A New Adventure Based on an Ancient Story: Strike the Zither

8 May

Fantasy can be ground for many great and original works, many of which go on to become well beloved classics. It can also be grounds for retellings of fairy tales, legends, and mythology of all sorts, leaving for a different sort of take on a classic story. Love them or hate them, they are a staple that will continue for times to come. 

In this retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, author Joan He tells the story of Zephyr, an orphan who would grow up to become one of the greatest strategist in the kingdom, serving under warlordess Xin Rin, whose loyalty to the puppet empress is a double edged sword that could put their survival in danger. When forced to infiltrate an enemy camp, Zephyr meets the mysterious Crow, a strategist from a rival kingdom who is her intellectual match. The destined meeting forces both of them to realize that there are more enemies around them and not all of them are human. 

If you are a reader who is not familiar with the story of the Three Kingdoms, this is a great book to learn about it while seeing the author’s take on this classic tale. Joan He’s narrative style is quite enthralling, pulling the reader right at the height of a danger, letting us see first hand just how skilled Zephyr’s skills are in the art of strategy and into her personality. Zephyr is quite a fun character to read about, confident to the point of arrogance, but still quite endearing at the same time. 

The second of our main cast of characters is Crow and from the moment he and Zephyr meet, there is immediate tension between them on a multitude of levels. They clearly match each other in terms of intelligence and the sparks of something more between them is undeniable. In terms of personality, while Zephyr is arrogant to an almost boisterous degree, Crow is much more quiet and mysterious, but still just as intelligent, and arrogant, as Zephyr. Of those she has encountered, it is only Crow that Zephyr considers to be a true rival. The plot is very well paced and has a great set of twists and turns that will make readers want to reach for the sequel, Sound the Gong, out now. For readers seeking a new adventure, Strike the Zither, is one not to be missed!

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Information and Digital Services Assistant

Tags:

A World War II Fantasy: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

1 May

In the last decade or so, fantasy has taken on many forms. Before, many thought of those with a medieval like setting as falling into the genre of fantasy. Now, however, fantasy can have a multitude of time era inspired settings from modern day to Ancient Greece, and in the case of Divine Rivals, a World War II inspired setting.

Iris Winnow is desperately trying to keep the scraps of family together. Her mother suffers from addiction and her older brother, Forest, is missing from the front lines. The only hope to improve her situation is to win a promotion as a columnist at the prestigious Oath Gazette, a title she and her rival, Roman Kitt are competing for.

The setting takes place in the fictional world off Cambria with a World War II inspired setting with fictional gods that wage war over who will rule.

Rebecca Ross’ writing style is quite a sophisticated one, the tone and speech of the characters matching the era in which the story is set, but still easy enough to understand for readers without being over the top.

One of the more interesting aspects of this novel is why there is a war in the first place. Rather than a battle between countries or governments, it is instead a war of gods who had laid dormant for thousands of years before awakening and seeking dominance over the world. It’s an interesting idea that gets some exploration within the novel. However, there are two main focuses within the book itself. The first one is with Iris and her relationship with her brother, Forest. It is clear that they both have a strong sibling bond and that his going off to war has affected her deeply. The letters they write to each other are touching and make the reader root for them to be reunited.

The second focus point is on Iris’ relationship with Roman Kitt, her journalistic rival and love interest throughout the book. Roman is also quite the interesting character to read, haughty, but it’s clear he cares for Iris and the plight regarding her brother. While their relationship does technically fall into the category of enemies to lovers (a trope that has become quite popular) it’s done in a way where it doesn’t come off as them being cruel to each other and to go with the title of the book, they are more rivals than they are enemies.

The plot doesn’t race through its beats, nor does it slow down to a crawl, but instead it carries the reader right along as we join these two on their adventure. The ending will leave readers desperate to get their hands on the second book, Ruthless Vows, as soon as possible!

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Information and Digital Services Assistant

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries