In this exciting first book in an upcoming series, Joan He reimagines Three Kingdoms, a Chinese lit classic. The gorgeous writing will draw you in and the story and characters will keep you eager for more!

Something I don’t see a lot of in fantasy is women in positions of power, which this had plenty of, and I’m so glad! Additionally, these characters weren’t all depicted as good people, and I love morally grey female characters!!

Also, some of the parts creeped me out a bit. Not going into too many details since the book isn’t published, but yeah, this was definitely a war story haha.

This book was excellent and I can’t wait for the next one. I highly recommend this to YA fantasy readers!

This book was... a whirlwind. And not in a really good way. But also not in a bad way by any means. I just ultimately felt let down, as I've heard many good things about Joan He's books, but this was just a bit confusing to me. Never once did I understand how the relationship between Zephyr and Crow developed, because it felt like we barely saw them together. A lot of it was all over the place on pacing, and then the big "plot twist" (aka the necessary plot device for the rest of the book/series) felt like it took too long to happen in my opinion. I wanted to like this so much more, as I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings/inspired books, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

“It’s a bad habit of mine, liking ruinous things”

414, Xin Dynasty. Zephyr is the favored strategist for Ren, the Warlordess fighting in the name of the Empress. Her best plan is to infiltrate the the enemy’s camp and offer herself as their strategist. In this way, she can court alliances for her own Lordess and steer the enemy in the wrong direction. Inspired by one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature, Three Kingdoms, Joan He creates a story that will keep you on your toes and have you on the edge of your seat.

Plot: 4/5
A story centered around deception and going into enemy ranks always causes me so much stress. The development half way through the book is brilliant and well done, though it throws a wrench in how I saw other things playing out.

Characters: 4/5
Zephyr makes for an interesting main character because she’s got quite the ego She jokes about her own lack of humility sometimes so at least she’s aware of her flaws. And this characteristic make more sense the more you learn about her. Apart from that, Zephyr is not built for battle and it’s so nice to see characters with asthma in a fantasy novel!

I hoped Crow would be a love interest from the second he was described as being around her age. I find his character to be extremely entertaining. He’s cunning and rivals Zephyr in brains but riles her up so easily that it’s fun to watch. The connection between them forms more quickly than I’m used to as a slow burn reader but the development of their interest in each other was so enjoyable to read. I wish we got to see more of them but hopefully that will be in the next book!

Most of the prominent characters and figures are women which we love to see. There are queer side characters as well who are well represented.

Writing: 5/5
Joan He is truly a talented writer. She brings so much personality into the narration and creates an atmosphere that completely draws you in. I was already interested in reading her other works but this made it a need rather than a want.

Overall: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read and the politics were well laid out for the reader. I was not familiar with the tale this book was based on, but that did not hinder my reading experience. I wish there would have been more scenes with Crow and Zephyr. I look forward to book 2.

I enjoyed this book and the narrator Nancy Wu. The pace seemed off in certain areas of the book but I thought the narrator did a great job trying to keep a steady pace. I like the characters development and the different twists. i do wish that there was a little bit more with Zephyr and Crow. Now Im ready and excited for book #2 !


Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this audiobook for an honest review.

Zephyr is clawed her way up from a destitute life in an orphanage to an exalted position as a strategist.

In her role she is the brains behind an uprising, lead by Ren, against a false war leader, Miasma, who claims to serve the empire.

The lone regret she clings to is the long lost sister she feels she failed when their village was ransacked by invaders. Zephyr is sure her sister is dead, but she doesn’t really want to know.

When Miasma closes in on Ren’s badly outnumbered crew, Zephyr ways the odds and makes a decision that appears to be a defection. But really she’s working from within Miasma’s core group to help Ren.

Her first goal is to link the newly risen leader of the south, Cicada, with Ren. During this mission she finds her sister in a unexpected position. And she wants nothing to do with Zephyr.

Can she help Ren without blowing her cover? Can she reconnect with her sister? And what will she do with this new interest in the Crow, one of Miasma’s strategists?

This is listed as fantasy but there’s nothing overtly fantastical about the story for the most part. It feels like it could be historical fiction.

The ease with which Zephyr’s plans (mostly) work out make the story a little dry but it’s a fun read.

I really liked the narrator for this audiobook. Books with a lot politics and strategy can feel slow, but this narrator did a really great job of keeping the energy moving forward.
This book was interesting even though I didn't know the Chinese classic tale of the Three Kingdoms that this one is a reimagining of. I was quite shocked around the middle of the book, but I am not sure how this reimaging compares to the original. Zephyr was definitely playing a lot of political games, so it was interesting to see what was going as planned and what was not.
I felt like the rivals to lovers moved a little fast, but I thought the parts with the zither were really cool. I thought it was really unique to communicate things about themselves through music. It wasn't something I was expecting despite the title of the book.
I definitely want to read the next one because this one set up a bunch of info and questions for me that I want to know more about.

Strike the Zither is a Eastern inspired fantasy that serves as a wonderful adventure while introducing characters that will leave readers ready to pick up a sequel before its even out.
What I Loved
1.Strong character motivations and relationships
2.The false defector obtaining information behind enemy lines plot point.
3.everything involved with the god realm situations
4. I listened to the audio version and it was particularly well narrated.

What Didn't work as well for me
1. The pacing was strangely uneven
2. Action Scenes felt clunky especially the smaller action scenes

Who I would recommend the book for
Strike the Zither will be an enjoyable read for fans of Eastern inspired fantasy, those who enjoy retelling/re imaginings and fans of Joan He's writing style from The Ones We Were meant to Find.

I read a physical galley of this and wanted to see how the audiobook faired. The narrator does a great job of building up the world and conveying the tense moments and shocking the reader with the plenty of twists this novel has. Sequel NOW please?