I want to thank Netgalley and the author for an ARC to review.

I do not like not finishing a book. There is only one other book I did not finish, yet this book is to be added to that list.

I have similar feedback to those who have provided reviews before me. The story is well thought out but it is confusing upon having no context of the other books. There are so many characters - and while I appreciate the glossary/guide of those mainly mentioned, it still was very dizzying to have to scroll back and forth. And even doing so did not provide much context. I think this book would absolutely benefit from having a more fleshed out glossary of key players so that the book can stand a chance on its own.

I'm saddened because you can feel the author's passion, and I feel that early reviwers really would have benefited from having access to earlier books.

I am distraught in providing a lower rating, but it was a struggle for me to get through the parts I did read. I will not attempt to re-read this book, as I felt frustrated and lost trying to keep up.

I think this book will be great for those who appreciated Mark's earlier works, Argo and Jason. Early reviewers who have read those both seem to have favorable reviews. I would urge prospective readers to take my review into consideration, but to put importance on reviews from others who have read the entire series.

I enjoyed what I read of Hades unfortunately it turned into a book that wasn’t my kind of read.

It’s incredibly detailed full of lore characters are well developed.

Language is quite different from books I’ve read before it’s not an easy flow of a book.

I’d like NetGalley to give the opportunity of DNF books because now I have to poor rating it.
It sounds like a good story, but I had to forced myself to finish it, and this says all.

I have to be honest, it’s a very slow paced book. The author did a lot of research and I really appreciate that but it was very complex. There are too many and long descriptions which slows the action parts as well. Overall i do recommend it if you like a slow paced and very well researched book.
I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for the free copy.

I have studied Greek mythology at postgraduate level and love to read retellings of the ancient myths. However, I didn't finish the book, giving up after about 10 per cent of the way in. It starts really slowly, with multiple, short points of view, and I found it very difficult to get inside the heads of the characters or feel engaged in the action. I have not read the previous books in the series, or anything by Mark Knowles. Maybe if I had, I would have been into the story straight from the start. The depth of knowledge and research is there but, for me, it lacks the spark of, say, Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes or Ithaca by Claire North., which are brimming with wit, imagination and lightness of touch. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this novel.

Book Review 📚
Hades by Mark Knowles - 4.5/5 ⭐

I will always swear by a greek mythology book and Mark really brought Hades to life. I previously read Argo and Jason by Mark and loved both just as much as I now love Hades. Nothing beats a greek mythology book. Mark has a serious amount of knowledge about this topic and never fails to mess it up.

Some will see this book as confusing and strong. But that's what I love about it the most. Mark doesn't dull it down and he goes above and beyond with Hades. There are names and places throughout that you need to remember for it to make sense. It's a strong retelling and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I love the multiple POVs, it always makes a book more interesting to have an insight into everyone else's thoughts rather than just an assumption. The whole thing is definitely based more around action than the characters but again, that makes it so much more interesting.

Mark truly impressed me once again with the 3rd book being equally as good as the other 2. All are memorable and all are beautifully done with a true knowledge behind it. The writing is phenomenal and it's definitely worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

I didn't understand that book was the third and last of a serie. But after that I tried.
It was good, I mean you see the author put a lot of heart and did a lot of research. It's worked on. But maybe too much? The pacing is slow, the style of writing is complex. Too much descriptions. Phrases too long.
The characters are also deep thought but not really relatable in any way?
It's so/so

(2.25) perhaps it’s because I haven’t read the other books in the series, or perhaps it really was as boring as I thought. It had a promising start, being narrated by Orpheus, and containing elements of Medea, which is one of my favorite plays. I appreciate the amount of research Knowles has put into this book, a feat not to be dismissed, and I loved the little snippets of myth. However, I didn’t really connect to any of the characters or the plot, and with the pacing being so slow I found myself skimming a lot of it just to get to any exciting part.

This is the first Mark Knowles book I have read and also the first Greek mythology book from a male author I have read, although over the past two years I have read over 10 different retellings, all female writers and predominately from a females perspective (Circe, Medusa's sisters etc) and this is where I found the book to be different. It is definitely more action based and less character driven and once I had got my head round this, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and feels like I learnt a lot!

The book is about power, will, strength, bravery and of course it wouldn't be a true Greek myth without the usual savagery, action, brutishness and a teeny tiny little bit of love mixed in.

Jason and Medea are old enemies and I loved exploring the story telling of their history.

I liked that it was told from various points of view including Orpheus the famous great bard.

I feel like I got to know Xandros and wanted to carry on reading to find out if he is successful in his voyage to reunite the Argonauts - the originals on board the famous Argo - his Grandad Jason included.

Mark is very knowledgeable and yes there is a lot going on with the names and places, having a previous knowledge of a lot of the myths definitely helped me here. I will be looking out for more from this author.

Excellent storytelling. The author has a talent for pulling you right into the scene with his prose like flow. He really captures the form of the old epic poems in a bit more digestive way. The characters were well emulated from the old stories, and I felt they were given such rich life here. It's clear that the author has an incredible understanding of the myths and a matching talent to bring them back in his retelling. I also loved the way Orpheus guided us.


What I didn't love was the slower pace and the patience needed to follow the story through. For me, there wasn't much drive to make it to the end. I did not read the first two in the series, and while I felt like that did not hinder me from understanding the plot or motives throughout, perhaps it would have propelled me to be more enthusiastic about connected to the story.

There were also few female characters who I felt held the depth of his male characters. This is in accordance with the old stories, but I don't think it would take away from the accuracy to appeal to modern readers with some decent representation.

TW for sexual assault at page 44, didn't expect that at all, and nor do I wish to read about it in my spare time.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
As the first book I have read from Mark Knowles, it won’t be the last. This was rich in details, rather than a fiction based on a few general myth that everyone knows about Hades. The details were engraved within the pages. It was not easy to keep connected to the book, it needed a clear mind, not a scrambled one I have after each work day. So it took more than one sitting to give the worth Hades needed.
I found it sophisticated and I will definitely read Argo and Jason.