To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Epic
Molly X. Chang
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this magical epic fantasy, the gripping first novel of the Gods Beyond the Skies series, a young woman gifted with the power of Death must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country. The gorgeous first edition hardcover of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods features a poster, color endpapers, a custom-stamped case, and a foil jacket!“With hauntingly poetic prose, Molly X. Chang spins a tale at the intersection of science fiction, fantasy, and the very real devastation that colonialism brings down on colonized peoples.”—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron WidowHeroes 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?
AD
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More Details:
Author
Molly X. Chang
Pages
368
Publisher
Random House Worlds
Published Date
2024-04-16
ISBN
0593722248 9780593722244
Community ReviewsSee all
"The World was interesting, but sometimes felt shallow. <br/><br/>Overall a 3.5 rating<br/><br/>The world in "To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" was captivating, with an intriguing setting that sparked my curiosity. However, there were moments when I wished the story had delved deeper into certain aspects. One example is the question of how the invaders got there. For the beginning of the book, I didn't realize that the Romans used a portal from another world. <br/><br/>Despite this, the writing itself was beautiful, with lyrical passages that drew me in and made me care about the feelings of the main character and how she felt. Over time, I found myself more invested in the emotional connection between the characters (as in by the end I wanted Ruying to just quietly get rid of Anthony), which is a testament to the author's ability to evoke empathy through their words. I did find passages to be repetitive at times and the main character a bit insufferable with how she changed her mind every other page. <br/><br/>In summary, while the world was fascinating, I would have loved to explore it more deeply in certain areas. I look forward to the next book in the series as I do want to know what happens next!<br/><br/>Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book"
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Lyndsay Krebs
"Ahh this sounds incredible! Can't wait to read this!!!<br/><br/>Merged review:<br/><br/>Ahh this sounds incredible! Can't wait to read this!!!"
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Christy Healy
"It was a pretty good read, can't wait for the second book! A SIDE NOTE : Do not listen to the people saying it's a colonizer romance like I did. I didn't want to finish bc of people saying it-but I did. And I'm glad I did! SPOILER ALERT AHEAD : She does not end up with the prince. She , in the midst of being utterly alone, basically separated and shunned by her family and friend. Taken by a strange man-manipulated,gaslit, and almost brainwashed by him bc he was the only one who showed a sliver of kindness towards her....yes,she did seemingly fall for him. And the entire time was disgusted and confused by herself bc she knew deep down he was the enemy. After seeing what he was doing to her people with her own eyes-she is deadset on manipulating,betraying,and ultimately killing him. It ends with her possibly still having feeling for him , but putting them completely aside for revenge and the freedom of her people. And that is tight af. Again, cannot wait for the second book!"
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Eli
"Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.<br/><br/>I would give "To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods" by Molly X. Chang a one star review because, I had a really hard time following basically everything in this novel."
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Lillyanna
