Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for granted my wish to get this ARC in exchange for an honest review

That was so SLOW like i have to gain some energy before diving into this book, again and again untill finish it. Well lets say, I am either to like this book or just to put this book at the corner of my room as a room's décor cause the cover is so pretty.

2.75 stars rounded up

This is based on very real events of World War II and the horrors that were acted upon the Manchurian people by the Japanese.

Another review that’s really just a random mashup of my thoughts:

I actually really liked Ruying’s character and felt that her choices were understandable given the circumstances. She felt very human whereas I feel like a lot of fantasy protagonists are a bit too good at making what should be hard decisions. Anthony was very interesting too, misguided as he was.

I couldn’t help but compare this to The Poppy War especially with the way opium and magic were represented. This has much more of a sci fi vibe to it with the Romans being from another world of science and technology and invading Ruying’s world that was blessed by magic but it still felt very similar in many ways. I’m not saying this is a ripoff necessarily but it kind of feels that way…

We spend around 90% of the book in Ruying’s head and it was just boring. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I ended up pushing through and the last 30% was more action filled but I’m not sure if it’s enough for me to continue with the series when it eventually comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Del Rey books for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review (still can’t believe I get to say that🥰)

Overall, this book has a lot of potential.

The thing that stood out most for me was the writing. Chang has a delicate way of weaving words together to create a vivid picture of the world her characters live in. I thought the prose was lyrical and intelligent, but in a way that felt authentic.

I also really enjoyed the relationship between Antony and Ruying. I loved their banter and how seamlessly the romance developed between them.

However, there are aspects of the book that took away from my enjoyment.

My big issue is that the world-building lacked a lot of depth. Many things were not explained properly or weren’t thoroughly explored until later in the book. The magic system was one area that I found incredibly lacking. A crucial aspect of this book is the main character’s death magic, but it isn't explained at all. I wish I knew more about the Gods and the different magics that the Xainlings possess.
Furthermore, I wish I knew more about the Roman Empire. The Romans weren’t fleshed out enough to make them a believable enemy. Their society wasn’t explained, their technology wasn’t explained, and their motivations weren’t explained. Nothing about the Romans felt developed and I couldn’t understand them as antagonists.

In addition, many of the characters were underdeveloped. Excluding Ruying and Meyia, most of the characters were flat and static. Antony, for example, felt more like a caricature rather than a complex character. His backstory was given to us in the form of an info dump and we were told about his actions rather than shown most of the time. And even outside Antony, many characters were presented this way. Consequently, I couldn’t form a meaningful attachment to anyone.

Finally, much of the book felt repetitive. I noticed that many details were often mentioned multiple times. While this isn’t inherently bad, it happened so frequently that it sort of felt like I was rereading the same paragraphs on different pages. This made the reading experience pretty dull and made the book feel very long and drawn out.

4.5 Stars!

It starts out a bit slow but it picks up pretty quickly and I really enjoyed the book! I enjoyed the change in Ruying. I really do not trust any of the colonizing Romans. They usually just want more and more and cant get enough. It is not Er-Lang’s fault that their world is dying . I hope we see how Antony really is. Can he really be trusted or is he really like his brothers?

Okay so Spoilers ahead since I want to remember the plot for the next book

Ruying must bargain for opian in order for her sister to continue to stay aware. She lives with Meiya, her twin sister addicted to opian, and her grandmother. One night, Ruying decides to steal from a Rome Prince. Later on, that same prince, Antony, decides to start a raid in order to keep Ruying as his assassin. They start to trust each other. Ruying has killed about 50 men for him. She finds out her next target is the Sihai emperor and this is when Ruying starts doubting Antony. The Phantom’s men come after them and Baihu is part of the Phantom’s men. When Antony is on death’s bed, Baihu shows Ruying what Antony is really doing in the labs and she sees Taohua pass away from the experiments. She confronts Antony and pretends to be on his side in order to help the Phantom with bringing war.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this arc.

