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A review by inkpaws
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Chang has potential as a writer. However, the editing team and her friends who read this book before it was published let her down. A stronger editor was needed to tighten up the pacing, reduce the redundancy of repetitive phrases and exposition, as well as, pose several narrative and world building questions that this book severely needed asking. In the author's note, Chang talks about Unit 731, the invasion and occupation by Russia and the Japanese, and China's century of humiliation. What do the Romans and the Roman Empire have to do with any of these things? Why use the Roman Empire, whose historical borders didn't reach that far East, but use fictitious names for everything else? I am hung up on this because it makes me question the purpose of the author's note and giving the reader this background information only to throw the reader off by introducing the invaders as the Romans.
In the hands of a more capable and nuanced writer, this story might have been something. Regardless if this is part of a series or not, Ruying is not a compelling or interesting character to root for. She is passive, extremely naive, selfish, at times pathetic, and has a defeatist outlook on her people's ability to gain liberation from their occupiers. Her vision is incredibly small picture opposed to her sister andBaihu who both see the big picture and clearly understand the reality on the ground. The world building isn't fleshed out enough and because of this it causes some confusion and plot holes throughout. I don't mind time jumps when the characters and world building are solid, but the six month time jump in this book doesn't do it any favours and was a poor writing choice.
As someone whose own people are living under a current genocidal occupation, the question of if the Romans bombed her street, would Ruying help pull her neighbours out from under the rubble or would she only save her sister and grandmother, kept running through my mind. Starting the book, the answer was the latter and after finishing the book, the answer is still the latter. She constantly says throughout the story she only cares about saving her sister and grandmother and giving them some peace and safety. She completely disregards her own peoples' suffering and justifies it because it'll keep the peace for the people she loves most. Not once does she really grasp that this peace she so desperately wants for her familyand believes Antony can give her will never happen under occupation. The one time Ruying displays an ounce of moral clarity is in the last 20ish pages and only because it affects her in a semi direct way and even then it wavers several pages later.
Her sheltered naivety makes her fall for Antony's honey lies so quickly as he is the only man in her life to say a kind word to her and not think she's a monster, but a god to be revered. He sees this and uses it to manipulate and use her. However, Antony's character is hollow and underdeveloped. More time was needed with them together in order to make their 'attraction' believable. It's not a romance in any sense of the word, nor is there any, rather love bombing and psychological games from Antony.
In the hands of a more capable and nuanced writer, this story might have been something. Regardless if this is part of a series or not, Ruying is not a compelling or interesting character to root for. She is passive, extremely naive, selfish, at times pathetic, and has a defeatist outlook on her people's ability to gain liberation from their occupiers. Her vision is incredibly small picture opposed to her sister and
As someone whose own people are living under a current genocidal occupation, the question of if the Romans bombed her street, would Ruying help pull her neighbours out from under the rubble or would she only save her sister and grandmother, kept running through my mind. Starting the book, the answer was the latter and after finishing the book, the answer is still the latter. She constantly says throughout the story she only cares about saving her sister and grandmother and giving them some peace and safety. She completely disregards her own peoples' suffering and justifies it because it'll keep the peace for the people she loves most. Not once does she really grasp that this peace she so desperately wants for her family
Her sheltered naivety makes her fall for Antony's honey lies so quickly as he is the only man in her life to say a kind word to her and not think she's a monster, but a god to be revered. He sees this and uses it to manipulate and use her. However, Antony's character is hollow and underdeveloped. More time was needed with them together in order to make their 'attraction' believable. It's not a romance in any sense of the word, nor is there any, rather love bombing and psychological games from Antony.