The Vine Eater

The Magic Eaters Trilogy

By: Carol Beth Anderson

Narrated by: Carol Beth Anderson

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The highly anticipated sequel to The Frost Eater, a post-apocalyptic YA fantasy novel reviewers called “a wild ride” that “sizzles along to an unexpected end” with “heavy-hitting action,” “magic and dragons,” and “a touch of romance.”

•••

Nora, Krey, and Ovrun rescued vine eater Zeisha Dennivan from magical enslavement. But none of them are truly free.

They’re stuck in the ancient city of Deroga. Together, they must protect the city’s trogs from the vengeful king.

The ongoing conflict is changing them all. Krey and Zeisha don’t truly know each other anymore — he hungers for battle, while she dreads it. Nora and Ovrun are closer than ever, but with her destined to take the crown, their futures are at odds.

And one of the four friends is keeping a terrible secret that will alter everything when it comes to light.

The king expands his army, preparing to vanquish Deroga. Even with two dragons on their side, the teens and trogs will be hard-pressed to defend themselves.

It’s not just the city at stake. It’s the future of Cellerin…and the fates of four hearts.

The Vine Eater takes what you loved about The Frost Eater and kicks it up a notch, with more magical action, heart-pounding romance, and thrilling flights with dragons.

Devour it today.

•••

Quotes are from Goodreads reviewers Tasha, Clarissa Gosling, K. Law, and Mike, and Booksprout reviewer Beth H.

©2020 Carol Beth Anderson (P)2020 Carol Beth Anderson

Great fantasy series.

The second installment continues where it ended and boy it was a fun listen. Fast paced and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator is the author and she does a fantastic job portraying the characters! It was great to see that the story still continues on with Nora, Krey and Ovrun. Can’t wait for the next book. Sounds like it’s going to be intense!! I received a free copy of this audiobook, and I’m reviewing it voluntarily.

Awesome and Fantastic and Amazing

I was so very impressed by this book in so many ways. Almost all the characters had such depth to them, I honestly wish that I hadn't waited so long between books. (Audible took away all of my dates, so I can no longer see what I downloaded and when. As someone who has over 2500 audiobooks waiting for reviews, this really messed me up!) But anyway, because I waited so long, it took me a chapter or two to really remember and understand what in the world is going on. But it didn't take long, and once I was back to remembering... I was ALL the way back. I LOVE these books. I don't have any kids, but If I did, this is definitely a series I would not only give to them but read with them. Spectacular for all ages. The Characters almost never make the choices that I would have made in their situation, which at first made it a little less realistic to me. But then I thought about it. These people live in a completely different world than we do. DuHHH....of course, they are not going to do, act, or behave the way I would think. Duh! lol. I also think this author is spectacular! Not only did she write two amazing books for this amazing series, set in a completely different world than ours. But she also narrated the entire thing. Most authors should stick to their day jobs. But not Ms. Carol Beth Anderson. She didn't just read her books. She gave it life. All of the voices were different. I almost never got confused with who was speaking at the time. I was really impressed. If writing ever stops working out for you Carol (Oh God, I hope not). You could definitely have a career as a narrator. But before you do that, I NEED the third book in the trilogy! I can't wait to see what happens! When the next one comes out or any others for that matter, I'd love to listen and review it for you again. [e-mail] <3 This book was given to me at my request. I am providing a voluntary and honest review. <3

Stunning

All I can say is this sequel was stunning Carol sure has a way with words.

beautiful affirmative story, unique defense

How does a pacifist support her people against an army bent on attacking them? Zeisha wants to support her friends, but is haunted by nightmares of what she was forced to do by the blood eater. Is seeing the future a blessing or a curse? How does an orphan, whose focus is on self-preservation, know who to trust? These questions and more are explored in an adventure filled epic that takes the characters down paths they never imagined traveling. Highly enjoyable read, even better than the first!

This book does a very good job dealing with sensitive, potentially controversial topics in a very factual, non-judgemental way as well. There is so much focus on character grown and friendship and support but healthy support, not enabling. One of the characters is dealing with addiction and it is one of those things that could have gotten overly dramatic or preachy etc, but I think what was there struck a good balance between the seriousness of the situation, the love and support of friends, and the consequences to all of them.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the newspaper blurbs at the beginning of each chapter. They give a glimpse into the high tech world that was before the event that changed everything. It is an interesting juxtaposition to read about the ghosts that haunt the shells of buildings that Nora and her allies are living in.

