My Review: I was really intrigued by this synopsis, there are not nearly enough re-telling/ adaptations of the myths around Artemis. It is told from 2 perspectives of Atalanta and Kahina, and it was a little confusing at first until the character's voices defined themselves. I was a bit familiar with Atalanta so it was nice to be able to reference the relation to the myths. The writing was pretty simple and easy to read and may make it more approachable. I think if you struggled with Song of Achilles but like the idea, this might be a great book to start with instead; on the other hand if you loved Song of Achilles and the epic poems and mythology of the past, you might find this to be a bit too simplistic. I loved the friendship and the development of the relationships throughout this book, that is what drew me into the story. A great book for those wanting to get more into mythology and re-tellings.

My Review: While I did enjoy this one, and love the focus on Artemis and Atalanta, I did find it a bit tedious. The story and writing was almost a bit to simple for me, as a fan of Epic Poetry and the old myths, I would prefer a bit more to the writing itself. I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

Actual ratig 3.5 of 5 stars

To start, I want to say I was extremely excited to read this retelling of Atalanta of Greek mythology's tale (or at least the start of it). Going into it I was expecting a large twist on her tale, a change in events, possibly a gender bending. Instead I got an almost direct retelling with a lesbian love interest - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this but I had extremely high expectations from all the hype.

So as I said earlier, its a retelling of Atalanta. All the elements are there, Meleager's love and demise, the Huntresses, Artemis and Apollo quarrelling with the best of them, the footraces and the lions. The only major difference I found was the love interest Atalanta and the shunned Huntress, Kahina. I hope for some dramatic twist but was ok with the fact that it didn't differ a grand amount.

I appreciated the multi POV's as it allowed a greater understanding of the story. I also enjoyed the interactions of Kahina and Phelix - it was a welcome change giving a slightly different perspective. Although this is more or less 360 pages of simplified mythology, I quite liked it although I can't honestly say I loved it. As a tale for those new to mythology, it would be a quite interesting read, while for those who are already familiar, it is a welcoming hug from the tales we all know and love.

I enjoyed this one. I think in large part because Atalanta is not one of the myths I've heard retold ad nauseam the last couple of years. Both the leads were great characters, even if they did seem a bit too modern at time. And I liked Artemis and the Hunt idea- we could follow them in another book.
Liked the foot races and the descriptions of the settings were very well down really made me feel present.
I do feel like the pacing could have used some tweaks. The end was pretty out there but hey, it's the Gods right? However I felt like it was kind of all crammed in at once.
Still I will definitely check out Elizabeth Tammi in the future.

Overall I enjoyed this book! It seems to fit the current zeitgeist that’s seen the rebirth of classic tales in works like The Mere-Wife, Circe, and The Silence of the Girls (as well as my own WIP, hehe). I can’t say that Outrun the Wind ranks with other retellings and reimaginings (The Crystal Cave, anyone?) but it was a quick, fun read that represents diverse experiences and presents a light introduction to the concept of narrative adaptation and retelling of classic tales, especially for teen readers.

The book could have delved deeper into some really important issues that it brought up but this is a good first piece. A blog post I read recently argues that both YA books and the YA community isolate teens, the audience they’re intended for, in fundamental ways. Outrun the Wind as a commodity will still isolate teens, it’s kind of hard not to based on some of the points the author of that article brings up, but in terms of character, I feel like this book does a good job of representing teens and their experiences. And to be fair, the concept of an F/F romance set in ancient Greece is cool and different and feminist, which I always love.

The book tells the story of Atalanta, the beautiful hunter-raised wild-child renowned throughout Greece for her speed, and of Kahina, the Ethiopian-Greek Oracle-of-Delphi-turned-Huntress (after being rescued by Artemis’s crew). Atalanta incurs Artemis’s wrath after allegedly slaying the Calydonian boar, created by the goddess to wreak havoc upon the kingdom of Calydon for forgetting to honor her. Turns out it was Kahina who slew the boar on an impulse to save Atalanta. She doesn’t know why she did it, but she does know she’s equal parts terrified to tell Artemis the truth and pissed off at Atalanta for taking the credit (and her golden dagger). Well, since Artemis is omniscient and all, she finds out one of her own Huntresses killed her boar and banishes Kahina to Arkadia—which just happens to be ruled by Atalanta’s long-lost father, King Iasus. Arkadia is the pits: mushy grapes, barely enough fuel to light the torches at night, a tumbledown temple that everybody and their brother (or at least Kahina, Atalanta, and her brother Phelix) all want to ruin for their own reasons. Just as Kahina arrives in Arkadia, Iasus brings his abandoned daughter back to the palace in the hopes of marrying her off and saving Arkadia from itself. Kahina spends most of the book hating Atalanta, being her handmaiden, and teaching her how to use a fork while falling irrevocably in love with her. The girls then devise a footrace to prevent Atalanta’s marriage while bolstering Arkadia’s financial situation, and everyone lives happily ever after (mostly).

