Let me start by saying that I have mixed feelings about this book. It has nothing to do with the review controversy that popped up right before this book was published. It's more like I hate the FMC!

The plot was great. I liked the world building and the magic system. The politics of the two worlds was interesting as well. I even liked that the "bad guy" wasn't your normal sort of bad. He embodied what is in my mind, the worst kind of evil... The one that makes you second guess yourself and convinces you that this is all for the best.

But I just. Couldn't. STAND! The female lead. She's whiny, despite this incredible power that she has inside herself. She wholeheartedly swallowed every manipulation, every gaslight, every toxic masculine trait the Romans threw at her, even though she saw it coming from a mile away. She didn't even try to fight back. In a word, she's weak in every way. Her drug addled sister had more of a spine. And if I read one more time about how her father was the cause of their family's destitution... I swear I would've thrown the book!

It is ONLY because I liked the other characters and am genuinely curious how this will end, that I will pick up the next one. I'm also desperately hoping the author gives our lead some sort of amazing redemption arc.

1.25 stars

Um... it was a book. For transparency I went into this hearing everyone saying it was a "colonizer romance" and I can say it was very much not. What Ruying had was Stockholm Syndrome and an easily manipulated will.

I didn't feel for the characters as they were very one-dimensional and we got nothing from them when they interacted with Ruying. They could literally be boiled down to "morally gray childhood best friend" and "protector of main character" and "undeniably handsome oppressor". I understand that we see them through Ruying's 1st Person POV, however, it feels that she herself does not know these people deeply, despite having grown up with a majority of those introduced.

The worldbuilding could've been better. There are apparently multiple different powers yet we get next to nothing on most of them. Even with that, the author did not go into the worlds of Rome and Er-Lang beyond the surface level, yet managed to infodump about the history and language at the same time. We learn a good amount of proverbs through Antony, the literal oppressor, and I just think that needs to be looked at again.

The only saving grace (I say this very lightly) this book has is Ruying's abilities of death and taking life from people. The concept of it isn't uncommon, yet I was intrigued. However, I was disappointed as of how Ruying handles and reacts to this power. Yes I understand she has conflicting emotions about her powers, however it was really pitiful at times reading through her inner monologues (and not in a sympathetic way).

Maybe these problems will be solved in the next book, but I will not know as I will not be picking it up.

Many years ago, invaders from another plane came and conquered the magic of the world with their own technologies and now they rule over everything keeping the original citizens down. Ruying was born with the gift of death. She can take the life source directly out of someone else, slowly draining her own in the process. When the Prince asks her to be his personal assassin, promising to protect her family in return, she reluctantly agrees thinking it will help save the world from the evils of his reigning family as well. But can she trust him?

This book had such amazing promise. I was completely drawn into the world, so much so that I almost missed my train stop more than once while reading it. It is inspired by Chinese culture, history, and legend, and has a very interesting and unique magic system that I just kept wanting more of. The main character, Ruying, was perfectly morally gray, and was written beautifully to be relatable even while dealing with complicated moral dilemmas. I absolutely loved the moral ambiguity of both the plot and the characters and it really blurred the lines of right and wrong. I found the moral quandaries to be fascinating. Unfortunately, the storytelling got a little bogged down and repetitive, making it harder to get through the middle and end. I would definitely be intrigued to read the next book to see what happens though, because there was a lot to love here.

I judge books by their covers (don't we all!) and this book delivers. It is beyond stunning and I love the vibes the art portrays before even jumping into the story. I love fantasy books, recently delving into more Asian-inspired fantasies and this book gives a wonderful fusion of myth, science and humanity all in one.

All I knew going in was enemies to lovers and it was perfect. Ruying has the power of death and has lived a life of tragedy from the start. When she is caught with her power, the prince of the empire employs her as an assassin for his causes rather than turning her in. The world-building and magic system is phenomenal and immersive. The blend of magic and advanced technologies makes you wonder what else is out there as youre reading, breaking the barriers of what you believe possible in the realms of fantasy novels. The blend of morally ambiguous characters and difficult themes keep you guessing and I loved every minute of it.

