Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I really liked this one. Another addition to my romantasy shelf.
Waiting patiently for the next installment.

I'm not sure that fans of "Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries" will automatically love this novel. To draw a comparison between the two texts, as the publisher suggests it, in this case the love story plays a much more predominant role and is decidedly marked from the beginning (I see that other reviewers have mentioned a "slow burn," but I honestly would struggle to define it as such), and the world-building is much less meticulous. I'm not saying that the book is bad in itself, but the comparison with "Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries" doesn't seem fitting to me.

It's clear that the first volume the first episode of a long saga. I would barely call it self-contained; in fact, it's quite funny that the story begins with a plague that brings destruction wherever it strikes, and with the urgent need to stop the disease... only for the protagonists to end up doing something completely different, while the number one emergency is completely sidelined. It's clear that a sequel must necessarily follow because the novel is incomplete as it is.

Not my absolute favorite read, but I'm sure the book can be appreciated by those who aren't looking for particularly intricate plots or highly detailed world-building. According to my very personal taste, it won't remain in the top ten of favorite books in this genre (still, I hope to read the sequel).

As I'm pretty new to the world of fae in romantasy, I really enjoyed Compass Points for the easy entry into it!

I've always felt intimidated by the concept of fae and fae courts because it always felt like you needed preliminary knowledge, but I loved Compass Points approach to the rich worldbuilding and exploration of the fae and magic system!

I really enjoyed the characters and plot progression and the book left me wanting to read more!

This was an easy and fun romantasy book that I thought was super easy to access for readers who may not be as well versed in the fantasy genre.

The word “cozy” definitely comes to mind and it was a book that you really could pick up at any time and enjoy. For a debut book, this was super impressive and I can’t wait to see what the author comes out with next!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity to review!

#compasspoints #netgalley

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶️

If you enjoy cozy romantic fantasy that is well-written with unique, but not too complicated, world-building, then this book is for you!

Featured tropes: hidden identity, enemies to lovers, only one bed, fake dating, elemental magic, slow burn romance

Similar to: Elsie Kova, Emily Wilde, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. Rose is a weapons master and Luc is seeking a weapon built by her. The two, who are both hiding secrets, get stuck together fighting a deadly mist plague and have to work together to stop it. Arie is Rose’s shapeshifting sidekick, who is also hiding secrets of his own. The tension and chemistry between Rose and Luc was amazing, and I enjoyed the humor Arie added to the story. The world-building was done well and was unique enough to set it apart from other fae books in the romantic fantasy genre. The ending left me wanting more and wondering what will happen in the next book, which I can’t wait to read!

Magical and mystical in both premise and content, suspenseful and romantic, beautifully suffused with imagery to touch all one's senses, COMPASS POINTS is female-Protagonist-driven epic fantasy, the first in the new COMPASS POINTS series about a mythical land where humans and Fae coexist--sort of. The land is gradually being invaded by a dangerous "mist plague," and the Fae tasked to uncover the causes must pair with the prickly, solitary female weapons master. Also, there is unusual (non-human) shapeshifting! The Writing is heartwarming, cozy, yet exciting and suspenseful. This is a warm comfortable fantasy to sink into, just let yourself go, relax and enjoy. Anticipate the next in the series, Spring 2024.

Release November 7, 2023

A fairytale filled with adventure, romance and magic - that's how reading this felt. The Cover and the opening of the book instantly grasped me into a magical world so enchanting.

" Compass Points " by Jillian Witt follows Rose, the strong FMC, who's running away from her past and trying to make a newlife as a magical weapons master. But, as a deadly mist plague is on it's way attacking villages one by one, Rose is the only one who could save her peopl with her magic and weapons. When a representative of the Suden point comes looking for her, and closest people to her falls prey to the mist, She gets in the fight against the evil behind. Little did she knew, it'll unravel all her secrets and change her life forever.

I adored Rose and Tara since the very beginning. However, the two characters that surprised me tremendously was Ari and Luc. Ari seemed to be hostile in the first few chapters, which eventually changed to amusing and then amazing. I enjoyed Rose's and Ari's friendship, their jokes, love and care for eachother, which left me dumbfounded when Ari's secret was revealed and laughing out loud reading how Rose dealt with it. Luc's mysterious aura combined with the rumours in the first few chapters made it hard to guess who he really is and what he's upto. But It surprised me immensely when he turned out to someone quite opposite to what I anticipated, manoeuvring effortlessly to my favourite Characters list.

The Plotline seemed so interesting being fast paced and twists and turns at the right place. It felt like racing against the time together with the characters to unravel a number of secrets and fight the evil. All the Characters were wonderfully portrayed, and developed. Every page was filled with vivid descriptions of the enchanted forests, lakes, and streets that allure the readers. Author has done a great work in adding humor, suspense and action at the right places, making the story an emotional rollercoaster for the readers.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC, I enjoyed this story and look forward for the next book, the story follows FMC Rose, it’s a strong woman fantasy read with a little romance sprinkled in. It’s really a good cozy read!

Rating: 4.5/5
I received eARC for my honest opinion.

OMG, thank you so much Jillian for asking me to review your book, I can not wait to see what book will give us.