I was happy to see the author taking parts of the myth and running with it, but I didn’t feel as if some of these plot points were fleshed out enough. For example, the idea that the Golden Apples were some sort of magical apparatus, almost like a hallucinogen, that distracted Atalanta (rather than a woman’s simple love of shiny things) was unique and engaging. However, I wanted to know more. What are those apples, really? Where did they come from? Who gave them to Hippomenes? What exactly do they do? A little more subtext and foreshadowing would’ve been appreciated.

Finally, it was refreshing to see an F/F love story set in ancient Greece. I feel like this “sapphic interpretation” of the Atalanta story is unique, exploring an aspect of ancient life that we typically associate with scholarly old white guys. I even saw a little bit of polygamy, I think, in there – did anyone else notice a potential love triangle forming among Kahina, Isidora, and Phelix before he bit the dust? I was really hoping the book would have a deeper cultural and social insight on the relationship between Kahina and Atalanta, as witnessed through the eyes of the other characters (and the author does say she did lots of research so I was thinking she might have come across something in this regard); but as it is all we get are a couple of widened eyes. It was fun to follow the growing (or grown) love relationships in this story though, and I was really rooting for Kahina and Atalanta to get over themselves and just fall in love!

Overall this is a quick read and one that engages themes and identities that need greater engagement in genre fiction, particularly fantastical retellings of classic stories like this one. And the world needs more young writers writing YA. The world needs more writers writing about diverse experiences. I hope Tammi will delve deeper into what she started here in her next books.

The book is told in alternating perspectives from Kahina and Atalanta. I think was a good choice and the best way to tell the story, as not all the action occurs when they are together. Yes, their voices were similar but both characters are strong, independent huntresses so it does make sense.

The novel is set in Ancient Greece, however the historical setting didn’t come to life as it does in other novels set in that time period, like Kerry Greenwood’s Delphic Women Series or either of Madeline Miller’s books. If you removed the Greek city names, it still has the feel of a standard fantasy with the Gods thrown in. I understand that this is a YA series, however Emily Hauser’s For the Most Beautiful and Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack The Ripper series are YA and have vivid and realistic historical settings.

Not to say the setting limited my reading enjoyment, the plot and characters do make this an engaging story, however this was an element that was lacking in comparison.

The romance between Kahina and Atalanta was so sweet. I loved the fact that there wasn’t a big deal make that the romance was between two girls. Also, enjoyed the slow build up and how the attraction is sprinkled throughout. It would be nice if the book was longer to give space for each plot point along with the romance elements.

Overall this was an enjoyable debut novel. I adore the mix of Greek mythology we do get. Artemis is my favourite goddess and think her representation was believable in comparison to the myths. The romance was so sweet and I really adore these two together.

3.25 Stars. I thought this story started out with huge promise, but fizzled out some in the second half. It is a decent read, I was just hoping to be wowed. This is a YA fantasy, Greek myth inspired, wlw story.

I was a huge mythology fan growing up, especially Greek. I do remember hearing about Atlanta, but for the life of me I could not remember her. I had to take the authors word that while she took some liberties, she tried to stay true to the character. I do have to say this felt more Greek myth inspired than a myth retelling as the world building didn’t feel ancient Greece to me. I felt like I was in a generic fantasy world which was a bit disappointing.

There are two main characters this story follows: Atlanta, who is a bisexual warrior woman, and Kahina, a lesbian and huntress for the goddess Artemis. While I did like both characters I never connected to either as much as I hopped. I did feel closer to Kahina. I think her feelings and motives are more laid out for us. Atlanta was tougher for me as her character seems to have a major shift after the first third of the book. Anyway, there is a light PG romance. I do think the connection between the characters was obvious, but I also feel the romance could have been much more fleshed out.

