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Bibliothèque | Type de matériel | Numéro de cote topographique | Statut |
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Recherche en cours... Port Charlotte | New books | FANTASY FIC CHANG | Recherche en cours... Inconnu |
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER * 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?
"A thrilling tale of magic and murder, intrigue and betrayal."--Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sword Catcher
The gorgeous first edition hardcover of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods features a poster, color endpapers, a custom-stamped case, and a foil jacket!
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?
Critiques (4)
Critique du Publishers Weekly
Chang's heavy handed debut and series launch chronicles a power struggle on a conquered world. Before Yang Ruying was born, the magical world of Pangu was invaded by a foreign power, Rome, which emerged from a portal in the sky and conquered Pangu's people in a single day. Their dwindling magical powers were no match for the Romans' high-tech weaponry. Ruying's magic, however, is strong, a fact she tries to hide from the colonizers. When Roman prince Antony Augustus discovers Ruying's deadly gift, he offers safety for her and her family in exchange for becoming his personal assassin. Ruying accepts after Antony convinces her that his plan to rule both their worlds will bring a better life for her people. But can he be trusted? The worldbuilding is delivered through clunky info dumps and repetitive proselytizing about the plight of Ruyung's people, drowning out nuance. The plot feels largely like setup for future installments, especially as the mild cliff-hanger ending leaves few questions answered. This one is a tough sell. Agent: Kari Sutherland, KT Literary. (Apr.)
Critique de Kirkus
In the first of a series, a young woman with a deadly magical power chooses family, safety, and pragmatism over national loyalty. Yang Ruying has been "blessed by Death": She has the power to steal the life force from those she touches, although she pays a physical price for using her power. But the magical gifts she shares with some of her countrymen were not enough to protect the Empire of Er-Lang (which resembles a part of China) from occupiers traveling from another universe, where Rome never fell but developed high-tech weaponry and medicine over the centuries. A rash theft brings Ruying to the attention of the youngest Roman prince, Antony Augustus, who coerces Ruying into becoming his personal assassin. Antony claims that her killings on his behalf will ensure peace and a future for both their worlds. Ruying's need to keep her grandmother, her rebellion-minded twin sister, and herself safe, plus her growing feelings for Antony, help to quiet her doubts, even as her guilt for the blood on her hands increases. Inspired by the Russian and Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the novel is an interesting look inside the mind of a collaborator; while Ruying hates the occupiers, she simply does not believe the rebel forces led by the mysterious Phantom have the power to defeat the Romans, and prefers to snatch what security she can in a bloody, desperate world. As a result, she works very hard to try not to think about what is happening to her people--especially those with magic. Readers may find the writing somewhat heavy going; the author is striving for a poetic style that doesn't entirely land. For example, a distraught Ruying thinks, "A part of me that I couldn't bandage or balm fissured slowly like thin ice cracking under weight, and the frigid blue waters beneath waited eagerly to drown me in their bitter depths." The author also spends a great deal of time describing Ruying's feelings--time that might be more effectively spent showing her actions as Antony's assassin, which are more summarized than described in any detail. A profoundly felt story, unfortunately conveyed in somewhat stilted prose. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Critique de Booklist
Ruying is just trying to keep her family afloat despite the Romans' occupation of Pangu. Poverty, opiate addiction, and violence pervade Jing City, and Ruying's not sure how to keep her aging grandmother and addicted young sister alive. When Prince Antony Augustus of Rome finds out about her gift of Death, he wants to use it for his own ends. He claims that his goal is a better future for both Rome and Pangu. Ruying isn't so sure, but she knows she'll do anything if it will keep her family safe. Chang based the roots of her world on the real-life Japanese occupation of Manchuria, its injustices, and the way memories of the event came down to her through ghost stories. The prose can be repetitive, and the world building is a little simplistic. But the text is powered by a morally gray, female heroine driven by rage at what her world has become. The clash between technology and magic, the moral questions of impossible choices and complicity, and an enemies-to-lovers-style romance will appeal to many readers.
Critique du Library Journal
DEBUT The gift--if it can be called a gift--of magic lives deep in Ruying's body, fighting to be released, just beneath the bounds of her control. But only just. She is one of the Xianglings, a people who were trafficked and exploited for their gifts. But then the Gods came to Er-Lang with their science and technology, their hatred and their opian, intent on colonizing the Empire. When Ruying is imprisoned without access to her magic, she must bargain her gift for any hope of freedom. But what lengths will the Gods go to in order to possess her once they find she has the ability to pull the life out of mortal bodies? She'll have to choose between fighting to avenge the losses her family has suffered or joining them. Ruying is a refreshingly imperfect protagonist and through her, Chang tackles topics as diverse as the rarely discussed trauma Manchurian people suffered during World War II and the complexity of fighting against colonialism while navigating within colonial systems. VERDICT Chang has crafted her own magic with this must-read, genre-bending debut novel, skating between fantasy, science fiction, and historical commentary.--Amira Walker