Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated reads of the year early!

I have never been so utterly captivated by a book so early—but this story had me hooked since the opening lines. This is a feminist tale of the high seas as a woman without many options chooses survival and ruthlessness. As Shek Yeung gathers strength and power, she is faced with both personal and external challenges as enemies seems to come from every angle. This story, both timely and devastating, is one that is sure to be a new modern classic. It’s heart wrenching depiction of womanhood and the strength of women despite the pressure societal structures place on them—and Shek Yeung herself—will stick with me long after I have written this review.

For fans of the sweeping historical and feminist writing of She Who Became the Sun, this is a book that must be added to your spring TBR immediately.

I loved this historical fiction novel about a female pirate. It was exciting but also discussed themes of females in power, struggles, and motherhood.

For some reason, I went into this book thinking it was a YA fantasy (if anyone in publishing is improbably reading this, if it's being marketed as fantasy, you will have disappointed readers). And while there was a mild fantasy element, I'd call this book historical fiction. And it was pretty interesting - it follows a woman whose pirate king husband was just killed in action. Now, she has to navigate the power vacuum while trying to retain some of her power, and the book kind of takes it from there. So there's plenty of scheming, which I love, but historical fiction isn't my thing per se so the book was just so-so for me. Not the book's fault though! Anyway, it was interesting and I really liked the main character, but the fantasy element, such that is was, felt like a big ol' afterthought and was wholly unnecessary. 3 stars - I liked it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA, Bloomsbury Publishing for an eARC of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea!

Rita Chang-Eppig's debut historical fiction novel is beautifully crafted and unputdownable. Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea features our female main character, Shek Young, a fierce pirate. Politics, strategy, the roles of women and mothers in society, and power struggles- this novel has it all. An enjoyable read, 100%

I picked this one up since it was compared to the Night Tiger, and I loved that book! This one was a little bit of a missed mark for me. The writing style was very different and took me some time to get into and figure out the characters. It has a strong female lead which I love!

A reimagining of the real story of Zheng Yi Sao, the Chinese Pirate Queen.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea
Publishing May 30, 2023

While, I went into this expecting more of fictional vibe, it read as more of a mixture of nonfiction and fiction. The beginning was a bit confusing, but the story started picking up and became very interesting as I continued to read.

I really grew to care for Shek Yeung as I was reading. Learning about her past and seeing how it affects her life and her actions was hard to read at times, but was incredibly well written.

As someone who is a bit familiar with the Chinese Pirate Queen, I found Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea a really great read. I loved the inclusion of actual historical events and characters. I love how this story is fiction, but is something that could have actually happened.

If you are someone who is interested in Chinese history or pirate history, I would recommend checking out this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is an adventurous historical fiction account of Shek Yeung, better known to the histories as “Ching-Yi Sao” or “Zheng Yi Sao,” a legendary pirate queen, 'The Scourge of the South China Sea'.

This is not a pretty tale, yet it’s a beautiful one, a gritty human kind of beautiful. We meet Shek Yeung just after her husband, commander of a pirate fleet, has been mortally wounded. We learn that they have been partners, each running half of the fleet; that a trust has grown between them, that she has fought daily to earn and keep that trust. We see her internal conflict over being grateful for that trust, somehow caring for this man, despite the fact that he purchased her to be his wife from a flower boat, that she had ended up there after being abducted by pirates and sold into sex work years before. She is his partner, she is his wife, she is also his property. The respect she has earned in the fleet has also been granted to her because of him, and now she must figure out how to move forward, how to keep her half of the fleet and her tenuous position, when another younger man is the named successor.

As a work of historical fiction this is fascinating, and I loved learning about early 19th Century pirates and politics and colonialist powers in and around the South China Sea. I enjoyed that the plot doesn’t build to some incredible end, because it’s loosely following a real historical set of events, and the point of it isn’t that story arc. The point of it is Shek Yeung herself.

What I truly loved this novel for is not the history, not the plot. It’s the compelling female perspective, the commentary and discourse on society and roles within it, the examination of gender and empire and capitalism and colonial oppression and patriarchal oppression and power. I love how we are shown Shek Yeung’s perspective as a female in this world, and how self aware and honest and devastating and f*&%ing relatable it is. I highlighted so many quotes, and out of context they could be commentary on our world today, on a hundred other societies and points in history, on this bloody struggle women+ and non-males and non-ruling-class persons have continued to battle decade after decade, century after century. I love that the author, through Shek Yeung’s thoughts and observations, never shies away from reality, from the way the world is, how it’s different for different genders, for different peoples.

Shek Yeung grapples with survival, with womanhood, with freedom, with personhood, with power, with want, with meaning in life. She observes how everything is impacted by societal social constructs, how these expectations and roles permeate and bind us, and internally she questions these things, she chafes at these things. Externally she does what she must to survive.

