Kahina was saved from the life of a priestess in Apollo’s temple in Delphi is now a Huntress of Artemis. She and her friends have been tasked with protecting the goddess’ wild boar from human hunters, but when she makes a rash decision to slay it to save the beautiful and legendary huntress Atalanta, her entire world falls apart. Artemis banishes her to Arkadia and promises to restore her position only when she makes Apollo’s temple there Artemis’ once more. However, Atalanta, lost as a baby, is found by her father, the king of Arkadia, and now Kahina must complete her task while serving as Atalanta’s handmaiden, and she’ll have to fight growing conflicting feelings along the way.

My initial reaction to this book is, “Jeeze, the gods are jerks!” Joking aside, though, overall, I really enjoyed this book. I had a bit of trouble following the plot and characters at the beginning of the story, as if it had begun several chapters before, and I was struggling to catch up. Once I got in the groove of the story and got some more background information as the plot unfolded, I was hooked. I loved the characters, and though stressful plot-lines often turn me off, in this instance, it kept me reading and rooting for the characters. I laughed and cried with the characters, all the time rooting for them. I liked the slow burn between Kahina and Atalanta. Their initial adversarial relationship slowly blooms into something else, and the pacing flows smoothly.

This one hits shelves on November 27, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you have an interest in mythology and or awesome, warrior ladies.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for November this year and i spent numerous minutes jumping for joy after receiving this ARC.
PRO'S:
This Cover - this is one of the most stunning covers i have seen this year ...you instantly want to pick it up and buy it.
The basis of the book has an underlying 'Greek Mythology' subtext which i loved.
The characters felt real and their descriptions were detailed enough to be able to see them clearly in my mind but not so over-described i got bored.
All in all a really enjoyable read.
CON'S
Not much to complain about - except i feel this is a rather hyped book and while good...i had high expectations and wanted great !

All in all a really enjoyable read...

Atalanta is a really interesting character, a huntress-orphan with a dark past. I found her to be charismatic, a little selfish, and wholly intriguing. I loved how she held her own with the men's hunting party and didn't let their options get to her too much. Her story is one of finding herself and accepting who she really is rather than what her circumstances have made her.

Kahina I didn't care for so much as a character, which kind of made me love the story that much more. I love when an author can write a character with such depth and darkness. She has her own issues to work through, as well. Thay doesn't stop her from helping Atalanta several times throughout. 

I seriously loved their coming together in Arkadia. Atalanta's idea for who will win her hand in marriage is a stroke of genius. Love it when a character uses their strengths to their advantage! I would absolutely recommend this Greek-inspired tale to friends. If you loved Michelle Madow, you'll love this!

This is one of the first books I've read about Atalanta and while it was a good book I thought it was predictable and slow. I was really looking forward to this book first because it was about Atalanta and Greek mythology and second I was really curious how the LGBTQ would pan out. The book started out really good but then it started to slow down and get predictable. Once an event happened I could pretty much see where that would lead and what would happen next. Especially when the men from their past show up. World building is a major thing for me when it comes to books and that's one of the things that didn't disappoint me in this book. I love being able to picture where the book is taking place and be transported there and I was easily able to do that with this book.

This book was really hard for me to get through. I found the plot rather boring and it just wasn't for me.

Basically , this book travels with two POV. Kahina and Atalanta. Outrun the wind totally focussed on two teenage girls with full focus and spite. What is more interesting?
The story gets into a castle and happens mostly in Arkadia . But never gets boring.
I love it when the characters react as human beings. When Atalanta hears she is actually a princess , she doesn’t get along like another day. She reacts .
There was no line ” she released a breath she didn’t knew she was holding” . Someone else urges the said character to breathe which is total reality.

This story is a take on the myth of Atalanta. It changes a great many things but remains true to the heart of the myth. Atalanta is a hero by Ancient Greek standards. She is up there with Hercules and Perseus. However, as Elizabeth Tammi explains in the back of the book, there are two "generations" of heroes. Atalanta is in the first while Hercules and Perseus are in the second. All of that means that Atalanta fights with their fathers.

She is known as the fastest woman on earth. Men line up to race her and she beats every single one. That part of the myth is held in this book. The rest....well...that can be debated. The original myth did not expressly state why Atalanta did certain things. Why she killed the men she raced. Why she needed to beat them in the first place. And Elizabeth Tammi does a very good job of taking that portion of the myth that was left out of the original on.

