tl;dr
Even more of a roller coaster than the first one. War, plots, and an absolutely relentless MC race towards a powerful ending.

Thoughts
In my review for the previous book, I politely asked for an illustration of Crow, and we have generously been given two. (One on the cover, and one inside yet to come.) That's the only bit of generosity you'll see here - in the best way possible. War isn't pretty, and Zephyr won't pretend otherwise. No quarter given, no mercy granted. She's relentless in her quest to win this war, and she's willing to sacrifice anyone's life, hers included. If you want a ruthless MC who will REALLY do anything to win, this book will delight you. I put a question mark on the romance in the last book, and the question mark remains here. There's certainly attraction, but both Zephyr and Crow have bigger goals in mind, and seeing them square off again was great. But don't come in here expecting the twist to be they fall in love and change things. Love doesn't conquer all - Zephyr does. And it's messy and violent and a page-turning powerhouse with a satisfying ending.

As with the previous book, the author's notes in the back are also a great read, for anyone interesting in the original Three Kingdoms account.

Well, this one hurt. After being mostly unphased by Strike the Zither, I expected to enjoy this one, but not end up where I am. Sobbing in my bed at 2 in the morning. All because He managed to write an incredibly heartbreaking ending. All because I saw characters I love suffer, die, love, and live. Everything wrapped together so beautifully. Everything happened just how I would have wanted. And I know I say I love a bittersweet ending. And I do. But golly, did this one hurt. It was incredible though. I don't regret a minute I spent reading this. I didn't love Book 1, but I'm so happy I gave this duology another chance because Strike the Gong was everpything I ever could've wished for. Id absolutely recommend it.

(And oh my god, that extended epilogue!!! Everything I ever needed. I'm glad it wasn't included in the book, as the ending to the book was perfectly bittersweet, but I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read it. There's nothing better than finally seeing character happy, even if it takes ages to get there.)

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange exchange an honest review!

** Scheduled to be published on March 29, 2024
My Thoughts:

This is the conclusion to the duology The Kingdom of Three, following the first book, Strike the Zither. You don’t need to know that this is based on a classic Chinese text. After all, it is thoroughly Americanized-ish to be led by women and sword sisters. You do, however, need to spend from now to this release in April to read the first book Strike the Zither. In fact, if you haven’t started the first book, read them closer to the April release date so that you can more easily keep track of all the characters. This is especially true because there are so many characters and connections to keep track of. It reads like a Russian novel/tome.

The main character keeps changing bodies too, so I would appreciate a little character list like a play.

The one thing I want to talk about without giving away anything is the fact that this is American-ish. What that means is that the feminism is American. The filial piety is very Asian. In addition, the concept of deity is very non-American , especially Christian. This is not the all seeing, all knowing deity. Think Greek and Roman gods and goddesses with their loyalty and bickering. Also, they mess up and try to manipulate fate.

What to read more like this? Check out other YA Asian fantasy books by Joan He (Descendant of the Crane), or Xiran Jay Zhao Iron Widow for older YA or Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor for younger YA.

From the Publisher:
All her life, Zephyr has tried to rise above her humble origins as a no-name orphan. Now she is a god in a warrior’s body, and never has she felt more powerless.

The warlordess Xin Ren holds the Westlands, but her position is tenuous. In the north, the empress remains a puppet under Miasma’s thumb. In the south, the alliance with Cicada is in pieces.

Fate has a winner in mind for the three kingdoms, but Zephyr has no intentions of respecting it. She will pay any price to see Ren succeed—and she will make her enemies pay, especially the enigmatic Crow. What she’ll do when she finds out the truth. . . Only the heavens know.

Featuring gorgeous map art by Anna Frohmann and black-and-white portraits by Tida Kietsungden, Sound the Gong is the second book in Joan He's riveting Kindgom of Three duology.

Publication Informaton:
Author: Joan He
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (April 30, 2024)
Print length: 320 pages

*yawn* I couldn't put down Strike the Zither and was excited to be able to continue with Sound the Gong when I finished, but Sound the Gong was a snoozefest for me. I tried to read a little bit every day but the story wasn't keeping me engaged.

From New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, comes the dazzling and sweeping conclusion to The Kingdom of Three duology, Sound the Gong, the breathtaking sequel to the critically-acclaimed Strike the Zither.

I thought I couldn't love anything more than Strike the Zither. But then this book proved me wrong. Joan He just keeps getting better and better!

