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.

I was initially planning to read Romancing of the Three Kingdoms, but when I got a copy of Strike the Zither, I decided I'd never have another chance at a first impression and wanted to see how the story read without being familiar with its source material. As someone whose knowledge of Three Kingdoms is virtually nonexistent (I basically read the first chapter and skimmed the Wikipedia article and promptly forgot what I read,) I can confirm that you can appreciate this reimagining without any knowledge of the original story.

Strike the Zither is just fun. After more cerebral books, Joan He gives us a delightful story that I accidentally devoured in a single day. Granted, there is still blood and death and war and pain, but there's just something about Strike the Zither that makes me think He especially enjoyed writing this particular story.

STZ is kind of a hard book to describe. Maybe because it's inspired by a Chinese classic and it doesn't quite follow conventional Western traditions of storytelling, but it almost feels like we follow one character through a sweeping epic.

Three Kingdoms basically takes place over a hundred years, so trying to condense all that into a YA duology whose first book is under 350 pages is an ambitious undertaking. It's a military fantasy with three kingdoms at war, but He manages to juggle all the different pieces well, maneuvering them with the care of an expert chess player (or military strategist.) There's a relatively big cast and a ton of moving parts, but I never felt overwhelmed or confused--and this is coming from a reader who refuses to commit anyone's name to memory until she's decided she's invested in the story (fantasy books that dump a bunch of names on you in the beginning are the bane of my existence,)--so it's quite the feat.

I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing of the book. Because the story takes place on a grand scale, it's a bit more plot-heavy, but He is an efficient storyteller whose economy of words keeps the story moving at a tight, almost clipped, pace. The storytelling is definitely on the leaner side and, in general, the world building and scenes aren't nearly as expansive and descriptive as I would like. The first half ("Stanza One") is solid: action-packed and filled with war machinations, shifting alliances, and a few battle scenes. It introduces the major players at war and sets the scene for the duology.

And then we reach Stanza Two.

It starts with a pretty big reveal that throws the story off course for a bit. The sudden shift--both in content and in pacing--feels like skidding to a stop after we've built up all that momentum leading up to the break. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the original Three Kingdoms, so I'm not sure if the Twist™ is a faithful retelling of the story or a creative liberty He decided to take. (My money is on the latter, but knowledgeable Chinese scholars can scream at me in the comments section.) Jury's still out on how I feel about the actual twist, but I'm not a huge fan of its execution. It took me a while to get back into the story after the abrupt transition. I personally think the twist makes the story a bit disjointed, but I found the rest of the story enjoyable once we got back on track.

"A strategist detested is strategist doing something right."

"They love Ren for her honor, Cloud for her righteousness, Lotus for her spirit. My job is not to be lovable but to get every peasant off the mountain and into the town over, where Ren should already be waiting with the first wave of evacuees, the other half of our troops, and--hopefully--a boat passage south so that I can secure us some much-needed allies."

Based on the reviews, it seems like Zephyr is a controversial character, but I really like her as a protagonist. She's ambitious and a bit rough around the edges but still manages to distinguish herself from other "unlikeable" heroines. I appreciate the way He slowly peels back the layers, revealing the strategist's humanity bit by bit, especially in light of [REDACTED.] Zephyr is a bit of a complicated character, but I happen to like the complicated. I think she's definitely someone you can appreciate, or at least understand, even if you don't necessarily like or relate to her. There's a vulnerability hidden behind that arrogant, brilliant mind. She thinks she can't afford to be likeable because she's too busy saving lives, but at the end of the day, she's scared to be alone. I love it.

Speaking of things I love, Crow, the sickly strategist working for the enemy might just be my new favorite love interest. He's an old soul with a dry wit, and the scenes between him and Zephyr are some of my favorites. The romance is light and provides a fun little break from all the death and pain. I do think it could be developed a tiny bit more though. I'm not necessarily asking for more romance (at least not in book one,) but I think the progression from rivals/enemies to lovers(ish) could use a little more work. Not to say I didn't love it, because I did.

Did I immediately fall in love with Crow once I realized he wasn't a consumptive old man?

Yes .

Do I think "there's only one zither" is the most brilliant line in the book?

Also yes.

Do I think it was a little insta-lovey?

Well, yeah.

