I went into this book not knowing it was going to be part of a series, but I was so glad to get to the end and learn that there would be more to read! I love a good political intrigue story and wow did Strike the Zither deliver. I loved the scale of the story, the balance between action and scheming, and the twist was fantastic. I'll definitely be back again to read the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I loved reading this book. The writing is sharp, the characters are wonderful, the twist totally threw me (in a good way), and it was zippy and hard to put down. I really enjoyed the zither sections, and that particular bit of magic was lovely. All of the characters were so compelling, with the mythology in the story being so interesting! I can’t wait for book two! Also, the cover is absolutely beautiful!

Another fantastic read by He! This sprawling epic fantasy delivers a powerful read full of delightfully complex female characters that'll keep you engaged til the last page!

"Strike the Zither" by Joan He is a book I really enjoyed. With its vivid storytelling and rich world-building, it transported me to a captivating world inspired by ancient China. The protagonist's journey, filled with music, rebellion, and the pursuit of justice, kept me engaged from beginning to end. The intricate relationships and intricate politics added depth to the story, making it a compelling read. Overall, "Strike the Zither" is a beautifully crafted novel that left a lasting impression, and I highly recommend it to fans of historical fantasy.

“People are more predictable than they care to admit.”

Thank you Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I discovered Joan He when her previous book The Ones We're Meant to Find was Read Now on Netgalley in 2021. It was a cli-fi (climate change sci-fi) about two sisters with some wild plot twists that left me crying and wanting to throw my book across the room. I gave it 4.5 stars and was thrilled to see He's next book was a fantasy, so immediately requested a review copy!

Strike the Zither follows Zephyr, who is an 18-year-old orphan and military strategist to one of three (?) warlordesses who decides to feign betrayal and infiltrate an enemy camp in order to ensure her warlordess's survival. Will she be able to survive?

Content warnings: war, violence, death, blood/injury, chronic/terminal illness (consumption), torture, mention of animal death.

This book immediately starts off suffering from tell-don't-show and a lack of logic so prevalent I felt like I physically had whiplash. Zephyr writes in first person, and it reads sort of like an interview in The Office? She is (according to the synopsis) the most brilliant strategist in the land, and reminds us of this almost every chapter, how she is so much smarter than the dumb and brawny sworn-sister warriors fighting and farting at dinner who mock her. We don't actually learn almost anything about her own side or leader and therefore can't grow attached to anyone, and her grand unmatchable plans involve telling someone to "create a distraction of illusion". That is how most of the book goes: Zephyr reminds you how amazing she is and then vaguely outsmarts everyone in improbable ways. I knew by 10% when she goes to the enemy and says "I'm a traitor for you (:" and they all immediately accept her with no actual evidence or interrogation that I wanted to DNF.

So.... I hate read the rest of this book as a dare from two of my friends so you don't have to [Full recap on my Goodreads, you can find it on the book's 1 star reviews]

TLDR: It hurts me to say this but I can't recommend this book to anyone as I can't think of a single thing I enjoyed. I found it interesting that this book and the last book seem to heavily involve lost sisters, kind of the same wild plot twist, and someone with a terminal illness. I will absolutely not read book 2 of this duology, but I will try He's debut book Descendant of the Crane since I loved the last book so much I'd like to know which opinion is more average for me.

"Blame me, or blame the heavens for placing us on different sides of this war. May we meet in another life."

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advance copy.

it has the perfect amount of war politics, found family, and action. i can say this is my favorite book of joan he, maybe one of my favorite book at all. if you enjoy the poppy war series, strike the zither it's the perfect book for you.

i enjoyed every twist and turn here, many of which I did not see coming at all, and I am so impressed by He’s storytelling power. I know this is one I’ll be obsessed with for years to come.

This book just might not be for me. I found the discussions of war strategy and battle scenes to be boring - but I am also the person that ended up just reading the Peace sections of War & Peace. However, the twist in the middle was just bizarre and Zephyr's actions after that were confusing. I am not familiar with the source material.

When I finished Strike the Zither, I actually said “WHAT?” out loud. What a cliffhanger!!! I must have the sequel now! I absolutely devoured this book. The story is just as clever as the main character, renowned strategist Rising Zephyr. Her lordess, Xin Ren, is fighting to free empress Xin Bao from the clutches of Prime Ministress Miasma, who in turn professes to be the protector of the empress and calls Ren a traitor to the empire. Ren and her swornsisters, Cloud and Lotus, are loved by peasants and other common folk, but they are without land or riches. It’s up to Zephyr to strengthen their chances as Ren’s strategist, but victory is not easy with an army lacking in resources. When their troops get trapped by Miasma’s forces, Rising Zephyr decides to use one of her strategems: Hide a Knife Behind a Smile. She pretends to defect to infiltrate the enemy and work from within, help her lordess succeed and win glory for the both of them, but she finally meets another strategist who might just be able to see right through her and to the truth, the enigmatic Crow.

“‘Legend has it that all the ancient zithers are blessed by them. They can make the qì of the player visible to the naked eye. But even if you don’t believe, a zither is so much more than a piece of wood. It’s a way for the like-minded to communicate.’ His voice lowers a notch, and I shiver at the reverence in it. ‘A way to hear another’s truth.’”

Not only was I already hooked from the beginning, with the binding friendships, enemies to lovers, strong female characters, clever ripostes, and witty banter, but the MAJOR PLOT TWIST midway through bowled me over! I was absolutely caught off guard and this very rarely happens when I’m reading. I went into the story blind, having no background in Chinese history or knowledge of “The Three Kingdoms,” the novel Strike the Zither was based on, so I was amazed at every major reveal. If you are already familiar with the story, you might have a different perspective and experience, but I believe you will still enjoy the read. The novel was very well-executed

This was a very interesting story and I always love a main character that loves scheming. So many twists and betrayals and complex relationships that made this books a great read.
You’ll fall in love with the main character and I can even say you won’t really really dislike the bad ones.
If you love atrofies that shows growth and the humans flaws and beauty of it all, you should pick this one up

So, I got an ARC of this while at New York Comic Con last fall, around the same time that I was approved for the digital ARC on NetGalley. And I did start reading it around then. But then I set it aside and got busy with work and all the travel and everything. I didn’t end up picking it up again until recently.

