To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods had so much potential, which is unfortunately undermined by an uncomfortable romance and a heroine who thinks she's way more badass than her actions prove.
Ruying has the power of draining others' qi, or life force, a power that takes its toll on her and she keeps hidden. Her world, Pangu, is ruled by the Romans, who have colonized and brutalized the land and its people. Ruying's power is exposed to one of the Roman princes, and he trades her abilities to kill his enemies for the safety of her family.
Now, why the Romans are called as such, I don't understand, because Pangu is a made up name so why couldn't the colonizers have a made up name for their world. Also, this isn't the Roman empire, they have bombs and weaponry from centuries later.
The book is told from Ruying's pov, and it is endless. Every minutiae must be thoroughly pondered upon, examined, and detailed. More worrisome is the colonizer/Stockholm syndrome relationship between her and prince Antony, whose eye color you are constantly reminded of.
The story would have benefited from more time spent outside Ruying's head. She's an unreliable narrator because the way she sees herself as ruthless and hardcore, is not the way she acts.
The potential is there for a truly epic fantasy but I didn't find it in this installment.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. The cover is gorgeous and Chang's writing is lush. The often-forgotten history that inspired this story is also something I'm so glad to see brought to light. But the romance ... not my thing. I'm tired of captive/captor love. I doubt it will be endgame, but I'm just not keen on seeing it at all.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I really hate to give this feedback, because I was very much looking forward to this book.

I had to DNF by 30%, and I swear half of that was just infodumping. This needed a lot more polish, and a lot more effort on the part of the editor. Disappointing.

"To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" by Molly X Chang offers an intriguing premise and moments of vivid imagery that captivate the reader. The author's creativity is evident in the world-building, but the pacing occasionally falters, leaving some parts feeling rushed while others drag on. The characters are diverse, yet some lack the depth needed to fully connect with the audience. Despite these drawbacks, the novel manages to deliver an entertaining experience with a unique narrative flair.

[DNF AT 72%]

Thank you NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This turned out to be a huge disappointment as I couldn't complete the book. The sparse worldbuilding made it challenging to grasp the world, leading to confusion. Prior to publication, revisions are essential, with a greater focus needed on worldbuilding and less on infodumping. However, the primary reason I chose not to finish the book was the problematic theme of the protagonist developing feelings for her colonizer,

Really interesting and unique. I enjoyed the political aspect of the book a lot. It wasn't perfect but certainly enjoyably and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys pollical fantasy.

Book: To Gaze Upon the Wicked Gods
Author: Molly X. Chang
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with an ARC. This is a case where this is not a bad book. I know that I gave it a three-star rating, but I do actually want to read the next book. The way it ended is the perfect set up for what is to come next.

In this one, we follow Ruying who lives in a world that has been taken over by the Romans. Her people may have magic, but they were not match for the technological advancements of the Romans. Now, she and her people are opposed and their world is not their own. Not only that, but there is a drug that is addicting people at a rather alarming rate and costing them their lives. Ruying doesn’t know where to turn. Then, she comes across Antony, who is a prince of Rome. He isn’t like the others though. He seems to actually want to help Ruying and her world. The only thins is that he needs her gift. For you see, Ruying can cause Death to anyone. Antony wants this gift to end his enemies. However, the deeper she gets in with him, the more conflicted she seems. He can offer the world to her, but it is going to cost her. Those closest to her warn her of the dangers, but she can’t see it.

I love the take on this book. We have a world that was one free, but has been taken over by a powerful enemy. Its people have been forced to live with this foe and the affects that come along it. They feel like they can’t do anything to get themselves out of their situation. Even though these people have magic, they are still no match for the technologies of the Romans. This might take over them without them having a big chance. I don’t know why, but I love this in book. I think it is an interesting take on colonialization. I mean, we can study it in history, but I think doing it in books brings the affect of to life.

