I think that He has a unique approach to plot development that neither works nor does not work for me. The initial plot feels like typical YA fantasy in this sub-genre but things in the plot started to approach a climax with more than half of the book left, confusing me even before a drastic plot shift no doubt meant to daze and confuse. I spent most of the middle portion wondering what on earth I was reading. Then things came together with the political machinations in such a way that I want to read the sequel to figure out the intrigue.

joan he could do so much better though.... after her first two books, i had high expectations for this one, but i was sadly let down. still a good read though.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

I enjoyed this book. The audio took a bit to get used to as Zither's tone is very flat. Zither is the perfect strategist who is absolutely loyal to her lordess. I enjoyed watching her mind twist and turn setting all the different plans. This book has several surprise twists I definitely was not expecting. I am ready for the next book.

From the Publisher:

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human

My Thoughts:

I sat on this book prior to its release in October 2022 because the cover, and the girl on the cover, did not grab me as a devour worthy tale of Asian female bad assery. However, I was looking through this blog and was reminded that He's first novel, Descendent of the Crane also did not have a cover that I liked, but her power to build worlds and plot twists in that book was phenomenal.

Suffice it to say, I came to the Strike the Zither party unfashionably late, however, I'm glad I came. Unlike Descendent (2019) that has no sequel (which is quite maddening, I must say), Zither is part of a duology titled (ironically) Kingdom of Three. Yes, I know there are three warlordessʻ, but it is still funny.

This story is not helmed by any of the three warlordesses. In fact, after getting through 45% of the book according to my e-reader, and without giving anything away, something very Game of Thrones-ish happens. Gah!!!!

He's talent as an author is her ability to drop surprises and twists in her novels, and then move on from those twists in a way that does not break the flow of the story, even for the other characters. The twists are dealt with almost with a sense of stoicism or even Zen. I donʻt know how to explain it without giving too much away. If you love plot twists and Chinese classics turned into tales that imagine a world where of course women are stronger, smarter and more badass than many of the male characters, then this will strike your fancy.

Middle grade readers or YA readers who read Asian fantasy retellings like The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh need to read this next. This book will get readers to YA fantasy authors like Elizabeth Lim and Xiran Jay Zhao.

Publication Details:
Author: Joan He
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (October 25, 2022

“But as long as I breathe, I will scheme.”

/

Joan He’s THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND was one of my favorite reads of 2021 so when her new fantasy series was announced I just knew I had to get my hands on it. Thank you to the publishers for sending a copy my way! STRIKE THE ZITHER is a completely different beast but it’s thoroughly enjoyable and I can’t wait for the next book.

I loved the main character Zephyr so much! She’s smart, arrogant, loyal, and just a tad bit unhinged. I feel like we don’t see a lot of characters like her in YA so she feels entirely unique and compelling. I could read about her scheming all day!!

I’m not familiar with the original story (the Chinese classic Three Kingdoms) that He has put her own spin on, but I love how many interesting and nuanced female characters she has created. The book has a compelling combo of historical flavor with a fantasy backbone.

The second half of the book takes a rather surprising turn due to plot developments I won’t spoil. Needless to say, I think even diehard fans of the Three Kingdoms won’t see this one coming and I’m still thinking about it!

Joan He is an incredibly talented author. I loved the word in Zither. It’s incredibly fast paced. There are a lot of plot twists and the characters are likable.

Joan He never ceases to catch me off guard with the twists in her books. The fact that this expertly combines politics, found family, intense action with a dash of romance just has me amazed!

I love the premise, and the pacing of the story is great so far. However, I DNFed at 25% because:

The protagonist was personally very difficult to relate to; she was obnoxious and overly confident.

The characters' names kept taking me out of the story; we meet people with romanised Chinese names to characters whose names are derived from jarring direct translations such as Cloud and Lotus. Why can't we have Cloud named Yún and Lotus named Liánhuā or Liánzǐ?

This one is a tiny nitpick: everyone is a woman and LISTEN! While I am so here for it (I have a crush on a few of them), I do not condone undoing the patriarchy by simply eliminating men for the sake of it. It just feels a little lazy; to get back at old literature for never portraying women as capable people, we, as women, should instead do the exact same to all other genders? Vicious cycle innit?

I feel so ungrateful, but I am genuinely thankful to the author, Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the ARC. Thank you so much for your generosity and the opportunity.

Joan He has a way of writing stories that really transport you into the time and place the book is set. Strike the Zither follows a badass main character who is so cocky and full of themselves but somehow convinces you to root for them. This was a great start to a series and I'm looking forward to continuing when the subsequent books come out.

As always, Joan He's writting is lovely. Joan writes characters and stories that are rich and complex and diverse. And I will always pick up anything she chooses to write.

Joan He's writing is always so captivating. While I think I got a little lost during STZ because I read this over two months, I still enjoyed the story and the complexity of the main character.

STRIKE THE ZITHER is my favorite of Joan He’s books so far. Set in year 414 of the Xin Dynasty, Zephyr is a strategist who will do whatever it takes—scheme, lie, betray—to help the warlordess she serves rise to power. This YA novel jumps right into the action, which was a bit disorienting at first, but once I got into it I finished the book in two sittings. The plot is full of twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and I loved it. I wish I had a stronger attachment to the characters and the relationships that were formed, but perhaps the sequel can help develop that more.

STRIKE THE ZITHER is a reimagining of Chinese classic THREE KINGDOMS, and I enjoyed it even though I'm not familiar with THREE KINGDOMS at all. I love that He grants women the positions of power in her reimagining! Can't wait to read the sequel and see what else she has up her sleeve.