The start was extremely exposition heavy, which I don’t enjoy. It’s easy enough to read, and it flows well. I stopped at the end of chapter 2 (5%). Easy three stars “liked it” for the target audience, four for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Rating: 3.5/5

I am a sucker for beautiful covers and this one pulled me in immediately, along with the summary which left me very excited for the beginning of what’s to come.

We have our two main characters: Ruying and Antony. They come from two different worlds: one heavily focused on science, and one adorned with magic. Those two concepts being put together felt so fresh and fascinating that it really tied the world-building together quite well.

Ruying has the power of Death and Antony is the prince of Rome. The Romans have taken over and colonized Er-Lang, Ruying’s world. Antony needs Ruying’s help to act as his own personal assassin, which she is eventually coerced into doing because of a deal that keeps her family safe. I really enjoyed the family aspect in this book. You get to see and understand Ruying’s doing and undoing, why she makes certain decisions and why she doesn’t. It was actually really sad and it showed the tragedies of addiction. It showed the lengths someone would go to, to keep their family safe, and Ruying’s heart is so big, but her heart could also be her downfall.

The world and the magic system were very interesting. The gods and deities were an intriguing aspect, too. The world-building was gripping and very imaginative– I could actually picture what’s happening in the book, like I was watching a movie in real-time.

The romance itself threw me off sometimes. I wanted less dialogue and more backstory, something to make me cling onto these two characters a little bit more. It just felt like it was going in circles until the very end. Antony is a very deceiving person throughout this book, despite his own small and random POV chapter which painted him as someone who’s essentially sweet and flawed which is perhaps what the author intended, though Ruying was aware of his ways but kept going back to him and trying to go around what everyone was telling her. She wanted to believe him so badly. Basically, it was a frustrating cycle of wishful thinking that led to unimaginable and unforgivable acts upon her own people, leaving Ruying seeing nothing but red.

I don’t really fault Ruying, though, because all she wants at the end of the day is peace for her people and she would do anything to make sure the peace is kept, even if it meant following Antony and his tricks. Ruying is passionate and caring, a strong female character that was written nicely although I wished we could see more use of her powers, seeing as powerful as they are and what she can do.

Overall, this book was good and it was a nice start to something that could blossom into something even greater. I’m looking forward to the next book to see what happens next and to delve into the two worlds a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5/5 stars
Wow! What a stunning new novel by Molly Chang. I am honored to have been one of the first to read this.

Ruying lives in a world that has been taken over by Rome, a civilization that no one knew about until they broke through the sky. Ruying's world is full of people blessed by magic...but that was no competition to Rome's advancements in science. Ruying will have to decide how she uses the gift of her magic to protect the people she loves from Rome...even if the price is death.

Pros: This was such a fast paced book. I finished it in 3 days, and each day I kept saying "I can't wait until I finish work so I can continue reading!". I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entire book.
Something I liked was that the world building was fairly strong. I would still like to know more about Rome, and the other empires in Ruying's world, but I felt like I understood the world where Ruying came from.
Another thing I liked was that Ruying was such a morally grey character. The whole time I'm sitting here thinking "Come on Ruying, make better choices!" but at the same time, she really doesn't have much of a choice if she wants her family to live. She is caught between a rock and a hard place. I loved how friends from Ruying's past were an integral part of the plot, and you see how her feelings towards them changes throughout the novel.

Something I wasn't a fan of was the romance. I just didn't feel it was believable that Ruying would fall in love with someone who was basically holding her captive, and had hurt her at the start. The whole time she was so indecisive on whether or not she liked the guy and wanted to take things further...she changed her mind every paragraph. Without spoilers, due to the ending I am hoping she does not end up with this guy in future installments and we can see her with a healthier love interest.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and will definitely continue on in the series when it is released. I highly recommend this to fantasy readers, especially if you are into YA fantasy.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this book prior to release!

