Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

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.