I read the book people call a colonizer romance | to gaze upon wicked gods rant review (SPOILERS)

This book, To Gaze Upon Wicked gods, almost sent me over the edge for sooo many reasons, so I have to share my thoughts.
Contact me:
💌 [e-mail]
Join my channel membership!
/ @shelleys.corner
1. Bookish Buddy (£1.99/month): Get loyalty badges, custom emojis, priority reply to comments, early access to new videos, photo and status updates, members-only live chats and Q&A sessions.
2. Biblio Insider (£4.99/month): Enjoy all "Bookworm Buddy" perks, as well as exclusive polls, members-only challenges, monthly livestream video brainstorming sessions, and your name included in video credits.
3. Lit Luminary (£8.99/month): Gain all "Bibliophile Insider" perks along with behind-the-scenes content, invitation to members-only online book club, exclusive reading lists, and direct insights into my fantasy book writing process.
Support the Channel (I get a commission when you use the links)
Book Recommendations: benable.com/sh...
Socials:
Bookstagram: ...
Booktok: www.tiktok.com...
#fantasybook #togazeuponwickedgods #booklover #booktube #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookdrama #blackbooktuber #bookworm #books #bookreviews #booknerd #bookish

[@a.erde432]

“She can drown in the deepest of rivers, and I hope the river water is DUSTY” MA’AM😭 this as an opening was just the funniest thing to me

[@yo.johnson]

Yes, I was locked in after that! 😂

[@chloesantos8637]

DAMN

[@aretoadish]

Told her to drown in the dust bowl! Had to watch after that, lol 😂

[@ninaray31]

I'm offended on Katara's behalf that people are saying this is a Zutara romance

[@shelleys.corner]

I've not seen it compared as such but I'd go to war for Katara so they better take it back! Katara had way too much character development to be compared to a mess like Ruying 😭

[@karolina6049]

Right? They’re complete opposites of Zutara. Zuko was at his core kind and reckless, its what lead to his banishment. Katara is brave and selfless, she was one to offer to a acompany Aang. I don't even ship them, but if Zutara acted like those two they wouldn't even met.

[@sophis9453]

​ I think people were comparing it to that because when people sometimes ship Zutara especially when attempting to write them they water down the characters but especially katara so she is basically not her self, in a way that is very similar to ruyin, or almost self-insert like that is obviously not Katara.( Or zuko) But that is where the comparison comes from, from people badly representing Katara So it's one of the reasons someone might not like the ship and compare (it does do Katara a disservice)

[@Suited_Nat]

@@sophis9453yeah, that’s true. Because the show’s writing its self is excellent.

[@catdownthestreet]

I'm offended on both Katara and Zuko's behalf. They're better both individually and together than whatever this mess was

[@lari3197]

if the author showed us the main guy slowly manipulating her, slowly having a emotional bond with her and make her fall in love him would feel more real why she would do whatever him asked her to do and we as readers would have sympathize with her (sorry if I wrote something wrong

[@chsinskyy]

exactly, the author chose to include a time jump and that hurt their ENTIRE story. There, you basically missed an opportunity to grasp the audience and show that things aren't what they seem, assuming that's the angle she was going for

[@Joy-KBA]

"Throw this heffa in the gulag" I SCREAMED 💀🤣

[@shelleys.corner]

I just couldn't with her anymore 😂😭

[@TorturedBookClub]

Its so surprising that the author had enough awareness of her own story to write that bit you read aloud but STILL have her want to be with Anthony and think that would be a satisfying story as oppose to a huge disappointment like whaaat!?! Great video 🩷 "I am committed to seeing her suffer" 😂😂

[@estherflecksing6305]

I might actually read this book now because it seems like the author potentially has written a very interesting book with an awful protagonist. Like maybe we aren't supposed to like her? I wonder how Molly is gonna turn this around

[@12makbe]

I'm not even remotely joking when i say my 1 star review for this was a page and a half on google docs. There's just so many issues. But by far I couldn't handle her infantilization of the fantasy China, bc what do you MEAN the fantasy china is so reliant on magic they dont have GUNPOWDER?! But Rome has helicopters?? The fantasy china doesn’t have medcine (a huge staple of their history) and for what? Bc it felt like it was only baked in to say "look how much better the colonizers are"

[@lilliegreenleaf7709]

I completely agree, and it's very concerning. It kind of reminds me of outdated stories like Pocahontas, except this book was published in 2024 instead of 1995....

