Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi ~ a Review

by MK French

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.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2018; FLUX; 978-1635830262
print (320 pages); mythology

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.

Buy Outrun the Wind at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

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