Part fantasy, part science fiction, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was a very enjoyable book. Strangers appeared through a rift in the sky, bringing with them modern science and technology to a world ruled by magic, myth, and tradition. After a devastating one-day war, the world bowed a knee to the invading Romans and accepted peace. Now, decades later, rebellion threatens to tip that balance into war.

Xianlings, those blessed by the gods with magical abilities, are going missing. Ruying is one of them; blessed by the magic of Death, an ability she keeps hidden. She's been struggling for survival, to keep her aging grandmother and opian addicted sister safe. But when she's taken by the Romans, Ruying is offered a deal: serve as Prince Antony's assassin and he'll provide for her family. Is keeping those she loves the most worth turning her back on her people?

I loved this book. The blend of magic and science was unique and intriguing. It really helped establish the line between the Romans and Ruying, in addition to the political social barriers already in place. Ruying's dilemma was so well explored. 'Heroes die, cowards live' was a sentiment often repeated and used as her motivation.

The connection between Ruying and Antony went deeper than I initially expected it would, developing into a forbidden love. While I used to think that forbidden love was one of my least favorite tropes, it's slowly growing on me. It was so well done here in the way Antony both challenged Ruying and accepted her.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is the first in a series and it ended at such a good place. I had goosebumps reading the final chapter. No spoilers as to what happened in those final pages, but I can at least say it was so satisfying. I'm excited for book two.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

If my tears ricochet were a book, this would be it.

From a fantasy point of view, this was fun. It was predictable and conformed to most fantasy star-crossed lover-themed books. However, historically, as the author mentions at the beginning, the book doesn't quite make sense.

The pacing was good, although it dragged during some parts. The story of Ruying's and Antony's worlds separated through a portal wasn't very clear, and the descriptions regarding different cities and walls couldn't materialize in my head. Ruying's character, although strong, felt spineless until the end. Her occasional self-confidence would waver with self-doubting thoughts and questioning of her self-worth. Although, I partially blame it on Antony's manipulation and her conflicting situation. Regardless, she's a likable main character whose actions I support no matter the decision.

Despite its flaws, I consider that I read an arc, and things change before publishing. With that, I gave the book four stars because it's an entertaining and addicting read if stricken from seriousness. I sense a love triangle, but I'm rooting for Antony and Ruying because betrayal always hits the hardest.

The book seems like a promising start to a series or trilogy (depending on the author's plans). It outlines the main story nicely and expertly showcases Ruying's personality. I genuinely have high hopes and can't wait for the second book, not only for the ship but for Ruying's character development - I pray we see.

I absolutely adore this cover, it’s breathtaking. It’s the first thing I noticed before reading the plot.
Magic and technology collide, power and greed are truly the root of evil.

Ruy is dedicated to her family and regardless of her power, she listens to her grandmother and hides her abilities. She is recruited for her death touch…
She is not your typical hero, she does want to be a good person but she understands the need to survive.

We have magical aspects, mythology, and fantasy. It’s not your typical fantasy book, the writing is more lyrical.

Possible trigger warnings, death of a family, violence, gore, drug addictions

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang is a fantasy debut based on Chinese history and the author's grandfather's stories of war from Manchuria. The story revolves around Ruying, who lives in a China-inspired world that has been conquered by the Romans. What people don't know is that Ruying has powers that can steal the qi or life-force from anyone. When a Roman prince discovers her powers, she is forced to make a deal. Will she be able to handle being a personal assassin for the enemy?

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"With deliberate steps, I passed the Fence that carved my city into halves, guarded by Roman soldiers and their white-knuckled grips on the guns that haunted my people's nightmares, ready to shoot me down over perceived slights.
I hated these men. Hated their stern, foreign faces and foreign attires from beyond the shimmering portal high in the indigo sky that now joined our two realms...
To inflict unimaginable pain and suffering, as the Romans had for over two decades now."

Overall, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a fantasy novel that will appeal to fans of R. F. Kuang's Poppy War trilogy or the Netflix adaption of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone. Although this book is categorized as adult fantasy, I feel like it can fit in and appeal to YA fantasy readers as well. One highlight of this book is that it is #ownvoices by an author of Chinese descent. I loved reading the author's note where she talks about her grandfather's war stories from Manchuria and about the colonization of China by Russia and Japan.

Another highlight of this book is Ruying's very cool death powers. Although they are a burden to her, I enjoyed reading about the descriptions and explanations of the death-magic. It was a cool concept that I haven't read about before. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that there is a lot of telling, not showing, especially in the beginning of the book. But it gets very exciting afterward, and I tore through the rest of the book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

This book was very intense but so good! The authors note in the beginning is unlike anything I've read before in a YA fantasy and sets a heavy but important tone for the story. This story is unlike anything I've read and I can't wait to see how it continues and how the main character continues to grow. Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This book sounded so good and had so much promise, but because of that, I think I ended up disliking it even more? To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods just promised so much good stuff like enemies to lovers, a morally gray and conflicted protagonist, and an examination of the dynamics and oppressive tactics that go into colonization that it ultimately did not deliver on. It also had a blurb from Xiran Jay Zhao, who wrote Iron Widow, one of my favorite books published in 2021.