I enjoyed the second half significantly more than the first half (especially the last 15% or so) as all the little pieces that had been set up throughout the book clicked into place. I will say that I found Zephyr and Crow’s relationship to be rather annoying and uninteresting. Where the story really shines is in Zephyr’s relationships and conversations with the other major players: Ren, Miasma, Lotus, Cloud, Tourmaline, November, and Cicada. It gets especially interesting when we compare interactions between those characters and Zephyr with how they act with other characters like Lotus or Cloud.

It felt a little too much like setup for me to really love it, but the ending definitely has me looking forward to book two.

This has more depth than most YA fantasies and I really appreciate that as a teen librarian. I love being able to hand a teen a book that has more depth and isn't just a romance.

I absolutely loved reading this book. The writing is sharp, the characters are all 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.

Of course, I can't resist a sad boy and Crow does not disappoint- can't wait to see that development in the next book! Dewdrop is a solid #2, though there isn't a character anywhere in the book that isn't compelling.

Special kudos to the cover designer- it is quite something. I love it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy, but also to Joan He who signed all those preorders! I love mine, and the peacock bookmark!

As I started this book, I was fearful it wouldn't be very good - that it would follow a bunch of tropes we've all heard a million times. I was so happy to be captivated by this story and the characters! Zephyr is a fascinating combination of logic and emotion, and her story will be a legendary one! I look forward to more drama, action, cunning, romance, and existential musings as this story continues!

Language: None
Violence: High
Sex: Mild
Drugs: None

This book did exactly what I've found the other books by Joan He to do, which is to say that it completely took me off guard about halfway through. I found the author's decision bold, and while I can understand some readers not loving it, I really enjoyed and respected it. I'm very interested to see where things go in the sequel.

If you are familiar with the Chinese classic The Three Kingdoms, you will immediately recognise some similar elements between it and Strike the Zither. The Three Kingdoms has always been my favourite classic growing up—it depicts war, conflicts, and power struggles that occurred during the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Even if you have no knowledge of The Three Kingdoms, it will not affect the reading experience and the author offers notes at the back to provide more insights into the original story. I was immediately captured by Strike the Zither when it is said to be inspired by The Three Kingdoms, but instead of emperors and warlords, there are empresses and warlordesses!

Zephyr, our protagonist (who is based on the character Zhu Geliang), is considered to be the best strategist in the country and serves under Xin Ren, a warlordess. She is ambitious, motivated, and extremely loyal. After being cornered by the enemies in a battle with no escape route, the only way to stay alive is for her to infiltrate the enemy’s army. Will her plan succeed, or will she end up getting herself and her people killed? Since the story is written from Zephyr’s point of view in the first-person narration, Joan He really dives deep into her complex characteristics. Additionally, the novel contains found family and we see characters struggle with their identities and where their loyalties actually lie. On top of that, there is also continuous war and bloodshed happening.

One thing that strikes me when reading Strike the Zither is that Zephyr’s ambitiousness. She knows what she desires, and she will stop at nothing to achieve them. She is not afraid to be misunderstood, as long as her goals are accomplished. She does not trust easily, but she goes to extreme lengths to protect the ones she cares about. What this book does not lack is its complexity and diversity of characters as they are all complicated, and it is interesting to see Zephyr’s dynamic with each one of them. We have Xin Ren, Zephyr’s warlordess, whom Zephyr goes to great lengths to make sure she gains power. Xin Ren is strong and incredibly loyal, despite her underdog position within the three kingdoms, she has a strong moral code, and it would be nice to see their relationship progress in the sequel. There is also Miasma, another ambitious warlordess, yet extremely cruel and vicious, and also Lotus, a hothead but utterly devoted to her warlordess and her country; and then there’s Crow.

Whilst romance is not a huge plot of the story, we do see Zephyr having potential romantic relations with a potential love interest. Crow is the strategist for the opposite army (the one Zephyr infiltrated yes indeed), and things are getting more complicated. He’s the only one that Zephyr sees as a dangerous rivalry (enemies-to-lovers! What more do you want?), and their dynamic is quite intense. Crow is a quiet but nonetheless threatening presence, and he does not trust Zephyr has truly defected to their side. And guess what, he also plays the zither! Not a lot is told about Crow’s background in this one, and I sincerely hope the second book will cover more.

The plot twists in the book are INSANE! One could never tell where the story is going to go in the next page, it is difficult to say anything without the plot being spoiled but be prepared to have your mind blown. Since this book is the first one in a duology, there are still plenty of unanswered questions which hopefully will be resolved in the sequel. There are also character arts within the book, and they are GORGEOUS!

Overall, Joan He does an interesting feminine twist on the original Three Kingdoms story. For readers of the fantasy genre, if you love found family, war, rivalry, conflicts, and a dash of romance, don’t hesitate to pick this up!

Strike the Zither was a book I wanted to prepare for. I LOVED Joan's second book so I wanted to be ready to be completely blown away by her follow up. Alas, I did not have time to read the three kingdoms book because it was so long. But! I don't think that hindered my enjoyment and understanding of this book.

Ilove the themes this story explores - the rise and fall of fortunes, how closely fate is tied to individual lives and choices, and how greed and ambition are inherent human qualities. And its all set in an ancient history full of war, secrets, betrayal, scheming, and magical qi. its very much an action-packed story.

Thanks to NetGalley & Roaring Brook Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a struggle to get through, mostly in terms of how complex the politics was and how....flat the side characters were, even including the protagonist. The halfway point changes the story from that point on and I wasn't a fan. I wish it never happened and the first half I thought worked really well until the change in the narrative.

Definitely wasn't a fan of Crow & Zephyr's "romance", it wasn't fleshed out and felt ridiculous and out of place with the complex political struggles in the story already.

It's frustrating because the writing style is well done but I think too much of the story & characters just didn't resonate with me and hold my attention. It's a well written story and I think others will like it more than I did.