I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I am fairly new to the fantasy genre but I have come to love it. I am so glad I took the plunge and read it because I was so hooked! I read it walking from my office to different offices as I had to go to meetings or get things done kind of hooked. The characters are so so so well developed and three dimensional, they felt so real! I also really enjoyed feeling like I was completely transported into a new world. This can be a bad thing if you then try to function back in reality. :-)

It is a book newbies like myself and long time fantasy fans can enjoy. There were a few twists that made me keep reading later than was wise when I had to work early.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is primarily historical fiction, with just a dash of fantasy / magical realism. It follows events leading up to the Opium Wars, but these characters are not hugely involved in these big events. This is the story of a pirate fleet and their pirate allies with the political events a backdrop for them to operate within. The scale is small and focused on Shek Yeung and her efforts to keep her fleet safe and successful. Because the main characters are pirates who are at odds with the Chinese Emperor for his failures to care for the common folk and his strict policies against pirating, the colonizers are primarily just set dressing and occasionally prey for pirating. As the book progresses, there is more intrigue about the Europeans' motives in the South China Sea, but the story remains focused on Shek Yeung. My history knowledge is too sparse to really speak much to historical accuracy around these events, but I can say it is compellingly told and I very much enjoyed the smaller scale perspective in amidst these historical events.

Shek Yeung was a village girl, a hand on her father’s fishing boat, a captive, a prostitute, co-commander of a pirate fleet, and a mother. She fills these roles with varying levels of enthusiasm, competence, and reluctance, and often reflects on stories of the goddess Ma-Zou’s life to make sense of her own circumstances, giving the narrative many stories-within-the-story - a narrative structure I am very fond of.

While there are certainly a lot of events occurring around the fleet, this book is primarily Shek Yeung’s life story. It is focused on her reflections of her early life, the choices she made and the ones that were made for her, and the stories she tells herself and others about those choices. This is a character-focused book about who holds power, what it means to hold power, and what is gained and lost in exchange. It considers gender roles and expectations, and the different ways one is treated based on those. The story is very reflective and thoughtful, and I found it and Shek Yeung as a character very compelling.

Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fiction, introspective character-focused stories, and stories that examine structures of power.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is Rita Chang-Eppig's gritty historical fantasy debut. The story is based on Sek Yeung or ' The Scourge of the South China Sea' who was an infamous Chinese pirate queen in the 1800s.

Shek Yeung is the co-commander of the Red Banner Fleet when her husband Cheng Yet dies during a battle against the Portuguese Navy. As a woman and pirate in the 1800s she needs to quickly secure her position as a leader of the fleet while reckoning with the governments crackdown on piracy and the encroachment of Britain and Portugal. In order to secure her position she must re-marry and provide an heir to her new husband.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea surprised me. I expected a fun, adventure filled story with tons of action and we do partly receive that. There is alot of complexity in the politics playing out between the Pirate fleets, the Emperor of China and European powers seeking trade agreements with China.
Apart from the political maneuvering and deception, Rita provides epic naval battle scenes but what I loved most about the book was Shek Yeung herself.

She struggles with her desire for power and justice. She grapples with her personhood and motherhood amidst the death of her once captor and now dead husband. It was incredibly refreshing to follow a woman in her later age who is unrelenting and craves more.

Incredible debut by Rita Chang Eppig. Thank you for introducing us to Sek Yeung.

If you're looking for a book with a badass Chinese mother at the center look no further.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced reader copy.

TW: violence, rape, slavey, colonization, death of a loved one

When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she knows she must act swiftly or die. Shek is determined to keep her hold on the fleet that she has helped to command. She decides to keep the hold she desires by marrying her husband's second in command and giving him an heir. Will that be enough to keep her command as the world around her changes?

Gorgeous prose abounds in this sweeping epic about pirate Shek Yeung. I loved this book and how Chang-Eppig weaved in stories about Ma-Zou throughout.

I enjoyed reading about a strong woman who endured and succeeded. Her beginning was dependent on men. As time passed and she grew she was able to see her future without men holding her down. The challenges she faced gave her the strength to push forward and give women a voice. This knowledge all from a pirate story that you must read and grow from!!

I thought I would enjoy this, but in hindsight, words like "portrait" and comparisons to Piranesi in the Netgalley summary should've let on that this was more cerebral and thoughtful than action-packed. I think I was anticipating a lot more of a swashbuckling adventure story with more action on-page. Instead, and while it was educational for fiction, this book...Pardon the old adage, but told a lot and didn't show much. Another reviewer compared it to a research paper and I...kind of agree.

The story was often composed of dense explanatory passages, punctuated by awkward turns of phrase, like a paragraph of a character ruminating that began with "Let's say that __XYZ__ happened" when it was an internal monologue. That just read oddly to me.

