"Antony Augustus was not a religious man, but he would worship at her altar, kneel for her until the stars perished, until both of their worlds were nothing but forgotten particles lost in the universe."

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods presents a delicious mix of fantasy and dystopia alongside a pinch of magical realism of which are all blended to perfection. Yang Ruying, otherwise known as the Girl Blessed by Death, is inducted into the personal guard of Antony Augustus, the adopted Roman prince, to kill at his will by taking their qi.

This book was gorgeous, reminiscent of She Who Became the Sun and The Poppy War series. It did fall fault to telling us what we should be reading and associating things with but this potentially didn't bother me as much as it would others. I did love the way the world building was done, it was rich and colourful which just sucked me right in.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this eARC.

Oh My god.

So this book came highly recommended to me from a number of people, and it did NOT disappoint! I enjoyed this book on so many levels and will absolutely be purchasing a copy in Spring.

So first of all - The worldbuilding. The clash of cultures between the very traditionally east Asian society and the Western colonising force is just inspired and quite frankly, very topical right now. The Romans have decided that they will take what they want and damn the native people if they have to. They're committing horrific war crimes with 0 consequence because everyone is too afraid of them to make a stand and, as a result, thousands of native people are being killed, enslaved and experimented on for the sake of Roman growth.
Now the Characters - our FMC has power over death and becomes an assassin for her enemies to save her family - The choices laid before Ruying are not great lets be real. And at every turn, just when you think she might have a sliver of hope... well.... lets just say this girl has been through it and id love to just wrap her up in a warm blanket for a while.
As for Antony and Baihu - both of these men are awful, and terrible and I love them. Just when you think you should start rooting for ne, the other will do something totally undermine that and honestly? if I were Ruying I would be confused too. Both are completely morally grey and believe that their actions are for the greater good - both their idea of the greater good is at complete odds with each other. Frankly, as it stands, neither of them deserve Ruying, but we shall see... terrible men, but great characters.

I loved this book so much. It had me on the edge of my seat and constantly messing with my perception of what's right and what is wrong. It dismantles the Western colonial arguments with brutal reality and is masterfully written. To whoever told Molly that 'Asian Fantasy wont sell' I hope you're ready, because I have a feeling this is going to be a bestseller!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I think this was a very interesting concept, two worlds, one skilled in magic, one skilled at science/technology. However, I wanted a bit more in the world building side of things. I also am not a massive fan of toxic relationships and the coloniser/colonised romance very much falls into this category. Some of the descriptions were also quite repetitive.

I received an early e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book! It has an interesting magic system, and I loved the magic vs. science aspect. the world-building was great and the characters were very interesting. I loved Ruying's determination to do the best for her country and her family. She is faced with some very difficult choices in which the lines between right and wrong are blurred, and her internal monologue of trying to figure out the right thing to do is very well done.
Also, the cover is awesome! Can't wait for book 2 :)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" by Molly X. Chang presents a unique blend of fantasy and dystopian elements, set against a backdrop of colonial tension and magical intrigue. The story unfolds in the empire of Er-Lang, now under the dominion of technologically advanced Romans. Yang Ruying, the protagonist known as The Girl Blessed By Death, is a compelling yet somewhat inconsistent character. Her ability to extract souls introduces an intriguing magical system, though at times it feels underexplored and secondary to the plot's progression. Ruying's inner turmoil and moral dilemmas, fueled by her desire to protect her family while grappling with the weight of her abilities, add depth to her character. However, the narrative occasionally suffers from a lack of emotional depth and a tendency to 'tell' rather than 'show', which undermines the potential for a more immersive experience.

The novel's world-building is ambitious, juxtaposing magic against a backdrop of advanced technology, yet it occasionally feels disjointed and lacking in clarity. The Romans, serving as the primary antagonists, are an interesting choice but are not fully fleshed out, leaving the reader wanting more in terms of cultural and historical context. The romance subplot, primarily involving Ruying and Antony, a Roman prince, is fraught with complexities and sometimes detracts from the main narrative. Despite these issues, Chang's writing style is accessible and keeps the pace moving swiftly, making the book a relatively engaging read. The novel shines in its exploration of themes such as survival under oppression and the moral ambiguities of resistance, making it a thought-provoking read for fans of YA fantasy who are looking for stories that delve into darker themes.

I inhaled this book! this got me out of a reading slump.
I would recommend to understand the authors intention to read her Authors note at the beginning.
The mix of Fantasy/ dystopian world building was really interesting to me. I enjoyed the morally grey aspects throughout the book, although i did find Ruying very annoying at times! I cant wait to read the next book now!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Okay, let’s start with the plot. It’s good — I love the idea, the magic system, the world(s), but the execution is bad. The fact the colonisers are called Romans is very confusing, I spent the whole book imagining the Ancient Romans with cars, and just confused myself even more. It seems like they’re just humans from our present/future that happen to be called Roman. Considering Ruyung seems to know everything about their invasion, she doesn’t seem to know much about them. Like what their language is called for one. Or what Earth is supposedly like, other than the fact it’s dying. I find it hard to believe that all of these Romans are from one empire, and that any other empire on Earth doesn’t have access to the portal. You’re telling me there’s seriously no war on Earth over who gets to colonise Pangu?

The magic system is sick. I like the whole idea of it being a gamble, an incredible gift with equally bad consequences. Ruyung’s magic was especially cool since it relies more on her own morals than anything else, but it felt underdeveloped and pushed to the side more often than not. All of her killing happens off-page, in the first half of the book you see snippets of Death’s perspective (whispers, even a short chapter) but in the second half it’s nonexistent. She repeatedly tells us about the temptation of Death but it’s just that — telling. All the writing is tell rather than show. Every paragraph ends with a rhetorical question or a repeated short sentence to the point where I started skipping over it in favour of the parts where something actually happens. I almost DNFed at 80% just because the writing was so frustrating.

