Tributaries

Eikasia #1

by Illise Montoya

Nyx is a feline shapeshifter, lost and alone, host to a fierce and ferocious being that lies deep inside her. She harbors a deadly secret and is running for her life when she is saved by Elmiryn, a cursed warrior on a quest for revenge. The pair quickly become unlikely allies and embark upon a perilous physical and mental journey that will put both their skills and sanity to the test. Ultimately, they form a unique and powerful bond through their shared trials and tribulations. Together they continue onward and follow a path that leads to new and remarkable discoveries of both the worlds around, and within them.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Illise Montoya was born and raised in California, where she currently lives with her husband and son. A storyteller since the age of six, Illise cultivated her skills writing poetry, short stories, and fan fiction. At the age of 22, she enrolled in Full Sail University, graduating valedictorian with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. A strong believer in art for art’s sake, she also writes free serial fiction online. In her spare time, Illise enjoys video games, reading, and going to the beach.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a trip! I love LesFic Fantasy, It's my favorite genre by far. I took a look at the cover and made the mistake thinking this would by a lighthearted fantasy/romance. Boy I was wrong. This was crazy, weird and so confusing at times, I still don't know parts of what I read. It was so cerebral in parts that I felt like if I was on hard drugs, I might write something this bizarre, no offense to the author.
I have no idea how to review that any better than this. But it was just crazy enough to make me want to read book 2, if it comes out.

[MaxDisaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird as hell but unexpectedly fun

[Frank Van Meer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit: half of the time I didn't have a clue what I was reading or what was going on. But I still liked it.

It starts off well, two cursed women find each other and decide to tag along in a world that isn't theirs anymore. Well, one sort of forces the other to follow.
It was pretty standard fare, untill they reached the dying city to find out what's going on and to help out. And then it lost me completely.

Problem is with Nyx. For some reason she is in conflict with her shapeshifter counterpart and they fight constantly, but there are many moments where I don't have a clue who is talking. And I'm totally confused what excactly the author is trying to tell me when they end up in the cave. Example: Nyx is desperate and shifts to some unusual form, which Elmyrin perceives as a turnip. WTF?

But, I really liked the characters. Nyx is well educated and is throwing some very big words around ( I think I learned about 263 new English words, some that have ridiculous Scrabble values ).
Elmyrin is also a wonderful character with one of the oddest curses on her. Verisimilitude?

For some reason the author chose to have Nyx's story in first person and Elmyrin in third person. I personally found that an odd choice and I'm not quite sure about it.

This is the second book I have read that made no sense to me, but for some reason I really enjoyed (the other being Alabaster: Pale Horse and the accompanying graphic novels Alabaster: Wolves and Alabaster Voume 2: Grimmer Tales ).

But I really loved the language and the cover is gorgeous.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author to read and review
Original review can be found here: http://superbookgrl13.blogspot.com/20...

I received this book from the author to read and review. This book reads to me fantasy more than anything else, but the author does say it's a lesbian romance also.



We've got Nyx and Elle, shapeshifter and warrior on a journey and quest of Elles to right a wrong done to her by a evil spirit type thing. There's some battles both mental and physical, and some coming of age moments.



The book was a nice read, very articulate, very well written, the author has lots of talent. The characters were easy to get to know, the world building was pretty good. There were some parts that confused me, mostly dealing with Nyx, and not being able to figure out who was actually the one walking and talking, when I thought it was Nyx, it ended up being the shapeshifter, or vice versa, during some parts. I didn't feel the romance too much, the quest/journey seemed to be the strong point in the whole book, there were some moments when the characters cared for each other, but I didn't see the romance leading up to that, a kiss seemed out of the blue to me, and kinda took me by surprise, the end quest seemed to be the focal point, more than relationship building, I didn't feel like they were in love or anything, more friendship was felt for me, going through stuff like they did, similar to Frodo and Samwise in LOTR, where they obviously care for each other, but aren't IN love.



I recommend this read if you are a fantasy fan, with a bit of lesbian romance mixed in.

[GC MacQuarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a reader of fantasy generally, but I try to move onto a new genre with each book that I read. Tributaries was a book I may have skipped over in the past, however, I'm very glad that I didn't in this case.

