Wow! I loved this book--Shek Yeung's story as a female pirate trying to hold the fleet together after the death of her husband was compelling; the setting made me want to set sail; and, I loved how feminist it was. There was a lot of violence, yes, but the author handled it sensitively and acknowledged what it did to those who both were subjected to it and who perpetrated it. The writing was beautiful; I made many annotations of quotes I wanted to remember.

Highly recommend if you like feminist pirate stories with a lot of Chinese mythology--I would love to learn more about Ma Zhou.

(This review references sexual assault and sexual slavery, both of which come up A LOT in the novel.)

I heard about Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea through word of mouth and decided to read it because I was intrigued by the premise and because I recognized Rita Chang-Eppig's name from her writing in McSweeney's and Best American Short Stories. A historical novel based on a real-life nineteenth-century Chinese pirate queen sounded fascinating to me, and the plot was engaging enough that I finished the book relatively quickly, but ultimately it fell short of my expectations.

When we meet Shek Yeung, her husband Cheng Yat has just been sliced open by a Portuguese sailor whose ship they are plundering. Cheng Yat is the leader of the Red Banner Fleet, the biggest Chinese pirate fleet in operation, and Shek Yeung's feelings for him are complicated. When she was a teenage girl, pirates captured her family's boat, killing her brother and selling her into sexual slavery. She met Cheng Yat nine years later, when he visited her "flower boat" brothel as a john and married her, allowing her to trade her life as a sex slave for a life as a pirate. Shek Yeung is Cheng Yat's "wife, captive, chief strategist, and equal partner," and she thus feels a tangle of love, hate, resentment, and respect for him. Cheng Yat's second-in-command, Cheung Po, feels similarly: Cheung Po was just a teenage boy when Cheng Yat captured him, forced him to become a pirate, and also regularly raped him. When Cheng Yat dies, Shek Yeung and Cheung Po get married to ensure a smooth power transition, and their relationship becomes its own complicated thing: they have to present a united front in order to avoid appearing weak, but their motivations, approaches, and allegiances often conflict. Meanwhile, they have to maintain their tenuous alliances with other pirate fleets while fending off the Qing emperor's anti-piracy campaigns and the imperialist machinations of the European powers.

The shifting relations between these various parties (the Red Banner Fleet, the other pirate fleets, the Qing government, and the European powers) kept the plot moving, and I enjoyed reading the negotiation scenes. But I felt that the book's depiction of Shek Yeung's (and Cheung Po's) feelings toward Cheng Yat fell flat. I could understand logically how their complicated history had led to complicated feelings, but this seemed more reported than felt.

Other flaws I found hard to ignore: Shek Yeung's reflections on gender and power often felt very simple and obvious and were thus boring to read. Some of the prose was oddly stilted; it was like the book couldn't decide whether it wanted to take on more of a mythological register or something more casual. I wished that we could stay in scene more instead of spending so much time in summary or exposition.

Honestly, I expect this book to do well because of the strong premise, but I don't think I would be able to recommend it wholeheartedly.

I'm a huge historical fiction fan, and I definitely enjoy a good pirate story, so Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea was perfect for me! Shek Yeung is a fascinating protagonist (and actual historical figure!) who was sold into prostitution by her father at a young age and eventually grows to be one of China's most renowned pirate queens.

Chang-Eppig's prose is beautiful, and I loved the interspersed stories of the sea goddess Ma-Zou, I did get lost in some of the politics of the novel, which is always an area of difficulty for me, but overall, this was an engaging and poetic read. Definitely worth checking out!! Thanks to Bloomsbury for the eARC.

Pirates. Who doesn’t love pirates? Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum … but this ain’t those pirates. These are Chinese pirates, which make our Captain Jack Sparrow types look like Girl Scouts. The scourge of the China Sea, Chinese pirates formed entire fleets and went head-to-head not only with the Chinese Navy but with the Portuguese and English, too. And won. Until they didn’t.

Shek Yeung is the daughter of a fisherman who is captured by pirates who murder her father and brother, rape her and then sell her to one of the infamous ‘flower boats.’ There, she catches the eye of pirate captain Cheng Yat who marries her and trains her to become a formidable pirate tactician and, eventually, Yat’s co-commander of the Red Fleet. Seems a bit ironic, this, a victim of piracy becoming a pretty good pirate but, hey, you play the hand you're dealt. When Yat is killed in a fight with a Portuguese sailor, she forges an alliance with Cheung Po, Yat’s adopted son and lover … yep, you read that right … to become the commander of the fleet and then marries Cheung. Yeah, okay, so things are a little loose on board a pirate ship. What did you expect? They’re pirates.

