I tried to love this book by going into it with a clear head from any biases. The beginning was enough to captivate me. Ru was solid in her stance against the colonizers. She had a clear and strong background and foundation for her story with her sister's addiction and grandmother raising her. From there I felt it was a back and forth battle between whose side Ru was on that got very repetitive after a while. I almost didn't care what side she was on, I just wanted her to pick one. The romance was hard to fall into. It felt one day we hated him and the next we're wanting to touch him even if he was saying questionable things to Ru. That may have to do with the time gap causing this disconnect as we don't get to see the connection grow. The magic system was definitely interesting and could be explored more in depth, along with the vague build up of what the Romans really are doing in Pangu. All the elements were definitely there, I just don't know if the execution was for me.

I kept trying to finish this book but unfortunately I’m gonna have to soft dnf this book at 40% the writing style wasn’t for me but I will hopefully pick this back up again. I keep seeing a lot of good reviews so I will pick this up again

I’ve seen To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods listed as both adult and YA fantasy, but, despite not being a YA reader, I found it didn’t matter much to me. I enjoyed this one to an extent, and I appreciated how Ruying found herself caught between two worlds, between what essentially amounts to the East and the West, and between magic and science. She was often a frustrating character to follow, trying to do what she needs to in order to protect her grandmother and sister, to survive, and to find a way to let her heart have what it wants, but was so easily manipulated. There’s a stronger romantic thread than I cared for, and a glimpse into a love triangle, but it was the story of Ruying wanting so badly to protect her family that I actually enjoyed.

Inspired by the Opium Wars and the human experiments that occurred in Manchuria during WWII, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods presents a world of magic, even if it is dying, but this novel drops the reader in after a portal in the sky has been opened and invaders have swiftly taken over, turning this country’s emperor into little more than a puppet, and the surrounding nations are prodded into bowing down to the invaders. After her father’s death thanks to opium, Ruying and her younger sister reside in a small part of what was once a sprawling home with their grandmother, surviving day to day while Ruying tries to take care of her opium addicted sister without their grandmother knowing. When she steals from one of the invaders, her life changes as she sparks his interest, heightened even more when he discovers her death magic. Taken forcefully from her home, Ruying finds herself in Prince Antony’s service, and things get complicated as her childhood friend Baihu implores her to be careful, but Ruying thinks herself in love, and being with the prince ensures her sister and grandmother are cared for and safe. Until disaster strikes when she’s out with Antony and truths are revealed that make her question things.

I find myself conflicted about this novel. There were things I enjoyed and appreciated, and others that just drove me crazy. I liked that this drew on what happened in Manchuria during WWII as I was completely unfamiliar with it, but it also tugged out memories of my grandmother’s stories from when she was a girl growing up in southern China during WWII. I really enjoyed how Ruying’s world made me think of China, and I loved her commitment to doing whatever she could to take care of her family. I also enjoyed the clash between, essentially, the East and the West as the invaders made me think of technologically advanced Romans, as well as a clash between magic and science as Ruying’s people once held greater powers than they do now and the invaders come from a world of science and technology. These dichotomies are rather black and white, but these are also the kinds of clashes I find myself enjoying. It did grate on my fantasy loving heart how magic was painted as vastly lesser, as something dying and to be used and controlled, instead of something mighty to be used against the invaders. I was also certainly not a fan of how Ruying was so easily and frequently manipulated by Antony. I had a hard time buying into their romance, and it just felt sullied to me. He clearly had the upper hand and she was little more than a tool no matter what he claimed, and Ruying was just completely blind.

Ruying’s world fascinated me. I loved that some of the people have magic, and I liked the things their magic could do, as well as the limitations imposed on them. I hated the way these people were used by the invaders, hated that they were supposedly powerful and capable of wielding something the invaders couldn’t, and yet the invaders always won because the magic is dying, and that just created such an imbalance of power that I just found myself frustrated with it, as though, of course, Rome has to win. I think this is one of the places I struggled with the most. I found myself frustrated with the leaders of Ruying’s world and how powerless everyone was painted to be. Certainly, I can understand that science and technology have a power of their own, but I felt like it was painted as something superior, so of course Ruying’s people are going to easily find themselves subjugated to their rule. But there were so many fascinating powers, so much strength and tenacity in the people, when they wanted to be so, that I was frustrated with the world. Ruying’s magic was interesting, though, and I loved the limits imposed on her. There was always a constant reminder of what the cost is, and yet, well, Ruying made her choices, and I certainly can’t say I agreed with all of them.