💝 Science VS Magic
💝 Solid World-building
💝 Slow Burn Villain romance
💝 Love Triangle
💝 True Enemies to Lovers
💝 Morally Gray Cast

CW: Themes of colonization and oppression but told by a WOC inspired by family stories of the oppression in Manchuria.

Thank you to NetGalley & Del Rey for an eARC of <u>To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods<u> by Molly X Chang

A good premise but felt a bit repetitive. I would have liked more romance as it seemed like there would be based off the book description. Overall decently enjoyable, but just missed the mark for me.

I found this to be a very intriguing read. The world building was fantastic and pulled me right in. The relationship between Ruying and the enemy prince is complex. Since this is the first book in the series, I’m inclined to see how this relationship evolves.

DNF - 62%

I just can’t get into this. Picking it up feels like a chore, and I would rather move on than continue to force myself to read it. As a whole, YA fantasy seems to be a bit hit or miss with me these days, and this just wasn’t something I was enjoying.

I think this book is definitely suffering from a disconnect between the actual content and what it is marketed as being. The way it was pitched to me seemed like a kind of Poppy War with a nicer ending, and that is not what I got at all. The romance felt forced and unbelievable. There was nothing to explain how these two characters would get together at all. This was not a Romeo and Juliet situation, the MMC is a Prince of the people who have oppressed the FMC’s people her entire life. In the section of the book that I read, there was little to no character development, and I doubt the last forty or so percent of the book would have changed much. The magic system also was never properly explained, nor did it seem to have the consequences on the FMC that she said it did.

The style of this was strange, which was odd because there were moments when it was obvious that Chang was a good writer, but it all just seemed quite fragmented and stilted to me. I think this was a case of telling instead of showing, but it could also just be the style of their writing. The pace was also quite slow, and I didn’t like the first-person narration at all.

Three stars, as this could have gotten better in the last portion and wasn't irredeemably bad.

I was initially very interested in the unique world and magic for this book, along with the author's notes about it being inspired by real history events.
That said, I was not able to get through reading this. The writing style was confusing and fragmented, prone to info-dumping, and the world-building was quite shaky. I can tell that the author IS a good writer in some respects, but this needed editing regarding show vs tell.

I think that this book is fine. I think it was kind of a rough start, but I think this has the makings of a good trilogy.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey.

I picked up this book because it had a hint of Zutara inspiration, and I’m so glad I did. The writing is beautifully done, making every decision Ruying makes feel incredibly tense. Antony gives off those deliciously tortured prince vibes that I’m totally here for. There’s some great romantic tension between Antony and Ruying, plus a "forced to share a bed" scene, though it doesn’t get steamy because they’re too busy dodging bullets! The book also has a bit of a Poppy War feel, with its magic that's fading over generations, and a touch of sci-fi. I’m really excited to see where Ruying’s journey takes her in the next book and what her powers will evolve into.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 10%.

Usually, I give a book up to 20% before deciding to DNF but the writing style was abysmal. It didn't help that I was curious and looked up the reviews and there's all this creepy colonizer romance....bleh. No thanks. The edgy "I'm so special" protagonist wasn't doing the book any favors.

Despite the sentiment, I loved this book. I loved Molly x Chang’s writing and adored the characters. I found this remarkably fun and cannot wait for the next book. I did think there were elements that could have been a little different but overall this was a joy to read!

I have decided to step away from the ARC. I don't do this lightly. Conceptionally, this sounds amazing but due to the controversy surrounding the book/author I don't think it's right for my platform.

What a crazy concept for a book, and boy did it deliver with the adventure and romance! It was a fun romp of a book, would recommend to fans of Asian-inspired fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. I had to DNF this book, unfortunately. This isn’t meant to deter anyone from reading the book, it just means it wasn’t interesting for me.

Nope. The writing was trite, the character lacked depth, and there is some weird political/moral/racial discourse happening in here. Not for me and I cannot reccomend it to my readers well.