[@klaraotakuandcreepepaster5390]

No because I completely agree especially because from what I remember part of propaganda for colonialism is that they are smarter and better then the people they colonias like why did she do that

[@BookChats]

Wait, I'm sorry. The fantasy version of the people who invented fireworks don't have gunpowder!?!?!?!

[@toyosibee.mp3]

@@12makbe The fact the author opens the book saying she wishes her grandfather could read this…A book where fantasy China doesnt have gunpowder or medicine or technology??? So they fall victim to colonization???? And the protagonist is AGAINST the revolutionaries??????? Ummmmmmmmm………..

[@hewwo_uwu]

Wait she was given the chance to pair up with the rebellion then turned it down because she doesn't want to hurt people but then she accepted the offer of the colonizer. What? How is her second choice better than the first lmaoooo

[@ghostchick5275]

I have been hearing nothing but terrible things about this book. I'm so sad. Especially since it has such a badass title!

[@hanakesseibi.5b.273]

And a more badass cover!

[@livingsalami6529]

Awesome title and beautiful cover kinda disappointed

[@alexv3372]

Especially it was victims to the Cait corrain scandal

[@violetkerridge4154]

“Are you intending to read this book?” *No. Absolutely not. But I am loving the energy of this video.*

[@shelleys.corner]

Haha thank you 😊

[@arkkon2740]

Every time I see people say "Its fine, this is one in a series, she'll turn around" The character has made so many weird decisions that you wonder if she's falling for him or *turning into him* like please, just choose And the whole "Cowards live, heroes die" line. She basically needs to die now otherwise she will live a coward's life, that seems to be the only way atp because she has done more harm to her own people than he has done to her family. She's already a hypocrite by saying she wants to stand back actively while working as a hitman, but she cant do this while trying to stick by the family vs selfishness virtue

[@srose1088]

Her story reminds me of a subplot character. Like that person who goes astray and the MC isn't sure if they can be trusted by the end. Or maybe like a foil to the MC? It's wired that she's the MC instead.

[@arkkon2740]

@@srose1088 Yknow what, thats actually a good point. She's kinda written like a side character because her motivations are basically kept away from us, we don't have a clear reason why she changed so rapidly, and it seems like she caved in so easily to the main villain because everything happened on the side. We would actually know this stuff maybe if we had a main character to walk us through, but she IS the main character, and we're kept out of her head for stuff like this.

[@gadgettop23]

A lot of good points! In general I hate the excuse where because it is a part of a series we have to give the books characters a giant benefit of doubt, when the author haven't shown them being good or having redeeming qualities. Its just silly, what about books like Hunger games, where each entry is a complete story but builds upon the original? You can't have a burger with just bread and nothing else, and then get promised that next time you come visit the restaurant, they'll put cheese on it. You have to have a foundation, otherwise this was just a waste of time for the readers.

[@jackie-fitz]

31:57 "that's not an olive branch, baby, that's a chess move. yeah, you need to start learning how to play." GIIIIIRL THIS GOES SO HARDDDD. but fr i keep watching reviews bc i lowkey wanted to read it bc the title and artwork lmao but....she sounds so daft...really disappointing. edit: by she, i mean the main character ☠️ not the author

[@shelleys.corner]

Haha I love chess and it is clear that Anthony would be a great opponent and Ruying would get caught in a trap after a few moves 😂😂

[@adinsmith4323]

There has been a recent trend of a lot of books marketing as "enemies to lovers" but it's really just "colonizer x colonized" without any real commentary on the trope. TGUWG, The Sun and the Void, The Hurricane Wars, A Fragile Enchantment, and many more... what's even sadder is that many of these books are written by authors of color basing their novels on the history of colonization in their homelands, but then not realizing that their attempted reclamation needed more realization or nuance in order to actually combat a "colonizer x colonized" trope and not fall prey to it instead. I do believe it can be done, especially since a lot of the authors of these books have stated they wanted to include commentary on the violence of colonization and create their own ways of reckoning with their novels... but then it falls flat and their attempt is failed and it becomes sad and upsetting. If the author had included showing us the manipulation and that timeline/timeskip of him manipulating her into loving him, it would have worked a lot better and we readers could understand what was going on instead of thinking it was immediately insta love for the man apart of the slaughter of her people? And even if in future books there is more turn around, there is still this basis of her choosing him and thinking what she was doing for him was okay for a time and "loving" him... It just gives me the ick bc again, Molly didn't add a lot of commentary within the novel to say between the lines that this relationship was manipulation and that often colonizers in history HAVE done things like this to make the colonized peoples believe they either deserve to be colonized or to believe that the colonizers are helping them... which is what the MC ends up thinking here. N E WAYS, Thank you for another great video as always :}

