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willow_heartfilia's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Blood, War, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Terminal illness and Chronic illness
The terminal/chronic illness warning is very mild, as it is a side character from the enemy's side of the war with consumption (tuberculosis). And, while it does come up multiple times throughout...olive_lol's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Whether you like Zephyr will make or break this book for you. I loved Zephyr, so I had a great time reading. Her ego gives the narration so much personality, and every description reinforces her character and how she sees the world. I spent most of the book ignoring her romance, though. I thought it was unnecessary, and I was more invested in other parts of the story.
Because of the nature of the plot twist in the middle, I felt like the second half was somewhat disconected from the first. However, putting Zephyr into a warrior's body is a clever way to spark character development, considering she originally didn't respect warriors. I also wish we had gotten to know side characters like Lotus and Cloud better in the first half.
Overall, a fun book with a lot of personality and a divisive protagonist.
Overall, a fun book with a lot of personality and a divisive protagonist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Chronic illness, and Child death
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
I love this book so much, it is such a powerful fantasy rife with imaginative imagery and subtle symbolism. The female character is strong and uses her wits to her advantage causing a cat and mouse game to occur. Political machinations and history are strong in this book and I loved it so much I bought it! (Read originally as a library book)
The cover is beautiful, but I really love how you get character art in the beginning which helps you to get an idea for what the characters look like. (Quite frankly it is hands down the best character art I have ever seen)
The cover is beautiful, but I really love how you get character art in the beginning which helps you to get an idea for what the characters look like. (Quite frankly it is hands down the best character art I have ever seen)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, War, and Murder
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
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
This book starts out a bit rough and I probably would have DNFed it if any of my other library requests were available, but I persevered and ultimately I'm glad I did. There was an unexpected twist at around the half-way mark that took the book in a different direction than I expected, and then how that twist played out was also different than I expected, so the author managed to keep me on my toes.
Still don't understand why she insisted on using words like "wardlordess", "prime minstress", and "milordess" and why her editor let her get away with it, but that's beside the point.
One thing I liked about this book is that Zephyr is pretty arrogant. It makes her unlikeable at times, but we could use more unlikeable female leads. But more to the point, so many YA heroines spend way too much of the book bemoaning how plain, unremarkable, and untalented they are. It was refreshing to see a young woman who was confident in her skills and her worth in the world, even if this unfortunately resulted in her being a bit of a jerk to people who didn't really deserve it.
If you'd like a fantasy-tinged YA retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms where most of the main players are women, and you don't mind the inclusion of the typical 19 year old mysterious love interest, go ahead and give this a try.
Also, quick note: MC appears to be straight but there is a side character with a same-sex crush and this is treated as normal. The MC is a jerk about a lot of things but she's not a homophobe!
Still don't understand why she insisted on using words like "wardlordess", "prime minstress", and "milordess" and why her editor let her get away with it, but that's beside the point.
One thing I liked about this book is that Zephyr is pretty arrogant. It makes her unlikeable at times, but we could use more unlikeable female leads. But more to the point, so many YA heroines spend way too much of the book bemoaning how plain, unremarkable, and untalented they are. It was refreshing to see a young woman who was confident in her skills and her worth in the world, even if this unfortunately resulted in her being a bit of a jerk to people who didn't really deserve it.
If you'd like a fantasy-tinged YA retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms where most of the main players are women, and you don't mind the inclusion of the typical 19 year old mysterious love interest, go ahead and give this a try.
Also, quick note: MC appears to be straight but there is a side character with a same-sex crush and this is treated as normal. The MC is a jerk about a lot of things but she's not a homophobe!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, and Chronic illness
Minor: Death of parent and Animal death
TW animal death:krheid's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Death
Minor: Chronic illness
art_books_chemistry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Upfront, my biggest issue with Strike the Zither was that as soon as the book started, I felt as if I was jumping into the middle of a story which was already halfway to it's conclusion. I became quite lost and it took awhile for me to really connect to the characters because I felt like I was playing catch-up trying to keep several moving pieces straight. I also found it hard to visualize where various meetings and battles were taking place. Part of this is because I listened to it as an audiobook, a map that would normally be found in a visual book would have made this easier.
The other reason I took off some star points is due to me being unable to connect to the characters. I found them very superficial for the most part. In this regard, the writing became better towards the end of the book. There was some introspective moments from the main character but the rest of the cast is still not developed as well as I would hope after over 10 hours of audio.
