To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one?
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?
I got this ARC from taking a quiz at Penguin Random House Booth at New York Comic Con.
In the opening letter to the reader from executive editor, Anne Lesley Groell, and from Molly X. Chang's author's note, it sounded promising.
Due to a very lacking public school system in the U.S.A., I was never taught about the Russian and Japanese occupation of Manchuria. I also have never heard of Unit 731. It sounds like a part of history that should get more attention, and although this was a fantasy loosely based on those events, I was interested.
Immediately from Chapter One I felt something was off. It was an info dump with a lot of telling and very little showing.
For some strange reason the villains (the colonizers) are called Romans. So Rome has colonized the world of Pangu. So right off the bat I'm thrown off. I'm picturing centurions and chariots. In my opinion in a fantasy realm you have to divorce yourself from any earthly proper names. Make up new words (but also make sure they are easy to pronounce.)
The dialogue is not how people talk to one another. Ruying and Baihu were childhood friends yet their conversation was an info dump about their past. Since they were childhood friends they would already know that about each other.
So after I was struggling to read the first few chapters I went to Goodreads to read reviews. The first few at the top were 1 star reviews. So I read them to see if they were having the same issues as I was. They were...and then some. Once I learned how problematic the story becomes I decided to DNF at page 22. Life on earth is too short to spend on books that don't grab me.
What a shame though because the cover art is gorgeous. Another book with a beautiful cover and a disappointing story.
When I went to rate and review the book on Goodreads I found they are not allowing it for now. What I gathered from internet chatter is the author is doxing people who gave the book 1 star. I have no idea if that is true or not. Take that with a grain of salt.
I feel Molly should have wrote something more like what Ruta Sepetys writes. Historical fiction about parts of history that are not told and in danger of being lost.
Since this book was not for me I left it in a Little Free Library today. Maybe it will bring someone else joy.