Rising

The Avant Champion #1

by C.B. Samet

All things considered, it was a good day to die . .
When Marrington Castle is overtaken by a dark and ancient evil, Abigail Cross finds herself in the precarious situation of protecting Queen Rachel the Fourth. Her journey to safety quickly transforms into a quest to save Queen and country. Charged with finding the artifacts to raise The Champion to defeat the world’s most powerful enemy, Abigail finds herself traversing the perilous continent—from the roaring waterfalls of Aithos to the scorching heat of the Optato Desert to the freezing fog of Mount Karn… Will Abigail succeed in uniting the kingdom and summoning the Avant Champion to save them all?

Genres: Fantasy, Amazon

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 22, 2016

About the author

I enjoy writing and reading action/adventure, thrillers, romantic suspense, and fantasy.

I grew up reading Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and the Bourne books. I write seeking to create that level of action and intrigue but with female heroines. The love the quote, ‘She needed a hero. So she became one.’ My novels have empowered women overcoming powerful obstacles and the strong men who support them.

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Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the blurb and was convinced to give this a try. While it's what I call classic fantasy, I had a hard time staying invested in the story. The characters didn't appear believable and it was too wordy in places. Guess it wasn't for me.

My Rating: 3 stars

[Marianne Boutet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got quite frustrated by trying to figure out why the queen picked Abigail to run around with...it just didn't make sense to me. Granted, I only got 20% read, but I felt too much was missing from the story. I'm sorry too - the premise was interesting.

[H.M. Gooden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess that I read this series out of order, but that made this book even more impressive for me. Abigail Cross is like so many of us as we navigate the space between childhood and adulthood- trying to finish a degree and start a life. But when evil changes her route, she will find her future so much more than she bargained for. At times sorrowful and exhilarating, this is a wonderful beginning to the storyist the Avant champion- a woman I would love to be friends with!

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this a great classic style fantasy, action, adventure, a bit of romance, great characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read , would recommend as older readers around 15+ , I will definitely be looking out for more by C B Samet now

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful story with magic aplenty to please any reader. The narrator was perfect for this book. Totally made the story come alive.

[Lindsay (LindsayHWrites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 Stars

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 17+ (New Adult/Adult)

WARNINGS: Violence, Character Death, Mention/Suggestion of Sexual Activity

GENRES: Fantasy, Action and Adventure, Romance

PAGES: 270 (paperback edition provided in exchange for an honest review)

PUBLICATION DATE: July 22, 2016


Sam gave me a a crooked smile, swallowing a mouthful of food. "I used to think you were scientific and logical to a fault, Abigail. It is strange to hear you talk about evil and Champions and mystical stones."

"It's strange to hear myself as well," I admitted.


The Avant Champion: Rising, by C. B. Samet, is the first book that I have read purposefully to review in quite some time. After months of textbooks and research on my papers, it was really exciting to dive into a fantasy world during the Thanksgiving holidays for a break. This story follows Abigail Cross, a girl working at the queen's castle in the hopes of saving enough money to complete her education. When mysterious creatures show up and start attacking, Abigail learns that - according to prophecy - she is destined to help protect the Queen. That information leads the pair of them and their allies all across the kingdom in search of a solution....

Full review here: https://patchworkreviews.wordpress.co...

[Nico · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some spoilers ahead.

Right. I'm not sure why I didn't DNF this book. I got it for free on the Kobo store, so no financial commitments there, I have several other books waiting in the wings, so no desperation there. I'm not sure how many times I turned to a family member and said "this book really sucks" or how many times they wished I actually would so I'd stop talking about it and actually read something else, but anyhow. I finished it. Mostly. I did skim some dry bits that seemed unimportant, and shock of all shocks, I didn't miss anything because I guessed the ending to the big climax during Chapter 2.

The writing was just not it for me. The clichés felt tired, the dialogue was often cringey (and teeth-rottingly bad during the romance scenes), and time after time things made no goddamned sense. Often it was little things, but the fact that Abby was The Leader ™ and hadn't done much of anything to warrant that respect except be in the center of the ominous 'Prophecy' vibes made me laugh. Her spontaneous anger with Inok was ridiculously contrived and the attempt at a friendship/redemption was rushed and unbelievable. The Queen was largely ignored as a character except when she was brought in to create a conflict. Abby learned to fight like a seasoned warrior in about, what, 2 weeks? But y'know, she has a stone, so we'll handwave that. Also, a 10,000 man army can assemble from all parts of a massive kingdom in a given location within the time frame shown here? Please. Also, incredibly convenient that her work-study trips landed her in the exact locations she needed for this quest. Destiny is upon us indeed *mad finger waving effect*. The Chosen One trope can be done effectively, but the fact that she could walk into any location and be treated as a loved hero with unlimited support kind of took away from her personal struggle to come into her own. And once the healing factor came in the stakes went WAY down.

I honestly hated Abby's character, which didn't help anything. She was moody (but not in a mourning or interesting way, just in an annoying one), and her decisions and the way she spoke often left me wanting to shake her. Joshua was just a perfect love interest with no flaws, unlimited patience and a kinda magic ability - which is cute for a while and then is just unbelievable and boring. The speed of their romance is also kinda funny to me. I know they were friends before, but damn. Beyoncé was calling.

