I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy fantasy romance! The world and magic system Jillian created is easy to follow but also unique and intriguing which I so appreciated! The audiobook was fantastic and I highly recommend!
The FMC, Rose, is a weapons master with a special power for imbuing magic into her creations, but there's more than meets the eye. She has a mysterious past that we start to unravel throughout this first book in the series! She has a shapeshifting companion, Arie, who is funny and sassy and always shows up at the right moments and I absolutely loved him!
We quickly run into Luc, the MMC, when he finds her at a market and requests she make him some custom weapons. Rose isn't so sure about him and declines his offer, but he won't take no for an answer. While on the surface Luca appears grumpy and cold we soon find out there's many layers to him, his true identity and his past.
The major plot device is a mist plague that has been ravaging the lands and putting all the townsfolk into a suspended sleep and surrounding towns one by one in an impenetrable wall of mist. Rose and Luc happen to get caught up in the mist and fight it together and realize that they might be able to find the answers needed to take down the mist and save the lands.
As they go on this adventure to find answers their relationship blossoms! I loved the romance here and the way the slow burn sizzled as they fought their feelings, external circumstances and preconceived notions.
I am so looking forward to continuing on with this series!

Compass points follows Rose, a clever, powerful girl, in a world burdenen by mistake enchanting the villages it attacks to an endless sleep. When she meets Luc, the Suden point, she must face her past in order to secure the future of human and get alike.

This was a fun, fast paced story with witty banter and a great protagonist, love interest and shape shifting sidekick. I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the book.

I will say, that world building was a little messy. Though intriguing, I didn’t really see the purpose of having both humans and get in the world. There was a line about half-fey being able to make magic weapons, but honestly, this couldn’t just as easily have been made in a world of all fey with high and low fey, or humans and magicians. In fact the fey did feel sort of just like magicians with a fancy name.

The plot is pretty predictable, but it is executed well, and the three main characters are great to follow. I would have liked a little more interaction with the normal people in this universe - it kind of seemed like Luc and Rose and the other compass points with powers at their level were the only type of people, some background characters that were more than faceless silhuets would have been nice, although the lack there off doesn’t exactly take anything from the story.

That said, I had a great time, and rooted for Rose, and felt for her as well. I liked how the romance developed and how the story progressed. All in all 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

My review will be on Goodreads and Storygraph today (March 18th, 2025)

"Compass Points" by Jillian Witt is an intriguing start to the Compass Points series. Narrated by Kasi Hollowell, the audiobook brings the story to life with a captivating performance that keeps you engaged throughout. The plot is fresh, with a unique blend of mystery and adventure, and I’m genuinely excited to see where the series goes from here. It’s a promising first installment with room for growth in both the storyline and character development.

If you're looking for an immersive audiobook experience with potential for a thrilling series, this one is worth checking out!

#CompassPoints #JillianWitt #CompassPointsSeries #Netgalley

The narrator did an excellent job using mutiple voices for the different characters! The range shown was quite impressive and made it easier to distinguish everybody.

The plot of the book is very intriguing. I like the fact that Rose and Luc are supposed to be a "fake" couple but as they got to know each other more, feelings started popping up.

Rose is definetly not your typical fae fmc and i quite enjoyed the diversity within her character and all the characters in the book. I also enjoyed how to author added more context to the story by periodically adding fragments of past memories to the story. It added a lot of context and helped expand on the world building without being too overwhelming.

I haven't read a Fae Fantasy book in a while, and I'm happy to report this one did some really unique things with the fae! I loved the Lore and world building that made for an enjoyable read!

My particular favorite was Rose's shape-shifting companion who is snarky around every corner! The romance was a little too instant love for me, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. If you're looking for your next fantasy, definitely check out this completed trilogy!

Swoon! I totally fell for the MMCs charm.
The swoony tension in this is palpable.
This is a Romantasy for those Disney movie lovers. When she meets a fae male with a disarming smile in the first chapter… you know it’s going to be a good book.