There are SO MANY quotes I highlighted and took note of and can’t wait to share. I want to be respectful of not posting these before the publishing date, in case anything changes, as I’m reading an Advanced Copy. After May 30th I’ll update this review with some of those quotes. For now here are some notes and themes:

- Women are deemed unworthy of power until a man decides otherwise; power is given to women by powerful men, granted to them, and this can be so easily taken away. (This is part of why I hate the word empowered.)
- Women are seen as inferior, as lesser than men, because of lesser physical strength (on average), and in no small part due to the debilitating act of childbirth.
- Women have to show they can do anything a man can do, constantly prove themselves to be as tough as the man, but they also have to do more, because they are also expected to be women, to be able to turn that womanhood on and off as needed, to “save” men when needed.
- Childbirth is a risk but also one of the only bargaining chips for power a woman has.

I'm so glad I read this. It's not what I expected, but it's what I needed.
4.5 Stars, rounded up to 5 on GR

I love pirates, and I love women with a plan. This book has both in the best way possible! Ripe with adventure and themes that will leave the reader thinking long past the last page.

This book isn’t just about the pirate queen Shek Young, it’s also about gender roles and history! This was a fun yet emotional read!

Thank you NetGalley for the e-book ARC!

This was a good read, but felt as though I was searching for a ‘wow’ factor that wasn’t quite there. I was looking forward to reading about Shek Yeung, a woman forced into piracy after a life of prostitution and hardship, but did not feel invested to the main character and the story as a piece of fiction as a whole. The material is very detail oriented and at times felt more like an info dump rather than a storyline. Nonetheless, it definitely has potential and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Shek Yeung, a woman who was able to rise from being a worker on a “flower boat” to head of a genuine pirate empire, seems to be so little known in the west (or at least amongst consumers of English-language media) that one is tempted to call the situation downright criminal. So it was with genuine joy that I learned that someone had taken the time and care to write a book devoted entirely to this fascinating figure. Said joy then proceeded to not be dampened in the slightest when I found the time to sit down and consume “Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea.” Rita Chang-Eppig does excellent work translating Shek Yeung’s genuinely amazing life story into an exciting and complex historical fiction romp (with elements of Chinese mythology finely woven in, I’d like to add). Hopefully the book’s subject matter will finally start to get the wider recognition that she deserves. In the meantime, with a debut novel like this, Chang-Eppig is definitely off to a fantastic beginning, and I am definitely eager to see where her literary talents will take readers like me next time.

Genre: historical fiction
China, 17th century*

Shek Yeung, wife and chief strategist of pirate leader Cheng Yat, sees her life change in an instant when a Portuguese sailor murders her husband. The fleet is in a precarious position, with shifting powers both internationally and internally in China. Shek Yeung marries herself to Cheng Yat’s heir, Cheung Po, promising him sons in exchange for his loyalty. But as Shek Yeung tries to shore power, other forces are moving beyond her control, from rival banner fleets to the rise in opium smuggling to the limitations of her own body.

*I didn’t see any specific dates in Deep as the Sky, so the 17th century is my best guess based on the shifting political tides and references to the Ming loyalists and the Qing Court, as well as the interactions with the European fleets, particularly the Portuguese.

The plot of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is all politics and pirate strategy, not grand adventure, and yet it works well with the reflective tone of the novel. Battles and war are a part of the seascape, but take the background to the things that impact Shek Yeung’s immediate concerns. Having been six years at sea and killed many times in past skirmishes, battles are less important than her overall vision for an alliance and the health of her unborn child.

The novel’s reflective tone is interspersed with stories of the goddess Ma-Zhou, of whom many tales from many perspectives are told. Sometimes Ma-Zhou is a girl, sometimes a mother, sometimes a hero, sometimes ordinary, but always fierce. Shek Yeung calls on Ma-Zhou for aid, relying on the goddess’s benevolence towards her followers for protection. But these moments also give room for commentary on religion and gender roles in history, setting the stage for the deeper conversation about Shek Yeung as a woman leading a banner fleet.

This is the third book about a female pirate leader who is also a mother that I’ve read in the last six months (the other two were The Red Scholar’s Wake by Alliete de Bodard and Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty), and it’s a trend I love. There’s no one more fierce than a mother, even when their children aren’t on board, or in Shek Yeung’s case even when her traditional mothering instincts are not strong.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is quieter than you might expect from a book about pirates, but that really worked for me. Reflection at sea amidst battle and power intrigue can work well, and presents a portrait of a strong and fierce–and yet still unsure–woman vying for a powerful position.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is out 5/30/23.