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Yang Ruying was born with a special gift, like many others in her world - the gift of magic. However Ruying's gift is even more coveted. She is Death's soldier, with the ability to drain life forces from others...at a cost. Her world has been upturned by invading colonizers from an allegory of our world, who entered through a portal in the sky and brought horrors like machines, weapons, technology, science..in all the worst ways. Throughout the course of 'To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods' Ruying must face an impossible decision. Save her people and her land through war and bloodshed or peace treaties? If only things were that simple, but the political intrigue of the Roman princes, especially Prince Antony, will leave her tangled with more questions than answers.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. The world building was absolutely beautiful, with a needed explanation of the true history behind the book's allegories, and a wonderfully complex and real magic system that ties to the forces of life itself. Each character felt fully fleshed out, if not left with a little intrigue as expected from the first novel that leaves readers wanting more.

As it was an ARC I did see some grammatical errors, but I'm sure they will be fixed for the full release. At times I had difficulties relating to Ruying, constantly going back and forth between her own selfish desires and the impossible choice of being a martyr - there was almost too much back and forth that tended to make the book feel like it was dragging on. Other snippets of information felt thrown in haphazardly, like the one sentence mention of Meiya's gift that is never brought up again. Looking inwardly, maybe I cannot relate to the back and forth because I have never been put in a situation like this, and that heavy hit home wasn't necessarily for me, which I recognize.

In summary, I think it's a great debut of a book and I look forward to reading the next one that comes out just as quickly. I know the writer will only grow from here, and I am excited to see how the story of Ruiyang, Baihu, Antony, Meiya, and Pangu as a whole come to a conclusion.

Actual rating: 2.5/5
Unfortunately, I was not anticipating the Stockholm syndrome subcontext in this storyline. Wasn't really a fan of out MC romanticizing her captor, nor the hypocrisy she showed towards her old friend over the choices he made when she turned around and made even worse choices. I'm hoping the second book will keep what's-his-face out of the way, and the storyline can progress with the friend's plans. If so, I have a feeling I could enjoy the sequel much more. Because the writing had a solid and pleasant structure to it, while the storyline and the world had a good foundation. I truly adore the general idea of the book, but just did not like how the brilliance of it was shadowed over by our MC growing feelings towards her captor and abuser.

I believe congratulations are in order for Ms. Chang; she did a splendid job with her debut novel. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is going to be one of the masterpieces that 2024 is bringing.

As soon as you read the dedication and the author's inspiration behind this magical world, you realize that this story is going to be an epic adventure. It is filled with moments that will tug at your heartstrings but also fulfill your guilty pleasures. The dedication is just the first awesome thing that sets the tone for what's to come.
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods tells the story of Ruying, whose life was marred by tragedy from the very beginning. Her mother passed away while giving birth to Ruying and her twin sister; after this, her dad became addicted to drugs that slowly killed him but not before he ruined the family's reputation and subjected his daughters to years of mistreatment.
But Ruying's fate was sealed even before she was born. Her world was invaded by demons that descended from the skies, not from the ground. This cataclysmic event forever changed the course of her life and everyone in her world.

What makes Ruying's world so unique is the magical abilities that every generation inherits from the Gods. That same magic also makes the people of Ruying's world vulnerable to the advanced technologies of the demons from the other side of the sky. What makes our main character so special is a rare magical ability that allows her to pull life right out of mortal bodies. Ruying's people fear her because of her exceptional abilities, but the demons desire her on their side to win the war.
To save her family from the cruel times they are living in, Ruying is capable of anything, including becoming a traitor.

The sentiments that accompany the reader at the beginning of the book are carried through until the very end. I don't know how many times I found myself clenching my teeth or tearing up because the descriptions felt too heavy to keep going. Ms. Chang has done an excellent job of blending historical events with her fantasy world. However, it's worth noting that the book is based on one of the most tragic events in human history - World War II. Some parts are difficult to read without imagining the struggles faced by those who lived through those times. It's heartbreaking to think about the sacrifices made by those individuals just to survive another day or to protect their loved ones.