In the face of growing Qing Dynasty, Portuguese, and English threats, Shek forms an alliance with three other pirate fleets, creating an almost invincible pirate navy able to attack and destroy all comers. That is, until Qing General Pak Ling comes after her.

Sea battles, land battles, sieges, backstabbings, murder and mayhem, a typical day in the life of a pirate queen.

This story is mainly focused on Shek’s attempts to stay alive as the forces arrayed against her converge. An exciting story, fast paced and relentless, you’ll be turning pages quicker than a caravel coming about with guns bearing. And it is a true story.

Well, sort of, like that ‘based on true events’ label you’ll find slapped on loosely written movies about historical events. There really was a Chinese pirate queen, Shi Yang, who commanded an incredible pirate fleet of 400 ships and gave the Qing dynasty and its allies what-for. She was so powerful she was able to negotiate a consequence-free surrender of herself and her fleet and then joined the Qing Dynasty navy hunting down pirates. More irony. She died at age 68 in 1844, in peace and prosperity. This is a fictionalized account of Yang’s life, very fictionalized, with many liberties taken. And that’s fine. This isn’t biography; this is fiction. Damn good fiction.

Chang-Eppig does play fast and loose with the historical timeline, blurring the events of the first and second Opium Wars and the attempts by the English and Portuguese to impose hegemony on the Chinese trade. It’s fine; this gives you overall context for Yeung’s story and the struggles she endured. What’s more important is the in-fighting and backdoor diplomacy Yeung employs to maintain her control and keep the fractious pirate commanders and crews in line.

Yeung is not a nice person. She is a terrible mother and a ruthless murderer, slaying whole towns as mere afterthought. And this is toned down; the real pirate queen, Yang, was even more ruthless and murderous. Chang-Eppig makes Yeung quite a sympathetic character and, really, what choices did she have? The Qing dynasty was starving its population to death while committing wholesale slaughter and your choice under those circumstances is become a bandit or a pirate and give back as good as you got. So don’t blame her. But don’t admire her, either.

Even though there is much to admire. She is resourceful and courageous, the kind of person you want in charge of your pirate fleet. Pirate crews will follow whoever can (a) make them rich and (b) keep them alive, and she can do both. When your life depends on it, competence is the measure, now what you look like.

Scattered throughout this novel are numerous vignettes about Ma-Zou, Goddess of the Sea Mazu, who is Shek’s guardian and guide, a rather snippy one, at that. The stories are little fables, delightful ones, as are the prophetic poems read by the blind seeress that Shek and Cheung consult before each decision or battle. Until the seeress turns out to be something else.

Grab this novel and settle in for some real swashbuckling by some real professionals,

Not like that amateur Blackbeard.

I saw a small plaque about a fierce Chinese pirate in a museum years ago and remember thinking that she would be a great subject for a story. Here, Rita Chang-Eppig has gone ahead and told a story of Shek Yeung at both the height of her power, having inherited half a fleet, and facing the turning of a tide as the relationships between pirates, the Qing dynasty, and Europeans shift. I loved the unique setting and being taken along on a bit of a high seas adventure. Punches don’t get pulled with the darker side of pirate life - beheadings, abductions, prostitution - but it’s more than raiding and ravaging, with alliances to be maintained and trust built and broken.

Rating: 2.5

I really like the concept, but I didn't like the writing. It was more of a telling not showing style. I definitely think there should be more books about pirates (other than historical romance).

There are some powerfully epic stories out there about FMCs who stand in the face of fear and patriarchy, and shake the world's foundations.

Lessa from Dragonriders of Pern was one of the first, who changed my worldview, and began my love for SFF 🖤
Eona, Alison Goodman's Dragoneye, is another.
Adrienne Young's Fable is certainly another pirate queen, along with Allie Condie's Poe Blythe.
And, of course, Zhu from Shelly Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun needs a place of honor.

Shek Yeung certainly rates among these favorite dark heroines. No damsels in distress here! Just strength and darkness and force of will.

If dark fantasy is your thing
If pirate queens speak to you
If world building is your vibe

Then this book will resonate.