And yet I understood why she did it. I understood her motivations. Or, at least, some of them. With her father gone, her sister sickly thanks to her addiction, and her grandmother elderly, Ruying feels like it’s up to her to take care of her family. Not that her grandmother isn’t capable, but, as many traditional Asian grandmothers are wont to do, she was more concerned with marrying off Ruying to keep her safe. And, well, it was probably just the done thing. But I did appreciate the ferocity with which Ruying protected her family. It created some great tension between her and her sister, and I liked how I felt torn between them, torn between which of them was right. Ruying’s duty to her family, as misguided as it might have been, was easily my favorite part of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. It’s something familiar to me, something my parents worked to ingrain into me, so I found myself aching for Ruying at different points and finding myself, now and then, able to understand her.

What bothered me the most about Ruying, though, was just how easily manipulated she was and the way she treated the two men in her life. There’s the prince, who takes her as his personal assassin for reasons that are certainly not veiled or hidden, but Ruying, despite knowing everything, is just completely blinded by how handsome and attentive the prince is to her. It was often sickening to me, and I wanted to slap some sense into her. I hated how he manipulated her, and yet I hated her more for being so blinded by her belief that he cared about her, despite people close to the prince practically outright telling her she was a fool. Their romance just never sits right, and I feel like I want to even hesitate to call it a romance. It felt more like manipulation, like Stockholm syndrome, tinged with Ruying’s desperation to protect her family, who don’t even really play much of a role later on. Then there’s her relationship with her childhood friend Baihu. I actually liked him from the beginning. He clearly cared about Ruying, and I like to think a romance between them might be a whole lot better, but he’s clearly keeping things from her. I liked the reveals made about him at the end, and I want to hope the next book will be better because of the ending. But Ruying’s treatment of him at the beginning because of his relationship to the invaders just rubbed me the wrong way the deeper I read.

The other thing I enjoyed about To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods were the clashes between East and West, magic and science. It’s certainly almost too clear cut and certainly gives the West with its science the upper hand, and that did bother me as it makes magic feel very much lesser (and I do have a magic loving heart). But I also enjoyed the dichotomy, and I found myself fascinated by the clashes. It made it easier to see the inspiration drawn from what happened in Manchuria, and to make it easier to swallow the idea that Ruying has no choice but to sell her soul. Then again, Ruying is a coward; she wants to live. On the flip side, her death magic will most certainly kill her, so I’m hoping the next book will have her as a true hero. But, yes, I enjoyed the clashes, and hated how the East and magic did not come out on top. It was far more grating than I think it should have been, and it really bothered me how Ruying’s world just bowed down.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was not what I expected, much less the kind of East Asian inspired story I was looking for. I liked Ruying’s magic, but I did not like Ruying. I liked her world, but I did not like how helpless I felt it was painted. I liked Ruying’s devotion to her family, but I did not like the relationship she found herself in. This also, weirdly, felt a little episodic to me, with big events happening followed by slower parts where I, the reader, felt like I was dithering around. On the bright side, I found this to be a quick read, and I appreciated the inspiration this novel drew from. And I’ll be hoping the next book will be better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

To be a debut novel??? This is GOODDDDDD!
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods features an amazing FMC Ruying who is gifted with death’s magic. With her country Pangu being overthrown by the princes of Rome, she makes a deal with one to bring peace to her country by becoming their hired assassin ❤️‍🔥

I loved the tension and development of the MMC Antony and Ruying’s relationship (if you forget the fact that he’s her colonizer😅) i wish the world building happened earlier on in the book as it seems “Rome” refers to modern day countries with their weapons and problems v. Pangu’s more traditional setting.

Overall, this book was TOO EASY to devour and I’m excited for the second book to be released! 😩

Huge thank you to Molly X Chang and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review ❤️‍🔥

Admittedly I requested this ARC because it had a pretty cover, was a debut author and in the fantasy category. What I got was beyond my expectations. This is a wonderful debut dystopian fantasy with sci-fi elements and magic. An alternate world where Rome was never defeated, they continued conquering and colonizing until they depleted and broke their world. Then through science and technology they discovered portals to other worlds, one of which has magic. Ruying is a Xianling, one gifted with magical qi, her gift is death. This is her journey, one fraught with hard choices, guilt & betrayal while she tries to save her family, her people. Can magic win over guns, technology and science?

While the description hinted at it being romantasy with a love triangle it’s barely there in this first installment.

