Book 1

Strike the Zither

by Joan He

Published 25 October 2022

An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and questions of identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by the Three Kingdoms, the first of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But 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.


Book 2

Sound the Gong

by Joan He

Published 30 April 2024