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A review by tales_of_a_bookbug
Strike the Zither by Joan He
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's been a while since a fantasy book wow-ed me like this but I'm very happy about this one!🤩 There's nothing I could love more than a calculating and arrogant protagonist in my books! I'm a Zephyr fangirl now 😆 I also love sickly love interests so that was an added bonus!
This one is a genderbent reimagining of Three Kingdoms set in a realm with many warring factions and Zephyr is the strategist for Xin Ren, a warlordess with her own set of principles. Zephyr is determined to win the war for her, even if it means that she'll have to pretend to betray her while infiltrating their enemy Miasma's camp. She also wants to secure some alliances for Ren and is ready to make some sacrifices for it. But things don't always go according to plan, do they? And Miasma's strategist Crow seems to see right through her and he has some surprises hidden up his sleeve(pocket?😂)
I loved the writing and the characters in this one! Zephyr(one of her many sobriquets) is a multifaceted character with her arrogance, intelligence and talents. She's quite ruthless at times - to herself and others, but her loyalty to Ren is unshakable and that makes her very interesting! I also loved Ren and her swornsisters - Lotus, Cloud and Tourmaline. They were all very different in character and in their relationship with Zephyr too(varying from like to dislike) but they have such close knit bonds!
There was constant action and the political intrigue had me turning the pages! There were some nice twists in the second half and towards the end too! The hints of romance with Crow had me smiling but I'm hesitant to hope for more as I don't know how things will work out in book two after that ending. Safe to say, I'm very excited to read Sound The Gong now!
Also, love the character illustrations and artwork in the paperback version!❣️✨
This one is a genderbent reimagining of Three Kingdoms set in a realm with many warring factions and Zephyr is the strategist for Xin Ren, a warlordess with her own set of principles. Zephyr is determined to win the war for her, even if it means that she'll have to pretend to betray her while infiltrating their enemy Miasma's camp. She also wants to secure some alliances for Ren and is ready to make some sacrifices for it. But things don't always go according to plan, do they? And Miasma's strategist Crow seems to see right through her and he has some surprises hidden up his sleeve(pocket?😂)
I loved the writing and the characters in this one! Zephyr(one of her many sobriquets) is a multifaceted character with her arrogance, intelligence and talents. She's quite ruthless at times - to herself and others, but her loyalty to Ren is unshakable and that makes her very interesting! I also loved Ren and her swornsisters - Lotus, Cloud and Tourmaline. They were all very different in character and in their relationship with Zephyr too(varying from like to dislike) but they have such close knit bonds!
There was constant action and the political intrigue had me turning the pages! There were some nice twists in the second half and towards the end too! The hints of romance with Crow had me smiling but I'm hesitant to hope for more as I don't know how things will work out in book two after that ending. Safe to say, I'm very excited to read Sound The Gong now!
Also, love the character illustrations and artwork in the paperback version!❣️✨