To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods has been on my wishlist since I saw it appear on several blogs last year. I love books that are based on Chinese mythology/culture. So, when I saw that Random House had it wish only, I decided to take the chance and wish for it. I was delighted when I got the email saying my wish had been granted. But I was also cautious because I have a habit of hyping books up and being disappointed when I read them. Happily, this wasn’t the case with To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. I loved the book!!

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is the first book in the series with the same name. Since this is the first book, you can read it as a standalone. But I will go on a limb and say that the rest of the series will not be standalone. There was so much world and character-building that it would be hard to jump right in if you started reading later in the series.

The main storyline of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods centers around Ruying. It was well-crafted and well-written. Add in the more minor, secondary storylines (with Ruying’s family, Antony’s family, and the resistance), and I couldn’t put the book down. I devoured this book in one sitting.

Ruying was not a likable character when the book began. Was she sympathetic? Yes. But, likable, no. She hated the Romans with a passion. She witnessed her father and sister get addicted to a drug that they introduced to the population. She also chafed under the rules that they imposed. So, I wasn’t surprised when she did something stupid and got caught by the Romans. There was a change in her after the Romans caught her, which saddened me. But, again, I understood. Everything she did, she did to protect her grandmother and sister.

I did not like Antony. He used terror and psychological tactics to tear down Ruying and build her up to what he wanted. He was a master manipulator who said all the right things to Ruying to gain her trust and confidence. But I couldn’t help but pity Antony in a way. He, too, was shaped into what he was by a cruel adoptive grandfather and father. I wasn’t surprised when a huge secret of his was revealed. I did see it coming, but I wasn’t prepared for what it did to Ruying.

The magic in To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was fascinating. People were either born with or without magic. But, since the Romans arrived and after they destroyed the temples (where people learned to control their magic), magic was disappearing. The author showcased different levels of magic, going from common to rare. Ruying’s magic fascinates me because of what is tied to it (every life she takes shaves years off her life). But I also wondered if that was true (something Antony said to Ruying made my antenna go up). I also wondered if her sister’s magic (life) would come into play later in the series.

The book had a romance angle, but it made me slightly sick to read. I understand that Ruying was developing something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, and her feelings came from that. But still. Her other romance choice, a childhood friend turned drug kingpin, wasn’t much better. But I would have chosen him over Antony.

The end of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods only raised more questions than it answered. Nothing was resolved, but a lot was revealed. Given how the last chapter ende, I look forward to what will happen in book 2.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Molly X. Chang for allowing me to read and review the ARC of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a fantasy novel that has a world based off of feudal China under Roman rule, but also with magic. I really like historically or semi-historically based fantasy novels and thought that this one had an interesting premise!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing at 50%. I thought that the magic system and setting was really interesting and had great potential. My issue was with the romance. Ruying, the female main character, is forced to serve the Roman-inspired prince. He abused Ruying and left her in bad condition in a cell for a long time. When the romance starts, he is still her "master" and does not act at all like they are equals. A power differential like this framed as enemies to lovers is a huge ick for me in books and I am just not interested in reading romances like this. Once it was clear that this was the direction the book was going, I chose to stop reading.

I know that there has been some drama surrounding this book and reviews. I want to make it clear that I did read 50% of the book and chose to DNF because I did not like aspects of the romantic relationship. This decision was made based on the book content that I read and not from any issues with the author.

I would give this book a try if you're into power-based romances. It was absolutely not for me. 2 stars. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

This book was an engaging read, the writing and it's easy flow made it one that I could finish in a couple of sittings. I'd say this is a solid 3 star read, it was entertaining and had a unique world to it. I would have liked to see that world flesh out a little more. I enjoyed the main character for the most part, although there were times when she was kind of juvenile which made the book seem more YA.

After a long time, I came across a good fantasy debut and i finished it in literally two sittings. I devoured this book cuz the protagonist and the plotline was superb. The writing is smooth and easy making it very easy for the readers. It was a total treat to read this book.