I thought the plot was very interesting. I will say that I felt the author had too much plot for the length of the book. There were things that were well done, but, yet, it felt like it was rushed in other parts. I would have liked to see other things explored a little bit more. I think had those certain things been explored, it would have added so much more of a punch. I think this would have worked better if it had been divided up into two books. I think it would have allowed things to develop a little bit more.

I found Ruying and Antony’s relationship to very interesting to read about. I love how it seemed like one that was a relationship that they were both going to benefit from. However, the deeper we got into the book, the more we get to see how complex it actually is. It’s a game of trying to figure out juts what this relationship is going to be. Again, I would have liked to have more detail to it than what we got. It was missing something to really drive it home.

I did enjoy this one and I do want to read the next book. I just think it needed a little bit something more to drive it home.

This book comes out on April 16, 2024.

A beautifully written novel that takes readers on a ride through the world of life and death. Ruying has the power of death, but she doesn’t like her gift and despises having to use it. But, when her gift is discovered by the enemies, Ruying finds herself using her power for more than she bargained for.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang is a fantasy that drew me in with fantastic cover art and kept me reading with an intriguing plot.

What I loved
-Eastern inspired fantasy setting
-High stakes
-Great pacing
-Death related magic is one of my fav fantasy magics
What didn't work as well for me
-Dialogue and character interactions sometimes read much younger than seemed intended
-The romance was somewhat uncomfortable
Who I would recommend this title for
Readers looking for Eastern inspired fantasy and myths tackling themes of self discovery and colonization have come to the right place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this DRC.
A technologically advanced ancient Rome invades Pengu, a magic wielding land, through a rip in space time? Ruying is the young woman of the conquered world, who had the gift of Death in her veins. Antony is the Emperor’s grandson who convinces her to use her gift to murder those who stands in the way of peace. In order to keep her grandmother and twin sister safe, she agrees, and her emotions become complicated. Is she keeping her country safe, is she falling for him, can she trust him?

While well written and interesting, I kept feeling bogged down. I think there was too much politics and discussion of the ecological destruction of Rome to keep my interest.

#ToGazeUponWickedGods #NetGalley

Thank you so much Random House Publishing- Ballantine, Molly X Chang, and NetGalley for the eARC! All thoughts and reviews are my own!
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 8 December 2023

3.6 (rounded up to 4) out of 5 stars.

I’m trying to beat the colonizer romance allegations away with a stick, but I’m not educated enough to even begin defending why I think it’s not one, so bear with me, readers, because this is gonna be A Ride as I get my thoughts together.

Okay so, I like the premise of this. I throughly enjoyed the idea that Chang has here. I just feel like it was lacking in the sense that… okay yeah, it’s a YA book but I almost wish it wasn’t so more topics would be hit further in depth than the rating would (I assume) allow. I’ll probably end up flagging this as a spoiler-review because there’s no way I can avoid mentioning a few key details throughout it.
But TL;DR: Ruying isn’t a full apologist. There’s a lot of potential to be had with the story and the characters, but it also feels like it’s lacking in some places. (I go more in depth below!).

