A review by neuroqueer
Strike the Zither by Joan He

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Quick takeaways:

Protagonist(s): Good

Antagonist(s): Range from subtle and interesting to obvious and plot device

Plot: Three Kingdoms based so intriguing

Writing: Good

Overall: B

Thoughts:

Did anyone else play Dynasty Warriors when they were young?

That’s how I first got exposed to the Three Kingdoms story. I’m a sucker for legends and fighting and I did go down the rabbit hole of learning more about the real life counterparts to these video game characters (I love Zhen Ji in game but she was so screwed over IRL). So, I have a surface knowledge of the Three Kingdoms.

Since this book takes from the Three Kingdoms, at times it is as exciting, action packed and subterfuge-filled as the original story. A lot of the characters are switched from male to female (eg. Zephyr, our lead, represents Zhuge Liang). The world felt like gender didn’t matter which was great. I did like Zephyr. She was worked in realism, not idealism. In regards to other characters, Miasma(representing Cao Cao), Crow(representing Zhou Yu) and Cicada (representing Sun Quan?) were interesting and felt like they did have some layers. Everyone else was fine but not notable. I think weakest character was Ren (representing Liu Bei). It felt like everyone said she was a great leader but I didn’t really see that enough in terms of her actions. It’s possible it is because we don’t spend a lot of time with her. However, if Zephyr’s core goal is to help Ren, I want to see what makes Ren so special.

Sometimes, it felt slow but picked up after a while.

I didn’t get why Crow liked Zephyr so much instantly at first. After finishing and thinking, I realized it was more respect than an instalove thing. He knew of her prowess beforehand and his respect grew as he got to know her. There is some bubbling romance there but not instalove which I’m grateful for.

The biggest change is when we go to stanza 1 to stanza 2 of the book (part 1 to part 2). I don’t want to give away spoilers but it really jumped the shark for me at first. It DOES work in that Zephyr had to balance even more secrets while trying to achieve her goals. However, it took a while for me to accept it. The twist can even been seen as convenient or maybe a deus ex machina for possible upcoming situations. I feel that it also takes away from Zephry and her abilities a bit.

It took me a bit to get into the book but I did like it. I wasn’t wowed but it is good. I will keep an eye out for the sequel.