Thank you to netgalley I received this as an ARC. I enjoyed it very much was good solid read. Solid 3.75 Stars for me!

While I did enjoy this book and the story, the pacing felt off. It was slow in the beginning but then picked up and then before I knew it everything was over and everything was resolved. I think this could have been a duology or a lengthier book to compensate for the story depth.

But I did enjoy it and I loved seeing LGBT+ characters as well as Greek mythology. The cover is also beautiful.

I jumped on this title right away because of a few keywords in the description: goddess, legendary huntress, Oracle of Delphi, set in Greece....I am in! I feel like Greek mythology is so underrated and I just can't get enough of it! I was in love with the setting and the backstory of Outrun the Wind. I could really tell that Elizabeth Tammi did her homework on the world into which she put her characters, and she did a wonderful job breathing life into everything she wrote.

I really loved the relationship between Atalanta and Kahina. It was so fierce, yet beautiful. I admit, though, that sometimes the POV's got me a little mixed up towards the middle of the book. Otherwise, though, I thought they were a great representation of an LGBTQ ship, and that's not typically my thing.

My biggest quip with the book is Kahina's relation to Apollo. I never understood how that played into things or what exactly that was. But other than those couple things, I enjoyed the book and would recommend for those who enjoy LGBTQ ships and/or Greek mythology.

Story has a great premise with good characters. I struggled to get through to the end however. Whether it was the author's style of writing or too many sidelines being noted too quickly, I wasn't sure. It was overall good, but not quite great.

3.5
This ARC was provided by Flux and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In all honesty I am not sure what I think about this book. I’m a fan of Greek romances and all but I just felt that there was something missing from this book. I did like the characters Atalanta and Kahina as individuals but I didn’t buy it as love interests. I’m taking it that the whole moral of the story is to not have Atalanta married off to save her father’s kingdom and to a horrible man. How women deserve more than to be used as property and be able to marry for love.

Now, on to some good notes. I did like the storyline and plot. I felt that it was fast paced and held my interest and I wanted to read on. I like how Atalanta stuck it to the men that were there for her hand.

I would have liked to see more of the gods in the story. I would like to have seen more of the battle between Artemis and her brother. The story felt loosely based on Greek mythology, throw in a temple here or worship there kind of thing.

Not a bad start and I would like to see how this story would continue.

DNF'd at 53%

The characters make no sense, the dialogue is worse, and the world building is non-existent. I don't know if the author was leaning so heavily on the myth that she didn't realize she was doing this, but either way, it doesn't make for a good novel, unfortunately.

The POVs of Atalanta and Kahina have them each appearing so fearful and all over the place internally, but somehow externally, they're both larger than life and confident and otherworldly in a way that cannot be reconciled with their inner musings. It doesn't help, either, that their POVs sound exactly the same, but somehow they're supposed to be two different characters. Despite being in both their heads, I feel like I barely know anything about them. Despite all these other characters they're supposedly tied to, I feel nothing about their history with these characters because well... There's nothing there. I wasn't a big fan, either, about how the author switched from first-person present tense to third-person past tense for weird dreams and flashback scenes, especially since those brief moments were actually stronger bits of writing than the rest of the book.

This is also supposed to be a forbidden romance between the two women, and it's just... not done well at all. Again, there's nothing there to make this interesting or tingly or any of those great words a forbidden romance is supposed to make you feel.

Finally, Artemis and Apollo are far more interesting than what was actually depicted here. I'm especially offended on behalf of Artemis. You deserved better than to just be The Bitch trope, fam. Maybe I'm biased, but I just find this author's grasp of famous Greek figures and their characterizations to be questionable at best.

so, i do have a bit to say about the book. one of my main problems with it was the lack of connection i had with the main characters.. I didn't care about them. also it is a personal opinion but i don't like when charcters HATE each other for all of the book and then suddenly end toghether.. overall the book was a bit slow for me, and at the end it started getting packed with action, which was interesting, but all the previous pages had already decided that the book was a boring.