This leads me into my next point which is that I found the plot to be overall straightforward until the second "part". The introduction of the god subplot threw the main plot into utter confusion. I do like that it was a twist I didn't see coming but it could have been integrated much more cohesively into the main plot. Between this and the aforementioned character development issues, I think the author would have been better off making this two books: one for the first "part" of the book and one for the second "part". This would have allowed for more in depth background and development of not just the characters but also the geography and magic of the novel. I was severely lacking the connection with playing a zither from the first half of the book, though some of that was explained later on.
Although I personally did not enjoy this novel overall, I'm sure it would still appeal to others who like fantasy.
The other reason I took off some star points is due to me being unable to connect to the characters. I found them very superficial for the most part. In this regard, the writing became better towards the end of the book. There was some introspective moments from the main character but the rest of the cast is still not developed as well as I would hope after over 10 hours of audio.
This leads me into my next point which is that I found the plot to be overall straightforward until the second "part". The introduction of the god subplot threw the main plot into utter confusion. I do like that it was a twist I didn't see coming but it could have been integrated much more cohesively into the main plot. Between this and the aforementioned character development issues, I think the author would have been better off making this two books: one for the first "part" of the book and one for the second "part". This would have allowed for more in depth background and development of not just the characters but also the geography and magic of the novel. I was severely lacking the connection with playing a zither from the first half of the book, though some of that was explained later on.
Although I personally did not enjoy this novel overall, I'm sure it would still appeal to others who like fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
lastblossom's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advance copy.
tl;dr
A beautifully written book with powerful characters and a rollercoaster ride of plot twists that's nearly impossible to put down.
About
In a land torn by war, three warlordesses fight for control. Zephyr is a brilliant strategist, and she'll do whatever it takes to keep her lordess Xin Ren safe. With armies at their heels and resources thin, Zephyr's only choice is to infiltrate the enemy's ranks and destroy them from within. But when the enemy's strategist Crow appears, has she finally met her match?
Thoughts
I'm already counting down the days to the sequel. The author's notes in the back state that this is her favorite book, and with good reason. It's an excellent book. War stratagems and human complexity clash beautifully and painfully in this retelling of The Three Kingdoms (although no familiarity with the original is necessary to enjoy this). The plot drives the story, but there's plenty of space for human interaction, including very thoughtful portrayals of the many different forms of sisterhood. Zephyr is an absolutely stunning main character. Bold, capable, confident, and utterly unshakeable. As much as I love a story where the MC learns to believe in themselves, getting to read one where they already do is truly exhilarating. Crow is a fantastic foil (and potential love interest?) - clever, moody, and full of secrets. I loved seeing him and Zephyr match wits. Writing is fast-paced, and evocative, with plot twists furling out with increasing urgency. And that ending! Ahhhh!
I'd also like to take the time to appreciate that notes in the back offer insight into the original Three Kingdoms story for curious readers, and there are a handful of gorgeous character illustrations in the front. (I, uh, wouldn't mind one for Crow in the second volume.)
tl;dr
A beautifully written book with powerful characters and a rollercoaster ride of plot twists that's nearly impossible to put down.
About
In a land torn by war, three warlordesses fight for control. Zephyr is a brilliant strategist, and she'll do whatever it takes to keep her lordess Xin Ren safe. With armies at their heels and resources thin, Zephyr's only choice is to infiltrate the enemy's ranks and destroy them from within. But when the enemy's strategist Crow appears, has she finally met her match?
Thoughts
I'm already counting down the days to the sequel. The author's notes in the back state that this is her favorite book, and with good reason. It's an excellent book. War stratagems and human complexity clash beautifully and painfully in this retelling of The Three Kingdoms (although no familiarity with the original is necessary to enjoy this). The plot drives the story, but there's plenty of space for human interaction, including very thoughtful portrayals of the many different forms of sisterhood. Zephyr is an absolutely stunning main character. Bold, capable, confident, and utterly unshakeable. As much as I love a story where the MC learns to believe in themselves, getting to read one where they already do is truly exhilarating. Crow is a fantastic foil (and potential love interest?) - clever, moody, and full of secrets. I loved seeing him and Zephyr match wits. Writing is fast-paced, and evocative, with plot twists furling out with increasing urgency. And that ending! Ahhhh!
I'd also like to take the time to appreciate that notes in the back offer insight into the original Three Kingdoms story for curious readers, and there are a handful of gorgeous character illustrations in the front. (I, uh, wouldn't mind one for Crow in the second volume.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, and War
Minor: Alcohol and Animal death
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