Atalanta and Kahina form a bond that carries both girls into difficult obstacles. Both girls had been abused by men, making them wary of any male friendship. The only one that seems to break into their bond is Phelix, Atalanta's brother. He bonds with them both, together and separately, making their friendships even tighter. Elizabeth Tammi also includes the gods in this rendition of the Greek Myth. Artemis and Apollo both make appearances and are prominent throughout the book. The whole sibling rivalry that the twin gods have is an interesting dynamic to include. It seems to highlight the easygoing relationship between Phelix and Atalanta.

The two girls fight for their lives at the end of the book, in more ways than one. While the entirety of the book seems OK with Atalanta and Kahina as a couple, it's never truly expressed.

Honestly this book would have ranked five stars for me, but the relationship that was promised with the description of the book wasn't really factored in. I am glad that it was there but it seemed as though it were a bit of an afterthought. There are only two POV. Atalanta and Kahina's. I would have thought that there would have been more hints along the way about their feelings toward each other. There was some inklings on Kahina's behalf but Atalanta seemed as though she just viewed Kahina as a best friend. And while there is nothing wrong with that, I was hoping for more substance on the relationship front.

<i>Outrun the Wind</i> hits just the right balance in how it approaches a retelling of Greek myth and is the best way to write this sort of thing for a modern audience, in my opinion. It’s clear from the details themselves (and the afterword) that the author knows her source material well and has put in a good deal of effort in researching the history, culture, and mythology from which she’s drawing. This book isn’t meant to be a painstakingly accurate portrayal of the time. Some of the problematic aspects of ancient Greek society are tweaked where they don’t work and other gaps are filled or borrowed to make the story work for a modern retelling of the Atalanta myth. But there are details galore, especially involving clothing, scenery, and culture references that make the story “feel” like ancient Greece, which satisfies the expectations of the premise. This schema allows for a new take on the tale that expresses themes a modern YA audience can enjoy and relate to (okay, maybe an older audience could too) while still touching on that historical fiction point. As well, these modifications help to tell a F/F love story that wouldn’t have fit as well in ancient Greek literature, at least not in such an overt and celebratory form.

We get a classic forbidden love setup with Kahina sworn not to love and Atalanta destined to marry a man for political reasons one day. Then other circumstances put the girls in opposition to each other, further muddying the waters. I really liked how clear and potent this budding conflict between them is. The book opens with the hunt of Artemis’ Calydonian Boar. Atalanta is a part of the hunting party set on taking down the boar and hopefully prove herself worthy among the men of the hunt. Kahina is one of Artemis’ huntresses and sent to ensure the boar’s safety as it causes all manner of destruction across the countryside. Atalanta is cornered by the boar and in danger when Kahina, in a moment of empathy for Atalanta, kills the boar to protect her without being seen. Atalanta is then left to take the glory (and face Artemis’ anger for killing her boar) and Kahina is in deep trouble for having killed her goddess’ beast, in complete contradiction to her duty. The decision to save Atalanta is admirable, but the fallout is frighteningly dangerous for both of them, incurring the wrath of Artemis. I felt drawn into the story immediately by this conflict and felt for both characters and wanted to see what would come of it, making it a really effective introduction.

Atalanta and Kahina are both good characters. We get to know each of them through alternating first-person chapters and neither really falls by the wayside as less important or too passive. Without a doubt, my favorite thing about them is that they’re both very strong young women. I know basically every YA book ever sells itself on having a “strong female protagonist.” But often, said protagonists are just kind of sassy and are otherwise fairly weak and still constantly being rescued by the seemingly-inevitable stronger (handsome) male lead who’s the actual competent and strong one, not the protagonist, which is frustrating. This book doesn’t have this problem at all. Part of that is because this is F/F obviously, so there’s not a male love interest to fulfill that traditional role, but neither does one or the other girl fall into the weak and passive role either. Atalanta and Kahina are both flawed and interesting characters, but they are quite strong in other ways. They also have admirable principles and are willing to stick up for each other and those they care about when things get rough. The only character that is a bit more passive and emotional is Phelix, Atalanta’s bastard half-brother, but even then, the archetype works better with a male character (and isn’t all that strange for ancient Greece which celebrated “manly” men, but featured some fairly emotional moments from its male heroes, at least by modern masculinity’s standards).