At risk of giving away spoilers, I'll just say that, when it comes to the romance, I think Joan forced her hand a little bit in the sense that she structured the story so that all the falling in love stuff had to happen before the big plot twist in Stanza Two. Zephyr and Crow's entire courtship (if you can call verbal sparring, occasional flirting, and a mental chess match courtship) has to be condensed into 160 pages, or at least the pages that aren't already spent watching Zephyr spends scheming, defecting, scheming some more, and trying not to die, which is to say, not a lot. Because the romance is a relatively small subplot in light of everything else that happens in STZ, I don't really mind how it's written (they're both trying to win a war, there's no time for falling in love,) but I am expecting more romance and better development in book two.
As someone who prefers character-driven stories, I do hope we get to see more development in general in the sequel. A lot of STZ was spent laying the groundwork for what I'm sure will be an epic conclusion. Even though Joan He's self-proclaimed brand is "twists and pain," I foolishly allowed myself to be lulled into a sense of complacency, and reader, when the final twist was revealed, I did not see it coming. I need to know what happens next, but more importantly, I need to see more of these characters we've met in STZ. I need more complex found families. I need more messy sibling relationships. And I definitely need more Crow and Zeyphr, like a lot more Crow.

Despite a few missteps, Joan He has given us a compulsively readable intro to her duology. I had to know what was coming next and was compelled to keep reading even if I was, say, burning up in my car sitting in a Costco parking lot. I didn't even have time to try to predict what would happen next since I was so engrossed in the story, though I needn't have bothered. Joan He is the master of the unexpected, and the reveal in the final chapter took a solid and enjoyable story to the next level. I feel like my star rating jumped an entire ranking at the plot twist because it went from "this is kinda fun" to "I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW."

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan's Childrens Publishing Group, and BookishFirst for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

STRIKE THE ZITHER is definitely the strongest out of the three books Joan He has written. What Joan He excels at is building on the found family trope and the characters relationships, not necessarily romantic but in their friendships and loyalty. I loved Zephyr as a main character and I liked the first half of the story. The second half caught me off guard and I felt a little bit unbalanced from the flow and pacing of the plot. There was a slight disconnect when the second part of the book began. As I continued reading I was able to get used to the change and the book ended on a strong high note. I am looking forward to SOUND THE GONG, the sequel and conclusion of STRIKE THE ZITHER..

4 stars

I unfortunately DNF. The being dropped into the action at the beginning of the book and just thrown names and titles with very arrogant un-relatable characters was a solid no for me. I hate that they were snubbing their noses and basically spitting on the common folk from the start. I am not a fan of a villain origin story that doesn’t build you up to why they are who they are.

Joan He excels at betrayal and tragedy and Strike the Zither continues that reputation. There were a lot of things in StZ that were easy to like. I felt well connected to the main character through her emotions and thought process. This allows the reader to anticipate her moves and decisions. The war lordessess were each their own individual identity who were easy to discern.

I can't really place what it was about the book I didn't like but there is a pivotal point in the book where you start feeling a bit disconnected. I felt like sometimes I didn't really get why things were happening anymore. I'm not familiar with the Three Kingdoms, so these things may have to do with my lack of understanding of the original tale. The events happening may have been important points in the Three Kingdoms.

I quick and short read I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially with court politics/strategies. Another great retelling and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley as well as BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Set during the Xin Dynasty, the land is divided into three with a puppet empress on the throne and three warlordess fighting for control, each with their own ideals. Zephyr, a young and brilliant strategist, serves the warlordess Xin Ren and her sworn sisters who are fighting against the empire. Zephyr makes the decision to infiltrate the enemy's ranks, where she meets her counterpart Crow, the enemy’s mysterious strategist, and sets into motion a series of events even the Rising Zephyr couldn’t predict.

STRIKE THE ZITHER is a reimagining of Chinese classic Three Kingdoms. He’s take on the story involves a leading cast of female characters and a “peacock” of a strategist that I have come to love. The battles, politics, and strategies of the story were cleverly thought out and executed, leaving me surprised and delighted throughout the story. While heavy in strategy and politics, He manages to focus on the characters and their relationships. The sisterhood, strategist/lordess, and rival relationships were well-done with fleshed out and complex and painfully real characters. Not to mention I loved the romantic aspect of the story so much (enemies to lovers).

He’s storytelling was lyrical and immersive, making the story progressively more enjoyable, especially with the Three Kingdom references throughout the book which made me feel so nostalgic for similar stories.

Overall, STRIKE THE ZITHER is a wonderful reimagining of a classic and an adventure in exploring war, strategy, rivalry, love, and loyalty. An absolute favorite of mine now.

I really enjoyed the world, characters, plot - everything. Zephyr, Crow, and Ren have captured my fancy--Miasma, too! I can't wait for the second book, and I may even decide to read Three Kingdoms at some point to compare.