If you are familiar with the Chinese classic The Three Kingdoms, you will immediately recognise some similar elements between it and Strike the Zither. The Three Kingdoms has always been my favourite classic growing up—it depicts war, conflicts, and power struggles that occurred during the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Even if you have no knowledge of The Three Kingdoms, it will not affect the reading experience and the author offers notes at the back to provide more insights into the original story. I was immediately captured by Strike the Zither when it is said to be inspired by The Three Kingdoms, but instead of emperors and warlords, there are empresses and warlordesses!
Zephyr, our protagonist (who is based on the character Zhu Geliang), is considered to be the best strategist in the country and serves under Xin Ren, a warlordess. She is ambitious, motivated, and extremely loyal. After being cornered by the enemies in a battle with no escape route, the only way to stay alive is for her to infiltrate the enemy’s army. Will her plan succeed, or will she end up getting herself and her people killed? Since the story is written from Zephyr’s point of view in the first-person narration, Joan He really dives deep into her complex characteristics. Additionally, the novel contains found family and we see characters struggle with their identities and where their loyalties actually lie. On top of that, there is also continuous war and bloodshed happening.
One thing that strikes me when reading Strike the Zither is that Zephyr’s ambitiousness. She knows what she desires, and she will stop at nothing to achieve them. She is not afraid to be misunderstood, as long as her goals are accomplished. She does not trust easily, but she goes to extreme lengths to protect the ones she cares about. What this book does not lack is its complexity and diversity of characters as they are all complicated, and it is interesting to see Zephyr’s dynamic with each one of them. We have Xin Ren, Zephyr’s warlordess, whom Zephyr goes to great lengths to make sure she gains power. Xin Ren is strong and incredibly loyal, despite her underdog position within the three kingdoms, she has a strong moral code, and it would be nice to see their relationship progress in the sequel. There is also Miasma, another ambitious warlordess, yet extremely cruel and vicious, and also Lotus, a hothead but utterly devoted to her warlordess and her country; and then there’s Crow.
Whilst romance is not a huge plot of the story, we do see Zephyr having potential romantic relations with a potential love interest. Crow is the strategist for the opposite army (the one Zephyr infiltrated yes indeed), and things are getting more complicated. He’s the only one that Zephyr sees as a dangerous rivalry (enemies-to-lovers! What more do you want?), and their dynamic is quite intense. Crow is a quiet but nonetheless threatening presence, and he does not trust Zephyr has truly defected to their side. And guess what, he also plays the zither! Not a lot is told about Crow’s background in this one, and I sincerely hope the second book will cover more.
The plot twists in the book are INSANE! One could never tell where the story is going to go in the next page, it is difficult to say anything without the plot being spoiled but be prepared to have your mind blown. Since this book is the first one in a duology, there are still plenty of unanswered questions which hopefully will be resolved in the sequel. There are also character arts within the book, and they are GORGEOUS!
Overall, Joan He does an interesting feminine twist on the original Three Kingdoms story. For readers of the fantasy genre, if you love found family, war, rivalry, conflicts, and a dash of romance, don’t hesitate to pick this up!
Strike the Zither is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.
But Zephyr knows it’s no contest.
Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren’s honour draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren’s followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.
An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.