I think this book is being mis-marketed, which is unfortunate for it. I'd call this literary fiction slash historical fiction that happens to be about a female pirate; it's packed with insight and information, but was not a high octane read.

I wanted to like this but it was super slow. I wanted more pirate adventure but I just counldnt get into and I’m bummed because I wanted to like to but none of the characters were super fun or interesting so it was just kind of meh until I finally gave up.

This novel is a fictionalized narrative relating the story of Shek Yeung, a feared Chinese pirate of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Her first husband, a pirate, had found her working in a brothel. They forged a strong relationship that involved shared leadership of the pirate fleet. Upon his death, she moved quickly to forge an alliance with her first husband’s other heir.

The fleet she co-commanded with this heir, her second husband, consisted of hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of hands. Not only did they attack the ships and villages of the Emperor, but they also took on the Europeans in the area.

For her to project authority and leadership, she was a calculating, fearless, and ruthless leader. (Ruthless? Yes. She places stacks of heads on pikes to remind her crews how deserters or traitors would be treated.)

Even so, there was a bit of humanity (and even softness) for close friends, her second husband, and her third child.

I am sure this book is not for everyone, but it is an incredible tale of a pirate who was a complete unknown to me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

This book was fascinating, though it had one (2?) major flaw: length (and possibly pacing).

Was the story interesting, the characters well done, and are pirates awesome? Absolutely. However, this felt too long and too slowly paced. I was enthralled at the start, but felt it start dragging and became almost bored by the end.

I do think this is an important and interesting piece of feminist literary fantasy. And I did genuinely enjoy it…but it was also difficult to continue reading at times. But, it did manage to keep my attention enough that I never really wanted to stop reading.

The action scenes were well done, the politics and intrigue was interesting, and I was invested in the main character - the book was just probably about 33% (roughly 100 pages) too long in my opinion.

Overall, I still recommend this for lovers of pirate stories, but do recommend checking trigger warnings. It won’t be for everyone, but I think there is a lot to enjoy and I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

I think anyone who loves pirates and adventure novels will love this one. I love learning about parts of history that are often ignored, so it was so interesting to get an inside look into Shek Yeung's life, especially knowing she is a real figure from history.

3.75 Stars
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5

Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a review!

If you read She Who Became the Sun and wanted more historical fantasy, women being badass, and discussion of gender then this book is for you.

Plot:
Shek Yeung watched her husband die aboard their ship and instead of feeling grief and loss, she only feels cold determination to vie for power. In this riveting adventure, we watch as Shek Yeung navigates motherhood and leadership in a world where women have very little power. The pacing of this book was incredibly slow which initially turned me off from it. I found it hard to get through the first part, but once the plot picks up, I was swept away by the topics of womanhood, legacy, and imperialism.

Characters:
While I'm sure we've all imagined ourselves as MCs of thrilling adventures on the high seas or as brave knights of the realm, it can be hard to see yourself in a character with out flaws. The opposite is true of this book. Shek Yeung isn't perfect and that is what makes her so relatable. She is allowed to want revenge, be angry and to fight the system. But she is also loves passionately and has fears that are equally as petrifying. She is a fully developed character that provides a realistic and raw portrait of intersectionality. While she is on a ship fighting armadas and I am in my apartment fighting my homework, I can still see myself within her through shared experiences.

Writing:
The world building was slightly lacking but as this was more magical realism than fantasy, that's too be expected. There was this expectation set that Shek Yeung is a pirate queen however that moniker felt far to grand for what Shek Yeung's story actually was within the book. I went into this book thinking it was more of a fantasy novel than it actually was. Barring that, it was a stunning novel and I can't wait to read more from Rita Chang-Eppig!

I should have loved this book as it has the elements that I enjoy: history, foreign country, and a feminist protaganist. BUT: NOT.

The setting: "...a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet from the forces allied against them, and the dangerous price of power. When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she knows she must act swiftly or die. Instead of mourning, Shek Yeung launches a new plan: immediately marrying her husband's second-in-command, and agreeing to bear him a son and heir, in order to retain power over her half of the fleet.

But as Shek Yeung vies for control over the army she knows she was born to lead, larger threats loom. The Chinese Emperor has charged a brutal, crafty nobleman with ridding the South China Seas of pirates, and the Europeans-tired of losing ships, men, and money to Shek Yeung's alliance-have new plans for the area. Even worse, Shek Yeung's cutthroat retributions create problems all their own. As Shek Yeung navigates new motherhood and the crises of leadership, she must decide how long she is willing to fight, and at what price, or risk losing her fleet, her new family, and even her life."

I found myself plodding along, basically forcing myself to continue. FLAT. In the distinct minority. I enjoyed the history/story, and the setting, but not the book.

Giving it a 3, though not for me. it is certainly original/unique and some may quite enjoy it.