In this story, there are bad guys like in every other. Nevertheless, the author makes it difficult to harvest any hateful emotions toward those characters. Not only are they morally ambiguous instead of being completely evil, but the author wants the reader to fall deeply in love with them to be able to hate with the same intensity; at least that's how it felt for me when I reached the last page of the book.

Overall, 2025 can't come soon enough. I need the sequel now.

Well, okay, this is going to be one of those books that I was wildly interested in reading--and ultimately fell flat in literally every facet of storytelling possible. The sort of book a publisher hypes up but never quite manages to deliver on its promises, leaving nothing but unfulfilled expectations. I've been mildly following this book/the author since the deal announcement, and as soon as I saw it here--I pounced. Upon reading, it was so painfully lacking in polish (even for an ARC, and I'm not talking about typos, etc. here) that I almost put it down. However, given that this is an ARC, I like to review them properly and that means reading the entire thing.

Let's start with the concept. It's interesting, and the thing that drew me in instantly. The author tries to establish a world with concepts that never quite meshed together in my head, and instead became a bit of a mess. I am specifically referring to using Romans here. Which are a real people. That really existed. In a place called Rome. Yet, names like Pangu are from mythos, and used contextually in a fantasy realm here. So a magical, fantasy China that isn't actually China? But the author uses the Romans? What? How? Why? The genre-blending--of fantasy and kind of sci-fi, with elements of modern tech (huh?)--just did not work for me. At all. For a book that doesn't explain anything, there sure was a lot of info-dumping as well, relying in choppily written inner narration from a protagonist I found it increasingly difficult to care about as the novel went on.

An interesting concept that was poorly executed, that, somehow, sold to a publisher for a large deal. I am baffled.

Since I saw the book cover on Instagram, I knew that I needed to read this book. I didn’t care what it was about. I just knew I needed to read this book. And after I finished it, I got to say that I was glad that I went in blind. The book summary spoils a bit of the plot of the book. Regarding this book, it is for morally gray fantasy readers.

I know, I know. We all love morally gray characters, and we absolutely love it when it is a female morally gray character in fantasy books. We will always support women's wrong in fantasy books. You always know that it had to be something or someone who pushed them into their morally gray era. And Ruying was no exception.

I don’t care what people say, but I fully support Ruying no matter what. She always knew her gifts, aka magic, were a death sentence. She never wanted it because her magic will always be seen as a weapon, no matter what she wants. People won’t understand, especially her sister. And that’s what separates Ruying from everyone else. She may not do what people expect her to do with her magic, but she will always protect her remaining family at all costs in times of war.

You may call her selfish since Ruying has to work with her world enemy. But what choices does she have in this time of war? She has no power or connections that can help her protect her family. She did what she needed to do for her family to stay alive, even though she questioned everything about herself.

It's a bit hard to read about Ruying's pain. She never wanted to work for the enemy. And she never wanted to use her magic. But war is never kind. She has to do what she has to do to survive, and that’s going to cost her.

I will say that I admire Ruying's strength in protecting her family. She is doing what she can to protect them. It’s sad that her sister doesn’t understand. For me, I don’t like her sister at all. I find her selfish. She only cares for power and drugs. She doesn’t know how much it hurts Ruying to do what she has to do in order to protect. She thinks it’s easy, but life in the war isn’t.

“Power was a dangerous game. Those who wished to be strong couldn’t have feelings like these, couldn’t love. Because as soon as you cared for something, it became your weakness”

Ruying is a powerful Xianling, yet she is left powerless and at the mercy of Romans who invaded her country decades before. Hailing from a once proud military family, she struggles to support her grandmother and sister, and she will go to any lengths to ensure they survive. Even if it means stealing from a Roman. She is forced to use the powers she fears and end up involved in something much bigger than she had ever intended.

Ruying is so strong and devoted to those she loves, and will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety. She is fighting for a greater peace and paying a heavy price. Her internal compass goes between personal conscience and that of society; a morally grey main character. Through practice, she gains control over her powers, but in the end, for whom does she use them?