This is book 2 of 3 in the Magic Eaters series and jumps right in where book 1 ended. It is a rich plot that builds on the previous book and you will be lost if you do not read them in order. This book features many of the same characters from book 1 but they've shifted position. I like that the main characters from book 1 still have pivotal roles in book 2 even though the primary focus shifted to a couple other characters, one new one you will recognize.

The audio version is read by the author herself and she does an excellent job bringing the characters and story to life. This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC

Superbly done!

Following the adventures of Nora and the gang has been a thrilling adventure! So many trials and tribulations challenge the gang and really make them have to face dire circumstances at new prospective! Can’t wait to find out where the story leads!

Good

While I still get confused with the way the story jumps around, I absolutely love the story..All the different magic and the things they can do..I love all the main characters. can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

Good second book

I enjoyed this continuation a lot and want to see where the series will progress to. The narrator did a fantastic job and the story had pulled me in from the moment I started. I enjoyed the world building so much and it felt so natural not forced. The characters were a blast to get to know and I can’t wait to see what else they are going to do. There’s more action and some new characters to get to know. I enjoyed the twists and turns that kept me entertained.

Is this a Kissing Book - Part II

The Vine Eater by Carol Beth Anderson is book 2 in her series started with the Frost Eater. In this book, she continues to expand on her rich universe created in book. In Vine Eater, as evidenced by the title, the focus is much more on Zeisha, who we barely got to meet in book 1. She is my favorite character in the series. Reunited with Kray, she’s dealing with conflict between wanting to help her friends in their fight against the power that enslaved her in book 1, her repulsion of using her powers to harm others, and figuring out just what her relationship with Kray and her new friends should be. Her character arc in this book is delightful.

Like book 1 – this book is a YA directed fantasy, and as older teenagers – it can be a bit of a “kissing book.” BUT Anderson has created a character - Sarza - who is a perfect foil to the Lovey-Dovey nature of the 2 primary couples in the series. Not every teenager is a raging hormone. Some either 1- don’t get it, or 2- are slightly repulsed by it. Some remain like the kid in The Princess Bride. The fact that the author included a well developed character in this book who identifies in this group absolutely delighted me. I’m a father of 3 teenagers, and one of them is the model she could have used for this character. I was a raging hormone as a kid, so its been a journey as a parent understanding a kid who isn’t that way, and Kudos to Anderson for writing to them as well. I look forward to where she goes with this character in the ensuing book(s).

The other prominent couple (Nora and Ovrum) also go through some very important development personally and in their relationship – learning that in order to grow, they must sometimes be willing to give up a dream that has been important to them in favor of a dream that they can accomplish together.

Anderson also tackles the issue of addiction, secrets, dependancy & many other things head on, but in a fashion that makes it very approachable as well.

Again in this book, the characters are believable, likeable & well developed. She does a great job narrating her own book too. For every 1 author that narrates their own books well, there are probably 10 who shouldn't. I also love the setting of this book – Being a far distant dystopian future on a planet where magic has become part of everyday life due to a cataclysm referred to as The Day. Each chapter is begun with a snippet from a pre-day teenage journalist. Their apparent Pre-day technological & societal development parralells our own & Anderson is able to give us a kind of commentary on relevant events in our day in an oblique fashion – as traditional Sci-fi does brilliantly. 5 stars again all around. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book!

Kept me engaged from beginning to end

Book 2 is even better than book 1 of this trilogy, I didn’t think that was even possible! The narrator conveyed the emotions of the characters perfectly! There were a couple of unexpected plot twists that I felt deep in my soul.

The author also deftly deals with social and (dare I say) hormonal issues that teens and young adults face daily. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the author was excellent as the narrator, and I have great anticipation for book 3!

Great character development. a thrilling adventure

Overall, I enjoyed getting to know more about both the characters from book 1 like Zasha and seeing the growth and development for the main characters. I also loved the world building that went into book 2. everything opens up and pieces of things hinted at in book 1 start to fall into place. I also noticed some hinting of things that I'm guessing will be addressed in the next book, so I'm excited to see where that leads. overall, it was a fun read.