I expected to like this a lot more considering it is (loosely) based on Greek mythology. I wish there were more mythological references in this book besides just naming names. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but once I reached the midpoint and Atalanta's races started, it just got SO repetitive, I was ready for it to be over. I nearly skipped over the last 10% of the book just so I'd finish it.

3.5

This book was pretty good. I read through it in practically one day and enjoyed it. Its scenery was great and the female leads were powerful and portrayed a good image of femininity, but there were a few things that did not escape my attention and nothing really stood out as extraordinary.

First, while the chapters alternated POVs on a patterned basis and there were indications at the beginning of each chapter, both the perspectives were very similar. There wasn't a clear individual voice coming through for each of the characters and I honestly struggled near the tart of each chapter getting used to seeing the switch between the use of the names Atalanta and Kahina because the Is sounded so similar. I went back quite a few times to check who's perspective I was reading in. But, the author did quite a good job of depicting Artemis. I'm not a fan of retellings that make the gods/goddesses soft, and Tammi did an excellent job of keeping Artemis' wilder and cold side.

Secondly, the first part of the story dragged a bit. I might be because I'm quite familiar with Atalanta's tale, but I did find that it was very slow. After a while, the set-up died down and I was almost into the story, but I felt like the author was glossing over some of the more action-packed parts in favour of characters observing each other and musing about how beautiful Greece is (okay, not the worst thing to muse over) and their pasts. The flashbacks were done a very neat way, told in the third person while the rest of the story was in first, but there were only two of them and they were for Kahina. I would have liked to see some from Atalanta too. She mentioned her past, and, as I mentioned before, I am very familiar with it, but I would have liked to have a better feeling of how the author was interpreting it because she did make a lot of changes to Atalanta's story. And I wish there had been some more flashbacks, in the first person preferably. I found that there was a lot of fuzziness around the hole oracle of Apollo thing and I wasn't really getting why it was a bad thing other than Kahina hated it.

Lastly, this book was very, very light. The story of Atalanta is a rather gruesome one and this was a very light reimagination. In the original version I read, Atalanta murdered all the competitors if she caught up to them; in this one she just made them leave. The romance seemed to come slightly out of nowhere. The love interest spent a good chunk of the book trying to forget the other existed and were very focused on their own problems and then they were in love and killing for each other. while it wasn't the worst (it could have been insta-love!) it was not the best either. It would have benefited from some more development and build up.

However, I did like some of the creative liberties the author took with this work. It was interesting to see how the transformations and prophecy's played out in a way that connected the two girls and it made the ending very solid because I could pick out the elements of the original tale that were being played upon and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.

In all, I think this book could have been a bit longer with some more build-up and some more backstory, but it's still a very enjoyable read, especially if you're not all that familiar with Atalanta. I think those who don't know her story will like it a bit more.

First of all the cover is gorgeous. I like reading Greek mythology so this book was perfect read for me. I really loved the world building and strong female characters. I think this was an amazing debut.

I loved this book! Huntress of Artemis and lesbian forbidden romance! This was such a great young adult fantasy novel. The plot and characters are really unique and fresh.

The moment I found a book with Greek Mythology I just had to pick it up and I'm glad Outrun the Wind did not disappoint. Outrun the Wind re-imagines the story of Atalanta, the legendary Greek hero. This was one of my first F/F reads and I loved the concept of Queer Greek Mythology.

The book alternates between the perspectives of Atalanta and Kahina. I loved that the author set such strong, independent female protagonists in the backdrop of ancient mythology. Both characters are likeable, well fleshed out and I couldn't help but root for them.

The writing and the plot are also wonderful. I was quite surprised when I found out that this was a debut novel I did want some events in the ending to go better but I was nevertheless fascinated by the book.