We follow Ruying, a young woman who lives under the oppressive rule of the Roman empire. Since the Romans suddenly invaded her country years ago, they’ve brought nothing but pain for her people and have abused them and taken the best of them–those with powerful magical gifts–to serve them. The Romans have also funneled a drug called opian (*cough* totally not opium, guys *cough*) to control the Xianlings, something Ruying’s father was addicted to and which currently afflicts her sister, Meiya.

A chance encounter with one of the Roman princes, Antony, leads to her being forced to enlist under him as his personal assassin when she reveals her ability to drain people of their qi to the point of even being able to kill them. At first, Ruying is reluctant and distrustful of Antony and everything he represents. But, as the two grow closer, she begins to see that he might be different from his brothers and have a better future in store for her people if she helps him take the crown…but at what cost?

Not gonna lie, this sounds potentially terrible on a surface level. Any story where the love interest is part of the colonizing force raises a red flag to me (and not in a good way). But it’s all in the execution, really. In particular, I’m thinking of Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun.

However, as I read more and more, the less faith I had that Chang would be able to pull off something similar. Antony is terrible. I really have no words for how despicable he was to me, and not only was he despicable, he was bland while doing it. I think he was supposed to be this big manipulator with a soft side for Ruying as she sneaks her way into his heart unexpectedly, but the way that he pushes her to kill people and how the two only bond over their trauma (with his being, “I once was poor and starving, see, I’m just like you!”) was awful.

I enjoyed Ruying’s moral conflict more since she starts off reluctantly being Antony’s assassin and enjoys the power rush she gets from using her gift at times. However, I don’t feel like Chang’s writing style was strong enough to lend enough originality to this character arc as we’ve gotten so many great morally gray or corrupt female characters in recent years that it’s hard not to compare to, such as R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War Series. We’re still supposed to root for Ruying throughout this but her relationship with Antony is so weak that it undermines a lot of her conflict.

Every other character, including her sister and other potential love interest, call her out for buying into Antony’s promises and propaganda. I feel like I was in some time loop since this happened so often. Ruying goes back and forth so much between whether Antony is good or not, whether he’s lying to her about what he wants for the future of her people, that I became frustrated and sick of her.

There’s potential for much more interesting and complicated feelings and struggles for Ruying to go through, but Chang focuses on the romance in a way that diminishes this. Then, when even the romance isn’t strong, we’re left with a pretty flimsy plot.

All in all, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods wasn’t for me and I really wish it was. The book had a promising start and I wish I could just pull all my favorite bits together to make a whole new book about the costs of love and power because this one isn’t hitting the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review has been scheduled to be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, and my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) on March 25, 2024.

A fascinating book about two worlds, one centered around science and the other around magic. There are plenty of morally gray characters and a compelling relationship between the main character and the prince who recruits her. More deeply, this is a story about colonialism and the tension that will always exist between conqueror and conquered peoples. Molly Chang has crafted a rich world that promises more intrigue and angst in the books to come!

This was amazing! Truly one of the best books I've read in a long time. The author created such a vivid world that was so immersive and detailed that it felt like a real place. The world-building was so well done, and the characters were all dynamic and interesting.

I have nothing but praise for this book, and Molly X. Chang deserves all the accolades for their writing. I can't wait to see what else they do!

This was such an amazing read! I flew through this book in one afternoon because I could not stop! The characters were so unique and gripping that I really adored them. The author did a great job with keeping the plot moving and avoiding any stale moments. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know!

Moving, lyrical and I'm so excited to get my physical copy. It's plot is fast paced and perfect for a fall read.

Ruying lives in a world occupied by Romans who conquered her lands after invading from a portal in the heavens. They overpowered the magic of her people with new technology and unparalleled violence. Ruying was born with the power to drain the life force from any mortal she is near, but she fears her power, not only for the destruction it causes, but because it comes at a cost: each time she uses her gift, she is draining her own life force, potentially forcing herself into an early grave. When her magic is revealed in front of a Roman prince, she is given the opportunity to ally with him in order to keep her twin sister and her grandmother safe from the violence that has been a detriment to her people. Ruying must choose between her nation and her family in this epic, high-stakes fantasy.

The premise of this book is very interesting and Chang’s use of language and lore throughout the book was beautiful. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Ruying and Antony and how politically savvy the book is. I did feel like some parts of the book moved really slowly and were kind of repetitive. I also would have loved to see more development in some of the supporting characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I did not enjoy "To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" in the slightest. It's a shame, because so many things about the premise sounded like things that were right up my alley. I love fantasy, I love stories about revolutions and rising up against oppressors, but what was given to the reader here was nothing short of clumsy and repetitive nonsense. Even something as simple as 'opian' being the chosen word for the drug felt so lazy when clearly it's some kind of take on 'opium'. The characters were flat. Nothing about the world interested me. This is the kind of book that either needed to be cooked longer in the oven, or should have been rewritten from scratch.

