Buckle in folks. I have been sitting on this review for months now especially considering the controversy, division, and my own feelings on the book. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods has a unique premise which I knew I had to read. And I have some complex thoughts. Keep reading my book review for my full thoughts of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods.
Summary
Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.
Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.
When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.
Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Let’s just start off with the elephant in the room. Is this a colonizer romance? I want to state that my least favorite element of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was the romance. As a tentative fan of enemies to lovers, I am used to difficulties with loyalty, the lies we are told, and the lines between love, betrayal, and kingdom. But mixed with colonization, there is a delicate line to draw. And, for the most part, To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods plays with the line more than I was comfortable with. I know there’s been discussion since the initial controversy stating that the premise or title of the sequel ‘spoils’ the ending of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, but I am very much in favor of this.
While reading, until the ‘spoiler’ readers really couldn’t tell if this was going to be a romance. There was the set up, and some convenient POV shifts, which gave some serious romance vibes which considering the love interest is her colonizer, blackmailer, and responsible for some serious war crimes, made me shrink away the entire book. Part of this could be a mis-marketing of the book as a fantasy romance – which I could have sworn I saw somewhere – but I think my feelings on the entire character dynamic between Ruying and the love interest changed with the last 5%.
Apart from the romance?
In a good way, but honestly until then it was incredibly ick to say the least. I also cannot speak to the historical accuracy. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a story that explores the sacrifices one has to make to survive. For the safety of our loved ones, even if it means betraying them and our home. But it’s also about what happens when we realize that their momentary safety is only worth the words given. And that these are fleeting and hollow. This theme has to be my favorite even if there were moments where you want to sort of shake Ruying.
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods stretches this tension longer than I would have liked and considering this lead up, the ending feels incredibly rushed. I know it’s setting up the sequel and wants to end on a bombshell, but this one felt a bit too much like whiplash. Regarding the world building, this is a take on the Roman Empire and while that should make it a bit easier to follow, I had some major questions regarding the magical world and the politics of the world. This is only the first book, but it was a bit too shallow in this aspect for my intrigue to hook me for book two.
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Overall,
I was incredibly disappointed by To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. I did read an ARC, so perhaps some things were changed, but certain elements needed a bit more depth to introduce some complex ruminations. In theory, I love the idea of our world needing necessary villains. Do we need these people who exist in half spaces to grease wheels and eliminate? Is death under occupation better than survival on land that’s been stolen? In many ways, these themes are ones I am drawn to, but I was just missing a bit more to hang on to.
Find To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.