Pangu was a peaceful and magical country until a portal in the sky opened up to a world from another time. The Romans are a technologically advanced culture but live in a dying world, and the portal has given them access to an abundant country untouched by the destruction of war and pollution. Both worlds started with a peaceful treaty, but the Romans quickly gained power and oppressed the Pangulings in their wake. Ruying and her family suffer under Pangu’s oppressors but will do anything to keep them safe, including using her death powers to aid Antony Augustus, the Roman prince. While she reluctantly sides with the Romans, Ruying places her trust and heart in Antony’s hands in hopes of saving her people and the future of Pangu.
The tone of Wicked Gods is angry and despairing, and it’s paired with a clunky prose that loves to swirl inside Ruying’s head. The book’s plot is secondary compared to the page space dedicated to Ruying’s internal spiraling. Ruying cannot escape the horrors around her, so her internal monologue ruminates on the fear surrounding her family, the sadness of seeing her people brought so low, and anger at the Romans who treat the Pangulings poorly. Ruying has a lot of conflicting feelings about Antony, too. She wants to trust him and even falls for him, but still doubts his true motivations. This is an inward-facing story, and the reader spends way too much time inside Ruying’s head as the same sentiments are repeated page after page. I appreciate that Chang wanted the reader to come to terms with the violence and mistreatment of the Pangulings, but Wicked Gods reads less like a fantasy novel and more like a historical account of tragic events with commentary from Ruying.
The characters are not great in this story, especially Antony Augustus, an uninteresting edge-lord antagonist. All his threats and actions are over the top like he’s trying to overcompensate for something. Antony fails to be an intriguing villain because he lacks subtlety, and his “bad” side feels too in your face. An alluring villain is a little mysterious and leaves things unsaid, but Antony likes to paint Ruying a very detailed picture. The worst part is that Antony has secrets, but we know what information he’s holding back. Ruying constantly asks him about what Rome is doing to her people, and we get a conniving smile and silence each time. It’s so unsatisfying because we know the mystery we’re chasing, and Antony does nothing to lead the reader astray. Not only is Antony a bad villain, but he’s a terrible love interest. As Ruying’s oppressor, Antony is cruel and does absolutely nothing to spark intimacy in their unbalanced arrangement. It’s hard to believe Ruying would warm up to this man who represents everything she hates, and it’s even harder to buy into her feelings when he did nothing to earn them. I would go as far as to say this suggested pairing is problematic in its implications even if it’s just meant as sexy mindless fun for the reader. The power differential has too many horrible real-world allegories to be surmountable in any context.
Wicked Gods dances around some interesting themes that I wished would have received more page time. Ruying and Antony have strong, conflicting beliefs that could have created delicious, world-breaking tension. Ruying’s culture is steeped in magic and folklore, whereas Antony’s revolves around cold, hard science. Their perspectives clash hard, but Chang doesn’t force them to work through their immovable beliefs. We get hints that Antony is playing at god behind the scenes, and Ruying is compelled by her magic. Yet, so much worldbuilding is lost because we constantly get swept away by the emotional currents of Ruying’s mind. Her internal monologue limits Chang’s ability to familiarize readers with the world, so the technologically advanced Romans remain a mystery throughout the entire book, and the Panguling’s magical abilities are never understood.
I didn’t have expectations going into To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, and it still didn’t hit the mark for me. I struggled with the prose and was bogged down by Ruying’s constant inner turmoil. Her rumination dragged the story down and didn’t leave space for the world or plot to develop. I learned a lot about what an oppressed culture looks like, but I didn’t meaningfully connect with the affected people in the story which is a shame.
Rating: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods – 1.0/10
-Brandee
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.