Although the book starts with a bit of the hate-to-love trope that I’ll never understand, it quickly fades away and the girls develop a very positive and supportive relationship that makes me root for them as a couple. I also don’t mind the hate-to-love schema here as much since there is good reason for Kahina to resent Atalanta as the catalyst for her punishment, even if she’s being a bit irrationally bitter about something that isn’t Atalanta’s fault. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the relationship aspect doesn’t come in until late in the book and there’s little physical intimacy. I personally enjoyed this more gradual development, but I know that could be a turn-off for some readers so it’s worth mentioning.

I really enjoyed the prose in this book. The narrative voice is strong with a good balance of physical description, emotion, and reasoning throughout that made the characters come to life and kept the plot mostly clear. The author demonstrates a solid grasp of metaphor that is refreshing for this genre where I find often only a few lines in a YA book sound poetic and end up standing out as awkwardly purple prose compared to the rest. Here, there is a good deal of lofty metaphorical description throughout, but it feels very consistent and never feels out of place. Instead the voice does what it’s meant to and illustrates the ideas being presented more potently.

There were a few things here and there that bugged me about this book that I don’t want to omit, but as should be clear from my rating, these mostly weren’t too major to me. My biggest issue is that Atalanta and Kahina didn’t have much voice distinction. When you have two different first-person narrators, it can be a struggle to distinguish them already, but I don’t feel like there’s much there to help me as a reader to tell them apart. There were several times I was a ways into a chapter and would forget for a couple paragraphs who was narrating until she mentioned something about her circumstances or named the other girl in third person that I realized who we were with. This was disorienting and it could’ve made the characterization more compelling had the voices been more distinct. This is further hindered by the fact that the two protagonists aren’t incredibly distinct personality-wise either. They are similar in being fairly powerful young women both emotionally and physically (though that is at least a plus!) and they’re both skilled huntresses/athletes. This issue was the only one that bothered me that much. Otherwise, there was a bit of a show vs. tell issue here and there where details that probably could have and should have been shown more potently were simply told to us, but this wasn’t excessive. I also felt like the novel sometimes oversold its conflict without enough follow-up. I can’t speak much on this without spoilers, but I sometimes felt like the language was really playing up the consequences of the characters’ actions when not as much came of them in some cases, despite the punitive image of the deities and social forces the book implied.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book and was impressed with it for a debut release. I plan to follow this author, especially if she writes any sequels to this book as I’m interested to see where she goes from here both within this world and outside it. This is a pretty fun and simple, but solid read that I would recommend, especially if you like Greek myth retellings, <b>*actually*</b> strong female protagonists, or F/F romance. It does well what, in my opinion, a lot of other books in the genre tend to struggle with and gives some positive representation where it’s needed.

I was provided an advanced copy by NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own.

4 STARS

TW: slavery, violence and gore, implied assault, panic attacks

From the moment I heard Outrun the Wind was a sapphic retelling of the Atalanta myth, I knew I had to get my hands on it. That's two of my biggest interests bundled into one, and even better, by the time I finished the book, it did NOT disappoint! We have myth! We have sapphic girls! We have knives! We realize I have an overwhelming tendency to choose the stabby sapphics as my favorite characters!

Anyway, I really did have a wonderful time reading Outrun the Wind. Speaking as a classics major, I loved how it incorporated other figures from classical mythology (hey there, Laertes and Peleus, dads of Odysseus and Achilles!), and it covered most of the major parts of the Atlanta myth. Meleager and Melanion were both there (though Melanion was known as Hippomenes this time), Atalanta was still raised wild after being abandoned as a baby because she wasn't a boy, and there were lions, as fits some variations of the end of the myth. Some people might complain that this doesn't follow any one distinct version of the myth, but it's MYTH. There are always variations of myth, and creating yet another one is fully in the spirit of the source. It doesn't take away from the nature of myth to put this spin on Atalanta's story so much as it makes it feel all the more mythical.

Beyond that heavy myth element, I LOVED the relationship between Atalanta and Kahina. This is another one for the sapphic enemies to lovers count, and I am THRIVING on it. We have a stabby knife lesbian and a scrappy woods bisexual just trying to be themselves without being beholden to anyone, and I adored every minute of their interactions. They each embody a difference sort of ferocity, Atalanta so tied to her wild upbringing, and Kahina so desperate for her freedom, but once they pull it together that they love each other, they're so sweet. There's dancing. There's bed sharing. There's my heart, full to bursting with how cute this gets.