The pacing was fascinating with what could've been a novella tacked on awkwardly at the end. Really took away from that first climax. The reunion there just felt... Off. And again, rushed. The fact it happened after the the 1st climax made an afterthought of something that had been monumental to Abby's life.

The world was cool, I'll give it that. But because the writing felt so detached I was never immersed enough to properly enjoy it long.

So I'm done with this book now. Why did I keep reading after 100 pages of annoyance for the next 250? I think I wanted to see if I could be surprised, or if this really would piss me off till the end, and hey, now I know. Lucky me.

Next, please.

[♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

2.5 stars

It’s a slow start so far. There’s lots of descriptive writing which is slowing down the plot for me. Sometimes it’s great to describe lots of things but the writing feels choppy.

I got half way through the book when I lost interest. This book wasn’t for me. I found myself thinking just one more page it’s going to speed up but it just didn’t.

For me a lot of the book was over excessive descriptive writing. Sometimes you just need a few details. I really hoped the writing wasn’t like that for the whole book because it was bugging me but it seemed like that was the style of writing.. Too much description can be bad.

The plot was interesting and it isn’t a familiar trope which I liked. It was original and new. The plot is a bit confusing and sometimes it took me a minute to figure out who is who. It just seemed a bit confusing and messy and I got too caught up in the descriptive dialogue.

Joshua and Abby were my favorite. I loved their relationship and slow burn. However since I only got half way before I lost interest I don’t know much about the other characters. Joshua and Abby seemed to have a bit of life to them.

Even though I did loose interest. I will try picking this book up again sometimes in the future and try to finish it since I do want to see where Joshua and Abby end.

[Katy Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samet tells an enjoyable story, if not a fairly simple tale. Most easily described as a coming of age story, the story is told through the eyes of Abigail, a seemingly common college girl.
While I did enjoy the book, I struggled to understand the place names and the cultural history of the fantasy world. There were times I was downright confused by the characters emotions, and their motives, and even the behaviors stemming from those emotions. There were moments where the plot had a weird jog in action- something just didn't flow right in my mind, throwing me for a loop. I'm still not entirely sure I believe Abigail was a scientist, because she didn't speak or behave like any of the female scientists I know. Similarly, I don't know that I believe the relationship between Joshua and Abigail was anything more than an arrangement of comfort- they don't interact as friends during the quest, much less as lovers, and the reader is asked to believe that they want to get engaged and married off a year old stale relationship? Also, how did Abigail manage to travel to all of these places for field study, impress so many people in so short a time, and meet her university requirements? The time table doesn't entirely make sense to me.

On the whole, this book was good and sweet. I would recommend it to friends, but it did not completely satisfy me.

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book really did not come together for me. It has moments of great description, but these are often lost in tedious passages with too much information or distancing scenes where the prose style keeps reminding me that I'm reading.

It opens with an intense scene that turns out to come from more than 60 percent into the book. From there it swaps to a very slow and heavy opening that provides excessive background information about the MC and her world.

Parts of the worldbuilding with the diverse races and cultures is interesting, but then we get a setup that is almost preachy about humanity.

I did like the MC, although she was ridiculously blind to the developing situation and what everyone else knew. Why did everyone else know it and she didn't? As widely studied as she is, it doesn't really make sense that everyone else knows this and she doesn't.

Finally, the story continues far past its natural conclusion. The goal was to defeat the evil. But once that is done, it drags on and on with all this other stuff.

[Jennifer Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy from the author through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review*

Genre: Epic fantasy, new adult (mature content)
POV: 1st person

The Avant Champion: Rising follows Abigail Cross, a servant of the queen, on a quest to save the world from Malos (a physical representation of man's evil intentions). I found the characters to be compelling, Abbey is intelligent, and well travelled, but doesn't know everything and depends on a collection of characters to aid in her quest. I enjoyed the world building in Rising, the various types of magic are interesting. While Rising launches the Avant Champion series, it is satisfying as a standalone novel. There is a complete story arc, and setup for a second book, without the need for a cliff hanger. Rising has a similar style to The Belgariad, as a light hearted good versus evil story with a combination of internal struggles and epic questing.

[Sharon Hughson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll admit reading a fantasy in first person isn’t my favorite. There is just too much I want to know that a single narrator can’t tell me.
Much of the way the story unfolded felt very convenient. There were a ton of “info dumps” that stole from the tension by giving me too much information that wasn’t pertinent to the moment.
All the characters felt flat and not relatable, which is the biggest reason I gave this story three stars. The other reason was because things that would make the quest possible just “appeared” without feeling organic to the story world.
I don’t generally comment on typos and editing errors, but they were numerous and distracted from the story.
I wanted to love this book because it was the first in a series and I’m always looking for another fantasy series to dive into. Sadly, this will not be one of them.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really had it all! I loved how the author was able to include romance, fantasy and action, while keeping the story relatable and exciting. The characters were really impressively examined and I felt like I knew them and their struggles, which enabled the reader to sink further into this world and experience it with Abigail. I loved the setting and pacing of the book along with the growth of the characters. I also loved the strong heroine trying to save her kingdom. It was a very empowering read, despite the tragedy that our main character experiences. ! All together I would definitely recommend this book, and hope to read or listen to more by this author. I received this book for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Sanjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway by the author in exchange for a honest review!!**
I really enjoyed the book. The descriptions of almost everything in the book were very detailed and heartfelt it was almost poetic. Abbey, the main character, is very strong and all the loss she suffered, only taught her to be braver. I was not expecting the book to be as spicy as it was and those scenes were even better because I wasn't expecting it. The character development and plot was beautifully told as well. I can't wait to get my hands on the other books in this series!

