Format: Hardback
Published: April 16th, 2024
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Indulge me for just a moment – I ended up reading this book at the same time I was reading Hannah Whitten’s The Hemlock Queen. They’re not two books I would naturally pair together, but they do compliment one another. Both main characters have powers over death, both are dealing with some unpleasant ‘gods’, the ‘love interest’ (for lack of a better world in relation to To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, which I will go into) is a bratty prince, and both feature ‘gods’ who are really humans with either magic (The Hemlock Queen) or science giving them their ‘powers’.
Okay, and to dive in. To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods is a Fantasy. It is not a Romance, though I can definitely see how you might think it is if you don’t finish the book. Ruying has a Gift, one that gives her power over Death. It’s a strong power, but not one that makes Ruying feel strong – instead, she does what she can to avoid using it, scared of the reaction she gets from those around her.
The Romans – who appear to be gods – come from a rift in the sky, settling in Ruying’s home city and flooding it with opium, promising it will unleash latent powers and boost the magic for others. Ruying hates the Romans, until she meets Prince Antony, who is determined to forge an everlasting peace between the two worlds. Heroes die, cowards live, and Ruying is determined to live. So, she strikes a deal – in exchange for becoming his personal assassin, she and her family are safe and well looked after.
I really appreciated the nuance in this book, the way the author balances things. I feel like in other novels, we would have been following Ruying’s sister, instead – a girl who has the power of life, and the book hints that she’s working with the rebellion looking to bring down the Romans. She’s aware of the power they hold and sees it as something Ruying should be using more, to stand up for all of them. But because we have such a firm POV through Ruying, all we really see is how difficult her sister has made her life, and how Ruying is doing her best to keep her family safe. We side with her, whereas in another novel, we might not have.
There are some parts that feel a touch underdeveloped and could have been fleshed out more, but this is a debut and I’ve seen enough writers improve in these aspects over subsequent books. What I really liked was the way Chang sets up the romance, very much leaning on romance tropes, particularly enemies-to-lovers, but leaving enough room for the reader to understand what Ruying sees in Antony, while also being able to see the other side to him. It’s an interesting experience, and one I think might benefit older rather than younger readers. I do think it’s an intriguing layer, where life experience gives you the ability to see Antony as someone who isn’t as wonderful as Ruying thinks he is. He makes promises that we want to believe as much as Ruying, but there’s enough here for the reader to remain a little unsure of him.
I think this is a solid YA Fantasy, and I really hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 2 and the continuation of Ruying’s story. I do understand why some readers didn’t click with this, but for me, it’s a book I think I’ll be recommending to anyone who will listen, and an author I look forward to seeing more from.
Reading Challenge
2025 SFF Title Challenge
Prompt: wicked
Progress: 3/16
Unwrapping Words 