I enjoyed the story a lot! It’s quite thought provoking and a sci-fi/fantasy allegorical take on the atrocities committed in Manchuria in WWII. Leading up to the ending I truly had no idea what would happen. There is a touch of forbidden romance and betrayal. The ending is COMPLETELY open ended which is hard, but in this case was the right choice.

An absolutely solid read!

Starting this novel, my expectations were moderate, but further into the reading, my expectations were exceeded. The author carefully crafted a relationship between Antony and Ruying that was equal parts believable and tumultuous. The complicated nature of which they were compelled towards each other mingled with their innate incompatibility was interesting to read and kept me at the edge of my seat. Additionally, the development of the world was refreshing. The details the author utilized were vivid and yielded an enjoyable experience. Moreover, the turmoil and motivations of each nation were clear and realistic.

In terms of faults, there were not many to note. One to mention is the lack of follow-up regarding injuries of some of the characters and of occasional time jumps that were without warning and left me mildly confused. However, neither of these things were extremely bothersome. Overall, this novel has wonderful world-building, a strong cast of characters, and well-thought-out settings.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited when I saw this book because the cover is just beautiful and I love Asian epic fantasy stories. It essentially follows Ruying who is a girl who can pull life from mortals and kill them. She lives in Pangu (China) which has been invaded by Rome, and gets an offer from the Prince. He tells her that he will help protect her people if she becomes his assassin. But using her power comes at a cost, so is it worth it?

I thought that this book had a really interesting concept, and although I've read similar books it was still unique. That being said, some things could have been clearer. The magic system wasn't explained very well. Throughout the book, multiple references suggest that Pangu used to have more magical people and magic was more prevalent but didn't explain much further. I was also confused by the whole portal situation. Could the Romans just portal into Pangu from Rome? Also on the topic of Romans, does this book take place in a world where Rome never fell? Multiple modern-day references like cameras, melting polar caps, etc. make this explanation plausible, but it wasn't very well established. Also, Pangu seemed very non-advanced which makes me think that maybe I'm wrong. I thought this could be such a great book, I just felt confused by a few major details.

I wouldn't classify this in the Romance category, as it's described on Goodreads. There was very little romance at all. In fact, the "romantic interest" basically abducted and neglected Ruying then forced her into agreeing to work for him.

Overall, I didn't love a whole lot about this book but it was interesting enough for me to read to completion.

This is a brilliant novel with both fantasy and sci-fi themes. We are invited into a world of magic and family. A land of that is beautifully detailed in it's culture and magic. Yet they are being invaded, abused and tortured by another realm full of science to counter their own magic. It is brilliant and heartbreaking in the trials of the main character as she struggles between loyalty to her family, to her world and people as well as to her control of an incredible power her enemy seeks to abuse. Ruying's gift of death could save her world or destroy it. This book is immersed in culture similar to that of the author's people in Manchuria. She chronicles this book as if creating a myth around the history of her people. The world's Roman occupiers is no less detailed in it's horrifying "science" and it's plans. I was expecting a good read but I had not expected such a gut wrenching ride. I loved it.

Wow, I really liked this book! It was a bit slow in the beginning but then really picked up steam, The story is set in a world that was once filled with magic but it is now waning. Our main character , Ruying, lives with her twin sister, Meiya, and their grandmother. Their country was invaded and taken over by people from another world who continue to take from them.
Ruying has a magical gift but has been told by her grandmother not to use it. As things get worse , Ruying wonders if she should use it. She doesn’t know what to do. What lengths will she go to to protect her family? At what cost? Who can she trust?
The book is filled with adventure and intrigue. I was sorry to see it end but happy to know that this will be a series. I look forward to reading book two and finding out what happens to Ruying. Happy reading!

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for inviting me to read and review To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"I am the girl blessed by Death. If I intend to live, nothing can stop me."