DNF @50%

I want to say that I LOVE Asian fantasy typically. I went into this really wanting to love it but was just bored. I think I haven't been in the right mood to read this and will give it another go in the future, maybe on audiobook? No hate to the author, I think she has done a great job and many people are going to love this.

Thank you to netgally, the publisher, and of course the author for the ARC in exchange for a review.

DNF @ 50%. I’m sorry, I am very uncomfortable with romanticizing colonial oppression and Stockholm syndrome type situations.

I felt as though the writing style and character development lacked depth, authenticity, and a certain “oomph” that made me want to keep reading. In fact, there were many instances where the prose reminded me of fanfiction I would read as a pre-teen. I was really excited for this read and tried to push through but it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

This book follows Yang Ruying, a girl living on the planet of Pangu in Er-Lang, a once-powerful country that has been taken over and is now occupied by the Romans. Though Er-Lang and its people thrived on magic long ago, this magic has significantly dissipated over the past several decades. Now, few Xianlings, people blessed with magic, remain in Er-Lang. Ruying and her twin sister, Meiya, are some of the country's remaining powerful Xianlings. Ruying is blessed by Death and Meiya has powers of healing.

Er-Lang's power and magic are further diminished when the Romans, Gods of science, come to Pangu and take it as their own. The Romans introduce opian, a devastating substance that promises greater power to Xianlings, but more often leads to addiction and their demise. For nearly two decades, Er-Lang's citizens have suffered under the Romans' occupation, control, and constant violence.

Ruying is desperate to keep her family safe and alive, but with her twin sister being addicted to opian and her grandmother ailing as she ages, this is easier said than done. To protect her family and herself, Ruying is forced to become an ally of Antony Augustus, a prince of Rome who is vying for the throne. Antony promises Ruying he will protect her family and unite their worlds as long as Ruying carries out her end of the bargain: using her magic to ensure Antony will ascend to the throne. As Ruying is forced to work for Antony, betrayals, emotions, and life or death situations are present at every turn.

While the premise of this book was promising, I ultimately was disappointed. The world building was severely lacking and wasn't explained until over halfway through the book. The imagery and Ruying's inner thoughts were incredibly repetitive. Additionally, many of the plot points of the book happened "off-screen" and the reader was told about events rather than experiencing them through the eyes of the narrator. I was also extremely unconvinced and confused about Ruying's devotion to her family and about the extent of her power. Finally, the budding romance between Ruying and Antony made zero sense to me, as Antony is actively working to overtake Ruying's country and is forcing her to kill her own people.

I'm hoping that others do not share my opinions and that the book is well-received upon its release. Despite my negative review of this book, Molly X. Chang definitely has potential and I hope the next book in the series is better!

There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding this book calling it a colonizer romance and as a white woman, it is not my place to wade into that.

What I will say is that while the book’s cover copy is everything that I should love, the book itself fell flat for me. I didn’t dislike it at any point and I would classify it as a very solid 3 star read, but it also didn’t make me fall in love with any part of it.

I always love a magic system that has consequences for using it, and the magic in To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was no exception. This was the strongest part of the book and is what kept me coming back for more.

I think my biggest struggle with this was how much information was spoon fed to me. It opens with a massive lore and back story dump with tiny bits of character and plot sprinkled into the first chapter. And even was we got into the story, there were multiple instances of jumping to the past to expand on pivotal lore in ways that jolted me from the story. I’m assuming this was an intentional stylistic choice, but it wasn’t one that worked for me. Other people may really enjoy it!

The second half of the book felt very disjointed from the first. I would have liked to spend more time with Ruying dealing with the fallout of the choice she made to serve the prince or not instead of having a six month time skip. Overall the pacing was weird, dragged in some places with exposition and backstory and then a mad dash of plot, action, and revelations through the last 15%.