[SOME SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILER ENDING MARKED]
When people say that death happens off-page more than on- yeah. It does. Well, there’s some of Ruying’s abilities being displayed at first (to show how her magic works), but once we as the readers have an established sense of the ‘how’, it does a bit of a time-skip. We get Death’s brief point of view (which I kind of almost want to see more of but I digress) and then it continues on with the story where we see a few more deaths done by Ruying. I think that readers are meant to feel the weight of these deaths by the constant mention of Ruying doing it for the Roman side rather than fighting for and with her own people. We are shown her guilt for her work, the constant back and forth between ‘is this right?’ and ‘is this wrong?’
It’s kind of hard to feel for Ruying (and many characters in that matter), in my opinion, because I couldn’t connect to her. I feel that we could have learned more about her personality and her motives besides being family-driven. Chang writes in instances that make Ruying care for her sister and her grandmother, but I think I wanted to feel more? This isn’t to say that Ruying is a bad character, but rather, I just would’ve liked to see more of her. There was almost a bit more tell not show. I understand that YA novels do have length limits and that this is also a series (so more may be uncovered later), but if it was longer, I think it could have been fleshed out more to include some more scenes of her past that explain who she is now with the knowledge she has now. We’re told that she can sneak around easily and knows how to fight some because her grandmother was the actual brains behind her grandfather’s title so she showed her grandchildren these skills to help them. I would’ve loved to be shown some of this though, or add some flourish or something to it? Just- it felt like something was missing throughout. The characters (not just Ruying!!) felt a little flat to me. I hated the villains for the sake of what we are told they did, but I wish there was more to their character like- show me how vile Valentin is. Show me why the Ghosts and the Phantom are on thin ice. Show me why Baihu is doing what he is. Show me more of this revolution and the tension. That’s one of the issues with first person because it limits the readers to what this character sees and feels, and I think that (for me at least) I would’ve loved to see more of the surroundings and the people interacting with Ruying, and how they come into play more than just the surface level understanding we get. Her family (the whole reason she’s roped herself into this mess) also eventually fades off into the background some and I would’ve loved to see more of them (or some split POV with Meiya because I feel like she’s going to be a larger piece on the board soon).

And now, on to the romance side of things. The reason I say this isn’t inherently a colonizer romance is because Ruying doesn’t excuse what Antony does. She knows that he is bad and is doing so much bad, but she can’t help how she feels when he treats her nicely. She’s captivated by this different, poor boy side of him that relates so much to her. She feels that he’s different than his family. She never fully excuses his actions and even tries to nip these feelings in the bud because she understands that he still had a hand in killing her people and making a wreck of her home and her world. I feel like that’s what separates this from an actual colonizer romance because Ruying doesn’t make excuses nor apologizes (she does claim that Antony is helping both sides though, but this is also a thought that she half-believes when put up against the people she’s told to kill for him). I think it really depends on how one defines a ‘colonizer romance’. I don’t really vibe with the romance plot in here either though, because she is still falling for the enemy and not in the sense that the enemy is just a morally grey villain- he’s literally the adopted son of the Roman leaders who are wanting to take Jing-City for their own survival (all explained in more detail literally the last few chapters of the book). I didn’t really like the way their romance tried to play out, but I can also see why it was playing out because Ruying is singled out, alone in this cold side of the world where she doesn’t fit in and suddenly somebody is unafraid of her magic and her past and finds her beautiful. I just didn’t vibe with the idea of who this somebody was, ya know?
[SPOILERS END]

I really thought this book would be almost like Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (and spoilers here for that book real quick) but if after Lan was captured by the Elantians, she didn’t escape and was forced to help them find the demons instead. It had similar premises with the colonizers raiding lands not their own, all for more and more power. I even liked the magic system Chang has established in To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. It’s explained more how it works also at the end of the book, but it’s a solid system that really makes me want to see more.
Do I think I’ll stick around for the rest of the series? I think so. The way this one ended did make me want to see more of it, but it definitely hasn’t been my favorite read. It’s right up my alley in themes that I like, all the way down to this young, hungry, and desperate girl willing to do anything for her family to survive. There’s just some places that it lacks in and places that it could be better played out in.

If you stuck around to the end of this review, I commend you! I literally did not know how to get my thoughts together to lead this nor how to end this beyond saying that it’s a pretty good read! It does read like a YA though (which I don’t know why I was expecting a more adult book when I knew it was YA????). I feel like I’ve also rated it higher than it’s initial 3 star I was planning because it has a lot of potential! It has redemption in the next book, and it just has the type of character I want to see all the way through to the end. Ruying is desperate for the chance to keep her family safe. She’s entirely naive to the way the world is and relying on just what she knows and what she wants to believe to be true. She has a lot of room for some growth and change, and I think I really do want to see that happen enough to continue with the series.
There’s a chance I’ll come back and edit this review after sitting on my thoughts more, but as of now, I’ll leave it at it's initially earned 3.6 (4) stars.

