From PerfectionistWannabe.com. Full series review.

If I could pitch this book, it would be Mulan meets the Celestial Kingdoms. The focus of Mulan's story would center around the battles and war efforts. Place this in a fantasy world where women are allowed to fight. They can become generals. They can lead armies and become warlords. But then, let's take out the ancestors part of this story and replace them with celestial gods. Next, let's throw this all into a retelling of the Three Kingdoms.

Now, let's create an ongoing chess match being played out between warlords, and each has a strategist whispering in their ear. Throw in a bit of a love story between two strategists from warring parties, Zephyr and Crow, and we have the elements that compose this story.

Just for clarification in the comparisons between Mulan and the story of the Three Kingdoms, the Three Kingdoms took place between 220-280AD. Mulan (a folk heroine) existed sometime in the 4th century, long after the story of the Three Kingdoms. This story takes place in 414 AD.

Strike the Zither starts right off within the fields of war. A betrayal. And Zephyr is in the middle of it all. This is her strategy to change what fate has determined in order to make her warlordess the next empress. But I will warn you, don't get too attached to Zephyr. She dies.

Crazy, right? She dies.

But isn't this story about her? Yes, it is.

There's more than one book about her. So how in the world does this get drawn out if she died?

Those celestial gods. I tell ya. They are not supposed to meddle in the affairs of humans, but every now and again, they do. In particular, Zephyr meddles in those affairs.

I'll leave the review at that. I'll be honest, when the celestial kingdom became part of the story, that is when I became interested in the story. I love stories about the gods. I'm not into the fighting or the war part of this book (which was literally the whole thing). Oddly enough, I perked up when Zephyr died. That is when the story had my full attention. Which, I know, is completely weird. But that is where the story really began for me.

It has been far too long since I devoured a book in less than a day, and I should have known Joan He would be the one to heal me. I'm reading Strike the Zither and Sound the Gong back to back (yes, yes, I know I should have read it before now, I'm kicking myself just as much as you are, fake fan behavior, etc etc) and let me tell you, I am beyond excited that I get to keep going after that cliffhanger.

STRIKE THE ZITHER is a tense yet joyful reimagining of the Three Kingdoms story crafted with clear love for not just the original but epic scope, found family, and crafty stories with an entire cast fighting to move their pieces before the other characters can get their hands on them. This story follows Zephyr, military strategist, at a breakneck pace as she fights to bring victory to her upstart lordess Xin Ren against all odds as she faces down friends, family, and enemies alike to see her stratagems through.

What really shone about this book for me was the action-packed plot and friendships. Slightly relatedly. I can't believe I was lulled into thinking I'd finally guessed a patented Joan He plot twist ahead of time, but to return to the topic: I loved the bond between the swornsisters, I greatly enjoyed Zephyr and Crow's rivalry, and I loved seeing Zephyr's hautiness worn down by the bonds she creates over the course of the story. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the characters continue to grow and how the story concludes!

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

A definite page turner! This book was so engaging and kept me on my toes with its plot twists. The plot overall was very intriguing as well. I enjoyed reading it and can’t wait to read the sequel.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy!

This was an enchanting story and unlike a lot of other fantasy I have read. I would recommend this book for lovers of Young Adult fantasy stories.

A wonderful historical fantasy—Joan He is a genius talent writing today, building rich worlds, complex characters, and racing plots.

Strike the Zither was slower paced for me, which is sometimes an issue, but the adventure was still there. I was captivated by the characters for the entire book, which I think helped. I didn't expect the twists that happened mid-book and the ending just left me wanting more! I'm really looking forward to reading the whole series.

A retelling of Three Kingdoms. Joan He did a lot of research into this book and it shows. I also love the cover

I’m not sure exactly why but this book made me so sad? lol there really isn’t even any sad scenes but the rivals to lovers to??? aspect has me some sort of heart broken for some reason 😂. There’s more I’d like to say about something but I’d totally give a lot away and obviously don’t want to do that. I’m not familiar with the story that this book is based off of but I had no problems getting into the book. It actually started off with a bang and continued to until about the middle-ish and that’s kind of where the book started to lose me.

A lot is going on, I’ll admit I was kind of confused and there’s also a few twists that had me like?!? If it sounds like my feelings are all over the place.. that’s because they indeed are lol.

Overall, I’m a bit confused which makes me want to pick up book two even more? I also would like the magic system and gods expanded on more in the next one

A story inspired by one of the four classics of Chinese Literature, Three Kingdoms. Strike the Zither follows an orphan who has become the main strategist of one of the three warlordesses. Zephyr was convinced by Xin Ren to join her cause for the Empress, feeling that the current throne is in jeopardy from the warlordess Miasma. Where Zephyr is weak of body, she makes up for with strength of mind. Ren is flanked by her two sword sisters, Lotus and Cloud, both of who find Zephyr untrustworthy. Zephyr must also compete with another adversary, Miasma's strategist, Crow. All the while, Zephyr hunts for the sister she lost in a large crowd when younger.