Joan He pulls no punches with this ruthless sequel to Strike the Zither. As always, Zephyr's ego dominates the narrative, but after the events of the first book, she's heavily humbled, and that feeds deliciously into her actions in Sound the Gong. I'm BEYOND tempted to get into story specifics (such as the highly unique spin on a particular romance trope regarding the Zephyr-Crow ship!!!), but honestly, I feel like a reader is better off going in with less information. The way I see it, this is He's most twisty book yet, and I want readers to SUFFER. SO. GOOD like I did, especially through that ending. It milks the reader for every inch of bittersweet pain to a cathartic conclusion. If you have yet to pick up this series, START NOW. You do not want to miss this.

OKAY. So, reading this was certainly an experience and a half.

I’d like to preface this review by saying I read strike the zither then immediately transitioned to sound the gong, so the events of the first book were still fresh in my mind.

For future readers, I’d advise doing the same, because STG opens in medias res and picks up where strike the zither left off. If it’s been a while since you’ve read it, you might want to go back and refresh on what was going on.

Back to the book: this is such a strong second novel. It’s a rare sequel that managers to out perform the first, and honestly, even though STZ played its heart out on the zither, STG struck such a reverberating note on its gong. I loved Strike the Zither deeply, so I’m so glad Sound the Gong drew on everything I liked about it—the political intrigue and strategy, the excellent world building, the character dynamics and enemies to lovers romance—and made them better.The technical execution in this book is something else. Lines are tight and snappy, characteristic of Joan, but taken to new authoritative heights. The maturity is unusual for YA, but it’s also not alien or amiss. I love that Joan is able to treat her subject with necessary gravitas, while adding in moments of levity.

And the pacing! I feel like I was so ridiculously tense the whole novel, as stakes drew higher and the novel drew to a close. The thing about reading a sequel is you’ve come to care for a group of characters. You’ve been with them for a while, and so their welfare becomes a communal effort. As such, when Joan threw certain characters into certain situations, I gasped. I almost cried.

AND ZEPHYRCROW. My HEART. Goodness me, they ruined me in this book. I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers but they’re devastating and the ending was too 🥹 but in the best of ways. I’m so mad I couldn’t share quotes because I highlighted so many that hit so hard. Everything I feel about them is spoilery but Joan please accept my adoration

I also really liked Cicada and “Crow” in this one. Don’t want to veer into spoiler territory too much but it was so good to get into his head and get a look at his past.

I know that adapting a classic with such sweeping scope is difficult, but I think Joan has balanced remaining faithful with delivering a unique take. I also like that her works are accessible for an audience unfamiliar with context and terms, without being apologetic or unfaithful.

There’s no neat way to end this review because I’m still devastated by the ending, but please know that this book was fully worth the all nighter I pulled to finish it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars!!

I am speechless — okay, not exactly, but holy smokes. Though I rated the first book in this duology, Strike the Zither, at 4.5 stars out of 5, I very readily rate this one at 5. No contest; full stop.

Sound the Gong readily picks up where its predecessor left off, and proceeds to leave it in the dust, along with the remains of my heart. Personally, I love how the idea of “gods playing chess” — an image that has existed for so long, I don’t even know — is constantly bucked against, yet fate proves somehow unstoppable.

Indulge me while I compare to something with which I’m more familiar: Greek mythology. I know, I know, and I’m sorry: being part Greek and also having a grandfather who is a professor emeritus of the Classics, means I grew up with those stories, so they’re the easiest reference point for me to fall back upon, even when discussing something like Sound the Gong, which is firmly rooted in the Chinese classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
One of my favourite myths is the story of Troy as depicted in Homer’s Iliad, and the way fate as a powerful force plays an integral role within that work — along with rage which, as we know, is the first word of the poem. Fate, especially in the form of “fateful death” (κήρ), appears inescapable to the characters within the Greek epic and thus, on the surface, their fatalistic attitudes are justified: all those fated to die within the narrative do. But that leaves us left to try and explain the instances in which there appear elements of choice, especially in the cases of Akhilleus and Zeus; both have clear moments where whatever has been ‘fated’ could potentially be changed. As a result, any seemingly prophetic declarations could arguably be nothing more than statistical likelihoods based upon the individuals in question. In other words, Homer depicted fate paradoxically: it is a force that even the gods themselves cannot change, yet it is determined – potentially dependent – upon the choices that humans make.

He’s characters feel similar, especially Zephyr in her quest to actively fight the “fate” that currently awaits Xin Ren and her quest to defeat Miasma. Yet with every step Zephyr takes, even in daring to completely forsake her immortal soul – her very self – she seems to be walking herself closer and closer to that inevitable conclusion. No matter what she does to change things, humans seem to act “out of character” and shift the paradigm she has so carefully set.