4.5 stars! with brilliant action, a descriptive world, and an easy to root for main character + a classic YA love interest, this crossover book is definitely worth a read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods!

I wanted to love this story. I love the premise, the science fiction meets fantasy, science versus magic with a morally grey female lead. However, it was really hard reading the romance aspect and, ultimately, I could not get past the uncomfortable feeling it gave me.

This book honestly did not live up to my expectations. The cover is beautiful which drew me in. I believe that this was marketed as an adult fantasy novel but this definitely feels like a YA book. I am not too sure if I will continue to read the next book in the series or not. It was such a struggle to get through... 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

One young woman with the ability to wield Death has been reluctant to use it but will be called upon to do so as she becomes entangled in battle for the well-being of her country in To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang.
Pangu is a world that used to have much more magic but has since been conquered by Romans with their science and technology. Gifted by Death with an ability to pull life from bodies, Ruying has seen this ability as a curse and lives with fear of both what she’s capable of and the foreign invaders as she tries to keep her family safe. When she’s captured by an enemy prince, Antony, Ruying is presented with an offer that would keep her family safe so long as she acts as his assassin, which he claims would help prevent larger scale brutalization and outright war. Believing that she’s serving the interests of the greater good and believing that Antony’s plans and attentions are genuine, Ruying’s decision sets her on a path filled with strategic deaths, but when confronted with the reality of what’s been going on behind closed doors Ruying rethinks everything she thinks she knows as she embraces her next steps to save her nation and people.
The premise of two different worlds colliding, one of tradition and magic and another with science and technological experimentation and advancements, was a promising and interesting one and there were mentions of that clash throughout the novel that reflects on colonial subjugation but not many depictions of the science-magic clash were detailed, leaving unanswered questions about the portal linking their worlds and a more fleshed out background for how and why the Romans made their way to Pangu beyond what Antony relayed. While the characters have aspects of their past obscured to heighten tension and drive the interaction dynamics with one another, the characters have a lack of depth to them beyond cliches and it was an odd choice to include just one brief chapter from Antony’s perspective while the rest is from Ruying’s as it unbalances an already odd pacing. With ample deception from nearly every character presented intrigue is developed that drives the story forward and generates interest to learn how the story will progress in future installments, especially as it sets the scene for the sequel by ending on a note of suspense to foster an eagerness for the story to continue.
Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For a book being marketed as adult, this one felt so juvenile. The concept of this one sounded so wonderful, but the execution left me wishing I'd DNF'd it. The repeated idea of "magic vs. science" had me rolling my eyes every time it was said. There have to be more advanced and nuanced ways of explaining the conflict than a childlike phrase like this. It is a perfect example of the author telling the reader everything instead of showing them anything. I was unable to feel anything for any of the characters because no relationships and interactions were shown. The reader was just told that certain characters were the MC's best friend/they were super close and were expected to believe this and have emotional impact from what happens to these characters. This book was so insanely repetitive that 100 pages could have been shaved off the length by just getting rid of things we'd already been told earlier in the book. The same analogies and descriptions were used over and over. There were lines in this that felt like she wrote them hoping they'd get famous on TikTok and make more people buy the book even though the rest of the book isn't like those few random quotes. This is marketed as slow-burn, but it is completely insta-love. Not to mention Ruying falling in love with the colonizer of her world. I can usually find something to like in a romance, but not at all in this one. The most exciting part of the book (her becoming this assassin for the prince) was skipped over by a 6 month time jump. Ruying as a character was so infuriating. I had high hopes for her ( and this whole book) from reading the author's note at the beginning, but she doesn't ever do anything. She's not morally gray. She doesn't ever use her power until closer to the end. I can see potential in this author's writing of descriptions, but this one was just a huge miss for me.