[@user-wm1oo4os7e]

THANK YOU. I need the Asian book reviewers to call this book out, especially those with knowledge of Chinese history, because I literally don't understand why I have not heard a peep from them on KZbin. This is literally a disastrously awful book and absolutely insulting that it was published, with a six figure deal no less!!!

[@jackieroberts2625]

Check out @catherineannechiang and @mynameismarines, the last one is not Asian but she also highlights problems with the book

[@kaydkaydkayd]

onlygracexm did an almost three hour review on this book ! i havent finished the vid yet but they were going crazy into depth n r also chinese so maybe check out that review n itll have what u r looking for :D

[@user-wm1oo4os7e]

@@kaydkaydkayd oooh thank you for the tip, I gotta check that out!

[@SarahSwift-sc7hk]

@@kaydkaydkayd noting for later viewing. Thanks,

[@aaaaack]

Huh that's weird I first learned about this book bc catherineannechiang did a review on it and it got in my recommendations

[@Leomoon101]

I quote from Julius Caeser by Shakespear, Heroes die once, but cowards die many times.

[@almostatami]

I can get behind a colonizer romance if the twist is the conflict and disgust of "sleeping with the enemy". Then a second love interest can show up. I would love to see a discussion of that. I would devour THAT book. There's a decent chunk of readers who prefer not to engage with what they're reading and that's perfectly fine but colonialization is not a subject we should just overlook because we want the pretty people to kiss. I truly believe this book was based on vibes rather than critical thinking. And I don't say that with any malice. The author just needs more practice and an astute editor. Plus I'm not a fan of her writing style. It felt long winded for the most part.

[@Leomoon101]

If you want to cleanse your palette of bad books for a minute, how about reading The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptise. She was a victim of the Corinne drama as well. Plus the story is an interesting take on love potions in a modern world. She was in an interview with another youtuber of color named Written in Melanin. I think lots of people will enjoy how the author explained her book and the publishing process.

[@klaraotakuandcreepepaster5390]

Really ? I know that the recommendation wasn’t for me but I’m honestly so tired of these type of books so I will try to read it

[@bookwormdoodles2207]

I think that Ruyin should have been a side character that the revolutionaries meet instead of the main character

[@JessCsBooks]

It sounds like the story would have been more interesting and stronger if it was about the sister.

[@maximumbees]

i used to be very very self-deprecating and now i cant handle it when characters are. im like, go to therapy im begging it helped so much

[@shelleys.corner]

Honestly I feel this so much because I definitely was a bit self deprecating in my younger days and maybe now and again as an adult, but I can recognise and know to seek help. She's just annoying and unchanging 😭

[@kaydkaydkayd]

rt im still self deprecating asl n cant stand seeing it in characters

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

It did the opposite of help for me.

[@asbergledooglepoof5545]

I

[@theoctopusesgardener]

i’m so shocked by the. everything??? of this story tbh. part of me wants to read it, just because like. you can’t write something this horrific unintentionally, right? like surely, SURELY the author isn’t doing this on accident? so part of me wants to read it just to see if she actually salvages this, you know turns the main girl into a villain (intentionally, that is) and she gets her comeuppance. idk i might be naive for that, maybe the author really is just unaware. either way, your review was absolutely SCATHING and i loved it. 100% along with you on this journey now!

[@harderlarder1939]

Honestly just beginning of the book where you talk about he doing nothin makes me think of ways that could’ve been done better and more realistic. like we could’ve had her actually refuse to join the revolution for more understandable reasons. maybe she DID work with them in the past, and she killed someone she cared about, which still weighs on her, and maybe her sister was one of the people who distanced themselves from her after discovering her powers, and is only now supporting her power for the revolutions cause, so she’s not joining because of a grudge against her sister. like there were so many options.