One of the biggest issues for me might have been expectations; loving Greek mythology this book was high on my to read list. I thought the book started great. An exciting hunt against a “monster” had my heart pumping. We meet Artemis and I think this book is going to be awesome. However, the storyline switches to Atlanta and a new chapter in her life and things went downhill for me. The storyline became very predictable and it lost its flare. I do want to make clear I think the writing is good, it was just the story choices and not really fleshing out all of the characters.

If you are a YA fantasy or mythology fan you might enjoy this. Not the best wlw fantasy book of the year, but it’s a slightly above average read. If Tammi wrote another wlw story I would give her another read.

Outrun the wind is a well crafted fantasy novel based in Ancient Greece, with two main female characters that are strong in completely different ways.

The Ancient Greece nerd i me fell in love with the setting, the temples are perfect and you would definitely not want to mess with the gods. Elizabeth Tammi's knowledge of Ancient Greece society and myths clearly shines throughout the book.

Kahina and Atalanta's relationship from hating each other to friends feels so natural, is slow paced and the reader can physically feel the hate slowly changing to something different. Both girls although flawed are ultimately likeable, you get to know the girls' backstory and it is heartbreaking to think about.

Outrun teh Wind is set in a time were a woman was married by 14 and didn't have many choices, the male characters mostly want to control the women and it seems the only choices are get married or join the hunt. The girls fighting against this and supporting eachother is inspiring, although I would not endorse in real life!

Phelix is he sweetest person and he has a big part in bringing Kahina and Atalanta together, his growth as a caring brother and amazing friend reminds the reader that not all men are bad in Ancient Greece.

Outrun the Wind is the first book in a long time that has made me tear up and it will definitely stay with me a long time!

I highly recommend Outrun the Wind for anyone who loves mythology and romance mixed.

*ARC received from North Star Editions via Netgalley, all opinions voiced are my own*

Oh man, I really liked this! There were a few points in the middle there that bored me a bit, and there wasn't a whole lot actually happening. But that ending completely took me by surprise, and I was SO glad that it was happy and satisfying. Atalanta and Kahina were two girls who just wanted to take control of their own futures, but what they didn't expect was to fall in love with each other along the way. Their romance was sweet and soft (though neither of them are really sweet and soft, hahaha), and it had time to develop over the course of Atalanta's races to get her suitors out of her life. I also really adored Phelix, Atalanta's brother, and his relationships with the both of them. And Nikoleta and Isidora! I wish there'd been more of the huntresses, honestly, but that last fight with Apollo and his priestesses was super awesome. I knew I had to read this when I heard it was an f/f retelling of the famous Atalanta's story, and I enjoyed it very much! I'm always here for authors who spin the Greek myths on their heads and make them queer. :D

Rating: 3.5 Paw Prints!

Outrun the Wind is a retelling of the Greek myth of Atalanta, a woman who agreed to marry only if her suitors could outrun her in a footrace. As such, Outrun the Wind was very intriguing. While the story was interesting, it left me feeling completely detached. I never got immersed in the story, and I was often confused about what was going on. The first 25% of the novel were a bit of struggle to read through as we are thrown in the middle of action with little context.

Outrun the Wind alternated between the perspectives of Kahina and Atalanta. This could have been the perfect device for making the occassionally slow storytelling more interesting, but unfortunately it didn't quite play as well as I wanted it to. The perspectives are very similar, and Kahina and Atalanta seemed to me almost like the same person throughout the novel. That also meant that I couldn't tell whose perspective we were following if I happened to forget whose name was in the chapter title. I got the feeling that Kahina and Atalanta were supposed to be very different personas but somehow it didn't show from their way of thinking.

We get some awesome LGBT+ rep in this YA fantasy, but unfortunately I didn't feel very connected with the romance. I was struggling to find a spark in this pairing and it was a bit of a too much of a slow-burn considering that I could see it coming from the first pages of the novel.

Outrun the Wind was simply a bit too predictable overall (and I don't even mean the retelling aspects of the story). I felt like I could predict what the characters will do a couple pages before they ended up doing it which was just all in all pretty frustrating to read.

While I have basically scooped up negative feedback only for this review, the book wasn't bad. It simply didn't match my expectations. I have been eagerly wanting to read this since May and now that I finally did I just feel like sighing infinitely. SIGH.