There are events in this book that may be triggering to some. This story is set in a war torn, actively being colonized world. Triggers include extreme poverty, drug use/addiction, death, abuse, child abuse & torture.

I am sad to say that this didn't work well for me. While the concept and the beautiful cover drew me in, I did not enjoy my time reading this.

The writing itself was decent when allowed to flourish, but I felt so tired of it by only twenty percent in.

Info dumps that pulled me out of the story. Repetitive inner dialogue. There were many parts that I wished we got to see in real time that were glossed over, including most of her time using her magic and any development with a love interest.

There was just not enough here for me to really enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

"Monsters in flesh. Destined to ruin."

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was a heart wrenching and poignant tale about colonialism and the generational damage it inflicts on the innocent. I was met with a roller coaster of emotions, whether that was rage, devastation, curiosity, or hope. You may have heard of the controversies with the character of the protagonist as well as the way the book is advertised. Remember: Ruying is not your average hero. She is a survivor, which provides for an even greater reason to witness her tales. Do not go into this novel with romance being the driving force of your interest because this book is NOT that. I understand that TGUWG has been advertised as a "what if Zutara happened" and while I have not watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, I do not encourage lovers of that troupe to drive into a story with genocide and colonialism as the main focus. I picked up TGUWG for its exquisite cover (so beautifully drawn!!) and its promise of Chinese stories. Which is why I can't emphasis enough why readers should not finish with the idea of romanticization between Ruying and Antony. At the end of the day, it is still a complicated relationship detailing an oppressor and the oppressed. NOT ENEMIES TO LOVERS GUYS.

What I liked about TGUWG was the incorporations of Chinese sayings that I have heard growing up. but never got to see in English literature. And I found that here. But again: It's a compelling tale that brings forth your morals and values, You know those stories where you read to escape from reality? This novel is most definitely not it. While I am so not comfortable with the romance? and some of the writing in this book, I gave it a chance because I believed that it really is supposed to be overwhelming and to drag your heart down. I was reminded of the horror stories that I have been taught growing up and so the state of reading this book was a constant eye watering moment, which is why it doesn't make sense to have Ruying and Antony's relationship to be anything but knife against throat (again, NOT in a yess enemies but loverss! way).

Personally, I thought that To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods provided a descriptive atmosphere for envisioning the circumstances of the story and Ruying has bought me to tears many times with her monologues. She is a character worth reading. Questionable at times (very) but a character worth analyzing. When magic and science interweaves, the results are imaginable. Thank you to Netgalley, The Ballantine Books Group & Del Rey Books for the arc.

The first 60% was a solid 2 stars for me and I was tempted to DNF (which I rarely ever do) but the last 30-40% kept me going. This is a story with so much potential and the idea behind it is so unique and intriguing.

What irritated me and made me want to stop reading was the constant repetition; it took focus from anything else in the story. It seemed like every other sentence was how awful Rome was over and over or of how Ruying “comes from a long line of generals” and a great strategist of a grandmother; I understand the point the author is trying to drive home but it doesn’t need to be shoved down our throats again and again.

I am not one who enjoys a tremendous amount of tedious world building, but it was almost non-existent. I would’ve liked to read a little more about the world(s) and a lot less about the same things we’ve already been told. It feels more like the book is intended to make you hate the Romans instead of being about fantasy. The main focus for the majority of the book seems to be more on showing us how horrible the Romans were and the destruction of the Er-Long empire, and less about the actual fantasy or plot. I understand that the author wants to convey the harshness and the horrible atrocities that really did happen, but sometimes felt more like historical fiction than fantasy.

That all being said, I may still read the next book in the series when it comes out solely based on the last 20% of this book. I’m hopeful that all the repetition is out of the way and we can get more magic and action with a progressing story. Like I said, the premise is so unique and I really wanted to love this.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

3.5 ⭐ out 5
Read: 4/9/2024-4/16/2024

If you are a fan of Judy Lin's Book of Tea series and Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked series (specifically the vibe of the main characters), this book might be for you.

It was an interesting read for me. The parts that had the magic system in it made this book more enjoyable and made me want to read more of the book to get further explanation on it. What threw it off for me was the "portal in the sky" and the very modern technology. (I do understand why the author did it this way. I do wish it had been more fleshed out.)

I am interested to see where the story will go. Definitely recommenf

I really wanted to like this book, but it just had too many issues. While the world built was interesting and mysterious, and the plot was intriguing, the style was shallow and the pace slow.