[@toyosibee.mp3]

I had the thought that, instead of her killing some random kid when she was younger, it should've been that she accidentally used her magic to kill her dad...Like between the abuse and the fact she wanted to protect her sister? It feels natural that the first time she'd use her powers would be in defending her sister, so then it'd explain Ruying's conflicting ideals on using her magic to kill. But...nope!

[@sailoraries8086]

there was something so beautiful about the way you disparage this book

[@shelleys.corner]

Ahah thanks 😅 I really just had to let it out

[@londonmason6129]

How do the Chinese, y’know the people who invented gunpowder and fireworks, not have gunpowder?

[@peonieprincess]

I AM CRYING THE INTRO?????

[@shelleys.corner]

I had to let you guys know I was gonna be hater from the onset 😂😂 No surprises

[@improvetheword9691]

I've listened to a bunch of videos on this and I'm wondering if the book should have started with her as an assassin in love amd then her sister comes in as part of the revolution which motivates her change? It is hard to have a MC with a low self esteem...bc no readers want to be in that character's head for long...

[@Demonetization_Symbol]

That's hurtful that no one wants to be in the head of a self-deprecating person.

[@improvetheword9691]

@@Demonetization_Symbol yeahhh... i think it is tricky. Self deprecating is different from low self-esteem though they can coexist. Self deprecating often implies a humor, either light or dark, which can be more engaging that reading a character very negatively bashes all of their possibly lovable qualities while you, as the reader, are meant to be aligning yourself with their mindset in some way. Especially if you have now overcome the same self esteem issue or you are very empathetic to that experience...it's gonna be a hard 200+ pages. The choices a person with low self esteem would make are soo so soo different than a person with high self esteem, it makes their decisions almost absurd to those who don't share that mindset. It's not bad but it is painful to watch. Not the funny haha painful but the ohgodnopleaseno... wedonthavetodothis painful I also think it might be bc 1, that is tooooo universal an experience so no one has any objectivity and 2, if the low self esteem is about every aspect of the character's life, without some humour, it can be hard for the reader to see how this will improve. Or it might remind them too realistically of their own dark times or mistakes they've made and want to forget about. I'm sure it can be done but boy is it not easy

[@phoenixdefender7554]

I should have watched this video earlier because you said my sentiments about Ruying and this damn book in a much more eloquent and entertaining way, and brought up many other elements that I neglected to think about. And I'm also praying for Ruying's downfall and for her to be held accountable. Put her in a struggle session!

[@dragon_girl12]

I got an early copy of this book and I had already given it a bad review at the time that the author got involved in the drama on Goodreads. No one went after my review thankfully, but I was so stressed seeing the discourse about this on twitter. I felt bad about the Cait review bombing and I was determined to support this book, but I did not like it at all. Edit: I got to the part about the colonizer romance and I just have to say my piece. That was the part of the book that made me feel insane and almost made me drop it completely. Before she gets captured, she absolutely despises Rome. All of her thoughts are about how she hates them and wishes they would all die. I actually did like her at this point, but then she gets stuck with him and immediately empathizes with him. After that, she suddenly wants to see the good in him and Rome and she stops having those thoughts about how much she despises them for basically destroying her family and her world. She literally flipped a switch too, it wasn't a gradual thing.

[@WinterAuthor]

Okay but hear me out What if this was all a convoluted plot to set her up as the next book's villain, with an entirely different protagonist? Please tell me that's what this is... because characterizing a POV romance heroine like that must be some sort of war crime 😭

[@12makbe]

The thing is, to set up that kind of plot readers have to actually WANT to pick up book 2 and imma be real, you couldn't pay me to read book 2 after the hot mess book 1 was

[@arkkon2740]

Given how Molly spoiled her title, its going to be the exact same main cast, no change in roles 🧍‍♂️

[@lari3197]

I REAAAALY would like to see you doing a reading vlog you’re so entertaining to watch

[@BE-ew2pt]

I haaate to admit this but Cait Corrain's review of this book -- taken OUT OF CONTEXT -- is kinda right. 😭

[@JaveriaYousuf]

i was never gonna read this book in the first place but i loved your video!!! YES, LET HER DROWN IN THE DUSTY WATER

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

I found the cover so so beautifull but this review saved me waisting my time with bad plot and dumm characters. Thank you for making though that hole book!!!

[@catsboots803]

for some much better east asian/chinese fantasy books, i really enjoyed judy i. lin’s a magic steeped in poison (the first book in that duology is better than the second, love the author though), as well as six crimson cranes and the dragons’s promise by elizabeth lim :) ps. these all have stunning covers, definitely pulled me in while browsing

[@shelleys.corner]

I've read all and enjoyed them! Especially the Six Crimson Cranes duology! One of my absolute faves 💓

[@Lulumajorca]

Unrelated to the topic but you are incredibly pretty! And I lowkey want to read the book now because of your entertaining review 😅

[@shelleys.corner]

🥹🥹 omds thank you so much 💓💓

[@_void8982]

I watched 2-3 reviews on this book before yours. But I feel like yours is really the best one. Others keep talking about her not making any sense. But you spelled it all out so perfectly why she wasn't making any sense. I feel like I understand the book better, even though I didnt read it and dont intend to. Though, I have a question for the universe now. With the fact that another character called out the protagonist on her bs, wouldnt it be interesting if the author had planned and the second book doesnt have her as the protagonist or it is written in a tone that clearly shows that all she is doing is wrong. (again i havent read the book, but would have been great if it was clearly stated that we shouldnt be rooting for her) Even if it wasn't planned, I think that with all the backlash the book has received, it would be best for the author to reflect on the public's opinion and feed on it to make a more interesting story going forward. Because the author can clearly write something great (with the way you like other characters and the worldbuilding). Thanks for the video! Love the way you share your hate for those characters (they are fictional so you wishing for them to suffer is very funny and validating XD) 🐳🐳🐳

[@heIImiina]

if you've not Saara El Arifi's The Final Strife then I highly recommend that!

[@shelleys.corner]

Oh it's one of my ABSOLUTE FAVES! I have a mini review of it in my 31 books reviews in 31 days playlist 🥰

[@nicolaberry9550]

I know I didn’t just see “coloniser romance” WHAT

[@shelleys.corner]

You did 😭

[@MsKatze]

I was supposed to get this in my Illumicrate box, but I ended up skipping it when I heard it was a colonizer romance.

[@silvertoadstool123]

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder at the start of a book video lmfaoooo pleaseeee, not “throw this heifer in the gulag” 😭😭

[@yo.johnson]

You expressed many of my own feelings in this video. I will not read this book. Refuse to. But I have watched tons of reviews on it. LOL. How was the quality of the actual writing for you? I was told the author relies on telling instead of showing. And that there was a structure issue as well.

[@tessalyyvuo1667]

2:45 So she was being slightly more sneaky than American Airlines. :'D

[@llaurensi]

Omg you got me hooked! Have I read this book? No. Do I also wish on the FMC’s fall? Yes. Will I end up purchasing this book? Eh maybe. I must watch more of your videos! 💗

[@leightoningstrike6971]

I am still watching the video. However, I was just struck that if I ever publish a book, you would be a dream reviewer even when it's negative. Reviews are for readers so I don't think authors should read or watch independent reviews (even to "improve" because that's just taking advantage of free labour). I do think it is comforting to know that a negative review is done with such thorough and thought-provoking points rather than just blanket insults or blazé dismissal. Just wanted to share, because that was a new feeling I had when watching a review.

[@unlimon6382]

I understand that reviews are not planned for writters and they shouldn't act as if they are, but having a target audience is really different from people of another public watching it being morally reprehensible??I don't think it's especially good for the author, but people have only recently started giving that disclaimer because they don't want authors or the fans coming after them. Not because it's morally wrong if the author watches it, but because it is specifically criticism that may clash woth their views and that they'd probably prefer to abstain from consuming instead of watching it and getting mad. Also, I'm sorry but calling it "taking advantage of unpaid labour" if they do watch them is like saying a writer consulting a free plant dictionary for hikers online for the worldbuilding is taking advantage of unpaid labor or that a KZbinr using your suggestions for a video, which these book channels do, is also taking advantage of unpaid labour. Unpaid labour specifically directed amd produced to them, by the way. Not content someone chose to give away publicar online with a target audience but free access, but actual specific work for somebody who specifically asked for it to profit off of. I don't think taking suggestions is bad, but it's still a weird thing to take that perspective when things like that are happening

[@yo.johnson]

Hi, I love your channel! I hope that I can point out a sound quality issue? Your intro and outro are usually much louder than the regular parts of your videos. So I usually have to turn it down and back up for each video. I also make KZbin videos, so I understand how annoying it is to receive comments on video quality. But I just wanted to tell you in case you weren't aware. :)

[@shelleys.corner]

Oh, I didn't realise that it does that. I'll try to check on that going forward. Thanks for letting me know 💓

[@monster-enthusiast]

31:57 bars

[@shelleys.corner]

Purrrr 💅🏾

[@samanthak2387]

“I’m committed to seeing her suffer” mood 😂😂😂

[@wolfgirl535]

So disappointed by this one, I also bought it after the review bombing happened. Makes me wonder if the author is going to change it after so much hate.