Zephyr is attempting to play chess while forgetting that humans are not merely pieces on board with no thought of their own. No matter how much she thinks she knows them, she is blinded by her own thoughts, feelings, and preconceived notions.

Okay, moving on from that, let’s talk about Zephyr and Crow because WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT ZEPHYR AND CROW AND HOW THEY DESTROYED ME. I loved their dynamic in Strike the Zither, but I love it even more here in Sound the Gong. The tension between them has always been a string that keeps getting tighter and tighter, straining so close to the point of breaking to be sweat-inducing. That kind of tension is so hard to sustain over the course of even one book – but over two?!? I don’t know how He does it; I don’t know how she managed to write their curious, complicated dynamic that flips between hatred and desire in such a way that’s intoxicating to the point it almost feels self-destructive.

I also have to note that the epilogue, for me especially, tipped this book over its predecessor that extra half-star. Its reinforcing of the cyclical nature of time and giving it to us through Crow’s perspective was a cherry on top that I couldn’t have imagined getting. It’s the perfect ending to this epic song in such a way that you know there’s more to the story, but you are wholly fulfilled in how it finished and know that while for you, the reader, it is the closing of the book…for the characters within, it is but the turning of another page.

thank you net gallery (and the publisher and joan he) for the e-arc
double shoutout to joan for the chapter by chapter synopsis, i really needed that. i read strike the zither roughly a year ago so only remember so bits and pieces. my library currently has is out so i wasn’t able to reread before starting sound the gong. that being said this is definitely a sequel you should read back to back. (i’m most likely going to reread them again together some point next year). i honestly would have been ok if it was together as one huge book.

sound the gong starts off immediately and continues to carry the same pacing from the ending of strike the zither. zephyr is in different bodies trying all possible strategies to change the people’s fate. nothing is unthinkable for her. are they difficult and flawed and don’t go the way she wants? yes, and i think that really shakes her character her compared to the first book.

i will most likely write more to this review once it’s released and also when i reread both back to back.

Sound the Gong, the second book of Joan He's Kingdom of Three duology, picks up where Strike the Zither left off and the action and emotion don't let up until it's conclusion.

I'll admit I'm not familiar with the classic Three Kingdoms novel these books are a reimagining of, so I was able to enjoy the twists and turns as they happened and was always kept wondering how things would turn out next. (And I got to learn a bit more about the events in the original work that inspired them from the Author's Notes at the end.)

I was also terribly invested in the enemies to almost lovers relationship developing between Zephyr and Crow since the first book and will not soon forget the events between them in this sequel.

It's a recommended read for those who enjoy strong female characters, military plots and battle, fantasy and angst.

I really enjoyed the writing style and would definitely pick up this author’s future works. I stopped at 9% in/chapter 25. It is not really appropriate for our libraries as it does not stand alone and is not even numbered to be a standalone. You need the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for the ARC

Yessss. This was a fantastic conclusion to this duology even though it definitely hurt me. Very excited to read the bonus short story now.

Non stop action, non stop adventure, non stop heart palpitations, THIS is how you write a sequel. (I’ll admit, I’m a sequel skeptic (I’ve been burned too many times) and a standalone lover. But I also could tattoo ‘trust in Joan He’ on myself with no qualms.) There’s a hug that almost broke me. I’ve never highlighted so many lines. I laughed out loud. (This is so rare an occurrence that my partner was startled.)

The banter is top notch. Joan He’s comedy is so so good. (This is one of my most sacred compliments. I do not hand out ‘you’re funny’ trophies to just anyone.)

Enemies to lovers? but definitely still enemies…and yet…(this is how I like my ‘enemies to lovers’ trope. ACTUAL perfection. No notes.)

This book might be Joan’s most rollercoaster of them all. It’s fast. It’s brutal. It jerks you around mercilessly. It pricks your heart. The entertainment level is OFF the charts. I cannot think of any other book that has been more entertaining. Ever.

I wish I was a better reviewer, a better writer, to be able to give this book, this duology, the praise it deserves.

I want to thank the author SO much for allowing me to read this book.

Sound the Gong is a strong, fierce, heavy-hitting book. I feel to fully enjoy this series, you should read book one and immediately dive into book two. Another thing: if you are NOT a fan of political strife / war discussions, this might bore you. But if you enjoyed what you got in book one, and wanted more - you get it.

If you're a fan of Crow, and wanted more of him? You get it. Crow and the depth of focus Joan gives in this book makes you question everything you learned about him in book one. (You also get an adorable chapter through his POV, but you have to wait until the end for it.)

I applaud Joan for taking The Three Kingdoms and adapting it / using it as the basis for her duology. The original tale, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, focuses on unity and stability. There is also intrigue and strife, and it is - after all - a tragedy in the end.

