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A review by wingreads
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I knew I was onto a brilliant start after I read Xiran Jay Zhao's review excerpt and the tender authors note at the beginning.
The Protagonist Ruying is surviving with her grandmother and Opian addicted sister Meiya under Roman colonial rule; where the foreigners bought science to defeat the native magic and impose their own laws and customs over twenty years ago. The great empire of Er-Lang is divided by a guarded fence, the Romans with their flying machines occupying the west, weilding their might, playing God and seeking a harvest.
"The world doesn't exist in black and white, or right and wrong. Sometimes bad things must be done for the greater good"
Ruying has a death gift; highly prized for its ability to kill without detection. She becomes the Roman Prince Anthony Augustus' assassin in order to protect her family and to save lives...
Increasingly I found the parallel positioning of Opian and the seductive gift of Death converge across many parts of the narrative; Ruyings' fear for Opian and what this brings, and her own dilemma over her gift was really interesting to reflect upon.
Chang is a skilled collectivist storyteller; the bitterness, hopelessness of the characters, balanced perfectly with the tension and cruel world building. I appreciate the use of the Chinese proverbs to capture Ruyings' experience and see events from her perspective. There is such beauty, wisdom and sentiment in my community language, it was an utter delight to see this page after page.
Although described as Romantasy, I cringed at the interactions between Ruying and the morally grey Antony and felt this was a tenuous (almost Stockholm syndrome) development. Antony comes across as a condescending coloniser and mansplainer... I'm not rooting for this romance until something else convinces me otherwise...but perhaps this is a reaction to the themes within the story.
Some standout quotes:
"The Colonisers wish to [devour] our cities, eat our food, enjoy...our stories...they wanted to do so without having to be near us".
"To love was a privilege not afforded to those of us born in these trying times when survival was never guaranteed"
"Heroes die. Cowards live"
This is the first in the trilogy, with the second coming out in April 25... I will be treating myself to a hardback of this beauty 😍😍
The Protagonist Ruying is surviving with her grandmother and Opian addicted sister Meiya under Roman colonial rule; where the foreigners bought science to defeat the native magic and impose their own laws and customs over twenty years ago. The great empire of Er-Lang is divided by a guarded fence, the Romans with their flying machines occupying the west, weilding their might, playing God and seeking a harvest.
"The world doesn't exist in black and white, or right and wrong. Sometimes bad things must be done for the greater good"
Ruying has a death gift; highly prized for its ability to kill without detection. She becomes the Roman Prince Anthony Augustus' assassin in order to protect her family and to save lives...
Increasingly I found the parallel positioning of Opian and the seductive gift of Death converge across many parts of the narrative; Ruyings' fear for Opian and what this brings, and her own dilemma over her gift was really interesting to reflect upon.
Chang is a skilled collectivist storyteller; the bitterness, hopelessness of the characters, balanced perfectly with the tension and cruel world building. I appreciate the use of the Chinese proverbs to capture Ruyings' experience and see events from her perspective. There is such beauty, wisdom and sentiment in my community language, it was an utter delight to see this page after page.
Although described as Romantasy, I cringed at the interactions between Ruying and the morally grey Antony and felt this was a tenuous (almost Stockholm syndrome) development. Antony comes across as a condescending coloniser and mansplainer... I'm not rooting for this romance until something else convinces me otherwise...but perhaps this is a reaction to the themes within the story.
Some standout quotes:
"The Colonisers wish to [devour] our cities, eat our food, enjoy...our stories...they wanted to do so without having to be near us".
"To love was a privilege not afforded to those of us born in these trying times when survival was never guaranteed"
"Heroes die. Cowards live"
This is the first in the trilogy, with the second coming out in April 25... I will be treating myself to a hardback of this beauty 😍😍