I think my biggest disappointment is that this is a standalone, and as a result, the characters and plot felt a little as if they were on the shallow side. Kahina's personal subplot in particular felt rather basic and hazy, while Atalanta's desires fell on the flat side through most of the story, never stretching too far beyond not wanting to tie herself down to a man. Ultimately, it's a standalone, and one based on a myth, so maybe that kind of distance is warranted, but I personally would have liked more depth and development.

On the whole, though, Outrun the Wind was a joy to read, and anyone who grew up on the Percy Jackson series is probably going to have an interest in reading this, particularly queer readers, particularly sapphic readers looking for stories where the girls get a happy ending at last. If it sounds like Outrun the Wind appeals to you, make sure to preorder it before it releases on November 27 this year!

[This review is expected to go live on my blog, The Words Gremlin, on November 1st, to maximize hype before the publication date.]

I DNFed this book because it is the worst Greek retelling I have ever read and do not ask me what the plot was because I would not be able to tell you. I love Greek retellings but this book had me dying especially when it came to describing the Greek Gods and Goddesses. Don't tell me the god looked otherworldly. I want a new description for the god instead of the typical oh my gosh he looks perfect...
Let's just say I should not be able to talk about it in a negative light without saying what the title is or who wrote it and having people know exactly which book I am talking about. And do not get me started on the love interest...
I'm being generous with giving this book a 1.5 star.

3.5 stars

At first I couldn’t really get into the story, it was all a bit too chaotic. But after the first third the plot got pretty interesting and I was eager to know what was going to happen.
The characters were interesting and the story was definitely something different from what I’m used to read in stories set in ancient Greece. The fact that she decided to race her suitors was quite original and entertaining to read.
I think this book would have worked better as the first of a duology. There were a lot of things to resolve and it was all done pretty quickly and easily. Even the end scene and the death of one of the characters didn’t really surprise me much. I would also have loved to know more about the future of Arkadia and most importantly about Atalanta and Kahina’s relationship.
Still, it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Greek mythology and sapphic characters, what more could I ask for?

[Rating closer to 3.5, actually]

Elizabeth Tammi wrote a wonderful story about two Greek heroines who have been through a fair share of tragedy and who both don't act like people around them want them to. Atalanta and Kahina are forced to get along and it takes some time for them to get used to their new situations.

I'm quite the fan of both Greek mythology and stories about sapphic characters so I knew this would be my thing. And it was! I really liked the characters and the plot was inventive, original and felt like a great extension of a Greek myth.

What I'm not such a fan of is flowery prose and long descriptions. I know some people will love this story more because of that but I'm just not one of these people. I liked Tammi's writing but I would have enjoyed it more had it been 20% shorter. Long descriptions tend to bore me and through that, the story was quite slow paced and I took me a long time to get into it.

Still, I enjoyed reading this book and I can certainly imagine reading more of Tammi's works. This is a debut novel after all and for that it's certainly impressive!

Outrun the Wind is a fantasy debut novel about sapphic girls and Ancient Greece, and that's already enough reasons to buy the book.

Atalanta and Kahina are the narrators of this novel, and while I did really like both girls, I felt that their POVs were quite similar, and occasionally I couldn't differentiate between the chapters. Their voices just weren't distinct enough, and it was hard to get a feel for the characters. The book, however, was very well-written and the prose was lovely.

My absolute favourite aspect of the novel was the romance between Kahina and Atalanta. It's a slow burn romance; in fact, it's not even a large part of the novel itself. Sometimes that was a little disappointing, but the tension was enough to keep me reading.

Occasionally, the plot was a little slow and dry, but there were plenty of entertaining scenes to assist the plot. I do have to mention that I didn't especially like the representations of Ancient Greece in the book. Because ... it wasn't really present. Aside from the names of the characters, there's no feel of Ancient Greece in Outrun the Wind, and although the author's note explains this, it's still a bit disappointing because it's definitely marketed as Ancient Greece romance (hello, Artemis). It just felt like the world building, then, wasn't very strong.

I would still recommend Outrun the Wind, if you're looking for a quick, fun f/f romance to read on the weekend. It's a great debut.