"The sea is darkening, which means the sky is darkening. This doesn't bode well. That's it? I'm alone and uncertain, and bad news is coming?" (244)

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

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is about Shek Yeung, the famous pirate queen who sailed the South China Sea in the early 19th century—her husband is murdered in front of her, she must insure a smooth transition of power, and she must content with motherhood, all while engaging in maritime conflict with the Emperor and foreigners. Chang-Eppig paints a really compelling portrait Shek Yeung's life and intersperses it with stories of the sea goddess Ma-Zou.

I really enjoyed Chang-Eppig's debut. I've always enjoyed stories about pirates and I think she did an excellent job at portraying Shek Yeung as a deeply flawed and conflicted person who is still very compelling, as well as balancing out interpersonal relationships with naval battles and the politics of being a pirate. I liked the dynamics between Shek Yeung and the more important members of the fleet, and I thought that the Ma-Zou stories were well-timed. On occasion, I found that the prose and dialogue could have flowed a bit better, but I found I didn't mind too much since I was invested in the overall story. Chang-Eppig did a good job at breathing life into her characters; there was a nice balance of the cruelty and humanity in the characters. I'll absolutely pick up a copy upon publication and I hope other people enjoy it as much as I did!

I re-read the first few pages because I couldn't understand some of the background and historical context, but once I did it was smooth sailing! (pun intended)

Pirate Shek Yeung's character is strong and fearless, but she is carried by her love and need for survival. We follow her after her feared co-commander and husband is killed by the Portuguese. We are in the midst of trades between Europeans, China, Portugal and Opium is in high demand. Surrounded by blood, battle and strategy, Shek's history and experience enables her to fight tenaciously for her crew. She navigates between gender norms and uses it to her advantage really well and in ways you wouldn't expect.

I enjoyed diving in and out of Shek's past as well as her stories reflecting Ma-Zou. Shek Yeung's fearless nature and character development throughout her past and present guides the story and helps us understand why she made certain choices. The end of each chapter and section usually had a twist or plot change that made me start the new chapter immediately.

Wish there was more about her two children and her time before everything changed for her. There was also a lot of political context that was explained and not intertwined with the story but the research was definitely done well.

The concept of this book was really appealing, and the cover was gorgeous. The beginning started strong with a shift in power and new alliances formed. Unfortunately, I felt like this book never really got into its story, and it stayed floating along the surface throughout. It may have been a function of telling-not-showing--there was a lot of listing out things that happened without actually bringing the reader into them. The pacing was off for me, and I never felt like there was a main plot thread that pulled me through it. It meandered too much for me.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea
3 Stars

This book is unique, and piqued my interest, but is definitely outside my wheelhouse. I was excited to read about Chinese pirates with a strong female lead in a male-dominated field.

Expectations versus reality came into play quickly. Chinese pirates are brutal AF! I struggled to connect with and actively disliked our main character, Shek Yeung, and her poor decisions. I didn't care for the long action scenes and violence.

A glossary would have been nice for Asian terms. I had to look them up, and it took me out of the story. The Chinese Goddess Ma-Zhou had me confused.
Overall, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is well written historically. There are pacing issues all over the place. It's an OK book, but sad. Can't say I'd recommend this one unless you like Chinese history. The characters aren't very likable.





Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing, for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

5/5 female-centered pirate historical fiction

Bloomsbury: Female Chinese pirate captain . . .
Me: Say less.

We follow Shek Yeung, a woman in her early 30's, who through a series of tragic, complex events has become the wife and chief strategist of her pirate captain husband. After her husband dies during a battle, Shek is left to pick up where he left off. The story flips back and forth from past to present, each time revealing a little more about Shek's history, decisions and self-reflections that brought her to this present moment. While the character development is rich and interior, this story moves at a good pace. The story takes includes shifting power alliances, an emperor trying to eliminate pirates and Shek's own internal struggles over power and freedom.

As a mother, I deeply connected to the vulnerable discussions about expectations around motherhood and the judgements about what makes a 'good' mother. Rita Chang-Eppig also folds in the expectations around womanhood in general and Shek's experiences in each extreme of each through work as a prostitute and work as a pirate captain.

I'm so glad I read this book, and hope we get a lot more from Rita Chang-Eppig in the future.

This book is best read in a fish market, by the ocean on a warm spring day with a light breeze. After you've finished, make sure to get your fortune read.

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

Wow, what a story. A story about a woman pirate Shek Yeung whose skill and will makes her a survivor in a brutal world. There is no sugarcoated story here, although she has had children and is fond of some of the people she's encountered, she doesn't indulge in sentimentality, just survival. From a young age she has had to survive the death of her family, being sold to the flower boats, and finally wife to a Pirate, Shek Yeung never had time to be anything but a pirate because being a woman in China was unthinkable. The story is adventurous and full of intrigues as Shek Yeung with the help of her new pirate husband Cheung Po tries to survive the elimination of the pirates by China and the Europeans. I absolutely loved this story.