❤️‍🔥Forced proximity
❤️‍🔥Tension
❤️‍🔥Swoony Banter
❤️‍🔥Dangerous & mysterious mmc

1.5🌶️ open lightly descriptive

This edged on the side of cozy, but the stakes were a little higher than typical cozy fantasies.

I enjoyed the banter between all the characters and often laughed or giggled along with them.

I felt the ending was a little rushed, but all together that book itself holds up. The slow burn was a little too slow for me and needed more action at the end to make it worth it. This was a debut though, and I believe the author will improve with time.

The romance itself was believable and the story told was fresh and exciting. I will definitely add this author to my list because I believe they will only continue to improve as they grow.

A cozy romantasy set in a magical world inspired by United States National Parks?? YOU ARE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE!! It’s like this novel was made just for me 🌲🧭🤍

This fast paced fantasy read felt like a warm hug in a book. It had all the elements I love in a fantasy read - fae, family secrets, an unlikely partnership, a sassy animal guardian, one bed, AND FAKE DATING 😍….& you know fantasy does it better because it’s for the sake of the realm 😉

I truly adored the characters in this novel 🫶Jillian’s easy to digest writing style paired with the wonderful narration of this audiobook was an excellent experience. I loved how Kasi Hollowell gave so much life to our sidekick Arie whether he was in feathers or fur! 🐦‍⬛🐻

This no spice romance 💘 still brought all the banter & tension! Making our FMC Rose & MMC Lucy’s relationship grow in a perfect slow burn 🔥

Had this on my TBR for a while, then I got an ALC of the book and moved it to the top, glad I finally got to it because I really enjoyed this story. It was unique and I love the banter and romance between our MMC and FMC. Heading into book 2 now!

The audio on this book was great, I liked the narrator. She was good enough that everyone had a different enough voice that it was easy to distinguish between them.

My rating: 3.5 ⭐️

Compass Points was a cozy fantasy book with interesting characters and a unique, well-written world.
If you like stories with fake dating, forced proximity, and a little rivalry, this may be the story for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC of Compass Points by Jillian Witt.

This was a cozy fantasy (it's listed as New Adult, but I think it hits Young Adult more accurately. There is one mild spice scene) with a favourite troupe of mine: fake dating.

I liked the magician's system, and Arie the shape-shifting companion- it did make me think of The Golden Compass and the animal companions in that, but I think I made that connection mostly for the similarities in the title.

I enjoyed the listen. 😊

3.75 stars

This book was a fun fantasy romance adventure with the trope that always hits, fake dating. I listened to the audiobook over 2 days and really enjoyed it. It was a very quick and easy read and has a surprisingly cozy feel, even with the danger lurking. I really liked spending time with all of the characters. And Luc had me giggling and swooning over some of the things he would say to Rose.

This book is categorized as New Adult, but it reads more as Young Adult in my opinion. There is one very mild, very quick “spicy” scene. I believe that scene is the only thing that might push someone to label this as New Adult.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

Narrated by Kasi Hollowell
Listening to this book was so much fun!

The trio of Rose, Luc and Ari are a fun bunch. The cozy beginnings are Rose after running away from her grief and the fae courts. The evil mystic fog is an evil that set the adventure in motion. I liked that they just get off on the wrong foot and then become friends. I really want more backstory to Rose's childhood but I guess that will come to light in the 2nd book.

The pacing was steady and despite the sleeping fog curse, the story is overall very light hearted.

The audiobook was easy to listen to, though I found some of the narrator’s character voices a bit odd.

As for the story, I loved the different take on fae courts and elemental magic, and the magic system based on compass points was unique and refreshing. It was pretty tropey, but I don't mind that for the most part

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted audiobook!