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy well written.

Vibrant characters, fascinating world building and an intriguing mythos to boot.

Abbey Cross, the main protagonist, is intelligent, cheeky and certainly rises to the occasion in the battle of good verses evil.

There's a romance sub-plot that actually didn't annoy me, (unusual as it doesn't take much - it's an element I don't tend to enjoy) but it wasn't to the detriment of the main story arc and fitted well.

Enjoyable read and definitely an author I'll be now be watching, and reading.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when you think you are going about an average day or an average event, the extraordinary happens.

Abigail discovers not only a host of colleagues, mentors, and foes when trying to raise a champion to defend crown and country - after she thought she was just seeking refuge herself. Abigail learns of her calling as Champion, and all that it might bring her - as well as all that it might cost her.

Strength and the pain of self discovery.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail Cross watches as her brother is killed unable to say a word. The Queen warned Abbey to keep quite or she would go the same way as her brother. So Abbey and the Queen walked away with their lives in toe.

Marrington Castle is under attack and Abbey has to protect the Queen and the kingdom. Abbey finds herself in a perilous situation where she must fight the Avant Champion to save the kingdom from peril. Can Abbey save the Queen? Can she save the kingdom? Is Abbey strong enough to fight an evil so dark an ancient?

The Avant Champion: Rising is filled with action from beginning to end that will keep you turning the pages. The Avant Champion: Rising will take you on the adventure of a lifetime with Abbey fighting demons and shadows trying to save the kingdom.

If you like fantasy and adventure then you are going to love The Avant Champion: Rising. Pick up your copy today and begin the adventure

[Frank Geimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a decent read if you are into adult Romantic Fantasy. I usually do not read this type of sci-fi, but gave it a shot anyway. While I enjoyed the read, it is really slow in the build-up process and gives way to many information that belongs in a glossary. It could be a lot faster paced and have more in depth characterization that would really make it a great read. I was given an ARC of this novel and this is my honest review.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I love fantasy and this book was no disappointment. The characters were interesting and we continued to find out more about them as the story went on. Romance, action, magic, this book had all my favorite things. I would definitely read more by C.B. Samet :)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well done fantasy novel. It is so easy to become extremely involved in the various characters lives and be unable to put the book down! There are a couple of love scenes that are moderately detailed that make this book better for an older audience. Over all, a fantastic read. *I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*

[Patricia Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming adventure where the hero comes from a most unlikely place. Unlike most good versus evil adventures, this leans heavily on the adventure rather than battle. A great adventure that you can get through in one book. Great plot, characters, and world building. I received a free copy of this audio book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The narration was spot on and the story was engaging. The magic system is unique but believable. With all the stress, unknown, and frightening things going on Abigail never gives up. The way the character grows and blooms into the champion is wonderful. I highly recommend this to anyone.

[Suki Rickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1

Book 1 was a fun read and had errors throughout. The plot is different from normal magical books. The characters are a little naive, and predictable. There are parts within the book that could have been taken out, but overall it fun and exciting to read. I look forward to book 2.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well- rafted book

Although much of this story is not normally my cup of tea, the crafting is solid, the places and people interesting.

For those that like characters that are perhaps a bit too self-effacing and good at everything they do, who like their action cozy and the endings happy … this is your book!

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off so slowly, I almost binned it. I'm glad I didn't though. It's actually konda fun. If a bit halting at times. I enjoyed it. The character growth was quite nice. I'll be reading the next one.

[Mary Higginson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to try this book because I enjoy CJ Samet's work but fantasy isn't for me. However, I felt that in the genre it was a good read and one that a YA audience could enjoy too. As the first in a series it's ideal for those who like to dig into a world and follow up.

[Tonya Cheton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
I like the book because certain characters weren't on his friend's side, of the way things got out of hand. More or so the Island was being taken over.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is an enjoyable read with a good mixture of action and Magic.

The characters and the world are well developed and it certainly left me wanting to read more.

[A S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joshua Joshua Joshua

Joshua is all you hear from about chapter 9 and the MC’s lusts for his stick. The adventure story gets really stupid at this point and it just becomes crap afterwards. Junk romance fantasy

[Tina Billings · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this Author.

I very much enjoyed the adventure the characters went on. Lots of action and adventure to keep me riveted. The ending was a surprise but a good doorway to the next book in the series.

Can't wait to see what other mischief Abbey gets into.