I know this is suppose to be fictional story, but I looked up woman pirates in China and came across Zheng Yi Sao, who was a real pirate and had the same traits as Shek Yeung and just made go, Wow, how did she survive it all.

I want to thank Bloomsbury USA, Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this amazing story.

A very unique book on a very unique subject - Chinese pirates and a female one in particular. The book was a very well written historical fiction with details carefully placed by the author. While I enjoyed the overall subject and details of the book, the present and past narratives, and how it wove in tales of the Chinese Goddess Ma-Zhou, the book has many flaws. Overall, the story felt all over the place, dragged on in many parts, didn't have characters the readers would care about in life or death, and never really had a cohesive narrative. It's such a disappointment because this subject has so much potential.

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC copy!

If you want to know everything there is to know about late eighteenth/early nineteenth century Asian (and some European) boats and pirates, this is the book for you. If you want a book with an engaging plot, sympathetic characters, or anything to keep you interested other than cool history, look elsewhere.

I don't mean to put this book down too harshly, as the history is very cool, but it never really came together as a novel for me. I never cared about the main character at all, and the whole thing read almost more as a biography than a work of fiction. There's no doubt the author did their research on the time period, but all the Asian words thrown in didn't lend the book the authenticity I think was intended, and instead just made me wish again and again for a glossary. Also, as a Westerner, many of the Asian names read very similarly to me and I often got characters confused, which I'm sure didn't help me connect with any of them. A character list would have been a great help to me, though perhaps there will be one in the final copy of the book.

As I'm not really one for bloody battle scenes (well-drawn though they may be) I found the most interesting part of the book to be near the beginning where we learned of the women who serviced customers on crafts called flower boats. It is a very small section, but the only time I recall feeling truly gripped. There were some interesting revelations toward the end and a few neatly wrapped up storylines, but it wasn't enough for me. I enjoyed all the locations we visited with the pirate crew, from Canton to Formosa/Taiwan to Manila, and I thought the places were well-imagined and described. But again, a setting, no matter how compelling, doesn't a compulsively readable novel make.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advance reader copy of this book.

I loved every thing about this book. A strong female in a male dominated field? Count me in. This book was beautifully written and incredibly intriguing. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future.

Thank you for NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

I felt like the concept and the story was there but the pacing really slowed down the character development for me with this book. Maybe if it was a little shorter we wouldn’t notice it as much.

A fierce female pirate?? Count me in!! I seriously squealed when I got approved for this ARC. Massive thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the eARC of this book!

The distinction between the characters was deeply thought out and I felt like the motivations of characters were extremely clear. Shek Yeung is a fabulous main character and watching her overcome continual hardships was inspiring.

I think the author Rita Chang-Eppig will become a standout voice in the historical fiction/fantasy genre.

This story is part fantasy, part historical fiction about Shek Yeung, a pirate queen, and her fight to hold onto power and maintain alliances after the death of her husband. I knew nothing about the historical figure but given the extent of her exploits, she was due for a story of her own.

This novel has great characterization and exploration of the complicated relationships between the pirate outlaws, the Chinese empire, and European colonizers. I was also compelled by Shek Yeung's conflicted relationship with her late husband and her role in the fleet, as her life was one of violence and cruelty, but was still an improvement over other alternatives.

I had a few, albeit minor, issues with the prose. A few times, it was utterly unclear how much time had passed, to the point of confusion-- a few minutes? a week? six months? Part of this could have been formatting issues in the ARC, but a few times, it was because there were no context clues. A few times, entire battles were covered in a page or two. I'm don't mind a slower pace, and I really did enjoy the novel's focus on intrigue and diplomacy over pure action, but sometimes the pacing did feel uneven.

Overall, I'd give this 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)! It was an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is listed as being perfect for fans of Piranesi and I feel like that is the perfect comparison for this book. Not quite a retelling, not quite a fantasy, not quite a historical fiction but a bit of each. Shek Yeung is such a strong, defined character I loved following her pirate journey and couldn’t guess what her next move would be at times. We get a lot of background info on how she ended up on the pirate ship, as well as a lot of her day to day and what leads her to make the choices she does. Because of this the pace is a bit slow, but I found myself wanting to keep picking it back up to see what she would do next.