PeasReads: Sound the Gong Joan He

From the publisher:

The epic conclusion to the Kingdom of Three duology

All her life, Zephyr has tried to rise above her humble origins as a no-name orphan. Now she is a god in a warrior’s body, and never has she felt more powerless. Her lordess Xin Ren holds the Westlands, but her position is tenuous. In the north, the empress remains under Miasma’s thumb. In the south, the alliance with Cicada is in pieces.

Fate also seems to have a different winner in mind for the three kingdoms, but Zephyr has no intentions of respecting it. She will pay any price to see Ren succeed―and she will make her enemies pay, especially one dark-haired, dark-eyed Crow. What she’ll do when she finds out the truth―that he worked for the South all along…

Only the heavens know. 

REVIEW:

I was so glad I was able to this book right after Strike the Zither. The story picks up where it left off in the first book. Zephyr continues her quest to make Ren the victor and bring unity to the three kingdoms. Though she has new struggles and speed bumps, she knows that she wants to help Ren win this war. There are so many opticals and a huge twist at the end. This book is very much like the first read if you like Asian retellings, strategy, mind games, twists, and turns,  this one is for you.

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I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Peasreads: Strike The Zither by Joan He

From the publisher:

Book 1 in the Kingdom of Three duology, a reimagining of the Chinese classic

三国演义 helmed by a lady Zhuge Liang 

he 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.

Only 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 honor 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.

My review

To say I devoured this series in a few days is not an exaggeration. Strike the Zither is a classic Chinese tragedy with so many twists and turns. I haven't read the original Three Kingdoms. I still loved the mystery, mind games, strategy, and how each character handles war and loss. This is a great book for those who like Asian retellings, strategy, war, rivals to lovers to enemies fans.

#NetGalley 

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”