One of my most favorite feelings is that of captivating characters. That realisation that characters will live on, spilling back into your memory long after reading about them. This is how I feel about Elmiryn & Nyx, the two heroes of the story.

Read my full review here: http://gcmacquarie.weebly.com/reviews...

[Christal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline is very imaginative and the main characters are compelling. I found myself asking questions about who they are, where they've been, and how they will end up. Sometimes it's hard to follow the action, so I had to reread certain scenes to fully understand what was happening. Overall, it's definitely worth sinking into.

[Pauline allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to say it was good.

This was a so so book. The two female leads are both insane. No really like I need to see the inside of a mental hospital insane. Yet they are somehow keeping each other from cracking. Not a bad plot, just slow at points

[Geo (rain) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

[Elise Mardoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have so many conflicted thoughts on this book. The writing was generally really excellent. The characters develop slowly and believably, and the relationship between the two characters is especially excellent. I can really feel them grow together over the course of the story. They, like many relationships, have growing pains and still work to do. It's very believable. Definitely the high point for me.

My major gripe is with pacing and consistency. The climax happens early on, and everything after is like an entirely different book. The story gets really dreamy and confusing. I like a lot of writing like this, but it's so sudden and complete. It becomes a sort of puzzle to unravel. Conceptually, a lot of it is amazing, but it was at such odds with the pace and mood of the rest that I started wishing it was more fun and something would actually happen.

If the two halves were more congruent and fluid, this would have easily been four stars. Also, if I hadn't gone in with expectations that this was just a fun story and, instead, a more existential and even depressing one, I would have been able to enjoy it more.

I still liked it enough that I will definitely read the next book.

[Eel · Rating 4 out of 5]

received book in exchange for review

I enjoyed the book, as may be evidenced by how fast I finished it (2 days)
I liked how my understanding of the land was built upon as the story progressed.
I enjoyed Nix and Elle and the dynamics between them. I knew at the outset that there'd be a relationship between them however when it happened I was somewhat surprised as there wasn't a lot that led you to that. But despite that, I found the story to be entertaining and enjoyable.
I might have given a "5" had the epilogue not thrown me for a loop.
I get that it was the "book" Nix was given and had been reading but other than that connection I saw no need for it. I would have rather had an epilogue that dealt with Nix and Elle sometime down the road. Did Elle ever realize her quest? How did they get on as a couple?

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book. True, it got a little hard to follow for a short period of time in the middle, but the overall concept felt really fresh and interesting the whole way through. I found myself really liking both of the main characters as well as the relationship that formed between them throughout their journey so far. The whole story had a depth of content that kept me interested while still keeping a sense of lightness that made the reading of it easy to fall into and enjoy. A great start to a series that I look forward to getting the rest of!

[Opolitlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book despite not always liking fantasy. The style is pleasant and easy to read and the characters are likable. I did like the budding relationship between the main characters, even though I agree the kiss was out of blue, I kind of enjoyed how a deep friendship was developed first, rather than immidiate attraction.

This is more fantasy than lesbian literature, but I suppose that's the way it should be. I warmly recommend it.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably more of a three-and-a-half-stars because plenty of the writing is rough and the plot is kind of confusing, but I enjoyed it so much.

I was drawn in while browsing by the charming anime-style cover and was curious about the characters. I really liked the way they were both developed - troubled characters with troubled lives who are trying to find purpose and some kind of healing together. I was looking for a book to get caught up in and this fit perfectly.

[Scarllet ✦ iamlitandwit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and the slowly developing romance. The action and the verbal sparring between them, their conversations were really funny and great. It was witty. Where it got iffy for me was the whole Other separating thing with Nyx and how long the scene in the cave with the River Guardian went for. And the epilogue. I didn't like that quite as much. Though I loved reading from Nyx's perspective, though.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the amount of creativity put into this book, as well as the relationship that developed between Nyx and Elle. I'd definitely like to know more about their relationship down the road. At times, I had to re-read scenes because they could be a bit confusing the first time around.

[Joshua Garrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but confusing

I enjoyed this book but it was extremely hard to follow along at times. It is told in first person and both characters have mental issues. There are points I don't even know which characters perspective it's in. Otherwise great book.