I was excited to read Compass Points as it ticked loads of fantasy story boxes for me; animal sidekicks, cosy vibes but with higher stakes, the great outdoors inspired by national parks and a fierce female lead character. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. Apart from Arie, the shapeshifting animal sidekick, it didn't feel like any of these promises were delivered in quite the way I expected.

Overall, I thought the plot had some interesting ideas, the idea of four Fae protectors based on the compass points, each with different skills and powers, was unique. There was potential for different elements, including the mist and the politics, to be more intriguing and add complexity, though they weren't fully explored here. Perhaps this is something to be further investigated in later books?

I found Rose, our FMC, a little disappointing, or perhaps just a little under-written. As a master sword maker, she didn't get to show her bladesmithing skills, but we did at least get to see her magic. However, she seemed completely out of her depth with Luc, fluctuating between a sort of instant adoration and an unearned trust, versus a constant reminder to herself that he is the Suden Point, and so they could never have a relationship, nor can he be trusted. I honestly got tired of hearing the line about him being the Suden Point so they couldn't be together, she must've thought it at least half a dozen times, especially after we found out a secret about Rose which made this even more unpalatable to her. To give Rose her due, she was quietly decisive and good in an emergency and under pressure, as well as enjoying to gently rib people for a bit of amusement too.

Luc is the least Fae-like Fae I've read about for a long time. He allegedly has a reputation for being at best grumpy, but seems to be polite, sweet, soft and lovely to everyone we meet, especially Rose. At the most we see him being a little combative in meetings with the other compass points, because he is standing up for the rights of humans, which is his job.

The audiobook was narrated by Kasi Hollowell. As always, I took a few minutes to adapt to a new narrator, but once I adjusted to her style, I thought she was very clear and had a good range of different accents and voices, making it easy to understand who was speaking at all times.

This was a 2.5 star read for me, rounded down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

This book had a lot of good ideas, but it also felt like the author took all the popular tropes and turned it into a book. The plot and world building and magic system weren't terrible, but the dialogue and "banter" was just not good. I won't be continuing the series.

I think I’d probably give this one 3-3.5 stars. Firstly thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

It didn’t blow me away, I enjoyed the underlying story, I liked the fake dating & the enemies to lovers sort of vibe.

It wasn’t really spicy which is good too, but I don’t know it was just missing something for me, to grab me - maybe more action? Maybe more time in the mist fighting monsters?

I feel as though her being a weapons master came into it only briefly and that storyline sort of went no where (unless I missed something which I very well could have as I did find myself drifting in and out with this story).

Overall I liked the narrators performance, but it’s definitely one you’ll need to pay more attention to. Not your typical quick easy read.

Very short and simple concept for a story. I appreciate the simplistic nature of the story because alot of stories these days complicate a story concept to high heaven. This was great for the short fantasy that it was! I know it's book 1 of 4 I believe so there is more coming for the story and I think this was a great introduction. Nothing insane or super unique about the story but the characters were devolved appropriately and there was no unnecessary manufactured conflicts.

The FMC meets the MMC. He asks her to work with him to make weapons he needs. She is hesitant to work with him but they soon become reluctant collaborators which turns into fake dating and then a real relationship. No false "I hate your guts for no reason at all" I appreciated that most of all.

Compass Point is narrated by Rose, our main female character, who is full of secrets. After fleeing the fae courts, she has been living quietly in a small village. However, her world is turned upside down when an earth fae named Luc unexpectedly arrives. Luc, too, carries his own hidden truths. I really enjoyed watching their relationship unfold and seeing how Luc slowly broke down Rose's emotional walls.

This book was so much fun! It had so many aspects I enjoy in a fantasy romance with a cozy feel. . A desperate quest, interesting world setup, my favorite trope ( only one bed), magic systems, fake dating, and so much more. I absolutely loved Rose and Luc. T hey had amazing chemistry, and their banter was everything I wanted it to be. There are not a lot of fake dating in fantasy romance and I loved it. It would definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait for the sequel. I did enjoy the narrator too.