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nolaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
axelle's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jlwilson's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
laelyn's review against another edition
4.0
The first book by Joan He I read was "The Ones We're Meant to Find", and I knew then that I would read absolutely anything she'd ever write. Her prose is gorgeous, her works are masterfully crafted and her characters tend to stay with me beyond the page. The same can be said for her newest book, "Strike the Zither", a loose retelling of the Three Kingdoms. A classic I, admittedly, have never read, though that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this first part in what I think is going to be a duology.
"Strike the Zither" tells the story of a master strategist known most famously as Zephyr who is devoted to a lordess fighting against a cruel warlord and possibly usurper. I loved the clever political manouvering, I loved the mature way of handling the war aspects in the story. I loved how Zephyr was not written to be likeable from the very start - she's arrogant, she's aloof, she's cold and seemingly only interested in her own victories and not the people she fights for. Obviously, I loved her from the very first page. She develops into so much more, and really, I don't want to talk more about her because I don't want to get spoilery. All the side characters are complex and intriguing, though He doesn't spend as much time on some of them as they deserve. I also, admittedly, wasn't too much of a fan of the budding romance between Zephyr and enemy strategist Crow, mostly because while I understood where the chemistry comes from, I didn't feel it on the page and they developed feelings way too quickly and superficially. I'm not too fond of Crow as a character so far, so that might be a reason.
There is a big twist about halfway into the story, and this might be a hit or miss for many readers. I admit I'm not sure if I'm entirely on board with the new direction the story goes in, and I enjoyed the first half of the book more, but it's still intriguing and I absolutely need to read the second book.
All in all - not my favourite by the author, but an amazing book nonetheless that I simply could not put down.
Many thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for the arc!
"Strike the Zither" tells the story of a master strategist known most famously as Zephyr who is devoted to a lordess fighting against a cruel warlord and possibly usurper. I loved the clever political manouvering, I loved the mature way of handling the war aspects in the story. I loved how Zephyr was not written to be likeable from the very start - she's arrogant, she's aloof, she's cold and seemingly only interested in her own victories and not the people she fights for. Obviously, I loved her from the very first page. She develops into so much more, and really, I don't want to talk more about her because I don't want to get spoilery. All the side characters are complex and intriguing, though He doesn't spend as much time on some of them as they deserve. I also, admittedly, wasn't too much of a fan of the budding romance between Zephyr and enemy strategist Crow, mostly because while I understood where the chemistry comes from, I didn't feel it on the page and they developed feelings way too quickly and superficially. I'm not too fond of Crow as a character so far, so that might be a reason.
There is a big twist about halfway into the story, and this might be a hit or miss for many readers. I admit I'm not sure if I'm entirely on board with the new direction the story goes in, and I enjoyed the first half of the book more, but it's still intriguing and I absolutely need to read the second book.
All in all - not my favourite by the author, but an amazing book nonetheless that I simply could not put down.
Many thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for the arc!
scribe391's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Narrated by Zephyr, He’s Chinese fantasy is confusing.
real__jmt's review against another edition
5.0
4.7/5 Stars (Rounded up to 5) - I knew I was going to like this, but wow I did not realize how invested I would become in these characters. Still processing, but YES I already preordered the sequel that comes out next month, maybe 2-3 weeks ago haha
A book I am so glad I never gave up on that was on my TBR.
A book I am so glad I never gave up on that was on my TBR.
losthought323's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
xaijar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What an amazing book! I love the Chinese history and mythology inspired world! The characters are so interesting, I especially love the stunning character art illustrations at the beginning of the book.
So many twists! I can't believe that Zephyr turned out to be a god, which makes so much sense why Ku didn't believe her to be her sister.
I was so sad when Lotus dies in battle. But then Zephyr took possession of Lotus' body?! That's crazy and so awesome!
I panicked when a legend Qilin (nice name synonym) appeared in the battle at the end, then sweated more when it was the Masked Mother! What does she have planned?
Cicada is a two-timing son-of-a-gun! She killed our girl Zephyr! But what's insane is the Crow is a double agent working for Cicada! Didn't see any of this coming!
Loved this book! But I can't stop now! I have an eARC of Sound The Gong to read!
What an amazing book! I love the Chinese history and mythology inspired world! The characters are so interesting, I especially love the stunning character art illustrations at the beginning of the book.
I was so sad when Lotus dies in battle. But then Zephyr took possession of Lotus' body?! That's crazy and so awesome!
I panicked when a legend Qilin (nice name synonym) appeared in the battle at the end, then sweated more when it was the Masked Mother! What does she have planned?
Cicada is a two-timing son-of-a-gun! She killed our girl Zephyr! But what's insane is the Crow is a double agent working for Cicada! Didn't see any of this coming!
Loved this book! But I can't stop now! I have an eARC of Sound The Gong to read!