Ruyung herself is an interesting protagonist, but also underdeveloped. She seems to lack any real emotions until Antony The Coloniser’s ‘jade green eyes’ make her blush. Oh yeah, she’s upset about her family being in danger et cetera et cetera, but she never acts like it. Tell not show all over again! So many of my notes are just no girl! Don’t fall in love girl! Girl what the heck are you on about! She seems to forgive and forget with anyone you shows her even a shred of love, since she remembers her opian-addict abusive father with a weird amount of love/softness, and the goddamn crush on Antony. We’re not even going to talk about Antony and the whole romance subplot. Walking red flags so big it might as well be a ship sail. He’s set up as a genuinely kind character, but spends the rest of the book being a prick with jade green eyes. God if I took a shot for every time that was mentioned I’d overdose.

I guess I can’t be too harsh though, the book is YA and if I’d read this at about 12/13 (the peak of my YA obsession, I was a major SJM fan lmao) I probably would’ve loved it and raved about it nonstop. It just didn’t hit the mark this time, and that sucks.

I really liked the plot and the world of this book but thought that it wasn’t explained very well. In this world, magic is pitted against science, the empire of Er-Lang against the Romans, life against death. I felt like the writing wasn’t my favourite but I’ll definitely be reading book 2. I want to know what happens!!

Summary: Yang Ruying, The Girl Blessed By Death, strives for survival. When she is discovered by an enemy prince, she faces a dilemma: save her family or her country. In the empire of Er-Lang, oppressed by advanced Romans, Ruying, possessing powers, transforms her into an unwilling assassin. As rebellion brews, she questions whether peace means death for Er-Lang, a fate she might hesitate to bring.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC all thoughts are my own.

I had a number of issues with this novel. First, I couldn't grasp the worldbuilding no matter how long I read this. The sort of dystopian world with the newest technology didn't really work for me in a fantasy setting, and I also wasn't a fan of the Romans being the villains when everything else was supposed to be a made-up world. I found that to be too many contradictions. The world was also barely explained and it was hard to get a feel for where this was set if you hadn't read the author's note in the beginning.

Moreover, I didn't enjoy the romance at all, I found it rushed and nonsensical and without chemistry. The plot itself suffered from the big focus on the romance, and pacing issues. Something was constantly happening and the characters didn't get room to breathe because the next scene was already starting. However although this much was happening, I never found myself invested. The writing was nice and enjoyable to read, though.

I flew through this! This is such a strong debut novel. I think people are doing it a disservice by calling this a 'colonizer romance' because it's actually way more complex than that. I really enjoyed the main character, and her journey, though it had many moments that were frustrating and hard to read about (but that is the point of her journey)

The thing about this book is that right from the author's note at the beginning (which i strongly urge you to read) we understand what this book is. This is a book that is telling you about the struggles of Chinese people under colonialism and occupation. As a white woman I'm obviously not here telling people how to react to this book, but I am going to give my thoughts on it.

At first even I was confused, considering the subject matter was obviously so close to the author's heart, why the love interest would be Antony, a colonizer prince. But the whole point is that we know he's a bad person. Right from the authors note the reader understands what is going on in this book. Ruying, our main character, doesn't have the same knowledge as the reader. It's a story about the things people are forced to do to survive under occupation. Whilst we don't agree with what she's doing, and from an outside perspective it seems obvious to us that she shouldn't trust anyone on the roman side, she doesn't have that option. We're being asked not to judge her by the same morals as we have because she isn't in the same situation as we are. I feel like that's the point of the book. Nobody truly knows what they would do because the western world hasn't experienced the same version of trauma.

At no point did I truly feel that this book was attempting to justify Antony's actions. I felt that the author was very clear about where this book was going. Even when he's trying to 'explain' and even when Ruying lets herself believe him, we do not, and I think the author knows we are smart enough not to buy into this story as a romance in that sense. Antony's justifications are the same used by all colonizers. Some colonizers genuinely thought they were improving 'the lives of savage people'. We understand this to be racist bigotry disguised as progress, but the colonizer does not. So I felt that the author was very implicit in her writing that she is not attempting to excuse Antony when he gives these explanations. It's very obvious to me that you cannot love someone you have ultimate power over, you cannot love someone and dismiss their entire culture and way of life and that's ultimately what this book is trying to tell people. Personally I thought this was obvious from the beginning.

I am interested in reading the next book when it comes out!

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods blew me away, if you love morally grey characters who will do ANYthing for family this is the book for you.

I've always wondered what would happen if a technology focused world met one filled with magic and Molly X. Chang has created a fascinating portrayal of just this! Before our main character was born, Roman's appeared from the heavens in ships that could fly. Within a day, their technology took over, and now Ruying and her people, culture and lands are under threat.

Ruying herself processes death magic, but her ability to remove souls from mortals bodies isn't enough to keep her safe, especially when she will do anything to keep her family together. Ruying is a morally grey character in a morally grey and dark world, she's constantly split between keeping the status quo for peace's sake and being the hero and facing the darkness within her world and the colonisation in front of her very eyes. She's frustrating at time but utterly relateable, she's utterly human in her responses and motivations.

Overall I obsessed with the characters, the world, BASICALLY EVERYTHING. I cannot wait to find out where book 2 will go!