Strike the Zither by Joan He

I read a lot, and though it took me longer to read due to having a newborn, I felt like I flew through Strike the Zither by Joan He and can't wait to read the sequel when it comes out. It has made me want to get her other books to read when I have some time. I was first brought into the story through the beautiful cover art and character art at the beginning of the novel. A fictionalized story loosely based on Chinese history, the book nods to the Chinese culture through the art styles, the chapter numbers in Chinese script, and the names of the characters.

The plot follows Zephyr, a strategist for a landless lordess Xin Ren. Zephyr somehow manages to survive a multitude of near death experiences and gets Ren out of many scrapes as they fight for what Ren believes is right. Without spoiling too much, Zephyr goes to the enemy's side to try and recruit more support for Ren. In doing so, she finds people she'd never thought she would see again and made a multitude of frenemies along the way. She is often forced to make the difficult choices that no one else is capable of making, often making her hated and loved at the same time.

One of the things I loved about the story is I couldn't predict everything that would happen. Like Zephyr, I think I can predict what will come next, and once again, like Zephyr, I'm left surprised often about what happens when Zephyr gains new friends and faces more betrayals as she seeks to lead Ren to the power she deserves. Definitely consider this story if you like political intrigue mixed with a healthy dose of fantasy. I'll definitely be picking up more stories from Joan He in the future.