Strike the Zither: 1 (Kingdom of Three)

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Strike the Zither is a book I’ve been looking forward to since first hearing that Joan He was writing another book, I really enjoyed The Ones We’re Meant to Find and I’d had Descendant of the Crane on my TBR since its release… Honestly, reading Strike the Zither has basically put DOTC as high up on my TBR as possible because I ADORED Strike the Zither, it’s easily one of my top 10 reads of this year and a new favourite.

Strike the Zither | Joan He | 9781250258588 | NetGalley Strike the Zither | Joan He | 9781250258588 | NetGalley

He: This is actually something that was extremely well done in the original Three Kingdoms books—the brotherhoods, that is. Despite there also being a heavy thread on the importance of belonging to the correct bloodline and fighting for your relatives, some of the best relationships are those that we would nowadays consider found family. The names Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei (Xin Ren, Cloud, and Lotus in my book) are synonymous with brotherhood, and in a tome filled with advisors who don’t hesitate to switch sides when their own lords fall, Zhuge Liang’s undying loyalty to Liu Bei, as a strategist to his lord, really hit me as the heart of the book. per tradition, going to answer some FAQs I've seen floating around here where readers can easily find them!Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. An ambitious young strategist risks death in a bid to turn the tides of war in an alternate historical China. Death and I have met before. In this regard, I’m no different from hundreds if not thousands of orphans. Our parents died to famine or plague or some rampaging warlord, rising up in droves under the empire’s waning power. Death may have spared me then, but I know it’s there, a lingering shadow. Some people have the physical abilities to outrun it. I don’t bother. My mind is my light, my candle. The shadow flees me, not the other way around.

Strike the Zither | Joan He | 9781911231417 | NetGalley Strike the Zither | Joan He | 9781911231417 | NetGalley

Don’t you dare, I think to my body as I ride farther down the line, shouting until I’m hoarse. I pass a girl shrieking for her sister. Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close 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?Watching a Chinese drama — that’s what reading Joan He’s Strike the Zither, a reimagining of the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, feels a lot like. The sheer amount of characters, the epic dynamics, and the power struggles all exemplify the essence of a Chinese television drama, complete with the historical costuming and richly evocative setting. One has to applaud He for taking such an esteemed story into her own creative hands. A dazzling new fantasy from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, Strike the Zither is a powerful, inventive, and sweeping fantasy that reimagines the Chinese classic tale of the Three Kingdoms.

STRIKE THE ZITHER’s Epic Female Fantasy Joan He Talks STRIKE THE ZITHER’s Epic Female Fantasy

But even the universe is subject to unseen forces. The next night, a meteorite punched my mentor and his outhouse clean into the ground. 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. Steady.” Hands, closed around my upper arms. A face: hawk-beak brows, nose bridge scarred. It’s Tourmaline, Xin Ren’s third general—the only general of Ren’s with a fitting sobriquet, seeing as Tourmaline’s disposition is as solid as the gemstone. We tolerate each other, as far as warriors and strategists go. But right now, Tourmaline isn’t the person I want to see.

Most violence is in the context of battles with soldiers using weapons like swords, arrows, maces, and glaives. Blood is mentioned spraying, seeping, etc., but isn't described in detail. A couple of beheadings without gory descriptions. Mention of sounds like crunching and punching, and some descriptions of pain. Sex and violence briefly paired once when a character bites the lip of someone she's kissing hard enough to draw blood. There's a gruesome description of a young man in chains being tortured while surrounded by dead bodies sprouting plants.