Plot: Kahina, a hunter of Artemis, accidentally messes up a mission by saving Atalanta's life but in the process, killing the boar that Artemis created to punish the mortals who forgot to honour her. Kahina is sent to Arkadia, and meets Atalanta, by then the returned princess. The two girls get off to a rough start, since Kahina resents Atalanta for taking credit for slaying the boar and indirectly causing her dismissal Artemis' Hunt. Atalanta, meanwhile, is being pursued by suitors, even though she dreads the very idea of being married and bound to a man. Weaving through this plot is Kahina and Atalanta's intertwined lives and love for each other, and how it guides them through the suitors and the tension between Artemis and Apollo.

Language: The language is simple and accessible, and on very rare occasions lapses into the beautiful, while still not seeming too embellished. I was a little thrown off by some of the dialogue at first, since the characters spoke in modern colloquialisms, like someone telling another character not to "screw up". It was a bit jarring for me at first because it's supposed to be set in ancient Greece, but after a while, I got used to it. Besides, this book isn't trying to make itself out as a faux Victorian novel where all the characters speak like they've graduated with Literature degrees from Oxbridge. I think, stylistically, what did irk me a little was that some expressions/phrases were used a little too much and it got repetitive; case in point, "dread pools in my stomach," which I think I read from both Atalanta and Kahina's perspectives so many times earlier in the narrative. I would've appreciated a little more variation there, but that's my only substantial protest for this book.

Characters: The key characters were very vibrant and loveable. Apart from Kahina and Atalanta, I was also very fond of Atalanta's half-brother Phelix, and the hunters Isadora and Nikoleta. The latter three are pulled into the web woven around Kahina and Atalanta's intertwined lives, all through Hippomenes (also from the original legend of Atalanta). I loved hating Hippomenes because I felt like he was written to be toxic and fragile masculinity rolled into one. As a matter of fact, the only male character I liked in this book was Phelix, and even he took a little time for me to warm up to.

Overall:
I loved the different forms of love that this book explores, without ever naming them, and I loved the development of the relationship between Kahina and Atalanta, how they go from enemies to friends/companions, and grow to try to understand their true feelings for each other. I loved that this book normalised their queer relationship, and that none of the other characters really bat an eye about it. Without resorting to labels, we're presented with a female-female relationship that grows naturally.

I think choosing to breathe new life into the legend of Atalanta by giving it a modern feminist twist leant Tammi a lot of creative freedom in using the figure of Atalanta to go against the canon into something more empowering for women. This book is about the battle of the sexes: from Artemis vs Apollo (and by extension, Apollo's men and Artemis' hunters), to Hippomenes' repeated efforts to best women whom he sees as a threat to his assumed superiority, to the races in which Atalanta bests all the suitors who vie for her hand in marriage (a lot like that scene in Brave, only with footraces rather than arrows). I liked that Tammi didn't let the bareness of the canon restrict her story, but instead chose to build on, and in some occasions reject, it, in order to come up with her own original tale.

Outrun the wind was a great read! Outrun the wind a based on the story of Atalanta in Greek Mythology. Atalanta is a bad ass hunter who can outrun anyone. Kahina is one of Artemis huntresses. Through a series of events their lives intertwine with one another. I absolutely loved reading about Kahina and Atalanta. They had a very organic relationship and it was really refreshing to read. I really appreciate the research the author put into the story. Although she did fill in many of the blanks in the story I felt that she still kept to the original Mythology. Overall, I would highly recommend this story!

Loved this book, just couldn’t put it down! It was a great story that had me hooked, what was going to happen next and why do men have so much control over the characters??

Another little treat was the description of mythology in the back of the book, I learnt a few things from there but it was nice to see the author highlighting the dramatic flairs she included for the readers sake!

Hello, here is the review I will be publishing on Goodreads, Instagram, and blog on October 27th.


I recently signed up for NetGalley and was approved for my first ARC called, Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi. I had seen the cover and other reviews on Instagram and when I saw NetGalley had it available I sent a request without hesitation!"

I started reading it as soon as it finished downloading to my kindle and the first two chapters sucked me in. In the book, there are two POVs. They are both young women named Atalanta and Kahina and have both had troubled pasts. When they meet in the beginning of the book it is during a difficult situation and Atalanta has to make a tough decision.

As the book continues on from that point, it becomes a slow dragging read. Nothing to exciting happens and there was only a couple important events but still seemed to drag. It didn't pick up again until about 85% into the book. Even then, the events that happened felt a bit rushed and when one of the antagonists met his end it almost seemed too easy when Kahina had been afraid of him and couldn't go near him the entire book.

