Monday, November 19, 2018

Review: Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi
Release date: November 27, 2018
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 360
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Links: Author • GoodreadsAmazon


Overall: 4.25 out of 5 stars 

The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess, and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength, even while her prophetic powers linger. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta.

To earn back Artemis’s favor, Kahina must complete a dangerous task in the kingdom of Arkadia— where the king’s daughter is revealed to be none other than Atalanta. Still reeling from her disastrous quest and her father’s insistence on marriage, Atalanta isn’t sure what to make of Kahina. As her connection to Atalanta deepens, Kahina finds herself in danger of breaking Artemis’ second rule.
She helps Atalanta devise a dangerous game to avoid marriage, and word spreads throughout Greece, attracting suitors willing to tempt fate to go up against Atalanta in a race for her hand. But when the men responsible for both the girls’ dark pasts arrive, the game turns deadly.

Review: 

OUTRUN THE WIND was fantastic! I am so glad I took a chance on this one. The Greek mythology intrigued me and the beautiful cover gave me the final push I needed to download it on Netgalley. Elizabeth Tammi's debut follows Atalana and Kahina through alternating chapters as they make their way through Ancient Greece. The Greek mythology was fascinating to me. Kahina is a huntress with the Greek goddess Artemis and Atalana is a well known part of Greek mythology herself. I loved reading about the girls' adventures and how they dealt with danger, family conflict, and romance. This was a highly engaging read and I was eager to research the mythology of the characters after I was finished.

Atalana and Kahina were two very different characters and yet they both shared the same drive and self-determination. It's not every day you come across a novel with so many strong female characters. OUTRUN THE WIND was full of them. These girls were independent and could easily take on any challenge that came their way. The story opens with Atalana and Kahina crossing paths unexpectedly and what follows is an exciting story as the two girls defeat enemies old and new. Atalana's father wants her to marry to secure a future for their kingdom. If you are not already familiar with the mythological background on Atalana, I would recommend not researching it until after you finish reading. I liked not knowing how things would unfold and seeing the challenges Atalana devised for her suitors.

I wish the book was able to delve deeper into the history and background of Artemis and Apollo and how the Hunt works. The ending also did seem to wrap up a bit too easily. Still, I think there may be a sequel in the future so there is time to build on this world. OUTRUN THE WIND was extremely character-driven and the romance was slow-growing but I started picking up on signs earlier than I think even the two characters did. I like the fact that OUTRUN THE WIND featured an LGBT relationship, as that is unique for a fantasy novel like this one. I am excited to see a more diverse set of relationships represented in young adult novels. OUTRUN THE WIND was simply a story of two powerful young girls and how they navigate all of the challenges thrown their way, their feelings for each other are just one small part of these well-rounded characters. When I first finished OUTRUN THE WIND I found myself continuously thinking of Atalana and Kahina and researching the Greek mythology contained in the story. It was not completely accurate, but Elizabeth Tammi was open about the liberties she took with the true stories.

This was a nice break from the nonfiction and political memoirs I have been reading so frequently. Definitely recommend.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I love getting comments, so feel free to leave your thoughts :)