Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig is a richly woven narrative that delves into the life of Shek Yeung, a historical figure and pirate queen, as she navigates the tumultuous waters of power, motherhood, and survival in 19th-century China. The audiobook is noted for its immersive storytelling, with evocative descriptions that bring the South China Sea and its cultural backdrop to life, enhancing the listener's experience of Shek Yeung's struggles and triumphs. Chang-Eppig's exploration of gender roles and the complexities of womanhood resonates deeply, making it a compelling character study rather than a typical swashbuckling adventure. While the pacing may sometimes lean toward introspection, the overall depth of the narrative and its vivid imagery create a captivating listening experience.

Emily Woo Zeller is a favorite narrator, and she does a fantastic job as usual. The story of Zheng Yi Sao, the legendary pirate queen of the South China sea, during the peak of European colonial expansion in Southeast Asia, is always inspirational for those of us from the region. That said, in recent times I've enjoyed much more entertaining and creatively reimagined version of her story. This one is historical fiction of a kind that is at once politically and emotionally dense and bleak. Still a worthwhile read for those unaware of the historical figures in this.

“Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea” by Rita Chang-Eppig is a riveting historical fiction novel that immerses readers in the tumultuous world of Chinese piracy. Inspired by the legendary pirate queen Ching Shih, the story follows Shek Yeung, who faces treacherous waters, political intrigue, and personal sacrifices.

“Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea” weaves salt, grit, and blood into a captivating portrait of a woman who leads with courage and ruthlessness. The spiritual elements and rich cultural details add depth to this epic adventure.

Please note this is NOT a middle grade, or young adult book. It may look like one on the cover, and read like one in the blurb but it has prostitution, violence, sex, etc. i it. Nothing worse than Sarah J. Maas has in Court of Thorn and Roses; but it should be listed as Teen, in my opinion.
Onto my review...

Piracy in Asia looked a bit different than you might think… or at least according to Rita Chang-Eppig and her leading lady in Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea.
We meet our lead gal as she is in a conundrum. Her husband has just passed and she needs to find a way to hold onto the captaincy of her ship, a small fleet, and protect those she loves on board her vessel (and keep herself alive as well). Thus she makes decisions that are justifiable; but perhaps not always in everyone's best interest. Although it is worth noting she is a pirate after all...
In no ways is our leading gal a hero; but she's not a villain either. Instead she is the perfect kind of morally grey character most of us are in life. We make good decisions, we make bad decisions; and overall we just have to keep on moving to stay alive. This is the main theme and take away from Chang-Eppig's story. Sometimes it's just about surviving.

I loved the enduringness of these characters, the detail and narrative of the story was also excellent. Although near the end I was kind of tired of our crew and certainly of our leading gal. You can only hear someone express regret so many times before you lack empathy, sympathy, or even any emotion towards them. And so I think a quicker ending would have served this book and our leading lady better.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book!

I enjoyed this one and I highly recommend. I binged read this in one day!

DNF

Ok, so this is a first for me but I absolutely can’t finish this book. It’s been like 4 months that I am trying to read this and it gives me anxiety just thinking about going back to it. I’ve never left a book unfinished after I started it, but this one is just too boring (I’m sorry).

When I read about this book I was excited to see it compared to Piranesi which I absolutely loved, but this books is soooo boring. It goes super slow and basically nothing really *happens*. Things are taking place just inside her head and you don’t know what exactly are we building to. I would **not** recommend it to people who liked piranesi.

Perhaps there is an audience for this book it’s just not me. You can clearly see that the author put a lot of effort on researching for this book, but for me it’s too introspective and not enough happens plot wise.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy is exchange for my honest review.

It is a bit blustery out today in Seattle which feels like a perfect day to review DEEP AS THE SKY, RED AS THE SEA by @rche_types . Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the audio-ARC.

Lady pirates that actually existed in real life? Swashbuckling sword fights, political intrigue, the hunt for a mole and a badass sea queen that takes no shit? Yes, please sign me up!

Shek Yeung was a notorious Chinese female pirate captain that Chang-Eppig has brought to life on the page. After her village was ransacked by raiders she was sold off to The Flower Boats which are a soft name for a hard life of forced sex work. When a man named Cheng Yat entices her into joining him on his pirate ship, she is eventually persuaded and dreams of a life where she can make her own decisions in life.

Yes, there are pirate fights and prisoner taking, etc but this book is not here to sell you an action-packed rose-gold idea of what it was like for Yeung but more of an introspective monologue of worries and choices and consequences sprinkled with those action-filled fights to spur the story along.

I loved Yeung's many relationships and the shape shifting or code switching she employed to navigate them all. While fierce and fiery, Yeung is also prone to tender moments and when she has the time, self-reflection.

I really quite enjoyed this salty and bloody epic of intrigue and the narrator, @zwooman did an excellent job of bringing this sultry and calculating character to life.

If all you want of your battle epics is gore and misery this is not the book for you. If you want a more unique inner monologue that discusses the nuances of being a female pirate, bearing children while at sea, treating your relationships as contracts and having very little room in your life for love, this book will be your jam.

Do you read historical fiction? Any favorites?

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An intriguing read. There were times that it felt slow, but overall I enjoyed the story. If you love historical fiction a strong women this book is for you. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

"Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea" by Chang-Eppig immerses readers in vivid imagery. The poems explore emotions and nature's beauty, though some may lack depth. Chang-Eppig's writing is evocative, yet the collection's impact varies. The book offers moments of poetic resonance, inviting readers to contemplate the world's wonders, but its consistency might not fully satisfy those seeking a more uniformly impactful experience.