While I do not spoil the end of book in this review, I think the ending is perfect. If you are familiar with Chinese dramas, the ending makes sense and I can't think of a better outcome. Zephyr and Crow, they did what they did, for country, for fate, and for themselves.

This sequel broke me. I had a hard time keeping up with remembering who the characters were and which side of the war they were on, but the core themes of the story was still there: loyalty, self-identity, found family. This remains a story about war and the people and homes it destroys, and how the main character chose who she wanted to fight alongside with, even if it meant destroying herself as well.

I love that the romance was not truly a romance, and the unconventionality of it threw me for a loop. It was interesting as well how the author took Crow's plot twist in a new direction and reminds the readers to not let their guards down. I don't think Zephyr received the closed endings she deserved, but life also isn't fair.

True to historical Chinese tales, I quite liked the hopeful tone the epilogue gave the reader. In all, while the story and writing demanded more attention and brain cells than I had to give in order to appreciate the density of the book, the author made it clear what the themes and tones of the story were throughout. This was a very wild ride for me, and I found myself sad at the outcome, but that's what makes good writing. I would love to see what Joan has in store for us next.

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.

Should have been titled something like "Torture the Crow."

This conclusion to Joan He's Three Kingdoms retelling is a triumph! Without entirely setting aside the wit and humor of Strike the Zither, the sequel retains its cleverness on a journey to much darker places.

How far will one person go to change fate? In the case of main character Zephyr, no strategy is out of bounds if it means achieving her goals. Though she may be a god, she is utterly human - her choices are not flawless and she has a great deal to learn about herself and the people around her.

I will never not love Joan's carefully crafted and complex stories. She writes about layered, clever people in imaginative settings with a heart that is utterly captivating.

Some may consider my review to have slight spoilers so.....you've been warned (though I don't think its spoilery lol)

I was going to give this 3 stars because....well, I felt something missing this time around. I felt Zephyr was SO smart in book one! But this one....no matter what she did, nothing was going to plan. Nobody listened and everything she thought she was a step ahead of, she was wrong. She did get back at Crow, but it was a soured a bit by her constant need for him even after the fact.
BUT Crow (surprisingly) was the comedy relief 🙀😹 I swear, almost everything he said cracked me up lol
But then...his thoughts disturbed me in the sense that it made it seem Zephyr was never on his mind the way we all thought she was. His heart belonged to another, which made Zephyr feel played. He did defeat her and she in turn tried to defeat him. But her objective didn't exactly come about as she hoped. Yet....it still kind of worked out?
Honestly, both strategists seemed more like villains than heroes after what they did to each other. Not sure how I felt about that haha
The plot was extremely complex. Lots of twists, ghosts, gods, alliances won and broken, rivals getting payback, action and torture.....just SO much going on. Kept things interesting! Even if slow in some sections.
So I was swaying between 3 or 4 stars. Maybe more of a 3.5 really, but then I read the bonus story which pushed it to a 4 star for me 🙈😹
It just made me feel so much better about Zephyr's end, Crow's future, and Zephyr's sisters as well as the empire. It really just gave me that closure I needed and filled in some of the missing pieces for me in the novel.
I shouldn't love Zephyr and Crow together but....I do 😭🙈 haha

4.5 stars
The second I read the first page of Sound the Gong , I was already in love. If I had to say one thing about this book, I would call it a masterpiece of political intrigue. I thought I might get bored by all the talk of strategy and war planning, but I honestly didn't. Joan He made it so interesting and wrote it in a way that immediately grabbed my attention. This book is an intricately crafted tale and gives us the perfect conclusion to what has been an incredible fantasy duology. Zephyr in this book was my favourite and I found myself loving her even more. Without spoiling, I want to just say that she has some really really cool scenes that I'm still reeling from.

This is a book you will not forget. You will be thinking about it for many, many days because it will just stick with you. The world-building, the characters, the magic/power system...just everything about it is a masterclass in writing a book full of political intrigue and strategy, with an added touch of a fantasy.

Sound the Gong is quite literally the perfect conclusion to what has been an amazing duology and I cannot wait to read more of what Joan He writes!

How am I supposed to write about this book without sharing all that happens? It is still six months until it's out. I feel the luckiest to have been able to read it early. But oh, how I hurt. Back when I first peeked at this one, I knew it would hurt me. But I did not truly realize how much it would destroy my heart. This book ruined me.

And yet I loved every moment of it. I suppose, haha. I am a little bitter about the ending. Even though it was so good. But yeah. It hurts. But more than the hurt, is the love I have for this story. This sequel was just as good as the first. Five stars for me. I read all of it in one sitting, mostly. It's been ages since I have last done that.

