Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Epic duology starter is intriguing if a bit uneven.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
STRIKE THE ZITHER tells the story of 16-year-old Zephyr, who despite an early life of depravation and loss is now the strategist to the female warlord Xin Ren. With a weak and young empress now on the throne, three warlordesses have begun to make their moves to take the throne for themselves, including Xin Ren. But Xin Ren rules no territory in her own right, and so relies on Zephyr to form alliances and gain footholds in Xin Ren's family territory. In order to help Xin Ren, Zephyr will have to balance on a tightrope between loyalty and betrayal, love and hate, even life and death.
Is It Any Good?
Author Joan He has created an intriguing and epic fantasy world that feels full of promise. Strike the Zither has a large cast of well-developed characters, lots of intrigue, and a plot that keeps the pages turning. Teen fantasy fans will enjoy exploring important issues like loyalty, friendship, mortality, family, and more through relatable narrator Zephyr's eyes.
Where the story falls a little short is with world building, particularly the aspects of the immortal world, which some readers may wish was more richly fleshed out, and which could almost be a separate book itself. But with at least one more planned volume, and the story by no means over with, fans will look forward to the next installment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Strike the Zither. Is it too much? Does it matter if it's fantasy violence or in the real world? Why, or why not?
Is Zephyr a positive role model? What are her character strengths and weaknesses?
Why are fantasy series so popular? What do we love about them? What are some of your favorites?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date : October 25, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate