Joan He always has an incredible one at the 50% mark, and then an ending that reminds you that you always need to expect more. This is definitely a heavily political book, with a lot of warring factions and regions and scheming. However, there was definitely more action than I ever would have expected, and it all worked for me! Also, I found the romance, if you can even call it tha 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.

Kingdom of Three Series by Joan He - Goodreads

I follow the familiar music, over lakes of pink clouds. But the pink fades, and the dream becomes a nightmare of a memory. An ambitious young strategist risks death in a bid to turn the tides of war in an alternate historical China. 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. My gaze darts to my surroundings. We’re in a tent; it’s night; something gamey is roasting outside. All good signs we weren’t decimated by Miasma. Fake Defector: Zephyr pretends to defect to Miasma, but she is actually still loyal to Ren and continues to secretly help Ren from within Miasma's camp.

Advance Praise

I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Fierce Reads!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.** A beautifully written book with powerful characters and a rollercoaster ride of plot twists that's nearly impossible to put down. Strike the Zither reimagines the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a way never seen before, with intense twists and turns that pay homage to its inspiration while being refreshingly different. A brilliant exploration of destiny and identity!’—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Iron Widow Tourmaline nods. “Exactly ten li, a mountain, and a river away from Miasma’s forces. The rain came just as you said it would. It’ll take them at least a day to clear a path, four to go around.”

Strike the Zither: Book Review – asia pacific arts Strike the Zither: Book Review – asia pacific arts

Overall, I liked the strategy aspect of the book. Did I sometimes feel it was daunting and overshadowed real character development? Yes, but it was still good nonetheless. A reimagining of the Chinese military epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which a strategist must help her warlordess to victory against the rival kingdoms to the north and the south while overcoming her fate as written by the gods. In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world. This book takes a turn at about the halfway point. This turn had me losing any interest that I had. I’m not sure if it’s because the Mary Sue aspect of Zephyr’s character was heighted even more at this point, or because we were introduced to more characters I had no connection to, but it just became a lot to try to enjoy. I'm familiar with elements of the culture here, but not familiar with the epics this is a retelling of. So perhaps the plot starting at a weird mid-action point, its veering all over the place, being stuffed with unlikeable, arrogant characters, and introducing a bonkers plot twist at the halfway mark makes sense to other readers. Some characters' names are translated, some not...This just read like a hot mess and I am wary of anything else the author has written now. Sad. I was hoping for an asian epic the likes of Iron Widow or She Who Became the Sun but I couldn't follow this at all.

An author's note explains some of the story and characters from the original, fictional, renowned Three Kingdoms, the basis for this retelling. I had a little sneak peak at some of the illustrations of the characters at the start of the eARC too, but due to formatting they got a little bit jumbled up. BUT Joan shared a proper sneak peak here, and what can be better than a book with an awesome story, beautiful cover and even gorgeous illustrations inside?! Strike the Zither was full of mind reeling plot twists, a distinct narrator, and unforgettable characters with complex relationships. Filled with twists and turns, STRIKE THE ZITHER is a meticulously plotted, supremely satisfying story that explores identity, legacy, and loyalty in unexpected ways. This is Joan He’s best yet." - Hannah Whitten, New York Times-bestselling author of FOR THE WOLF But even the universe is subject to unseen forces. The next night, a meteorite punched my mentor and his outhouse clean into the ground.

STRIKE THE ZITHER’s Epic Female Fantasy Joan He Talks STRIKE THE ZITHER’s Epic Female Fantasy

Plan two is in motion, if the humidity is any indication. I’ve set General Tourmaline and her forces on felling trees behind us. The trunks will wash down in the coming storm, and the resulting dam should delay Miasma’s cavalry by a couple of hours. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close The book included a map and character art for four of the FMCs that were totally to die for! Not sure why we didn’t get character art for at least Crow as well, but whatever… The story opens with Zephyr ‘betraying’ her lord Xin Ren (who takes the role of Liu Bei, kind of) to one of the enemy warlords Miasma in a desperate last-ditch attempt to give Ren and her people time to recuperate their losses. I love how maturely He handles the military aspect of this story. After, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is set partially during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, one of China’s bloodiest periods of infighting and conquest. And Strike the Zither is no different. He is unafraid to shy away from the bloodshed and some of the more gore-y warcrimes various people commit in the name of their rulers. Gasp by gasp, I release my disappointment. Tourmaline, in turn, releases me. She hands me a waterskin. I clutch it, hesitating. Water will wash the name from my tongue, the name I haven’t spoken in six years.Exciting events, fascinating characters and exotic settings to stimulate the imagination of even the keenest fantasy readers.’

Strike the Zither by Joan He | The StoryGraph Strike the Zither by Joan He | The StoryGraph

New York Times–bestselling author Joan He's epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and questions of identity, reimagining the Three Kingdoms Chinese Classic. Cloud thinks better than Lotus under pressure. A shame, because I don’t know if I can harness her. Last month, she released Miasma from one of my traps because Sage Master Shencius forbids killing by way of snare. That’s all very nice, Cloud, but was Sage Master Shencius ever on the run from the empire? I don’t think so.

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Joan was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that stories were her favorite kind of art. She studied psychology and Chinese history at the University of Pennsylvania and currently writes from a desk overlooking the city Gideon Ploy: This strategy is referred to as Beget Something from Nothing, and Zephyr uses it to make Miasma think Ren's army is bigger than it actually is. Strike the Zither is a book I’ve been looking forward to since first hearing that Joan He was writing another book, I really enjoyed The Ones We’re Meant to Find and I’d had Descendant of the Crane on my TBR since its release… Honestly, reading Strike the Zither has basically put DOTC as high up on my TBR as possible because I ADORED Strike the Zither, it’s easily one of my top 10 reads of this year and a new favourite. How do you reimagine a story that’s largely unknown to your market? How do you pay homage to legendary figures such as Zhuge Liang when the name doesn’t ring the same bell for everyone?"