[@shelleys.corner]

I'm really curious to see in which direction the 2nd book goes.

[@srose1088]

I remember seeing good reads reviews of this book early on and it seemed like people either loved it or did not like it for all the reasons you hear about. Very 50/50 extremes, so I thought that was odd. That was months ago tho.

[@rgaijin]

I get your frustrations especially since i started this book in April and then just stopped reading it 39% in lol idk I just was not getting into it and it's hard to do so ig but I do think I'll get back to it just to finish reading it now because of your video. give it one more chance and if it doesn't work out then we're dnf-ing it. It's sad the main is the worst character but the bastard princeling is better. Honestly it should have been his story and not hers. But yeah I'm with you on joining with hating her to her downfall. Although I doubt that would happen since the author seems to like her :I oh, book rec after this one would be the next book that was affected by cc's hate spree, the poisons we drink by bethany baptise

[@PistachioGold]

I have a lot of thoughts concerning how the author handled the backlash but im still kinda interested to read the book. One thing molly said really stuck with me: a lot of white authors get away with so much crap, while she's being attacked from all sides. But I think i want to wait till the next installment comes out and see ppls reactions 😂😂 Also the way you described your reading is how i react when im really into it 😂😂

[@ipolanikauanoeanuhea3151]

New to your channel, you are the funniest in being the ruthless one 😂 But yes this is a colonizer romance and it just feels like we've regressed 😐 people paid for their sins reading this book.

[@kaydkaydkayd]

planning to read the rest just to be a hater is actually very admirable - btw im only considering finding it irl to read it myself

[@jackieroberts2625]

This video is everything i felt reading this book. I rarely hate Main Characters but i hate Ruying so much. And the whole finale is BS. This is not a good book😂😂

[@tessalyyvuo1667]

Lady, when ever you are angry, it is like ASMR for me!

[@Nyx_ofthenight]

That's a yikes. But maybe I'm biased as a writer who's main villains always either have elements of colonialism, capitalism, or fascism lmao. Don't really make for good love interests, ESPECIALLY not for my Indigenous or Indigenous coded characters, that would be unhinged! And yet here we are. If you want a BRUTAL and SCATHING decolonizing/anti-colonizer story, I can't recommend Suitor Armor enough (unless you don't want to have your heart ripped out or don't feel comfortable atm bc CW/TW it pulls NO punches). It's a comic on webtoon and I started reading thinking it was a silly little fantasy romance that played with tropes, and while yes that's there, it was just the prelude to an incredible exploration of the reality of settler-colonialism and g***cide using a fantasy setting. And how politics, power, propaganda, and prejudice play a role. The elf-fairy thing as a representation of desperation, assimilation and the cultural element of g***cide was so clever from a worldbuilding standpoint and brutally heartbreaking from a person with emotions standpoint. And the narrative treats everything that happens every bit as serious and despicable as it is. The main character Lucia is an absolute badass, she maintains so much compassion for people despite what she goes through and has so much intelligence and initiative as a character. And best part she doesn't fall in love with a colonizer lol. One of the main drivers of the colonization is the villain (DUH, as it should be). I could write an essay here about it, but I won't spoil anymore.

[@MakeHimTheCutest]

THE OPENING WAS SO CRAZY ?? LMAO

[@shelleys.corner]

We had to keep it real 😂😂

[@toyosibee.mp3]

No, cause I'm reading it, I'm about 70% through, and RUYING MUST DO TIME!!!!!! SHE MUST!!!! I know the author was trying to go for a morally gray protagonist, but the amount of WAFFLING Ruying does throughout, where she's effectively only trying to convince herself that her actions are good while the reader knows the things she does are diabolical....and not even INTERESTINGLY diabolical!! The one part that made me go "TCHAI!" is when Baihu first mentions the experiments and Ruying says "I don't care" AND DOESN'T EVEN HAVE INTERNAL THOUGHTS OF "well i wonder what baihu means by that" !!!!!!!!!!! GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@tessalyyvuo1667]

I've read about a case of a German woman who was a nazi supporter during the Third Reich, who actually fell in love and had a relationship with a Jewish woman. A doubble whammy for someone of her political view. So this loving an enemy under oppressive circumstances can certainly happen. But it needs to be presented very carefully. What you say about this book, it obviously hasn't done that. If anyone wonders, the German woman ended up surviving the war and lived to an old age, but sadly same wasn't the case for her beloved.