The characters felt very one-dimensional, and a lot of that is because it felt like I couldn’t go more than a couple of pages without being reminded about how terrible they were. Ruying’s only personality trait was that she wanted to protect her sister and grandmother. And don’t get me wrong, I love a self-sacrificing hero, but I like them to bring more to the table. And Antony wasn’t much better. I think we were supposed to get lulled into complacency that he wasn’t really all that bad of a guy so that the reveal at the end that he’s actually been a monster this whole time would hit harder, but there was never a moment where I believed him to be anything other than awful, because Ruying constantly told us of how terrible he was as she justified why he wasn’t actually all that bad. I think if there’s been a bit more trust in the reader to pick up that he was intentionally supposed to be a terrible person, it would have worked a lot better.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by a book that was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I’m still planning to pick up the sequel to see where the story continues, but it’s not one I’ll likely rush to get to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

NOTE: I think reviewers saying this book is disgusting for it being a "colonized girl falling in love with a colonizer" are ignoring the blatant fact that when she sees his sins at the end, she does not accept him anymore. It has fake-out lead love interest vibes.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a typical story of white colonialism taking place in a fantasy/sci-fi setting. The Romans (people of Earth) have brought war and drugs to begin their conquest of Pangu, where nature coexists peacefully with magic and humanity.

We follow Yang Ruying, the girl blessed by Death, through her struggles to keep her sister and grandmother safe. When she must turn her back on Pangu and work with Antony, the second Roman prince, Ruying kills people in her city to keep the peace long enough to prevent a war from boiling over.

The line between fantasy and sci-fi can be hard to walk. It is very clear Pangu is a fantasy realm, and Rome is sci-fi, if not just our reality on Earth. I think the sci-fi concepts introduced regarding how the Xiangling have magic was interesting, if not slightly horrific in the way thag it was being studied.

The formula that To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods follows is reminiscent of many YA dystopian novels. Girl has power that people think is bad, Bad Guy tells her how perfect she is and she falls for it, Bad Guy uses her as a weapon, "Good" Guy opens her eyes to the evils of Bad Guy, Girl joins the rebellion.

This story has roots in the Russian & Japanese occupation of Manchuria and anti-asian sentiments throughout history. There are literal war crimes being committed in this novel. This is NOT being romanticized. Does the character attempt to justify it? Sure, but that does not mean the author and other characters, FMC included, are okay with it.

Did I love it? No, it was just kind of fine. I think if this had been out around 10 years ago, I would have absolutely loved it. Definitely YA, good for high school.

eARC provided by NetGalley.

Annoyingly necessary note to my review: I read this book in its entirety and I am reviewing the *content of the book.* I believe authors can write whatever they want to write, *particularly* about their own people and culture, and bullying an author is never okay. You don't agree with their thoughts/what they write? Then don't buy their book. Simple enough.

This review will also have spoilers.

I think this book suffers hard from debut syndrome, and this exact book and plot could have been written well if done by someone else/the author improved her writing. The writing is not great, it felt very childish. I found it easy to read, as in it felt very stream of consciousness, but it was not written well. There were some times I very much rolled my eyes. For example, "Don't look at me like that." "Like what?" "Like I'm the bad guy." Seriously?!

My issue is not the plot, but how it was executed. I think the setting and concept were very interesting and innovative. Romans (ancient? Unsure. I was not picturing them in togas but who knows) somehow came to this land (Pingu? Which is also a childish show about a penguin which confused me), gave them opian (ok really? call it opium or give it an entirely new name), and were essentially colonize them for reasons we don't really know. Was my explanation poor? Probably because the world building struggled HARD. It was never explicitly explained that the Romans came through some sort of portal in the sky. Which is weird, because the author does SO MUCH infodumping. The world building just needs significantly more work. The world is there - just isn't conveyed to the reading. Anyway, the main character is taken by the Romans, and the prince wants her to kill people for him with his magic. Why? We don't really know. The main character doesn't know, which tracks, but there isn't really any reason ever given. She finally agrees to kill for him and BOOM 48 people later. We don't see any of this happen, we don't really understand how or why Ruying is willing to do it so many times for him without explanation. And after these 48 assigned kills she all of a sudden trusts him entirely. Why? We have no idea. We are never given opportunities to see why she trusts him, we are just told that she does. She's clearly becoming romantically interested in him but nothing happens that would indicate that he is worthy of her feelings. This felt very much like an issue of being told, not shown.