Now comes the hard part. Writing about this second book without sharing everything that happens in it, ha. I want to share so very much. And I will share a little, but nothing that actually spoils the book. Well, it will spoil the first one. So I will try my hardest not to share all the secrets of this sequel. But ohh, yess. I must share a few things that I loved. A few details. A little bit about what I wish had been. Sigh. My poor heart. But first I shall start by saying that the writing was perfect, as always. I loved getting to know more of this world and these characters. I love how Joan wrote about this world and the time it was set in. It is a duology based on a different tale, which I know nothing about, ha. But from the notes, Joan has made changes. All amazing, from what I can tell.

There is so much to say about the plot of this second book. I'm going to try not to say too much. But oh, there was something happening at all times. This begins pretty much right after Strike the Zither ends. A few weeks later. Zephyr is still by Ren's side in the war, while they figure out what to do next. Well. Except Zephyr is not actually her anymore. She is in the body of Lotus. And oh my gods. The twist of all that from book one ruined me. Who Zephyr actually is. Her entire past, how long it goes back. But it was very good.

And that is all I will say about that. I was a little upset for some time, that she lost her body, the body of Zephyr. As I loved her frail and small body. Sobs. So it took me a little while to get past that. But I did. And I loved her as Lotus as well. And later as someone else. Gosh. Though that hurt more than anything else. I wish to share. I shall not. But that new body of hers was the worst one. The pain it gave me. Sigh. But it was also done perfectly. Such a huge new plot twist, haha. Also, I loved seeing more of her actual sisters.

There is so much going on in the beginning of this book. It is about Zephyr learning more about living as Lotus, with her body and how others see her. Making Ren see her as Lotus, still believing that Zephyr is dead. I also loved getting to know more about everyone around her as well. Ren and Cloud and everyone else. I adored them all. I'm not the biggest fan of reading about war tactics and such, but in this book I did not mind it. And found all of it to be pretty interesting. And really wanted to know how it would all end, ack.

Something more I will say about the plot. It is about defeating the bad one in charge; Miasma. Free the empress from her. And also figure out what to do about the South, with Cicada, who actually betrayed them. It is a whole mess. And I loved it. Zephyr has to work her brain so hard to figure out how to solve everything. Many things go wrong, though. Which hurt. But it was written so well too. Hmph. There are more deaths in this one. A little more torture and hurt. Also a little less romance, which hurt me most, ha.

Because I had been expecting there to be more in this second book. As Zephyr and Crow are perfect together. I wanted to see more of them so badly. I know, she doesn't have her actual body anymore, but still. And Crow didn't know this. Yet I wanted them to have more so much. Gah. And they do spend much more time together. But most of it as mostly enemies, as there were many changes happening. Betrayals. Truths revealed. Loved their banter, though. And just loved them together. But yes. I missed my romance.

Yet I still loved this book very much. Because it was not all about Zephyr and Crow. It was about Zephyr wanting to help Ren and change her fate. Change the fate of everyone she cared about. What she was willing to do to make that happen. Which, well, was everything. Still. I did not actually blame her. Except for that one part, which involved steaming. That she did not have to do. And that still hurts so very badly. Oh. It was the actual worst. But so good. But goddamn. It hurt my heart. She should not have done this.

So anyway. There is so much going on in this book. I think I have already shared too much, yet also not enough at all. I was disappointed about the romance. As I wanted much more. And yet. It was still great, because it was almost there. It was so very obvious how much they cared for each other. I just so wish it could have been acted upon. Hmph. Yet I get why it was not, ha. Which you will understand, when you read it. Such a rude plot twist. Yet so good too. Much of this book made me smile as well. I so loved that.

Sound the Gong was a most incredible ending to a fantastic duology. This story truly ruined my heart. Yet I loved every moment of it. The story of Zephyr was so epic. Her adventure was big and hurtful yet full of great moments as well. I so loved her relationship with the other girls. I loved her and Crow the very most. But that ending. I am not over it. It was amazing, of course, but I am a little bitter, haha. It hurt. Very badly. But I shall forgive this. One day. Probably. Huge thank you to Joan for the chance to read the eARC early.

Oh. My review needed to be edited to add this. It turns out Joan has written an epilogue of sorts, a bonus short story to be read after Sound the Gong. I just read it. And it murdered me with happiness. Ha. I take back what I said about the ending. This made my heart so happy and I just. I loved it more than anything. So. Yes. If you read this book, look up In Another Life. It is a must read. But of course, the book is great without it too. But this bonus gave my heart life again. It was perfection and I am so happy Joan wrote it.