I am so conflicted. I loved learning about the world but the main character frustrated me and it affected my ability in liking this book. It was one of my most anticipated reads so I am so sad. I also can’t tell if this is a YA or Adult or if it even matters. I feel like I want to even hesitate to call it a romance. It felt more like manipulation, like Stockholm syndrome, tinged with Ruying’s desperation to protect her family, who don’t even really play much of a role later on.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods starts off on a slow note, both in terms of pacing and plot development. I'll be honest, the first part didn't grab my attention, and I found myself feeling a bit bored. But once part two kicked in, things started to pick up, and I found myself getting more into the story.

The worldbuilding is pretty solid and well thought out, but I was a bit taken aback by the portrayal of the Romans as the antagonists in this universe. It was a little jarring to see Italian heritage cast in a negative light, so I had to take a step back and not let it affect my enjoyment of the story too much.

The magic system, however, was a highlight for me—very interesting and left me wanting more. The character of Ruying is depicted as smart, independent, and fiercely loyal to her country and family. Despite these strong traits, I struggled to connect with her actions throughout the book. She should have been a hero, but she often came across as cowardly, trying to justify her actions and avoid being called out. While I understand this was due to the manipulation she faced, it made it hard for me to root for her.

Antony, on the other hand, was a character I found intriguing. His actions felt believable, and he presented himself as a broken boy just trying to do what's best for both worlds. As the story progressed, his manipulation became more apparent, and I appreciated how cleverly his character was written in the end.

The trust-building between Ruying and Antony was an interesting aspect, but I found it hard to buy into. Given Ruying's hatred for the Romans due to their colonization of her country and people, the ease with which she started to trust Antony felt off to me. It seemed like Antony was developing feelings for Ruying, which added another layer, but the emerging love story felt misplaced and forced.

As the plot unfolded, it felt like the same questions kept being asked without much progression or answers. The story felt somewhat stagnant and predictable at times. Overall, "To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" had a lot of potential, but I found it challenging to connect with Ruying and understand her motivations throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random Housing Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-ARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

TW: opioid usage, torture, violence, oppression, bigotry, racism, imperialism

I’ve been sitting on this review for ages, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep reading or not. This book was one of my most highly anticipated releases and when I got an email from the publishers with the NetGalley link I was ecstatic. So ecstatic that I started reading on a plane ride home and quickly devoured the first 50%, however, as I kept reading I realized this book had strayed further and further from what I was anticipating. Please note, my expectations were not rigid. I was reading this book before the Zutara ship comparisons were made and after reading the author note by Chang I was pretty intrigued by the thought of a coward as a main coward. Maybe it’s my fault for having high hopes, but Ruying was a pretty challenging character for me. Is it that the coward I wanted was not packaged the way I wanted her to be? Was it that she betrayed not only herself and her values, but her people who were already being oppressed? Was it because she kept making goo-goo eyes at the ruthless prince who was primarily responsible for the brutalization, experimentation, and torture of her people?

I am able to appreciate a morally gray or unlikeable character, even if I do not necessarily like them, if their characterization adds to the story. Not only was Chang’s writing choppy, overwritten, and at times juvenile, but she was not able to write this story with the skill and craft necessary for the sensitivity of the topic. Instead we were left with a muddled “hot-mess” of an enemies-to-lovers style romance where we watch Ruying essentially give in to everything, even though she knows that she shouldn’t. We will read a page(s) long monologues about Ruying’s inner turmoil and such, but she almost always works against her ambitions, best interest, and thoughts each and every time. She was childish and aggravating and this is supposed to be an adult novel.

Unfortunately, I had no desire to keep reading and after having conversations with other readers whose taste align with mine, I do not feel the need to. Will I pick up the sequel? That is highly unlikely, and in order for me to do so the sequel has got to be glowing and the author would need to clean up the mess she made in book one. I know that Chang wanted to honor her people and bring light to a fictionalized version of history, but this book felt like a disconnect between intent and execution.

I was really looking forward to reading this book but it unfortunately ended up being a bit of a let down. I feel like the protagonist spent the majority of the story being gaslit and then trying to convince the reader that what she was doing would actually help her people. It was hard to root for her, and while I can often get behind complicated characters, it was harder because so many people were telling her what she was doing was wrong and yet she continued to do it. It left me feeling frustrated by the end and I don't know if I would pick up the next book in the series even thought it seems like she might be trying to redeem herself.