[@Spracker333]

Great video!

[@awakatilluminado6129]

I havent read this book and im not interested in reading it BUT im emjoying this review lol im wondering if anyone thinks this might be intentional as a set up? The characters romance, reluctance to join revolution, etc.... is it possible that over the 3 books she will end up on the opposite side (ie in the revolution fully) ? Or is that wishful thinking lol

[@mercedeswalt6621]

That was lovely…and infuriating. Bless you for enduring that for our entertainment.

[@Pink_Artist]

Why does the backstory of this book make me think of Gintama...

[@reader8097]

I wish Ruying had more redeeming qualities

[@jakebranch2599]

Sad it wasn't even the eastern roman empire

[@stroyanielson3776]

I remember seeing people saying this is like Zutara and girl I don’t ship it but even I know that’s such a vile comparison because Zutara is miles better than this garbage lmao

[@DB-vz5nj]

Honestly after watching this video I'm going to go buy this book. Sounds interesting.

[@shelleys.corner]

Honestly, I definitely encourage people to form their own opinions, and you can only do that by reading it for yourself. But yea, you've been warned 🫠😂

[@WritingbyAnexisMatos]

I’m interested in reading this book considering all the reviews it’s gotten. A review were brought up an interesting point and I want to know if I’ll get the same impression. They said that the main character is supposed to be an unreliable narrator. They also pointed out that readers are unfortunately not used to reading those, so I wonder if that’s why it’s getting such bad reviews. They also said, however, that the male main characters chapter broke that argument for them, but I wonder if the main main character is also supposed to be an unreliable narrator.

[@jackieroberts2625]

The whole unreliable narrator is something fans pulled out of thin air to justify the bad writing and the terrible characters but right from the author's note, it's very clear she doesn't want us to see Ruying as a bad person, basically telling us not to judge her harshly. There are ways to write unreliable narrators but this is not it. You can't just chalk a book being bad to unreliable narrators, someone it's just bad

[@12makbe]

Juniper Song is an unreliable narrator done well. Ruying is not. The whole "oh, she's just manipulated" argument would have worked better IF WE ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE ANY MANIPULATION. But she falls into Antony's arms THE NIGHT SHE KILLS FOR HIM. No build up, no fake trust building, just BAM. And then we get a SIX MONTH time skip and she's even more commited to him. Defending him at EVERY TURN and for what?? Bc even to her own motivations it loses sense

[@vitamins17]

I think the book was good. She made a decision based on her need to care for her family. Which is a very real thing, ppl will do anything for their loved ones and will do what is best for the greater good. She is being manipulated but that’s what makes her human. She is flawed like any one of us. It’s easy for ppl to say “ well I would’ve done it the “right” way but put in a situation like that and I wonder how many would do things differently. Hindsight is always 20/20. The ending has me excited to read the sequel

[@ClarissaValderi]

I just clicked on this video to tell you, your eyes are as adorable as Betty boo! they look so similar

[@Georgeorwell9260]

Ur so beautiful I loveeee

[@shelleys.corner]

🥹🥹 thank you 💗

[@purpelfais2283]

Small correction, Cait Corrain is not white, she is a jewish woman.

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

Sorry you didn't like the book. Personally, I read the protagonist as a person endlessly making justifications and mental backflips to square with her cognitive dissonance of being in the position that she's in, because yes, she IS a coward. i thought that was the point of the story. maybe it's a western thing that every protagonist must be strong, smart and all that. But i feel it is equally valuable to tell a story from the perspective of a coward in collusion with the colonizer and the janky, awful, self-deprecating ways they square it with themselves. Because you know what? there are people who collude with colonizers. I should know. I live in a post-colonial nation that hasn't really shaken off the colonized mentality at all.