An introspective tale of a flawed but tenacious survivor, Shek Young. She has the grit and desire to better herself, and shows a creative perspective and desire to do anything it takes to make it through another day. Not an adventure tale of a swashbuckling female, nor does it give the vibe of a royal queen in a ship version of a court. More a raw boned examination of a woman out of place dealing with her awkward positioning within her historic society’s gender roles. Sparse and uncomfortable at times, the contemplative narration reveals the inner turmoil and personal development of Shek Young as a talented leader who is rarely given credit on her upward climb. But she is willing to do anything to keep rising in her dark lonely world that seems to be full of low people and low places. Not only do the victories seem to come in small but well fought portions, but there always seems to be an unexpected missing piece in the spoils of war. The prose is literary, and at times the pace matches the flow of Shek’s journey that claws and crawls through all of the dark places through which she must pass. Historic reality is achieved as Chang-Eppig weaves for you the densely detailed descriptions of a plethora of people, places, cultures, and situations which Shek must not only deal with but master. Hers is a lonely rise above those around her who hold more privilege, but show little respect or understanding of the goal she is straining to accomplish with limited but well used resources and allies. If you enjoy getting lost in a dark world of literary storytelling with a dash of mysticism, or if you find fascination in deep personal examinations of flipped gender roles and/or females seeking power, or if you are looking to experience a realistically built world of a lesser known historic setting, you will find all three in this book that is more of a heroic historic tale than a simple swashbuckling adventure.
I received an ARC from Bloomsbury Publishing. Expected release May 30, 2023

Interesting historical fiction with strong characters. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this title.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is about a strong female pirate that takes charge of her fleet after her husband dies in battle. I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this story and I think the premise is interesting, but it sadly just fell flat for me. I was expecting a lot of action but I didn't feel there was enough. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and there was little character development in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC.
2.5/5 stars

I loved this book. It’s a fictionalized/fantasy version of the life of the legendary pirate Ching Shih. The story beats for Shek Yeung follow the famous pirate’s life, but it really illuminates the challenges of survival for women in this world, the idea of indifferent gods, and the demon of colonialism.

More than anything, Shek Yeung is a survivor. She’s complicated, stubborn, grimly practical, and does what she has to do. She’s extraordinary because she has so much fighting her, but she refuses to succumb.

And at the end of it all, who will remember us? How will we be remembered? And how will we face the decisions made to survive?

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is a beautifully written story about a fierce pirate queen and an exploration of womanhood.

This book was pitched to me as being a fantasy about a pirate queen and that's not totally accurate. It's more literary than fantasy and it reads much more introspectively.

Even though it wasn't what I initially expected I still enjoyed the book overall.

I had expectations for this book, unfortunately DEEP AS THE SKY, RED AS THE SEA is a disappointment. One would expect a novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen to be quite explosive or at least have some thrilling action - as touted by its blurb - but that is in fact hard to find here, and it has been a while since I have felt so distanced from a story and its characters.

I love the novel's concept and premise, but in Chang-Eppig's hands, the story flounders dully and never really finds its footing: the writing truly more of a 'telling not showing' and scenes are rarely given proper room to breathe, the book so focused on Shek Yeung's character study it renders everything that makes her a pirate - the action and emotional impact most readers expect going in - almost inconsequential. And while the themes of power and being female in a patriarchal society are valid and very much relevant, they are hammered in so constantly while offering nothing new, and there is annoyingly little character development.

My biggest peeve about the book, however, is how distant the story and characters feel to the reader. For a book so focused on a main character, it is alarming how indifferent I feel to Shek Yeung despite knowing her backstory and both internal and external struggles. On The Storygraph, I declined to indicate whether I find the characters loveable, as after some deliberation, I realized it was neither yes nor no because I am wholly indifferent to them. Reading this book was not an immersive experience, so remived I felt from the action, development and characters, and as I am someone who highly values emotional impact in my reading, this greatly hinders my enjoyment of the novel.

To sum up, this book has a great premise that is unfortunately hampered by its execution, making it unable to fully reach its full potential.

I grew up watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and since then I’ve had a love for pirate novels. The challenge, though, is finding ones that don’t fall into the romance genre. When I was given the opportunity to read this book, I was so excited. A female pirate queen? Yes, please! Unfortunately, something about this book just didn’t hit home for me. It was more of a telling than a showing, and I didn’t feel as immersed in Shek Yeung’s story as I wanted to. It felt like many of the big important details were just footnotes, stated as facts, and left the main character a little one-dimensional.
What I did enjoy about this book was learning about pirates in the South China Sea, as well as the historical information, a side to piracy I’ve not learned much about up until this point.

Shek Yeung is a wonderfully complicated character. As a reader, you’re on her side even when she does horrific things as a pirate. This is a book about what it takes to get power and what that power does to a person. It’s also a book about fate and how little control any of us have in our lives. Even the side characters in this novel are written with nuance and care. Very skillfully done.