Mich hat diese Buch interessiert weil es in der griechischen Mytologie angesiedelt ist,
Die Hauptfigur hat von Anfang an mit verschieden Widrigkeiten zu kämpfen findet aber in diesem Zge ihren richtigen Vater. Der will sie gleich, zum Wohle seines Landes, verheiraten. Die Protagonistin nutzt ihre außergewöhnliche Schnelligkeit um alle Bewerber die Ihre nicht gefallen ablehnen zu können in dem sie als Voraussetzung für eine Heirat fordert, dass der Bewerber sie bei einem Wettlauf besiegen muss.
Anfänglich habe mir das Setting und die Charaktere gut gefallen. Es gab einen schönen Spannungsbogen. Leider riss dieser nach dem x-ten gewonnenen Wettlauf. Weder von der Hauptfigur noch von anderen Charakteren wurde die Handlung vorangetrieben.
Ich entscheide mich extrem selten dafür ein Buch nicht zuenede zu lesen, bei diesem habe ich es getan.
Schade.

What a wild experience it is to read a book and see yourself in the pages.
Finding a story that gets your knee bouncing and keeps your eyes wide is precious reading time.
Outrun The Wind by Elizabeth Tammi is that book for me.
Beautifully written characters make it easy to relate to and become invested in.
From Atalanta’s abrupt life changes, to Kahina’s, Elizabeth Tammi captures so clearly what it’s like to live without answers in a world of uncertainty.
Tammi finds the truth in what it’s like to follow that burn deep down that drives you to search for answers.
A very important story that should be read, especially during times like these.
New surroundings, new love, new battles to win, Outrun the Wind is a riveting new take on Greek Mythology.
A must read!
I couldn’t recommend this book more if I tried!

Thank you Flux & NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy!

For the most part I liked the book. I have a fondness for stories surrounding Greek gods, legends and lore - and of course with strong independent female leads. In those respects Out Run the Wind ticked all the boxes.

However though it had a gripping start, a lot of the middle just felt like... the middle. I was waiting for something bigger to happen, for the bar to be raised high and for the stakes to get even steeper - personally I found that it didn't. There was a great beginning, a really long mostly monotonic middle and then a pretty decent ending.

This was another one of those books where I felt there could have been more. There was a great foundation laid for characters, settings and surprises, and yet I still felt like that teacher who is desperately waiting on the edge hope for her favourite pupil to finally realise their potential.

Even though the kid doesn't quite get there, they make enough steady progress that at the end of the day you're right back to rooting for them to succeed..

The story of Atalanta is one of my favorite tales in Greek mythology and kudos to Elizabeth Tammi for writing such a creative retelling.

I enjoyed reading this book but there were many parts in the story that didn't sit well with me.

*more thoughts to come*

Recently, I've been on a streak of really bad YA novels, and unfortunately, I have yet another book to add to the pile. Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi was brought to my attention by a friend who knew how much I loved both the Huntresses of Artemis from the Percy Jackson series and queer stories. This book, a sapphic love story between Kahina, a huntress of Artemis, and the Greek heroine Atalanta, should have been an easy five stars from me. Instead, I struggled and struggled to read it, only choosing to not DNF due to a masochistic tendency to think "maybe it'll get better". Spoiler alert, it didn't. Here's my five reasons why.


Warning: This review will contain both minor and major spoilers


1. Characters were flat and poorly written


My biggest issue while reading this was that the two main characters, Atalanta and Kahina, were extremely poorly written. The book alternates chapters between the two characters and frankly, if it weren't for the chapter titles telling me who was narrating, I would not have been able to differentiate the two of them. Even though they come from very different backgrounds, have extremely different problems, they sounded exactly alike. Atalanta was weirdly naive for a girl who'd been raised by LITERAL BEARS for the first five years of her life, then raised by hunters until adulthood. Early on in the book, her birth father manages to find her and bring her back to her birthplace, but mostly because his kingdom is struggling and he needs to marry someone off to make an alliance and get money and resources. And Atalanta just... rolls with it? She goes from not knowing anything about her family at all to suddenly being super protective of people she's barely had more than two lines of conversation with.