Is this a colonizer romance? I mean, kind of? But Stockholm Syndrome is a thing, and I think that writers are allowed to write about complicated things. People get feelings for bad people all the time. She is romantically interested in him. In the end she realizes he's terrible (because she's shown explicitly by someone else, she has no critical thinking skills of her own. It never once occurs to her that he could be lying to her) and she turns away from him. So there is romance between the oppressed and the oppressor, but it's not written in a way that shows it's positive. I think people online are being extremely over the top about this.

Finally - why is this labelled as adult? It's absolutely YA. The main character is SO naive, and while she's over 18 we're in her head, and she thinks very much like a teen. This has some very dark topics, but I think those can be addressed with a content warning. (Also - how is the human experimentation stuff a shock when the author addresses it in the author note that is placed BEFORE the book?)

I am giving this two stars instead one because I think the author has some really creative stories in her, and can learn to be a better writer. Also she is being bullied unnecessarily.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style was clunky and repetitive to read at times, and suffered somewhat from telling over showing. The worldbuilding also felt very bare, likely a side effect of the first-person perspective.

2.5 stars

Pangu was invaded by the Romans, who brought opian, a powerful drug which has disastrous outcomes for people who become addicted. Ruying, has been blessed with death and has the power to kill. When her power is discovered by Antony, a Roman prince, she’s faced with a decision: become his private assassin, or die.

The world building and character development were both lacking for me in this book. I wanted more background information about both Rome and Pangu. It actually took me some time to figure out that Rome had colonized Pangu. There also wasn’t enough explanation of Rome which apparently was a whole different world with technology that is incredibly far ahead of Pangu.

Ruying was disappointing for me. She had such potential as a strong female character with incredible power, but her decisions and actions are unrealistic. It’s not really believable that she would turn on her own people for Antony. The romance between Ruying and Antony was also unrealistic. At the end, Ruying finally came around and understood what her family and friends had been trying to tell her, but it took her so long and was just disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.

Note: I plan to post a feature of this book on my Bookstagram (http://www.instagram.com/babsreads18) on release day. I do not plan on including my review in that post. Authors deserve all the hype and support they can get on release day and beyond!

This could be absolutely fire with a few strong edits! Since I had an advanced copy, I’m hoping some of those edits were made for the final draft. The main character felt a little bit adrift, and the pacing felt off at times. Overall, though, I definitely enjoyed this read. It felt like a mix between Iron Widow and Shatter Me, with a dash of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The world building has a lot of potential to take the story to interesting places, and I’m curious as to how the series will play out.

this is definitely closer to a 3.5 read. i feel bad that the author had to spoil the relationship dynamic between the mc and the "love interest" because people are saying this is a colonizer romance. i see where the author is taking it, as more of a cautionary tale, but for a debut i do wish the world was more fleshed out to really color the experience and history that inspired this.

Rating: 4/5
I received eARC for my honest opinion.

I saw the beautiful cover of this book and requested it without even knowing what I was getting myself into. Oh, let me tell you I am happy that I did because I loved Asian folklore, the slow burn, the enemies to lovers, the magic system mixed with science, it has lies and deceit, and everything else you would want in a fantasy.

This book is about a young girl named Ruying who has the magic of controlling death, she can kill anyone and all she has to do is move her fingers. She is in a world that is cold, and ruthless now, it used to be beautiful and lush but after the Romans came and shined pretty things to their emperor, making promises that they never wanted to keep but had to make sure that they had their foot into this world. Now it's all about death, drugs, and scheming.