This book takes off at breakneck speed with an impending battle and Zephyr immediately put to work strategizing how to deflect the battle until later or win it. It was interesting being thrown right in to her mind, her machinations and learning all about the Kingdoms and backstory from how she decides to approach the battle with a much stronger foe.

Ren's sword sisters are apprehensive of the trust their warlordess places in Zephyr, and it creates friction and outcomes not to Zephyr's plan. She knows of one person in Ren's camp who trusts her instincts and calculations, Tourmaline (a character I adored and want more of in book 2). This is also a book about familial lines and how blood is not as important as a bond between sword sisters, between warlordess and strategist, between friends and lovers.

There are many twists and turns and tons of outsmarting done. I was impressed when everything Zephyr puts into play actually happens. Wow! And her constant rivalry with Crow, while also finding each other to be equals and a spark to burn between them, was well done. Crow was a character I found mysterious and cryptic in each scene he was in. He seems so honest with Zephyr, protective of her, but also willing to do what he must for his cause (even if that means hurting Zephyr). This is a world in which those you trust can be two faced, those you love can be an enemy, and those you hate can become formidable allies. Characters come and go in the gears of Zephyrs plans, from one warlordess to another. You see the differences in leading style, in camaraderie, in love. But also, you see the acts that each person puts on in order to command, control, and change.

Halfway through the book you are completely thrown into a new story. It was shocking, jarring, as though you are ripped from the middle of a well forged plan. But, this was an interesting way in which to bring in the heavens. This book moves from what was historical fiction to fantasy. It is masterfully crafted, and I am interested to see how that will impact the future Zephyr dreams of for Ren.

Overall a good fantasy!

Strike the Zither was so good, it took me a whole week vacation just to process it and collect my thoughts. While sitting in the sun, enjoying a nice drink, and trying to relax, Strike the Zither would creep into my thoughts out of no where and go “REMEMBER WHEN…?” Joan He has written another wonderful novel that is clearly unforgettable. It is without doubt that He is a writer to look out for.

In Strike the Zither, there are many elements that is normally found in a story, but Joan takes them and flips it, and just makes it works. Joan was able to create characters that are memorable and even stands out among others. Even with the classic Joan He twist, anything is a possibility in this story, so you can never assume what’s next and sometimes, that is just what a novel needs to keep turning the pages. I’m never disappointed in any of He’s books, and personally, I don’t think it could disappoint anyone else. Everything you need is in this book. This book has it all. This book is simply amazing.

Everything Joan He writes is fantastic, and this was a great opener to her first series! I love found family, and this is a story that we don't often see retellings for in Western publishing and I really enjoyed it!

3.5 stars.

While it might have been the stunning cover that drew me in (I seriously love it), I was intrigued to see how Joan He would write a story inspired by a Chinese classic and put her own twist on it. He pulled together a plot that combines strategy, battlefields, politics, power plays and fate; it really piqued my interest to see what Zephyr would put into motion next as part of her plans, and to see the fallout after the course of action had been taken.

Unfortunately, I didn't necessarily feel very connected to the characters nor did I find them to be particular standouts; this also affected how I felt about the various character relationships (especially the very minimal hints at romantic ties). I <i>wanted</i> to feel more deeply for these individuals, but I sadly didn't.

It didn't end up being a new favorite, but I did find myself drawn into the story. And I'm sufficiently curious to see how things play out in the next book, which is always a go

Joan He’s Strike the Zither is a gorgeously constructed fantasy that reimagines the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes called The Three Kingdoms). The original tale is one of the first books I read as a history student introducing myself to China’s history and culture. I was interested in reading He’s book as a possible novel for me to use in a Chinese history course that I teach. It’s a wonderful blend of old and new, making it accessible to students new to Chinese history and culture, while also retaining the important elements key to the classic that I want to convey to my students. When the sequel comes out, I’ll definitely be assigning He’s work.

I loved this book. I’ve been a fan of Joan He’s writing since her debut, DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE and I was confident I’d love STZ just as much. I wasn’t wrong! I loved the inspiration behind this story as well as the characters. The found family vibes and romance are so great in this story. I can’t wait to read the sequel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this book not knowing it was going to be part of a series, but I was so glad to get to the end and learn that there would be more to read! I love a good political intrigue story and wow did Strike the Zither deliver. I loved the scale of the story, the balance between action and scheming, and the twist was fantastic. I'll definitely be back again to read the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I loved reading this book. The writing is sharp, the characters are 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. All of the characters were so compelling, with the mythology in the story being so interesting! I can’t wait for book two! Also, the cover is absolutely beautiful!

Another fantastic read by He! This sprawling epic fantasy delivers a powerful read full of delightfully complex female characters that'll keep you engaged til the last page!

"Strike the Zither" by Joan He is a book I really enjoyed. With its vivid storytelling and rich world-building, it transported me to a captivating world inspired by ancient China. The protagonist's journey, filled with music, rebellion, and the pursuit of justice, kept me engaged from beginning to end. The intricate relationships and intricate politics added depth to the story, making it a compelling read. Overall, "Strike the Zither" is a beautifully crafted novel that left a lasting impression, and I highly recommend it to fans of historical fantasy.