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cielosiluminado 's review for:
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
by Molly X. Chang
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
update
the world building was beautiful but i no longer support my initial review. after some time has passed and i researched more on topics of oppression, i can’t get behind on this colonizer romance.
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original review
special thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey / Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
this is the first ever Asian historical fantasy i have ever read and wow, wow, wow. i was blown away!
this world – where heroes die and cowards live – is so beautifully and intricately written: the history of the crumbling Er-Lang Empire in Pangu, the hard life of the citizens in the struggling Jing-City, the misunderstood magic of the Xianlings and the undisclosed science advances of the Romans... wow. it all comes together to create an intense world where there is so much misguided loyalty, undisclosed secrets that could topple empires and worlds, and lies and deceptions which leads to betrayal and heartbreak.
the magic system, especially the qi-cells mentioned, in this world is one i have never read before, it's unique, mysterious. and it has me wondering if there's more to it (probably) and the science of the Romans seems... futuristic? so many instances in which the Romans talked as if they are truly from another world, another time...
the main character – named Yang Ruying – is a girl blessed by Death, which is one of the things she fears the most. the name her late mother chose for her means “brave”, and brave she is. her having to make all the wrong decisions and place her loyalty in the hands of the wrong people in order to protect her loved ones, kin and empire, is so difficult, yet honorable to watch unfold. because in the end, like her, i have no idea if what she is doing will be worth it in the end, if it'll be the right thing to do. which is the reason why morally gray characters are so interesting to me. and she isn't the only morally gray character in the series, mostly everyone is.
also can i say that the the small glimpse of the love triangle subplot between Antony, Ruying, and Baihu that we were teased with throughout the entire book was *chefs kiss* i am really curious to see where that goes because both of the men fell first, and hard.
the ending of book 1 – which honestly left me bug-eyed and shocked – has me wanting book 2 so badly. i am really looking forward to it.
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important to note that this book has: mentions of colonization, oppressor/oppressed “romance”, drug (ab)use, war, violence, human trafficking and kidnapping, misogyny and sexism, torture and human exploitation/experimentation
the world building was beautiful but i no longer support my initial review. after some time has passed and i researched more on topics of oppression, i can’t get behind on this colonizer romance.
---
original review
special thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey / Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
this is the first ever Asian historical fantasy i have ever read and wow, wow, wow. i was blown away!
this world – where heroes die and cowards live – is so beautifully and intricately written: the history of the crumbling Er-Lang Empire in Pangu, the hard life of the citizens in the struggling Jing-City, the misunderstood magic of the Xianlings and the undisclosed science advances of the Romans... wow. it all comes together to create an intense world where there is so much misguided loyalty, undisclosed secrets that could topple empires and worlds, and lies and deceptions which leads to betrayal and heartbreak.
the magic system, especially the qi-cells mentioned, in this world is one i have never read before, it's unique, mysterious. and it has me wondering if there's more to it (probably) and the science of the Romans seems... futuristic? so many instances in which the Romans talked as if they are truly from another world, another time...
the main character – named Yang Ruying – is a girl blessed by Death, which is one of the things she fears the most. the name her late mother chose for her means “brave”, and brave she is. her having to make all the wrong decisions and place her loyalty in the hands of the wrong people in order to protect her loved ones, kin and empire, is so difficult, yet honorable to watch unfold. because in the end, like her, i have no idea if what she is doing will be worth it in the end, if it'll be the right thing to do. which is the reason why morally gray characters are so interesting to me. and she isn't the only morally gray character in the series, mostly everyone is.
also can i say that the the small glimpse of the love triangle subplot between Antony, Ruying, and Baihu that we were teased with throughout the entire book was *chefs kiss* i am really curious to see where that goes because both of the men fell first, and hard.
the ending of book 1 – which honestly left me bug-eyed and shocked – has me wanting book 2 so badly. i am really looking forward to it.
---
important to note that this book has: mentions of colonization, oppressor/oppressed “romance”, drug (ab)use, war, violence, human trafficking and kidnapping, misogyny and sexism, torture and human exploitation/experimentation