I wanted to love this book more, I really did.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a sci-fi fantasy blend of science, advanced technology, and dying magic. Rome has invaded from the sky and is colonizing on the world of Er-Lang. Ruying is a death magic user, she can kill a person with a touch of her hand, and she can feel their qi leave their bodies. When she is caught stealing from a royal enemy, it causes a chain reaction of terrible events. When Ruying is captured for her coveted Gift, she is given a chance to save herself and her family and a bargain is struck: stay by the royal enemy's side and assassinate whomever he orders to be killed for the good of Rome and Er-Lang.

There might be spoilers ahead!

"Death only blesses a mortal when the world is at the verge of chaos, and his protégé will either save the world, or destroy it."

The Author's Note is eye-opening and gut-wrenching. Molly X. Chang's words made me look forward to reading their story even more but after I finished the book I realized I was disappointed with the execution. While the pacing is very good, I was kept on the edge of my seat wanting to find out more about Ruying, her family, and the impending war between Er-Lang and Rome, but the repetitive narration and the relationship between Ruying and Antony hindered the experience for me.

We are constantly reminded of the trouble Er-Lang is in and the differences between Rome and Er-Lang's customs. Rome is representative of science and Er-Lang of magic but the 'science' part doesn't actually come in until closer to the end of the book. What is shown is the advanced technology of gun power, flying mechanics, political structures, and modernized weapons of Earth. If the author had put in 'technology vs magic' instead of using the word 'science' all the time, I think it would have made more sense but I'm also still confused of the timelines being used in this sci-fi fantasy world. Maybe I need to re-read it, or maybe I missed something, but I couldn't pinpoint what timeframe of Rome the author was using. It was like Rome of years past but with weapons that weren't made yet. Honestly, if they had used any made-up name in place for 'Rome', I don't think I would be having this issue. When Antony is explaining to Ruying of how Rome came to Er-Lang, it would have made for an interesting plot twist if the author wrote Rome as made-up place but made us as readers realize where they were actually from.

"No matter how much I wanted to give air to this thing that bloomed between us, I couldn't. For I knew this fire would burn us to ashes if we weren't careful."

I'm disappointed with the romance. I wish it was either non-existent or executed better. Maybe I would have felt differently if it wasn't a main focus, and if Antony didn't get a one-off chapter.

Ruying is the main point of view but there is a random Antony chapter that gives you an idea of what he is thinking and feeling towards Ruying. I would have preferred to not have read it at all. It didn't flow with the story. It ruined my picture of this mysterious manipulator where you have no idea if what he says is true or if he is just trying to control Ruying by playing with her emotions. Sometimes it's better to not know and have the reader guess until things come to light later.

Alright, I know I said a few negative points BUT I was able to get through this book. That is a good thing for me because I was in a bad slump for a long period of time and I'm now getting back into the swing of things.

The pacing is great, the action and fights are intense, and I'm very interested in learning more about Er-Lang and its magic. I'm also interested in the whole portal system and if it will be brought back in the sequel. I hope we will be able to explore more places and see Ruying's family again. Meiya, Ruying's sister, left an impression on me and I was disappointed that she disappeared from the story after getting into a disagreement with Ruying. I really liked reading about their grandmother as well and what she had gone through.

Overall, I fell in love with Chang's prose and descriptions. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a promising debut with a lot of potential to be a great series. I do look forward to the sequel and what will become of Er-Lang and the impending war.

A solid 3 stars.

An absolutely gorgeous book. The metaphors and imagery used were phenomenal and the plot itself was refreshing.

I absolutely couldn’t put this book down. It was refreshing to see different cultures represented in a fantasy novel, and it was nice to learn more about them — even if it was just a little.

Seeing the Chinese characters in tandem with their translations was also beautiful in and of itself. I adore language as a whole and I find it beautiful how we communicate as humans in so many different ways.

The worlds of science and magic collide, which is something I feel like I haven’t really seen in fantasy. I loved this book and I’m excited to read the next story in the series.

I loved this book! I thought the author's note, in the beginning, brought a more serious note to the book that made me aware there was more of a personal connection to the story being written. This was more than just a book/story, but a message on the importance of taking care of one’s environment and the devastation of colonialism through the world of science and magic. It's definitely a must-read for 2024!