The goddess Artemis requires all of her huntresses to obey her and to never fall in love. In order to save the huntress Atalanta, Kahina disobeys the goddess and then is cast out. She has to fulfill a mission given by the goddess in order to prove her loyalty, and that brings her into Atalanta's path again.

This is a novel that takes on Greek mythology and really gives it life. Atalanta is known as a huntress that is agile with a bow and the fastest runner. Here, she had been raised by a group of hunters and left them in order to preserve her sense of self and not be seen as a man's prize. However, she is actually a lost princess that her father wants to bring home in order to marry her off to repair the finances of his kingdom. Kahina has her own demons to outrun, as her cousin had sold her to be an Oracle at Delphi, a power she didn't ask for or want. Both girls are in their late teens and bound up in a man's world that doesn't value their opinions.

Chapters alternate between Kahina's and Atalanta's points of view. We see their frustration with the world around them and how gods and men want to use them regardless of their wishes. At the same time, we see the little battles that they wage against that, as well as their growing friendship and connection with each other. This is the first book I've read that delves into Atalanta's story, and I sympathize with how out of place she feels almost everywhere she goes.

I had flown through this book, eager to know what would happen next, and I was certainly not disappointed. Prophecies aren't all that they're purported to be, either, and the end of the novel is fitting, if tinged with sadness as well.

Kahina is a huntress of the goddess Artemis. Atalanta is a fierce orphan, raised by hunters. When the two meet, just as Atalanta is attending to kill Artemis’s Calydonian boar, their lives are forever entangled and changed.

It didn’t take me long to read this book— but it’s because I just didn’t care about it, not because I was excited to see what happened. There was no distinction between the two narratives (Kahina and Atalanta), and the world building seemed to be lacking, to say the least. I agree with many other reviews here; you cannot set your story in Ancient Greece, and then have the characters speak like it’s 2018. It just doesn’t work!

Also, the pacing was.. strange. The hunt in the beginning was interesting, but then there was a big gap of action and then a lot piled on at the end. I think there’s powerful writing, but the world and story needed a little more thought and detail.

I adored this book from start to finish. It was an effort not to read it all at once (I would've if I'd had the time to). I think the story flowed well and the dual POV worked beautifully within the overall plot. Loved the idea from the beginning and only loved it more by the end. Was it flawless? No. It's hard to find a story that is. But the flawed aspects of it enhanced the flawed characters and the complex relationships among them. Absolutely recommending this one to everyone I can.

The cover intrigued me and I had to know what this book is about. Greek mythology. I can say i liked this book. I couls read it again. I love the growth in characters.

DNF at 31%

A re-telling of the myth of Atalanta, with a f/f love story and enemies-to-lovers storyline.

By all means, I should have loved this. It's got both Atalanta (my favorite Greek myth!), and it a f/f storyline between Atalanta and one of Artemis' huntresses. And you should all know how much I love a good f/f story, particularly one that is YA.

But between the writing style (90% telling, 8% dialogue, 2% showing, 100% writing in a way that made me irritated as hell), the slow-ass plotline (at 31%, they only just now got to Arkadia) and the dishrag personalities of both Atalanta and Kahina (who do sound like the same person), I'm done.

The writing style was what finally turned me off. I don't know what it is that turned me off, but I just didn't like it. It felt like it was all over the place, with a mish-mash of secretive, non sequitur dialogue; secretive, some very strange interpersonal relationships; half-explained thoughts and backstory because ~mystery~; and a whole bunch of climbing up and down mountains (because aesthetic? I dunno).

I didn't even get to the part where they finally fall in love, but I honestly just didn't really care to continue. Neither MC really grabbed my attention. Atalanta was all weakness and distraction and reputation/fame (for what reason, though?) in her POV chapters, and all Kahina could do was admire Atalanta's feral toughness, her golden hair, and mourn her own cursed and wretched existence.

*long sigh of exasperation*

It seems from other reviews that readers either loved it (lush writing style, f/f romance, Greek setting) or they disliked it (for pretty much the reasons I listed here), and that it gets much better when the actual racing happens.