Aside from the MC, the characters are shallow and flat. In contrast, the endless inner monologue does give us layers for Ruying, but there is so much repetition in what she ruminates about. The romantic plot relies almost entirely on physical attraction and is otherwise baffling. Even with all the lengthy descriptions of the world and its politics and history, there are still so many questions left unanswered.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Ruying’s world, dominated by a magic that affects all aspects of life, was invaded through a portal in the sky by Rome, a science-advanced civilization. In the decade since they have arrived, Rome has taken over much of Ruying’s home controlling and weakening them with opiates and other advanced technology. When Ruying is captured by Roman Prince Antony for her magical powers over death, she enters a situation where there is no positive outcome. How can she save her family and world without sacrificing too much? Is peace just a tale used for manipulation and control?

I enjoyed this novel. The idea of an advanced civilization finding a parallel world to exploit is not a new concept but the way the author has constructed her story is unique. The journey Ruying takes emotionally as she navigates truths from lies is the heart of the story. That struggle is well written and not too overwhelming. The novel does end semi abruptly with a plot switch so just be prepared to be left wanting the next book. 4 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey and NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods follows magically gifted Ruying as she must navigate an impossible deal after being captured by the people who have invaded her home planet.

There's a lot to unpack here, and so much of it is incredibly complicated. First and foremost, I think it is important to keep in mind those who found the story presented in this book -- especially the romance, which seemed to be centered heavily in the book's early marketing -- offensive or exploitative of their history and culture. Additionally, I do want to acknowledge the author's role as someone who is also a part of the history and culture she writes about, and whose family was directly affected by the historical events which inspired this narrative.

Others have already said their piece about this being a colonizer romance, and I do think that bears repeating, though I will keep it brief. This book does involve a substantial amount, on the main character's part, of excusing the villainous behaviors of the apparent love interest. This in itself isn't necessarily a crime -- especially as Chang has come out to clarify that the arc of this relationship does not involve these two as endgame -- but the hurt of it stems from the actions of this character being specifically inspired by a group of people who committed heinous crimes against a minority population.

I do think, at least for me, the vibe was there in the book that Ruying's blind trust of Anthony was misguided and that she would eventually realize he was as much her enemy as any of them, but I'm not sure whether vibes are sufficient to overcome this kind of narrative presentation, especially when coupled with the early marketing that drove home the whole enemies-to-lovers-with-a-dark-prince thing. Beyond that, I have been thinking a lot about the responsibility of narrative in this kind of situation as well, and I can't help connecting these thoughts to the continual presence of Darkling apologists on the internet. Is it enough, in book two, to say surprise, this man is actually pure evil? After you've spent an entire book excusing his actions, hyping him up, painting him in a positive light? I'm not sure.

Beyond the romance issue, which is the hottest topic of conversation with this book, I'm on the fence about how I feel regarding the rest of it. In general, I think the balance of the story was off. In a world rife with war, drugs, magic, interplanetary portals, etc., it started to feel kind of frustrating just how much time we spent on the romance over everything else. I think plot-wise there were several opportunities for significantly more compelling story moments that were sort of brushed to the side in order to drive home the Ruying-is-blinded-by-love thing. At least some of this also comes down to character development, which seemed to be the least of anyone's worries for any character who wasn't Ruying or Antony. At the sentence level, the writing wasn't my favorite, and as a whole, I didn't find the construction of the story incredibly intuitive or organic.

At the same time, I do think this world and these characters have a wealth of potential. There's so much to explore thematically that book 1 has barely scratched the surface of, and I'd be really interested to see what this story would be in a more lived-in world with more complex and nuanced characters. I'll likely pick up book 2 when it comes around, out of sheer curiosity, but I do understand why this book has been such a controversial topic and not everyone's cup of tea.

⭐️⭐️.5
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Happy release day! 💗💗💖
Sadly this book just wasn’t for me.
We start the story with our main character Ruying who is living in a world on the borderline of war with the enemy, Rome.
Rome terrorizes her lands and brings a drug Opian, which supposedly enhances the powers of those who are born with them.
Ruying was born with the gift of death.
Now this book just wasn’t for me because I felt like it wasn’t on topic a lot, the author wrote a lot of world I feel like she just never used, and I would have loved to see all of her brilliant ideas fleshed out better!
I also felt like it was more of a tell and not show, and I definitely need show. Ruying also just didn’t feel real as a character to me, her motives were never clear and where her loyalty lies, no one knows.
And the romance…I just can’t get behind it, the love interest has just done too much bad and some of the things he says to Ruying are…but also he’s just not a good person and I’m sorry but he can’t be redeemed in my eyes.
But aside from that, for a debut the writing wasn’t bad, I had fun reading it, especially the end when I was very invested, I am hopeful to see where the story goes and if it can get better.