I don’t blame the book. I thought it was interesting, and Zephyr certainly was an interesting character. Again, this was another hazard of my long reading slump struggles. I think I’m coming out of it, which is nice, but I still feel bad when it takes me months to finish a book. Because if I hadn’t set this aside, I know I would have finished it in just a few hours.

I liked all the strategy and intrigue and tactics in this book. Although I will say that at times it felt like Zephyr was a bit full of herself and arrogant. She would go on about how she was so amazingly smart and talented and such a great planner and strategist…….and most of the time I didn’t feel like that was true. Sure, she was smart, but some of her plans didn’t seem fully plotted, and she was outmaneuvered a few times.

This was a complex story, which was pretty interesting. Also, I have no prior knowledge of the tale this book is based on, The Three Kingdoms historical tale from China, but I think I will have to look into it so I can broaden my knowledge-base and cultural horizons.

But still, I was intrigued by the story, and I was definitely interested in Crow, which was what made me finally get around to picking this book up again, after I had abandoned it halfway through. Although, perhaps if I went back and re-read the first half, I might up my rating from a 4 to a 4.5. Most likely I will do a full book re-read before the conclusion comes out this fall.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Roaring Books Press for the e-arc of Strike the Zither by Joan He in exchange for an honest review.


One of my favorite parts of this book (and trust me there are many) is that this isn’t a book where the main character learns to believe in herself. Our main character, Zephyr believed in herself from he get go. It was an exciting change from the norm and I loved getting to see how her confidence impacted the story.

The fast pace writing the author chose for this book works so well with the story and plot. And the twists! Each time I thought the stakes couldn’t be raised any higher, they were. It kept me wanting to read more every time I was forced to put down the book and go back into ‘real life’.

I loved Joan He’s debut novel, Descendent of the Crane and was so excited to jump back into her writing and the world she created.

5/5 Stars

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press for this eARC to review!

4.25/5 stars!

This book was so beautifully complex! Although I am behind to review (my fall approvals were absolutely BONKERS), this book was another refreshing surprise! This was a nice change in pace/writing style and theme compared to most YA books that I'm currently reading and have recently read. While there was still witty banter and intricate relationship dynamics, the overall tone and plotline were much more serious in nature and stayed that way through most of the book. I listened to this book on audio through my Audible subscription, and I definitely feel like it brought certain scenes to life that may not have impacted me the same way had I only read them!
Zephyr was a very intense, severe, and internalized character. Seeing a female character get to be so brilliant, thoughtful, and scheming while still being able to (mostly) be themselves was one of my favorite aspects of her story. She was brave and fearless without being numb to what she was willfully putting herself through for her country and warlordess, and I was not expecting the midpoint plot twist in any way. Zephyr actually being one of the Gods that was sent down to the human realm for punishment added so much more depth to the war plot and scheming between parties. Although I do wish we got much more interaction with the enemy love interest, fellow Strategist Crow, I loved the mystery he added to the story and how she reluctantly gave in to her feelings for him. There was SO much going on in this book, admittedly for someone with ADHD it was hard to keep up with at times. But that may more so be due to my own abilities rather than the book itself. I also didn't see Cricket and November's betrayal at all after their alliance was formed, but after the reveal it was clear that Cricket wanted to take everyone out in any way possible. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this title. I enjoyed reading this title. Would recommend for my library.

"Strike the Zither" was an engaging first book in what will, hopefully, be a fantastic series. It starts off a bit slow and was difficult for me to get into, but persistence won out and the last half of the book picked up the pace. The ending was abrupt, so I'd recommend reading with that knowledge that you might be waiting to get closure.

This retelling of a Chinese classic is a really compelling tale of loyalty and strategy in way. Zephyr is the trusted strategist of a underdog warlordess, willing to go to any lengths--including being seen as a traitor--to serve her lordess. But secrets from her past come to light and change everything when she's struck down in an ambush. My only complaint is the abrupt ending, but as it's clearly a series I'm still on board for more.

Twists and turns galore! The character art at the beginning is stunning and I wish more books did that. I can't wait for book 2!

I love this book, it was a really vivid fantasy that struck well. The plot was great, I loved the main character and I liked the Chinese-mythology/magical elements incorporated within. Overall, a 4.5 stars!

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*

In a war stricken land, three warlordesses are fighting for control of the continent. Zephyr is the strategist for Xin Ren, the weakest of the three with no land to her name. When Zephyr realizes the Ren is in danger, she infiltrates the enemy camp to destroy it from within.

I thought this was an okay story, but at times I was very bored... which is weird for a book so packed with action. This is a retelling of Three Kingdoms, which I am not familiar with.. .so maybe that's why. But, I didn't care for the majority of the characters, and they all felt too similar to tell them apart anyway. The only characters that were distinguishable to me were Zephyr, Crow, Miasma and Xin Ren - which makes sense as they are the main four of the story. I also found it a bit confusing in regard to some character's actions and how easily they believed others when they're told something (I'm looking a you Miasma...). I mean if my enemy's strategist randomly came over and said they were now loyal to me, I think I would be a bit more hesitant inviting them into my camp...

I did love how almost every person in power was a woman though! I also enjoyed the many plot twists, especially the one that people seem to dislike the most. I hadn't seen it coming, so I was curious where the story would go from there.