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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kbairbooks's review against another edition
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
alliallialli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
bookboxbabe's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Classism
booksalacarte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, and Classism
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
- I had very high hopes for TO GAZE UPON WICKED GODS. It met some of them - an inventive magic system and a great world full of hard choices and morally gray characters. Plus, the staccato style of the writing kept everything moving at a breakneck pace.
- Where it fell short for me was characterization. Ruying has practically only one personality trait, a drive to protect her family. And we know this because she states it every other page, along with other basic facts of the story, over and over again.
- There is also a six month time jump in the middle of the book. During that span, we miss what sounds like some heart pounding action, and also the entirety of the budding relationship between Ruying and her colonizer captor. We’re simply told that she’s drawn to him, but we skipped the parts where she learned more about him and built trust.
- The trust part in particular is was very difficult for me to swallow. It’s glaringly obvious that he does not have the good intentions he professes, and yet Ruying is ready to follow him to the ends of the earth (and therefore, the end of her people and her country).
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was a solid start to a new fantasy trilogy! The magic system is unique (everyone’s is different and it feeds off your qi), and the worldbuilding is imaginative and a strong metaphor for history/colonialism (it’s the West bringing opium to China, where the West is still “Rome,” China is a different world altogether, and opium aka opian is a magic-enhancing drug).
I found the main character, Ruying, to be a breath of fresh air. She’s not a hero (at least, not yet in this book). She’s making morally gray choices to stay safe, stay alive, and keep her family fed and off the streets. I do think she’s tending toward chosen-one territory, but for this book, it was neat to spend time with an MC who isn’t focused on good vs evil, just survival.
There are a good number of reviews (mostly from early readers who were served, it seems, a different framing from the way this book was eventually marketed) calling it a colonizer romance. (Warning to skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t want even the softest of spoilers.) While there IS a romance plotline in this book between Ruying and a prince of Rome, I thought it was pretty clear that he’s the Tamlin of this series (LOL). I guess we’ll see if that turns out to be correct, but just know he’s not her only option, people! Plus, she’s an unreliable narrator and probably has Stockholm Syndrome. TLDR, I need to read the second book before deciding if this feels cringey or not, because there’s a LOT of story left (at least two whole books!).
At the end of the day, I enjoyed this and look forward to the second book.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, and Murder
elee2013's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
I love the feeling I got from this book — I was reminded of mythology, fables and sitting down to listen to my own family lore.
Ruying is young and naïve, and her journey will be an odyssey, but I think we’ll all come out better in the end. I am really looking forward to the continuation of the series!
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Police brutality
abeautifulshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
eatallthestars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Graphic: Xenophobia and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Classism