This was an interesting mix of sci-fi fantasy and Chinese history and mythology. Pangu is a otherworldly (and I think completely different planet version of?) China that’s been colonized by a highly advanced Rome. I thought the world building was good, but it was rather hard figuring out if Pangu was an alternative China or just a completely different planet. Rome’s advancements cool to read, but same thing with Pangu, I had to actively remind myself that it wasn’t the Ancient Rome I’m used to reading about. ⚔️

Ruying’s characterization, I felt, was a bit misleading. She’s described as a morally grey character, but continues to be merciful throughout the book. I would say she’s more of a good person who’s forced to make morally grey/questionable choices. But I did think she was a good MC that’s rather unreliable at times when it comes to seeing the bigger picture. ☠️

Antony, to me, was a good example of a “slippery” love interest. He’s good looking obviously, but he’s hard to pin down when it comes to identifying his morals and actions, and his continuous evasion of certain answers makes me think of a snake that could bite the handler’s hands at any moment. The revelation of his character at the end of the book felt both predictable and surprising because it was both what I was expecting and not expecting.🐍

The side characters did feel a bit black or white when it came seeing the world. Sometimes they were either textbook evil, or too righteous in my opinion, but I guess that provided for a good foil to Ruying and Antony’s actions. 🤷🏻‍♀️

In the end, I thought the magic system was interesting, the characters intriguing enough to keep my attention, and the plot was engaging. Definitely would recommend for those who enjoyed the alternative history of China in The Poppy Wars and the sly love interest in The Hurricane Wars! ✨

Big thank you @delreybooks and @netgalley for granting my wish for this book in exchange for an honest review, and to @mollyxchang for writing such an interesting book! Can’t wait for book 2! ❤️

Overall: 4/5 ⭐️

May contain some spoilers: 

I understood the author's intention to explore the theme of one culture oppressing and exploring another. Also, I was excited to get a lot of Asian culture, mythology, and elements (because of the cover), but the direction was another. Still, what kept me going was that this story is based on Unit 731, which is a subject that always interests me. Humans are being taken by other humans to be experimented on.

What made me slow down and almost quit were the interactions between the female main character and the opposite sex. Although it is first person, filled with emotion in the present tense, and poetic prose, I didn't like the main character. The author couldn't convince me that a girl who has the power of Death wouldn't fight back just because she didn't want to or it was not what her grandmother wanted. Also, she seems to have a lot of feminist ideas in her thoughts but gets in a situation that forces her to choose to serve one male or another. We, readers, want to follow a hero into high stakes/life or death situations who will stand for herself and sacrifice herself for what is right, when I reached the end I understood that the choice that should be made in chapter two is now going to be only made in book two. The concept is there, but the choices are not my expectations. A second aspect that slowed down my reading was the dialogue. It has a lot of repetition (not just in the dialogue, but in prose as well) repetition of the same ideas, themes, thoughts, and justifications... Saying the same thing over and over doesn't advance the plot at all, just stops it. 

I didn't like the end and will not continue the series.

But... Although I was not the target for this book after all, I enjoyed the action, the chapters of her being separated from her family and taken. The realization that they were sorting the powers they deemed useful was the best part of the book. As soon as the prince entered... it lost me. I don't mind to read romance when done right.

I will still recommend it to my readers and I hope they read it to formulate their own opinions. It is the start of a series that will make the main character choose which path to take, and which male to follow.

Themes like: feminism, oppression (between male and female but also between two different cultures, one has magic and they are enslaved and explored by those with technology) violence (different levels), greed, drug abuse, torture, and death. 

The cover is very pretty, congrats to the artist.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this E-arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read a digital ARC.

I was prepared to love this based on the gorgeous cover, but I was left wanting a bit more. I will still pick up the sequel to see what happens.