Kahina, somehow, was even worse. In the beginning of the book, she makes a sudden decision to save Atalanta from getting murdered from Artemis' boar. Artemis, naturally, gets angry because she went against direct orders, and punishes her by banishing her from the Hunt. Kahina then spends the next 50% of the book whining and complaining about how all of this is Atalanta's fault and how much she hates Atalanta for putting her in this situation. Umm no girl. This is your fault.


2. The setting didn't feel like ancient Greece


For a book literally based on Greek mythos, the setting felt remarkably bland. If you were to change the names of the cities, some of more Greek-sounding characters, and not mention the words chiton or sandal, this book could have been set in the most generic of European fantasy-lands. Where're the descriptions of culture? Dining habits? Literally any other detail that shows, not tells, the reader that this is ancient Greece? I felt like the author decided that because her characters were characters in Greek mythos, that that the world building could just stop there.

3. The book was poorly researched


Not only was setting badly world built, it was also poorly researched. About 30% of the way in, there's a line about Kahina teaching Atalanta dining etiquette and shows her what a fork is. A quick Google search will tell you that a fork wasn't a common dining utensil until the Romans, aka definitely not something used by the Ancient Greeks. Another time, the author display's Atalanta's "wildness" by saying that she rode a horse without a saddle, while Kahina and another nobleman both do. Another quick Google search will show that once again, the ancient Greeks didn't use saddles. At best, they used blankets. While these may be picky complaints, they were lines that jumped out at me because for one reason or another, they didn't mesh with my (admittedly limited) knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Google quickly managed to confirm my suspicions. What's worse is that in the Author Notes, the author even mentions traveling to Greece to do more research for publication.


4. Plot points didn't feel like they mattered


Spoilers here

Going back to the book itself, one big thing that bugged me was the fact that almost none of the plot points and hurdles the characters have to face matter. In order to return to the Hunt, Kahina has to restore one of Artemis' temples that's been repurposed into a temple for Apollo. This assignment is given to Kahina about 30% of the way in. Upon arrival, Kahina inspects the temple, pries a couple rocks off, prays to Artemis instead of Apollo while kneeling in front of the temple, and leaves. For the rest of the book, Kahina does fuck all to actually attempt to restore the temple. Turns out, it didn't matter whether she did anything or not because a couple of her fellow huntresses show up to take her back anyway. Another example is Atalanta's footraces. The book makes a big deal and puts a lot of hype around Atalanta winning these footraces, day in and day out. But in the end, she just ends up being kidnapped by one of her suitors anyways, leaving the entire race to mean basically nothing.


5. Anachronisms for days


Finally, the language used felt uncomfortably modern. We get phrases like "where do we sign up?" and and "spruce it up a bit". Things are called "crazy" and "insane". My favorites (the worst offenders) are "unbuckle my sandals" (unlace? pretty sure sandals didn't have buckles back then) and "gone to hell" (Hades?? someone even curses Hades a page later). Coming back to the setting not feeling like ancient Greece, what I'm trying to say here is that there were a lot of phrases used that simply didn't fit the setting. I felt like I was reading about two modern high schoolers instead of two people actually living in Greece. Language that simply didn't fit the context of the setting is one thing that stands out to me like a sore thumb when I read.

Overall, I rate this book a 2/5. There was so much potential here, but I was simply let down.

I really enjoyed most of the book. I loved the premise, the romance, the use of Greek mythology, basically everything. But the ending made me not like the book as much.

Being a debut, there are a lot of things that I can overlook, although my biggest issue was that the book was just way too wordy! I wanted way more dialogue in many parts and found myself wanting to skim. I felt like there was a lot of over-share.

Overall, the plot was interesting enough, and I liked the story.

Why you should read Outrun the Wind:
-sapphic representation!
-it's a retelling of a figure from Greek mythology who doesn't get much attention
-fierce women who protect other women