Ruying is done with all the death in her country but doesn’t know how to go about making peace or getting the Romans to leave her land, but she will do anything that she can. When she is kidnapped by one of the Princes of Rome, Anthony and asked to help him restore peace and give back to the people, she falls for him and all the words that he tells her, but something in the back of her mind has been eating at her… Is it all a lie and he is just using her? You will see a strong young FMC in this book, you will watch her garble for the truth because what she has come to understand from the prince Anthony and what she is being told and shown are two different things. She doesn’t know who to trust and that worries her the most because she has always been so sure of things before. I loved how the author wrote about her internal struggles that Ruying was having because you really helped you to connect with her character and to understand the choices that she was making. She knows that war will bring on a lot of deaths that are not necessary, but can they truly have peace after all the heartbreak and loss that her people have gone through, all for the sake of science.

I cannot wait for the next book to see what Ruying will choose and the next part of the story as well.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to review this book.

4 🌟

I read this book and kept hoping for some relief from the unrelenting oppressive feeling of the book. I imagine that was what the author was aiming for--since the Romans had invaded and were essentially enslaving and oppressing the natives of the land. I appreciate how Ruying tried to be strong. Her love for her sister and grandmother left her with no choice but to use her gift in a way she didn't want. Antony, typical of oppressors and colonizers, justified his methods. It is a complex novel, and it is not happy at all. I like Ruying and the humanness and dedication to the family she holds on to. Her world is crumbling around her, and she must choose. I like how it ended, for I feel Ruying will become the force I sense in her once she gets herself centered on the right cause. I prefer some light in my books, but this one did not have any light- oppression, manipulation, poverty, and sadness prevailed. However, I believe Molly X Chang has something MORE coming in the next book--a rebirth and rising. I hope so. It will be so worth it. Whatever her faults, I like Ruying and her heart; she is a warrior. I have no idea what will happen with Antony, Ruying, or any others, but I am here for it.

Moved a little too slow, and wasn't easily capturing the attention. I wanted to love it, but it wasn't quite there for me.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I'm tired of books being mis-marketed and I think this one majorly was. This is called enemies to lovers, but really it feels like dark romance. The male love interest is abusive towards that FMC and that is romanticized throughout the book. If nothing else, the MMC has the FMC killing her own people and she's falling for him??? This is not love, he is manipulating her. Honestly, a lot too dark for a YA romantasy.

Other than that, the worldbuilding was lacking. I still don't know that I understand the world or systems in place here or why anything is happening. Why are the worlds separate? What era are we working in? What are the RULES?? I needed a lot more explanation and I think a first book in a series is supposed to do a lot of that work.

All in all, this one fell a little flat for me and I was hoping for a lot more from what sounded so exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

This options are my own and not affiliated with NetGalley or the author.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a story of survival, ruthlessness and doing whatever it takes to protect those you love.

This novel is inspired by the Siberian people hard history, the struggles of living, and what was given so generations ahead could thrive.

This novel is deeply emotional, full of turmoil but most importantly the hope that can save the nation. Ruying our main character has known poverty and struggle under Romes rule most of her life. The magic that fuels their world, was no match for the Science that Rome brought to conquer the land and enslave the native people.

Ruying is willing to do whatever to secure a future for her family, even if that means bearing’s the enemy and becoming unrecognizable to her family.

I really enjoyed this book, the world was interested and held deep real life cultural ties. I would most definitely read another book by this offer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Unfortunately, this story just fell off for me. I wish the invaders weren't Romans from Rome as I kept imagining Ancient Rome and then they would be said to have guns and I'd be like "oh yeah they're not that Rome". I didn't really like Antony for any purposes, and Ruying was a little naive and hypocritical when it comes to Baihu.
There were some grammatical mistakes that took me out of the story as well.

I loved Ruying's powers and how she views it vs. her family, and I wanted more Baihu and sooner! The basis for the story is great I just couldn't get into it.