Member Reviews
I love a good Greek retelling, and Artemis is one of my favorite goddesses in the pantheon. Unfortunately OUTRUN THE WIND didn't move the needle much for me. Fun idea, though I was hoping for it to have a little more oomph in terms of execution.
My apologies to the published for the delayed review; I originally read this and gave it 3 stars on GoodReads, but neglected to write a review on NetGalley. Overall, I found this book to be 'okay.' I feel like multi-POV books have a heavy onus on them to have the POVs be distinctive while remaining independently and equally appealing, and unfortunately I don't think this book succeeded in that very well. Specifically, I didn't feel like they were sufficiently distinctive in tone, and I felt a little lost when the transitions were happening. That, on top of the plot being somewhat slow and a lot of 'tell, don't show' writing, made this a 3 star book for me.
I unfortunately forgot to download the e-book on my kindle before it was archived and/or lost interest in the book because it’s been on my tbr for way too long, so I wasn’t able to read and review it (on time). Since I Must give a star rating, I’ve given it 3 stars to stay neutral/in the middle. Sorry to the publisher for not having gotten around to actually read it.
While I do enjoy MFM FFM etc I do not enjoy MM or FF. Just a personal preference. Even if I had been able to get past the FF aspect, the novel itself was unenjoyable to me. It was very confusing transitioning between the two POV’s. I usually have no issues following but the points where the chapters picked up and left off were incompatible. I feel as though instead of going back and forth in the chapter, maybe a dual POV chapter would be better/more understandable.
I am still thankful for the opportunity.
This has a really interesting premise and there are some emotional, very well-written scenes.The plot, however, slows; the setting isn't well developed and feels generic, and superficially interesting characters don't get much development.
Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.
Outrun the Wind sounded super interesting when I first came across it. I was interested in the mythology, especially since the main character used to be an Oracle. It also has a hate-to-love f|f romance so it was really promising. Unfortunately I didn't click with the writing. The writing style wasn't for me, there was a lot of tell instead of show and I was not having fun while reading to be honest. I just couldn't force myself to finish the book, I just wasn't interested in the story, there didn't seem to be a direction.
I always adore books based on Greek mythology (or other myths, as I've been realizing lately!), so this was an instant request for me as soon as I read the synopsis. I especially love that the story revolves around the Hunters of Artemis, as Artemis is easily one of my favorite Greek Goddesses, and the hunters are always some of my favorite characters in various Greek myth retellings. I also always adore competitions, and this story was no different! I also adored the romance (what more do you need than f/f greek myth retellings, honestly!) Overall I really enjoyed this, and I can see myself checking out more books by this author!
While this isn't my normal type of read, I did enjoy myself for the most part. This is kind of how I prefer to learn about mythology through a story about the main characters. I hadn't heard of this myth before so I wasn't really sure what I was going into. I did have a good time though.
Outrun the Wind is both boring and historically inaccurate. One of these things I could have forgiven, but the combination of the two was just too much. None of it feels very like a Greek myth, more like your generic superpowered fantasy, and the research feels more like the author read Percy Jackson and called it a day. Overall, one to miss.
A review of this title is avaliable through Goodreads - and later through my blog. The Goodreads link is available below!
This was the first book I ever requested on NetGalley three years ago, and I was so excited to finally read it, but unfortunately, it wasn't very special. The plot was interesting, but I didn't really connect with the characters and the writing style. Still recommend it to fans of Greek mythology though!
This was a quick, easy read with a lot of fun references to Greek mythology! The cover is also absolutely stunning.
The dual POV, the lack of romance, the Greek gods, the Hunt! And the little bits and pieces that start making sense as the story progresses. I got confused for a bit, thinking I'd missed something but then it got explained. The romance was so well done, felt like the perfect amount of everything. And there was no denial, just an 'are you sure'. It was perfect! I loved this book! Got a bit lost during the fighting scene at the end, but that's okay. It was perfect! <3
I really really wanted to enjoy this. Honestly, the problem lies within the way the author has chosen to tell the story, I think. I can't quite pick up on exactly what it is that I'm not a fan of, whether it be writing or tense or something else. The story is impeccably cool otherwise. I loved how the basis was Greek mythology and the focus on the chosen gods/goddesses. I don't actually know a lot about Greek mythology, but from that perspective, I thought it was well done. It's just...I don't know. I wanted to continue really badly, but ended up leaving it unfinished at about 17% even though I promised myself I would try to get to at least 25%. Anyway, this review is over 2 years late, which I'm heartbroken about, but better late than never, right?
I love all things Mythology, so this book was a delight! I really enjoyed how the author combined history, fantasy, and mythology into one delicious, winning novel! Highly recommended for fans of Lore.
Outrun the Wild had a great premise that unfortunately didn’t hit the mark. The writing didn’t grip me. I didn’t love the characters enough to keep me interested. I liked the concept of this book but the execution wasn’t there for me.
A thorough and competent reworking of the myth of Atalanta. A lot of story changes and additions but it works. Some characters are shortchanged but Kahina/Atalanta challenge and complement one another. Good ship, good writing, good book.
3.5 / 5
<i>Outrun the Wind</i> is a fantasy novel, loosely based on the story of Atalanta of Arkadia, a mythological Greek huntress (and athlete!), that was unwilling to marry. This book gives some wonderful expansion to her background and life with the introduction of multiple new characters including Kahina, a huntress of Artemis.
The book starts with the Calydonian Boar hunt, in which Atalanta is the only female among the group of heroes chosen to take down the legendary boar, after Artemis has created the beast to punish King Oeneus for failing to pay homage to her alongside the other Greek Gods. During this boar hunt, Atalanta is saved by Kahina (a huntress of Artemis) from certain death when things go wrong...
Overall, the novel was an intriguing take on an old myth. The expansion upon Atalanta's quest to remain and independent female (aka: not chained to a man in marriage) was really interesting, and I loved how it was expanded upon with the Oracles of Delphi plotline introduction, and the inclusion of new characters such as Kahina, Isidora and Nikoleta (huntresses of Artemis), and Phelix (Atalanta's half-brother). Was interesting to have some more background and motivations on Hippomenes (from the original mythological tale) too.
The characters were brilliantly diverse and it was nice to see such strong female characters throughout. I particularly loved that there weren't really any situations where the females were <i>"damsels in distress needing a man to save them"</i>, and that it was truly the women that were the heroes of this tale, with everything going on.
I thought that the book had a lot of potential overall, though there were definitely some areas that fell kinda flat for me. The overall world-building was a little lacking, and some more explanations into some of these elements would have been appreciated. I also really would have loved to see more of a drawn-out ending - as it just seemed <i>rushed</i>. The "final battle" was rather confusing and rushed, and there were aspects to the end that I just didn't understand the relevance or importance in, such as [spoilers removed]. Still, I enjoyed the experience and thought the author did a pretty good job overall!
I had quite a few questions that got raised at the end of this novel for me, and I would have loved a bit more closure on those final aspects, or even the foreshadowing to a sequel that would explore these elements! Questions such as...
[spoilers removed]
A sweeping and swoon-worthy debut! I really loved this one. I didn't know how much I wanted a Greek-inspired WLW YA romance until I got this one. This one had so much to love: action, adventure, myths, exciting settings, lady power, but most importantly, a really sweet sapphic romance that I just swooned for. It was a quick read and rough in some places but for being a debut it was really well done and very enjoyable. I had a wonderful time reading this and I loved seeing the romance between Atalanta and Kahina blossom and I was kept on the edge of my seat by the plot. I look forward to seeing more from Tammi in the future as this was a very promising start!