While at once a historical narrative of sea life, political influence and the life of a pirate from the East during the fledgling days of English expansionism and a coming of age story for a woman, wrenched from her home and sold into slavery, and her rise to power and influence.

I really enjoyed the writing style, but it think what saved me was the narration, as I listened to this as an audiobook. With clear diction, command of language, and nuanced energy, the narrator really helped propel the book along where it could have floundered.

Ultimately, this bordered the feel of a fantasy epic for me too much to not compare it, and ultimately it served as more if a slice of life, serving up trials, character growth and a bit of navel staring where I wanted an epic swashbuckling conclusion.

That said, still a good book worth a read (or listen)!

My thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator was amazing and really brought the novel to life.

Loved this historical fiction of a woman pirate, Shek Yeung. It was a fast-paced and action-packed adventure novel. The writing is poetic and beautifully written.

Honestly, I DNF'ed this one since it couldn't keep hold of my attention. I tried listening to the audiobook, but I found myself disinterested. I heard many good reviews so I may not be the right audience for this book.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. The narrator did a great job and immersed me in the story. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters. This was an intriguing story and I can't wait to buy a physical copy and reread it. I love pirates and learning about other culture's mythology, so I knew I had to pick up this book. I haven't read many stories set in historical China, but I want to read more now. I enjoyed learning about Chinese mythology. A favorite book of the year.

I very much enjoyed this book. I was drawn to the cover and i enjoy historical fiction so i figured i would like it. Following shek yueng throughout her life makes her a lovable main character, despite her crimes. Seeing into her head makes the reader forgive her for everything she does almost as she does it. My favorite part of this book however is how she weaponized her sex and all the trauma she had endured because of it. It wasnt trauma porn, it simply insinuated most of what has happened to her and there were no graphic descriptions of rape or violence. Of course these occured but almost behind a curtain of what needed to be shared and what could stay vague.

Ended up DNF-ing this as I did not finish before it was archived. I will say the writing and story sounded exceptional. I wish I was able to focus on it more but I was mainly listening during late night feedings of my newborn.

It’s gotten a lot of buzz and I highly recommend checking it out.

"How will you reckon with everything you've done?"

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is a historical fiction/retelling of the life of the pirate queen, Shek Yeung, and follows her on her journey from being stolen by pirates and losing what little she had, to becoming one of the most powerful pirates of her day. It takes a hard look at what it takes to gain that kind of power and the toll it takes to hold on to it, in particular for a woman.

This story is a thoughtful, introspective exploration of taking power for the sake of necessity and when the line is crossed to taking power for the sake of power. Much of the story takes place in Shek Yeung's head as she contemplates her actions and her motives for them.

Among the many things that make Shek Yeung such an intriguing character is how the reader knows her to be a contemplative, caring individual who feels deeply and fears for the people close to her and how that is paralleled by moments of shocking cruelty and blindness to love and care directed her way.

I really also enjoyed the setting of historical China and the world of piracy and how Chinese mythology was woven into her story.

Also, the audiobook, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller was fantastic. She really captured Shek Yueng's voice and made her really come to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy to review in exchange for an honest review.

It was defiantly worth all the hype around it but still didn’t have anything that specifically stood out to me as a book I LOVED.

The book is a heady concoction of mythology, folklore, culture, fantasy, emotions, secrets and beliefs. The spirit of survival is embedded deeply in the book which is often reflected through the actions of various characters.
The future of Shek Yeung's fleet and her own was at stake after the death of her husband the pirate leader at the hands of Portugese.The journey from a simple fisherman's family to being a pirate queen was not easy for her.She was in deep dilemma, her one decision can save or destroy several thousand lives and undo all her efforts till date.An ambitious and decisive individual Shek Yeung made some choices that completely turned the compass of her life in a different direction.

The coupling of Chinese history with interesting mythological stories of Goddess Mazu and an engaging plotline kept me glued to the book till the last word.The vivid details by the author breathed life into the story.One can feel the ambience of the old Chinese home, the bustling streets of the market, the noisy neighbourhood aunties chatting happily and the salty air of the sea hitting the face.

The well developed flawed characters leave a deep imprint on the mind.The author deftly portrayed the socio-economic state of the country.The trial of common people jostling between the corrupted government officials, the frequent epidemic outbreaks and the pirate attacks feels relatable at a different level.The plight of individuals who joined the crew at the fleet for various reasons can be felt deeply into the bones.

I couldn't help but feel amazed by the strong, intelligent, outspoken and at times outright ruthless Shek Yeung.She showed the world that a woman is capable of charting her own path and taking hold of her own fate.

I liked the overall plot of "Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea" but the way it was told didn't always work for me. In my opinion, the story lacked suspense and by the end I was starting to lose interest.

I think this book just started my pirate phase.
I loved every minute of this read. The main character is a bad ass lady pirate on the surface, but has so many complex facets underneath. We get to see each and every one and grow with her as she experiences multiple life changes.

I went back and forth on wanting some romance and being glad it wasn’t a focus of the book. I still don’t know where I landed.

The ending was a bit anti climactic and felt very sudden. It did lean towards showcasing her strategic and negotiation skills over the muscle and fight of her male counterparts which seemed to be a theme throughout, I just wish it was lead up to more.