Elizabeth Tammi’s debut novel takes place in the world of Greek mythology. Two heroines are placed between the god siblings Artemis and Apollo, destiny and love.
In Outrun The Wind, the novel explores how a woman can choose her own path even in a time where it wasn’t common, and only causing one to only fight harder.
The Huntresses of Artemis have to follow two rules: never disobey the goddess and never fall in love. This should be quite easy for Kahina who was kidnapped by her cousin Hippomenes out of jealousy because she would inherit her father’s fleet one day, so he brought her to Apollo who turned her into one of the Oracles of Delphi.
Artemis hears about this and comes to Kahina’s rescue. Still feeling the Oracles powers deep in her, she feels at home with the Huntresses. That is, until one day, she saves the legendary huntress Atalanta and broke rule number one.
Kahina is then sent to the Arkadia by Artemis where she is asked to complete a task. That would have been no problem if Atalanta didn’t turn out to be the long-lost daughter of the king, and now he’s only interested in marrying her off. Atalanta will no longer be a legendary huntress if she bends to her father’s words. She will marry, but only if her husband-to-be will race her for her hand in marriage.
Both warriors find themselves in new places in which all their knowledge from a life in the woods cannot help them at all. The question is, can they Outrun the Wind?
It was enjoyable reading about women in a leading role who does not need another person to make a story of their own and be in balance with themselves. To read about such women within a time that does not allow that at all is fascinating to me because they need more energy to keep fighting. Of course, this fight is mixed with Greek mythology, and this makes everything interesting since some gods like to play with your life as you are merely one pawn on their chessboard.
Artemis and Apollo, for me, are one of the most interesting gods. The constant love and hate between them along with their competitiveness makes a great basis for a story.
As the book title states, it is more about the Hunt than about the Oracle. Personally, I would have like to read more about Delphi and how the life there is. The story does not take place in the Hunt either, but you get quite a picture how it is.
Atalanta is a modern woman in a time where you should be married at the age of 14 and if you are 17 and are not, you a disappointment and bring shame upon your family. Kahina and Atalanta have not had it easy in their lives and still see some silver lining in front of them and that keeps them going. As the two get to know each other better, they see that they are connected more as they knew. In the end, this makes Kahina break the second rule of Artemis: she falls in love.
There are some scenes where I would have liked to see explained in further detail as well as to see more about the other characters around them, which seemed to be quite important to the story.
This book can easily be recommended to everyone who likes mythology, along with romance mixed together. Plus, if you like to see not one, but two, strong female characters in the center of a story then how could you pass this one up!
Outrun The Wind will be available December 1st from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