Although the flow of the book was a little off, the characters had some depth but I felt that Atalanta and Kahina needed a little more spark, especially when it came to their relationship. Both of their backgrounds were clearly thought out and I enjoyed understanding why they would make certain choices or even decide to love one another. Their relationship felt more like a good friendship than a romance. The other characters in the book were wonderful even if some of them had smaller roles.

As for the plot, I love greek mythology and fantasy which this book has. I was a little disappointed with the mythology aspect but liked the spin she took with Artemis and Apollo.

Overall, I would give this book 3/5 stars. The plot was well thought out and I enjoyed the greek mythology she brought into the book. Although Atalanta and Kahina needed a little more depth, they still were lovable characters. The plot may be a little slow but the ending is worth it. If you are looking for a book with greek mythology and a lgbt romance then check out this book which comes out November 27th, 2018!

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley, North Star Editions, and Elizabeth Tammi for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had very high expectations of this book based on a number of the reviews I read that are already out there. While it didn't quite meet my expectations, Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi was still a very engaging and exciting read.

The story: Atalanta was raised as a warrior, and Kahina is a huntress of Artemis. When Kahina kills Artemis's boar to save Atalanta, she must redeem herself to get back into Artemis's good graces. When Atalanta turns out to be none other than the Princess of Arkadia, she is not thrilled at the fact that her father wants her to marry as soon as possible. Kahina comes up with the brilliant plan of having suitors race Atalanta, since it will be impossible for anyone to outrun her.

This plan seems like a good idea, until it turns into higher stakes: life and death. When  suitors see they are  bound to die, they leave Atalanta alone. All except one who refuses to back down, a follower of Apollo sure of his own victory.

One thing that originally drew me to the book, based on other reviews, was the female/female romance aspect. I enjoyed this, but I really with there was more of it a lot sooner in the novel. The lack of action made the romance feel rather stilted and unbelievable.

I really enjoyed the hunt at the beginning of this book. It really made the setting. There's even a reference to Odysseus's father, which was a nice Easter egg and a way to show the time period without having to explicitly say. The part between the hunt and the racing (a huge chunk of the first half of the book) felt a bit slower and dragged slightly in comparison to the rest. Once the races start, the story becomes exciting again, and the stakes are pretty high.

The writing style itself is very nice and elegant, as well as easy to read. The only problem I had was that the voices of the two different characters tended to feel too similar more often than not, and I would occasionally forget who's perspective I was reading.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read and would recommend it to teen girls specifically. There's a good takeaway from this book about not letting your past define you and really finding who you are and being comfortable with that person. A person shouldn't let others try to change them. Great message!

Outrun the wind by Elizabeth Tammi

I was sent this book as an advanced copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.

Rep: f/f romance, lesbian mc, bi mc

For a debut novel this book was phenomenal. Well written story, the character development was truly outstanding. I haven’t read a lot of books about Greek Mythology but this book makes me want to go read all the story’s and retellings.

Being part of the LGBT+ community I’m always in awe when books; especially retellings have that aspect in the them. For me it brought in more for the story of Kahina and Atalanta, the hate to love relationship grows so perfectly throughout the book.

The world building and characters are all very strong points for the story. While reading, I could definitely imagine the world as I seen the words. I highly recommend this story to anyone who is into Greek mythology, or anyone looking to venture from their usual genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and North Star Editions for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Rated this 3 stars on Goodreads and tonight on Instagram as well (@bookstolivby).

Outrun The Wind was an interesting debut novel about two female heroines and a secret that kept me on my toes for three days. At first I thought it was built around Kahina and Atalanta’s romantic relationship, but once I understood the general angle I was glad I had been proven wrong. This novel was more about the world building than it was about the romance. The f/f love story was there, always tangible and yet, it wasn’t the main focus at all. Only three things left me unimpressed: the mythological world building, the überpolished writing and the double point of view. In terms of world building, it didn’t feel like a mythological read —more like fantasy. And that disappointed me. A bit. Moreover the whole story was told by two different point of views, Atalanta and Kahina’s, and yet their voices weren’t that different at all. Sometimes I ended up being confused and I had to re-read some passages. The author’s writing was on point though, but I would have appreciated less descriptions. Overall it was a lovely debut novel. And the f/f romance was nicely built.