As a young girl, Shek Yeung sees her brother killed and her father abducted by pirates. She is sold to the flower boats to live as a prostitute. Eventually, she will meet another pirate, become his husband and command one of the largest pirate fleets in China.

On one level, Deep as the sky, Red as the Sea is a rip-roaring tale of piracy with Shek Yeung caught between the Qing empire, encroaching European powers and competing pirate fleets. On another, it is a fascinating mediation on what it means to be free; on how much power is enough to keep you safe (especially if you happen to be a woman); and the impact these choices have on those closest to you.

For me personally, I found the way beliefs systems were presented as simultaneously in conflict and complementary, as various characters choose to believe aspects of Confuscianism, Buddhism, Islam and home-spun fortune telling.

All in all, this book surprised me. It was everything I was hoping for and so much more.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is an incredibly interesting read! Shek Yeung, a pirate queen, is forced to take over her husband's fleet after his death. She is forced to make alliances in order to keep power, and feels forced to exert her power over her crew and those they conquer. The questions of abuse of power, what true loyalty means, and how best to decide for your own future come up throughout the novel.

Readers see the relationship between Shek Yeung and those she cares about in contrast to those she sees as expendable. This brings up the question- who gets to decide who is worthy and who is unworthy? Shek Yeung appeals to a higher deity throughout the novel, asking for guidance, and there are cuts to stories about the deity's life. One wonders how much of Shek Yeung's actions are what she desires versus what heaven desires, which is a question she frequently considers.

Overall, this was a super interesting story, and I look forward to future novels from Rita Chang-Eppig!

I LOVE me some good historical fiction.

Chang-Epping's telling of this fascinating character isn't an action-driven plot. It's subtle, and meant to give readers an idea of the overall political and social circumstances that drove so many people toward "flower boats" and piracy.

Her prose is beautiful but I wanted more depth from this book, from the characters, from the plot and yes, also from the action. Fictionalized historical accounts leave room for this, generally, but I didn't find that here.

I am grateful to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, but this is not a review I wanted to leave, because I do appreciate this author's writing style as well as the monumental effort it takes not only to write a novel, but one based in historical fact.

Also, your mileage may vary - you know what they say about opinions... If you like historical fiction I would still encourage you to give this one a try.

As a young teen, Shek Yeung is captured off of her father's fishing boat by pirates and sold into prostitution. Later, she is persuaded by a pirate captain to join his fleet. Her level head and keen observational skills impress him. She eventually becomes his wife and co-commander of the fleet. By turns ruthless and tender, Shek Yeung survives against the machinations of other pirates, Western incursion into Asia, and emissaries of the Chinese Emperor who would use any means to defeat the pirate fleets. An engaging read with a strong heroine at its center.

Definitely a book I would choose for its title and/or cover, but the story is even better! Who could imagine that a woman in the early 1800s in China would be in control of a pirate confederation? This is a historical fiction that introduces us to characters we would probably never know existed if not for this genre. The author, Rita Chang-Eppig, includes many different types of women characters and includes a few goddesses as well. It is a touching story amid the brutality of the Qing Dynasty, the European merchant ships, and the pirates of China The main character is based on the real-life female pirate, Zheng Yi Sao. You can’t help but cheer for her bravery and determination. She let nothing stand in her way – not even pregnancy. This is a story of belief, strength, perseverance, and survival in a cruel world. Thank you, Net Galley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this wonderful novel.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Did someone declare this the year of the Pirates of the Not-Caribbean? This is not a complaint, I'm just wondering, because there's Shannon Chakraborty's The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi in the Indian Ocean several centuries ago and now there's this, which is 19th century piracy in the waters near China and Southeast Asia, and compared to what there has been recently, those two together feel like a boom. Also both of them center women pirates, which, sure, yes, that's historically accurate, more of that if you like, any time.

The speculative element of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is the protagonist's conversations with the goddess of the sea. They have an ongoing and very specific relationship, and while the eARC format was less ideal for this than I expect the final product will be, the novel threads through stories of different incarnations and experiences of that sea goddess that illuminate the protagonist's experiences.

I think this book would probably still work well if you didn't know much about 19th century European colonialism in Asia, but if you do there is a particularly well-handled element of being the audience at the horror movie shouting, "DON'T GO IN THE BASEMENT! HONEY STAY OUT OF THAT CELLAR!" while the protagonists go on having their lives, not having hindsight on their side. It's extremely effective and fits interestingly with the realistic depictions of women's lives, medicine, and piratical politics. There's plenty of swashbuckling, but it's not treated as weightless, never allowed to be "just" a fun action story. Despite taking place substantially at sea, this is a book with very solid grounding.

I absolutely loved this gripping high seas drama. A unique female perspective and a well told story. This is definitely a story I will go back and reread.