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anniestar's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen, I wanted to like this, but I found it incredibly boring. Shek Yeung feels reduce from her historical power, more of a victim than someone who rises above the circumstances she was forced into. The ending was also very abrupt and dissatisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Abortion, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Suicide, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide attempt
kindra_demi's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In the end, stories were not, could not be reality. The storyteller decided where to start the story and where to end it, which parts to sink into and which to skim over.
Rita Chang-Eppig truly takes this into her writing style. This is the story of Shek Yeung and her journey to getting and maintaining the status of a pirate queen. Many have said that they aren't as big of a fan of the story because they thought it would be a story of action and adventure, but this isn't one of those stories. Parts are dedicated to the politics of piracy in the Qing dynasty with the Pirate Confederation. You'll get an initial introduction to the Opium Wars as well. But the primary focus of this story is Shek Yeung and her experience rising to her power.
I usually do not gravitate towards historical fiction or stories involving pregnancy, but I'm genuinely in love with this story. The lyrical nature of Chang-Eppig's writing and Shek Yeung is so beyond relatable. There were so many moments where I would pause to soak in how Chang-Eppig wrote a portion of the story.
I started the book as an audiobook (ft. a pterodactyl screech when I saw it was Emily Woo Zeller who narrated it. She was the first narrator I started following their work. If you have yet to listen to an audiobook before but want to get into listening to more, check out Emily Woo Zeller's work). I barely got to ch 4 before I texted my friend who recommended the book, saying I would probably want this as a physical book. I went and got it. Then, I went back and forth between the physical book and the audiobook (I'm impatient, but so is life, so the audiobook came in handy there). Both the physical book and the audiobook are beyond worth it.
Rita Chang-Eppig truly takes this into her writing style. This is the story of Shek Yeung and her journey to getting and maintaining the status of a pirate queen. Many have said that they aren't as big of a fan of the story because they thought it would be a story of action and adventure, but this isn't one of those stories. Parts are dedicated to the politics of piracy in the Qing dynasty with the Pirate Confederation. You'll get an initial introduction to the Opium Wars as well. But the primary focus of this story is Shek Yeung and her experience rising to her power.
I usually do not gravitate towards historical fiction or stories involving pregnancy, but I'm genuinely in love with this story. The lyrical nature of Chang-Eppig's writing and Shek Yeung is so beyond relatable. There were so many moments where I would pause to soak in how Chang-Eppig wrote a portion of the story.
I started the book as an audiobook (ft. a pterodactyl screech when I saw it was Emily Woo Zeller who narrated it. She was the first narrator I started following their work. If you have yet to listen to an audiobook before but want to get into listening to more, check out Emily Woo Zeller's work). I barely got to ch 4 before I texted my friend who recommended the book, saying I would probably want this as a physical book. I went and got it. Then, I went back and forth between the physical book and the audiobook (I'm impatient, but so is life, so the audiobook came in handy there). Both the physical book and the audiobook are beyond worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, Blood, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
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