About the Book:
Title: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods
Author: Molly X. Chang
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 16, 2024
Pages: 368
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
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?
Review:
*I received an e-arc from the publisher via Netgalley for review. Thank you for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*
I thought this was a solid debut from Molly X. Chang! I truly appreciated her author’s note which made me aware of what she was trying to do with this book before going in. Definitely read it before reading the book. Trigger warnings: drug addiction, grief after loss, executions, and experimentation
“Heroes die, cowards live”. Ruying will do ANYTHING to keep herself and her family safe. I’m making this brief, as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I enjoyed watching Ruying grow from start to finish. I am excited for the next book in the series and anxious to see what happens next!
About the Author:
ashleighsbookshelf.com 