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A review by ribbenkast
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Looking at other reviews, I think this book might be severely misunderstood. Usually, when reading fantasy with oppressive governmental structures lead by similar female main characters, the mc is headstrong, morally just and willing to die for the cause. Ruying is none of the above, nor is she a morally grey unstoppable girl boss you love to root for.
Instead Ruying is a naive 19 year old traumatised by living under a colonial occupation who is mostly just trying to survive and above all else looks out for short term security for her and her family. I want to give Molly X Chang props for writing such a consistent character and sticking to it.
Giving the previous Fantasy frame of reference I mentioned, it is easy to misinterpreted this book. Instead of stone cold manipulation, you'll see a contextually weird romance. Instead of seeing a young girl making bad decisions (which are called out by the narrative at every turn) you'll think that this author's stance is: both sides of the conflict are bad. I feel like a lot of the negative reviews are based on this which I feel this book does not deserve.
The world is extremely interesting, the political intrigue is strong. The magic vs science aspect is done very well!
But oh boy, does this book have pacing issues. You can definitely tell this is a debut. I hope pacing is a skill that Molly X Chang will develop further. The plot kind off happened to Ruying without her having much to do with it. I dont think I agree with Chang's choices of what should be shone on page and what should just be mentioned. There is a weird 6 month time skip in which a lot of character development supposedly happened which I personally would rather be sown than told. The last 100 pages honestly should've been the major bulk of the book and be stretched out way more. The other 240 pages could've been condensed way more as there are no major plot beats or character arcs. The book sets up its sequel at the end, but therefore ends right as Ruying finally comes to the conclusion any rational person (and every side character) made on page one: occupational colonialism is bad. I wish it didn't end there it felt very anticlimactic. All in all, the book felt more like a pilot episode. I'm hopeful for book 2 though.
Instead Ruying is a naive 19 year old traumatised by living under a colonial occupation who is mostly just trying to survive and above all else looks out for short term security for her and her family. I want to give Molly X Chang props for writing such a consistent character and sticking to it.
Giving the previous Fantasy frame of reference I mentioned, it is easy to misinterpreted this book. Instead of stone cold manipulation, you'll see a contextually weird romance. Instead of seeing a young girl making bad decisions (which are called out by the narrative at every turn) you'll think that this author's stance is: both sides of the conflict are bad. I feel like a lot of the negative reviews are based on this which I feel this book does not deserve.
The world is extremely interesting, the political intrigue is strong. The magic vs science aspect is done very well!
But oh boy, does this book have pacing issues. You can definitely tell this is a debut. I hope pacing is a skill that Molly X Chang will develop further. The plot kind off happened to Ruying without her having much to do with it. I dont think I agree with Chang's choices of what should be shone on page and what should just be mentioned. There is a weird 6 month time skip in which a lot of character development supposedly happened which I personally would rather be sown than told. The last 100 pages honestly should've been the major bulk of the book and be stretched out way more. The other 240 pages could've been condensed way more as there are no major plot beats or character arcs. The book sets up its sequel at the end, but therefore ends right as Ruying finally comes to the conclusion any rational person (and every side character) made on page one: occupational colonialism is bad. I wish it didn't end there it felt very anticlimactic. All in all, the book felt more like a pilot episode. I'm hopeful for book 2 though.