[@jackieroberts2625]

​@Sammy-fmhkythis! People will go on and on about her motives or whatever but they forget that even during her worst moments, we're not supposed to think of her as a bad guy, just someone who's doing what she gotta do. And the way she talks about her country or planet or whatever it actually is lets me know how much she hates it. Like there's just a lot of white supremacy BS in the book that's honestly so disgusting. And most of it is not even coming from the colonizers themselves but the person we're stuck with 99 percent of the time. People who enjoyed this book, I really want to know what made it enjoyable because I don't see it

[@jackieroberts2625]

No one's saying she should be strong and smart but she is a colonial apologist. She literally makes excuses for their oppressors and says she doesn't care they're experimented twice when she was told. Sure, people like that exist but are those the people we should be elevating when it comes to stories about colonization, genocide and oppression? Because Ruying is not a villain, she's apparently she's just a good person who made choices to protect the people she loves. So yes, people like her exist in the real world but no one's trying to make them a hero. In TGUWG, the author literally told not us not to judge her harshly. It's one thing for your MC to commit reprehensible crimes, it's another to try and justify it

[@zarina98]

Why dont we call dune a colonizer romance?

[@shelleys.corner]

Maybe because the romance only started when he literally defected from the actual colonisers to help the locals fight against colonisation, and when he switched up on them, she legit left him 😂

[@Jwa-fo6nb]

I agree white men authors get away with so much foolishness and its never held accountable because they are college teachers.....

[@demonic_myst4503]

We allways get the men writing woman memes but looking at the roman e genre boys Woman writ8ng men is a safari tour of toxic and abusive relationshios men in female written romance noevels tend to be on aberage either a simp who is supost to die for her aproval or a toxic stalker/ r*pist/ psychopath

[@Arian-vf6jo]

Could this book be in on the hate?. Because i know it's frustrating people, the themes have real-life examples. People are dying all around the world whilst at the same time some people are content to shut their eyes and ears to these atrocities. They say the opposite of good is not evil but indifference. Also, come on, guys, coloniser romance isn't a hard stretch in real life.

[@arkkon2740]

Considering how the author reacted when this was put up as a criticism, I doubt it Molly also diluted her MC to hell and back, while at the same time she was too lazy to develop how she was groomed within an *8 month time skip* and that just made it worse. She went from against it, to being forced to comply, then it time skips into a romance arc.

[@12makbe]

Unlikable MCs can absolutely be Done well (gesturing at Yellowface by R.F Kuang) but that was never Molly's intent with Ruying and you can tell. From the marketing to the mishandling of backlash, this isn't the reception she wanted

[@nootnewt9323]

@@12makbeI feel bad in a way but her behavior post release has been cowardly. Basically trying to convince us that she was writing a story about grooming. And Xiran gassing her up has only made things worse. Another thing I find odd is why she whitewashed the war crimes the Japanese committed? It seems like she wanted a white boy to be a LI so bad that she changed the races out.

[@thedisembodiedlibrary5175]

Book was good. You're too sensitive.

[@shelleys.corner]

Ruying was terrible. End of.

[@Evelyn_Okay]

READ SPIN OF FATE!!!!! 🐍🦚

[@andiman44]

Yes!! I literally just finished that one! So good 😊

[@pauieeepau]

😮 I just preordered that. Love seeing it mentioned.

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

SECONDED!!! SO good and unique and actually does morally ambiguous characters right

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

Are you open to suggestions of Asian fantasy debuts from 2024 that are amazingly well written but not getting hyped on booktok cuz. if so I got some recs for you!! ❤️‍🩹Last Bloodcarver (just a close to flawless debut, simple but so well done, medical magic system, actual examination of colonization done in a nuanced and tasteful way, ending is a bit WHAT but still a fantastical read) 🌀Spin of Fate (readswithrachel loved it, lots of anime inspiration and religious deconstruction, best hard magic and worldbuilding I’ve read for YA, queer sloooowburn romance) 🐉Dragonfruit (not a debut but masterfully written, amazing prose and romance and worldbuilding and just a beautiful immersive read all along, also AAPI is the most overlooked BIPOC community so wanted to give a shoutout!) Also wanna note the first two have ACTUAL enemies to lovers done well (can’t say for Spin, I thiiiink it’s building up to that though; Bloodcarver has a slightly rushed but overall suuuper sweet romance and it just makes sense inthe context)

[@rubypanterra.]

Girl, I had to subscribe just from the read in the beginning. I don't know who you're cussing like that, but I'm about to find out! 🧋