I had never heard of The Three Kingdoms until reading Joan He's Author's Note at the end of Strike the Zither. So this is a retelling of The Three Kingdoms with females reimagined into most of the male roles and a couple of pivotal points changed. But it's all new to me! I didn't have a hard time getting into this book at all. I settled right into the story of Zephyr, strategist to Xin Ren. What threw me was what came halfway through! What a twist! It got so much more interesting and fantastical when the twist happened. I have no idea what will be coming in the next books, there was so much swapping sides and backstabbing in this one. I don't think I'll be seeking out The Three Kingdoms so the rest of the series will be a nice surprise to me. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to the second one, Sound the Gong! I'm excited for the cover reveal because the cover of Strike the Zither is so beautiful!