Strike the Zither: 1 (Kingdom of Three)

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He] has crafted a world immense scope, artfully tweaking history to create a story where the fate of a realm lies in the hands of unapologetically fierce women…Unique and intelligent.’ Weather Manipulation: Zephyr is able to affect the weather to an extent thanks to her latent divine powers. I struggled to follow the story a bit. Zephyr was supposed to be doing these grand things but I felt like I kept missing them happen and then the scenes would be over. For example, I’m still not sure how Zephyr convinced Miasma to let her join her side because I feel like it would have taken a lot to prove that she defected from her original leader, but she pretty much just walks up and is like “I’m on your side now” and Miasma believes her. It was very weird. Joan He takes no prisoners, and STRIKE THE ZITHER is her latest triumph. An intricate, expansive epic...this book is as ambitious as its scheming, ruthless cast—and just like its narrator, delivers above and beyond." - Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow series and Little Thieves

Strike The Zither by Joan He | The Nerd Daily Review: Strike The Zither by Joan He | The Nerd Daily

God in Human Form: Zephyr used to be a god and was punished by being sent to the human world in Qilin's body without her powers or memories. This is a Joan He novel, so I already knew to expect plot twists and pain. However, while reading, I really never knew what would happen next. Even if I could predict one part, I had no idea how it would play out. At one point, I told myself it had to be a stopping point so I could sleep, but I couldn’t bring myself to put the book down. Wouldn’t help us. It’s not just Miasma we’re up against: Our own numbers are bogging us down. We must evacuate everyone, Ren said sternly when I suggested it was time we flee our current town for the next. Miasma will slaughter the commonfolk just for harboring us.Strike the Zither was full of mind reeling plot twists, a distinct narrator, and unforgettable characters with complex relationships. The Unfavorite: Sikou Hai's parents favored his older brother Sikou Dun, something which helps fuel Sikou Hai's desire to start a coup. Boisterous Bruiser: Lotus, a warrior who loves nothing more than drinking and fighting. She consistently gets on the nerves of the calm strategist Zephyr. What actually happens at the end/to the characters of THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND? Will there be a sequel? updated on April 28, 2023 April 28, 2023 Film Review Suga Explores Self-Identity, Freedom, and Inspiration in ‘SUGA: Road to D-Day’ Follow Us

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What’s in the setting doesn’t quite live up to what’s in the plot. Zephyr is a hard character to empathize with mostly because her attachment to Ku, her sister, seems shoveled in to add the aforementioned empathy. Her narrative voice isn’t truly three-dimensional. Even though readers hear that Zephyr is a strong strategist from others, her first-person point of view doesn’t really make a case for that. The first half of the novel has Zephyr emphasizing what goes into her strategist position without clearly examining the importance of her strategy-making processes or how they came to be. Following that, He throws readers into the story with such a fast momentum that it’s easy to become indifferent to Zephyr’s struggles. Joan He will stun readers with her latest book. Richly layered and highly creative, Strike the Zither offers a world brimming with war, love, and unforgettable characters. A truly magnificent book.’—June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace Gideon Ploy: This strategy is referred to as Beget Something from Nothing, and Zephyr uses it to make Miasma think Ren's army is bigger than it actually is.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. In Strike, we see the world and the cast through Zephyr’s eyes, and this is just one example of imbalance, but she definitely isn’t going to spend as much time interacting with every character she meets. Some characters, she has a first impression of that’s going to be very difficult to change, either because she doesn’t respect them or care to understand them deeper. Those characters, unfortunately, won’t develop until Zephyr develops. So not to be contrary, but the challenge is really listening to the story and letting the character take the reins and embracing the imbalance. 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.

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Thanks for the confidence, Lotus. I already have—three, in fact. Plan one (ditch the commoners) might be off the table, but there’s plan two (cut down trees and pray for rain), and plan three (send a trustworthy general to the bridge at the mountain’s base to hold off Miasma). The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne, and three warlordesses each hope to claim the continent for themselves. Strike the Zither is inspired by the Chinese tale of The Three Kingdoms, something that I have admittedly had no prior experience with. And believe me when I say that it is a twisty tale! Will be the talk of the empire. Think lots of drums and bellowing. Miasma’s generals ran so fast, you’d think we had a hidden force of ten thousand.”

Overall, I don’t think I’m the quite right audience for this book, and I can’t say for certain yet whether or not I will be reading the sequel. Strike the Zither ends on a cliffhanger of sorts that does pique my interest in how the story will progress in the next volume, but I don’ Tourmaline nods. “Exactly ten li, a mountain, and a river away from Miasma’s forces. The rain came just as you said it would. It’ll take them at least a day to clear a path, four to go around.”