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A review by annakinsun
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- 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
1.75
What a let down.
I requested this book after the big controversy earlier this year revolving around this novel and a couple others who were victims of review bombing by another debut author who shall not be named. Because of this, I wanted to get the book to support the author and read more diverse stories. Unfortunately... this one just wasn't that good.
The concept is great: a girl is able to harness the power of Death but doesn't use it against the Empire who is basically committing genocide against her people because she doesn't want the repercussions to fall to her family. However, almost nothing is executed properly and leads to very clunky storytelling.
First, how did the Romans discover a portal in the sky that leads to Pangu (aka an alternate realm version of China)? This is never explicitly discussed, and we also aren't told too much about their time period in the other universe (cars and guns and planes exist, but I'm not sure whether these are early models or present day models for us). It's all very confusing and we could have used a lot more backstory to develop a reason for the current plotline.
Second, Ruying is just so annoying. She's worried about keeping her family safe but does nothing to actually keep them safe. She never really takes action and instead just kind of falls into different positions. It seems like all decisions are made for her, whether she realizes it or not.
Third - the romance. YUCK. Not only is it not believable in regards to the timeframe, but it's also unbelievable that a girl would fall in love with the ruler of the Empire who is fighting to kill all of her people. People mentioned that this story reminded them of Zutara from Avatar, and while I never shipped them, I could at least see chemistry between those two. These two have nothing?? He smiles and she fell in love - that's it. She's also supposed to be used as his court assassin, but we only see one instance where she does ANYTHING and there's no real action to it.
Overall, this book is a dud and I'm not interested in continuing the series. Was it the worst book I've ever read? No, not even close (hence the two stars), but it definitely isn't something you should waste your time with.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book after the big controversy earlier this year revolving around this novel and a couple others who were victims of review bombing by another debut author who shall not be named. Because of this, I wanted to get the book to support the author and read more diverse stories. Unfortunately... this one just wasn't that good.
The concept is great: a girl is able to harness the power of Death but doesn't use it against the Empire who is basically committing genocide against her people because she doesn't want the repercussions to fall to her family. However, almost nothing is executed properly and leads to very clunky storytelling.
First, how did the Romans discover a portal in the sky that leads to Pangu (aka an alternate realm version of China)? This is never explicitly discussed, and we also aren't told too much about their time period in the other universe (cars and guns and planes exist, but I'm not sure whether these are early models or present day models for us). It's all very confusing and we could have used a lot more backstory to develop a reason for the current plotline.
Second, Ruying is just so annoying. She's worried about keeping her family safe but does nothing to actually keep them safe. She never really takes action and instead just kind of falls into different positions. It seems like all decisions are made for her, whether she realizes it or not.
Third - the romance. YUCK. Not only is it not believable in regards to the timeframe, but it's also unbelievable that a girl would fall in love with the ruler of the Empire who is fighting to kill all of her people. People mentioned that this story reminded them of Zutara from Avatar, and while I never shipped them, I could at least see chemistry between those two. These two have nothing?? He smiles and she fell in love - that's it. She's also supposed to be used as his court assassin, but we only see one instance where she does ANYTHING and there's no real action to it.
Overall, this book is a dud and I'm not interested in continuing the series. Was it the worst book I've ever read? No, not even close (hence the two stars), but it definitely isn't something you should waste your time with.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.