You’ll love this if you love…
- Chinese fantasy
- Burn the world if anything happens to her love interest
- No spice/ clean romance
- Unique magic concepts

Ruying girl...

This book had me in my feelings with the dedication, knowing that this story was taken from stories told by Molly's grandfather of war. Whew!

The time taken to build the world and give the main characters such personality and depth was great! I felt I was watching a movie as I read. In spaces dealing with Ruying's gift, I found it interesting how she had the ability to take life but thought long and hard about doing so. I saw the love triangle situation coming a mile away, it angered me but, I saw it coming.

There is so much I wish to say but I can't keep from giving spoilers! I am so glad I got to read this early, it is worth the hype! AND ITS A DEBUT NOVEL!?!

The emotional conflicts, the love, the growing up, the remembrance of past teachings, the history, the realness in fictional situations! I can't wait for book 2!

Ruying.....GIRL!

GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!

DNF @ 44%

This book was supposed to be my favorite of the year. I was so excited to request it and to see how awesome it would be. Boy, was I disappointed.

The most disappointing aspect of this book was how it was marketed. It’s marketed as an enemies to lovers, which it really is, but it also romanticizes colonization and has the main character fall in love with her oppressor. These aren’t two worlds at an equal war, there is a huge disadvantage between them and the oppressor is terrorizing just like any colonizer would. Having the main character fall in love with not only her oppressor that forces her to kill people for him but for him to be active in the murder of her people is disgusting.

Not only was the romance a true bother for me, but the worlds themselves. Our main character lives in a world with magic and the oppressors come from another world that is basically our world but not. There isn’t a good explanation as to why there is the inter-dimensional gate or why the main character’s world has magic but is incapable of using it against Rome. Judging by the other reviews I’ve read from this book, the issue doesn’t get resolved.

For being a debut novel, the writing isn’t horrible. I have hope that Chang will improve and I hope to enjoy something from her in the future. However, this book was just not for me.

I overall enjoyed this book, it’s adventurous with a reluctant heroine and an uncomplicated magic system. Usually the introduction of the love interest makes the story falter for me but this time, I was pretty invested. Worldbuilding was fairly solid but establishing a time period/era felt incomplete. Being that it's a start to a new series, hopefully this gets rectified.
From the hip, rating on vibes and entertainment: 4.5/5

Solid debut and start to the series, but I feel too old for this book, whether it's me or the writing/content, I am not sure. Either way, I wish much success to this series and tysm for the ARC.

I am unsure how I feel about To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. While the concept was interesting it was a drag to read. It was not terrible by any means, just I was not able to follow as smoothly as I wanted. There was more telling than showing and in terms of worldbuilding I was told how it would look and not shown. It wasn't until almost the end when all the action happened. I would have like to see it spread throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Molly X. Chang for the advanced digital copy of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods.

Plot Summary: Ruying, blessed by Death, is able to pull the life out of others. She lives in Pangu, a separate world full of magic and blessings from the gods. The Romans came from a different world, took over her country Er-Lang, and want to continue to dominate Pangu. Ruying wants to keep her family safe at all costs. When a Roman prince learns of her powers, she must decide whose side she will be on.

Overall, I found this story fairly compelling, but there were some qualms. I found some of the world building lackluster, and I am still a little confused about The Veil and how everything works with “Science”.
I also really struggled with some of the romance, because it felt incredibly icky at times and cringey at times.

I did really like the ending of the novel, and now can see where some of the things I disliked fall into place with the potential plot of the next book. I plan to continue the story to see what happens next!

This story is so much history of warring groups fighting with science versus magic. Ruying has the power of death and can take your life just by looking at you, and both sides want to have that kind of power. Ruying is torn between which side she should be on and there may or may not be love interests on either side? ;) It gives me Shatter Me vibes and I loved Shatter Me. I felt as though there was a lot of potential in this story, and I absolutely loved the Chinese interspersed throughout which really pointed to the importance of culture in life and war. I understand this to be a trilogy and I will for sure read book 2. For the not so positives, I felt as though the dialogue between characters was extremely long and detailed at times and struggled to follow at times because of that. It was also a very slow start and I didn’t feel like it started picking up until about 70% mark. I am going to assume this means that book 2 will start with a bang!