Again, I DNF'd at 31%, so perhaps this gets better. But it didn't pass the 100 page test for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited to read this book. Artemis has long been my favorite Grecian goddess and there are not many books in my genre written with her included in them.
This book follows the story of two main characters Kahina and Atalanta, and is told in their two alternating POV.
After Kahina (a huntress of Artemis) makes a mistake and is ordered by Artemis to take a special mission to gain her favor back her path intersect (again) with Atalanta. The two of them having to work together for both their sakes, must face many obstacles that are placed before them to complete the mission and to ultimately free themselves.
This book while some of the plot was a little predictive was very enjoyable. I loved the sibling rivalry placed between Artemis and Apollo. The writing flowed very nicely and the book was a very fast and easy read for me. The main characters felt well developed which made it easier for me to relate to them.
I am excited to see more from this Author.

I got this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley!

I first found about this book on tumblr - not because of an edit, but because I followed the author and loved her blog. I immediately requested it and I'm so glad I did. This book was so much fun. It takes on the greek myth of Atalanta, and the gods that show up are a few of my favorites: Artemis and Apollo. And while they were entirely "in character" with their myths, it was also a completely new point of view, which was amazing. I had never seen this side of Apollo on a story before, and now I don't think I can unsee it.

I'm struggling to put into words how much I loved it. I really don't have any complains. I loved the characters - pretty much all of them. They were all endearing and, if they were not likeable, at least they were compelling. Also, so many girls! All the time! Thanks for that!
I loved the plot - I could guess a few things, but others I couldn't. And even the ones I did, it just felt delightful. Also it plays on my favorite tropes (I mean, hate to love y'all?).
I'm a sucker for greek mythology, and reading a book about gay girls + artemis huntresses was literally everything I could ask for. I loved it all

I forgot what this book was about, so I was really pleasantly surprised when I started reading this and found out (again) that this book contains Greek gods! I really love books about the Greek gods, and not only Artemis, as I made it sound in the summary. There is something, like a fight, happening between Artemis and Apollo, and you notice that in what is happening with Atalanta and Kahina. They are kind of ‘using’ them, but not really, it is really hard to explain. Also there are children of Zeus and Ares.

This book started of really strong, with immediately quite some action. So that was really nice! But shortly after that Atalanta is told that this guy is her dad, and that make it sound as if she believes him immediately. Which I found a bit unbelievable, especially because we actually do not read this conversation, we are just being told that it happened. And they make it sound as if it was like: ‘he I’m your dad’ ‘oh cool, I will come with you then’.

After Atalanta and Kahina join each other, the story weakens a bit. The conversations between the girls are interesting. And it is not like nothing is happening, I just think if it was written a bit differently it could have come over way better! But after like 50 pages the story was improving again! And I was totally dragged in and abandoned my homework to read it :) #priorities

So really the only reason for taking one star is that the middle part is a bit weaker compared to the rest of the book.

I was so excited to get the chance to read Outrun the Wind. Greek mythology has always fascinated me, so when I heard about a book inspired by those myths and had two strong female leads, I knew I needed to check it out. And on the whole, I wasn't disappointed by this book. 

One aspect of a book that can either make or break it for me is the characters. If I don't like the characters, I probably won't enjoy the book no matter what the plot is like. I'm happy to say that Outrun the Wind has some really fantastic characters. I loved the growth of Atalanta and Kahina. While at times it felt a little rushed, I still had so much fun learning about these two ladies. 

The plot moved a little unevenly for my taste. Sometimes I felt like things moved way too slow, and then other times the book felt way too rushed. But, I did enjoy the overall plot. It kept me wanting to read more, even when things slowed down a bit.

So, on the whole, I think this is a great book. If you like Greek Mythology, I would highly recommend giving Outrun the Wind a read!

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued. For me, this novel needed a lot more character growth. I didn't connect well with these characters. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, I fell that there are better versions of this story told. It fell a bit flat for me.
If you are new to fantasy, this may be worth a try.

Outrun the wind is a refreshing change from a lot of books I’ve read this year. Not only is it diverse with the love interests but in the characters as well. Elizabeth Tammi takes characters from Greek mythology and adds her own twist that makes this novel incredibly hard to put down. I haven’t read a unique twist on mythology like this in a long time. The perfect mix of women joining forces and a woman taking her own future into her own hands. I can’t say enough good things about it.
What I found just as interesting as the story were the notes she added at the end. I don’t usually find acknowledgements and facts added at the end of a story interesting but the way Tammi explained her ideas and where she got she found them is as intriguing as the story. This is a book that needs to be noticed.