pickI liked this story inspired by the life of a well-known Chinese pirate queen more than a lot of other readers did—marketing apparently set up a lot of expectations that weren‘t fulfilled. I had no expectations going in & enjoyed this story about a woman, Shek Yeung, who commanded a powerful pirate fleet & how she did it. The business of being a pirate, the politics & dealing with the emperor & Europeans, was well depicted. A pick for me.
Started this one yesterday & am really enjoying it making me the odd one out. It only has 3.5 stars or so on Goodreads with complaints, as far as I can tell, largely centered around it not being enough of the rip roaring, swashbuckling pirate adventure it was marketed as—love failures in marketing impacting a book‘s rating. I‘ve always assumed it was literary historical fiction so it‘s working for me. ❤️ morning coffee and a good book.
“Why do you need all this power?” Wo-Yuet has asked her. So that I can have complete control, she should have answered. Because the moment a powerful woman loosened her grip on the reins, even a little, someone immediately tried to wrest those reins from her. This someone was usually a man who believed she should never have had them in the first place. (Loving this #womanpirate read so far!)
so-soI have read some really good pirate books and this one just felt meh to me. I did like her determination to not let her gender or motherhood hinder her co-leader shop but the whole book just felt flat to me with nothing to get me excited about.
When you‘re the only one in the hallway downstairs after the tornado sirens go off.
pickI wasn‘t originally planning to read this story of a Chinese female pirate leader, but changed my mind after hearing the author on a podcast. It‘s not a perfect book—it starts off a bit flat and I got a bit confused a time or two—but overall it was quite enjoyable.
pickChang-Eppig gives a rich inner life to Shek Yeung, the formidable and legendary pirate of the Red Banner Fleet. While the pacing is at times uneven, this was a solid, engaging debut. I look forward to finding out where this author takes us next.
I picked this up totally based on the fabulous cover and it did not disappoint. Illustration by Yuko Shimizu, design by PR+MK
Happy Saturday! The AQI is finally low enough to sit outside, so I'm taking full advantage!
Looks like a arrrr-mazing tale filled with some pirates 🏴☠️
Started this one today on a bit of a whim (TBR stacks be damned!) It is immediately engaging, I want to do nothing but read. And can we all take a moment to wonder at this cover design!?! 🤩🤩😍😍
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea | 
bailed