While I appreciate the scale in which Molly Chang is trying to deal with, it was all overambitious, and ultimately fell completely flat.

A girl with the magical ability to take lives, struggles to survive in an alternate world where an enemy Rome has taken over her homeland. In a twist of fate she finds herself working with a Roman prince but when war looms, she no longer knows who to trust nor if her choices can actually ensure the survival of her people.

This was a quick read, a bit slow paced at points but emotionally charged and politically savvy. I liked the world and the author did well painting a picture of the desperation of the people of Er-Lang.

I love the cover of this book, that's what caught my eye. I've read a few Asian mythology books and this books tops all of them. Asian fantasy with slow-burn enemies to lovers 100% loved it!

Was an amazing book, it sucked me in until the last word. Loved the authors style of writing.. is for sure a re read for me.

i really thought i was going to love this novel, but the execution left me wanting much, much more than i got.

pengu is invaded and occupied by the romans. ruying and her sister, meiyu, are twins who live with their grandmother. ruying has the ability to rip the qi from others and kill them, whereas meiyu has the gift to bring life back. meiyu is addicted to opian and ruying must gather enough coin to keep her sister alive. in a desperate attempt for money, she witnesses a roman man gift a single gold coin to a peasant girl. jealous, she steals his pouch of money and returns home. however, she was followed and ruying is captured and imprisoned as she had stolen from the prince of rome himself: antony.... and he wants her gift.

there is little character development over the course of the story. antony is stiff, and ruying lacks the ability to think for herself or notice what is happening under her nose. the supporting characters are underdeveloped and rarely present. i don't know how chang expects us to believe that ruying would give up her country and her kin for a man who kills and kills and has racist ideology that puts romans as gods. antony is a genocidal white knight.

although we are told that when ruying uses her gift to kill it takes a toll on her, we never see this toll. the magic system is not fully explained, yet there is so much telling, not showing. the romance aspect feels outlandish.

the main issue i have with this novel is that when antony says that he and ruying come from different worlds, i did not realize that they meant literally from different worlds. i didn't figure it out until the very end of the novel and i was so confused when advanced technology was mentioned (mainly helicopters, what? i was under the impression this took place in a pre-colonial/colonial setting, not one with helicopters). no, the romans came to pengu through... portals (?) because they killed their world with pollution and greed.

why create a fictionalized china, yet include roman civilization? could the romans not have been renamed? the romans did not have guns or helicopters, right? it's very, very confusing.

overall, i felt this novel was supremely underdeveloped. the plot is formulaic and dull. the romance is quite literally disgusting. there are little to no visual descriptions. it's dialogue upon dialogue upon dialogue.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I was going to love this one, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. The premise was interesting and what I usually look for but the execution of it left me wanting more. This one had so much potential. Unfortunately not for me as a reader.

Very interesting views. The right and wrong merge sometimes and the borders between them disappeared. You can identify with all the characters which is confusing at times. Although the end is predictable the road ti it has some up and downs and some switchblade turns. I really looking for the book. Hopefully it won't take time to write it.

I thought I was going to love this one, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. The premise was interesting and what I usually look for but the execution of it left me wanting more.

The character depth wasn't there. Supporting cast were hardly there and not developed at all.

Prose was extremely repetitive. Information that we had already been given was given over and over like opium being addictive. Some information was contradicting. For most of the book the MC tells us that magic is weak and can't beat science then later the MC is thinking about how maybe they could beat the invaders with magic.

There was a lot of telling not showing.

Book title: To Gaze upon Wicked Gods
Author: Molly X. Chang
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Publication date: April 9th, 2024

Our MC Ruying is from a world of magic. Another world Rome, by way of a portal, has come and overtaken Ruyings world with technology, science, wepons and drugs. Ruying's magical ability is death and finds herself kidnapped by one of the two Roman princes Antony. He claims he wants peace between worlds unlike his family, and inlists Ruyings help by means of protecting her family into killing people he seems are causing uprisings and aiding the threat of war.
I really appreciated all of the morally gray characters and actions in this book. Every character in the book is an antihero. It really makes you think about what you would do in those situations, would you betray your kingdom to keep your family safe? Would you risk everything to be free?
Many times I've read the enemies to lovers trope. In this book it truly is the closest I've read to really really enemies to lovers. You feel the internal struggle of both characters dealing with their feelings for each other amidst the pending war of their people.
A great YA novel with no spice. The only things it was lacking in my opinion was more characters and world building.
The ending was great and left on an awesome cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the next one! I really did enjoy this book and give it 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.