This book is about a young woman who has been running from her past and trying to make a new life for herself. However, sometimes fate has a different route for you to take and that is what happened to Rose. With Rose’s abilities to put magic into anything that she forges, she might be the only person who can make a weapon strong enough to fight the mist away. The mist that is plaguing the continent and causing all that come across it to fall into a deep sleep, her, and dashing earth fae (Luc) are forced to fight off the mist and then head to the only place that might have enough magic for Rose to infuse her weapons. The one place that she has vowed to never visit again.

I thought the author did a wonderful job with the world building, the plot, and the characters. I loved the magical system so much, elemental magic (AHHHHHH! I love when magic systems use elemental magic) I thought the author did well with all the attention to details and helping to explain the society of the compass magic users and the roles that they all play, to the reasons why Rose leaves alone and how she has managed to deal with her loss at a young age. However, with this being the first book you really get to know the characters more in this book, before you get down to the why, the who and when of the plot.

I thought the characters were well developed for being the first book and you can see some growth from Rose in this book. I thought Rose's character has a lot of depth to her, from her having to deal with secrets at a young age to having to run from the danger after seeing her parents’ death. I still found Rose to be funny with her banter, smart about who to trust, and one very strong female character. I loved Luc, he was the perfect MMC. He was not pushy, had patience and when he saw something he wanted he knew that he had to wait for it. I also really liked the fact that he was funny as well. I liked the fact that he was honest and was not scared away by what other people thought of him. This book has the best slow burn to romance that I have read in a minute, it was chef’s kiss really.

I do have to say though I loved Arie, I mean who wouldn’t love a shapeshifter that was your own protector and who is funny!

I really can not wait to read the next books from this series, I need them now(lol). If you love fantasy books, with great characters, great plot, slow burn romance, shapeshifting friend, different take on the fae and gods you should pick this book up and read it. I know you won’t be disappointed.

I want to thank Jillian Witt for the opportunity to review this book.

I'm not sure how to review this one. I liked it, and I do want to read the next in the series to see what happens. But this first book was, especially the first 25% or so, kind of dull.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

I truly enjoyed this book. The story is different tham your average romantasy, as in the magic system is unique. The idea of compass point combined with elemental magic was such a nice touch. Also, let me tell me, I just love a great MMC for a change, something who is honest and straighforward (it reminded me of the Witch collector series and why I enjoyed it so much). And I love when MCs are actually honest with each other and we lack the miscommunication trope. Truly a great read and I cannot wait for the next installment!

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Compass Points, it was a short read, but held a good balance I felt between worldbuilding and plot.

I loved Rose and Luc's relationship and learning about Rose's background and what happened to her in the past. Arie was fantastic, and I didn't see his true self coming, that was a surprise. I knew there was something more to him and thought I knew exactly who he was, and I was pleasantly proved wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is the first book in a new adult fantasy series. I think the series is off to a good start! This book for the most part did a decent job bringing readers into the world, but maybe not early enough into the story. I think some of that world-building, especially some relevant explanations could've happened a little sooner in the story, just to set that stage more.. The main characters are pretty engaging and I'm very interested in seeing where their story goes. The romance was well done and that's something else I'm looking forward to seeing more of. Compass Points is a good start to this new series! It really is the beginning of what I'm expecting to be a great romantic adventure!

*Review (link below) posted to Goodreads on 10/25/23

RATING: 3.75-4✨
SPICE: 🌶️
Trope/Setting Highlights:
#️⃣ ~290 page new adult romantasy set in a world inspired by the United States National Parks (according to author!)
📖 Strangers-to-reluctant allies-to-friends-to-lovers
📖 Weapons master with dubious genetics FMC x Earth fae leader MMC
📖 Elemental magic system
📖 Straightforward, contained worldbuilding (would say this falls closer to fluff fantasy than high/epic fantasy)
📖 Fake relationship, forced proximity, kiss as a distraction, one bed tropes
📖 Book 1 in Compass Points universe, Book 2 is Tangled Power coming Spring 2024
🌶️ Kissing scene(s) and an open-door spice scene with soft, vague sexual language

Review:

This is an arc review – thank you to NetGalley and the publisher as always, extremely grateful for these opportunities!

Compass Points by Jillian Witt is Book 1 in the larger Compass Points universe and introduces its readers to a small but engaging cast of characters.

Our FMC and sole POV Rose is a weapons master at a local market, but her name and wares carry far and wide on the wind, bringing folks from all over seeking out her special, possibly even magical goods. One such traveler is Luc, our MMC, looking to place a custom order with Rose.

He had olive skin, dark black hair, and a face that was all hard lines and sharp features. But the smile he presented was the real weapon … She knew one thing for sure: This customer was earth fae. He was of the Suden fae court.

But Rose is a woman of many secrets, and one look at the Suden fae is all it takes for her to know she should stay very, very far away from him. Not like it would be such a change for Rose. Her secrets and her past molded and forced her into an introverted woman, mid to late twenties, with no one in the world as company aside from her young weapons trainee Tara, and mysterious animal shifter companion, Arie. Arie had shown up for her on the worst day of her life, and though both know the other has secrets, their unspoken bond promotes mutual silence.

But the time for silence appears now to be over. There is a danger lurking on the horizon, even more tangible than the shadow of Rose’s traumatic past – a plague of mist. It travels and ravages villages, leaving all, or almost all, who enter its gripping darkness in an endless sleep, as good as dead.

So as much as Rose has tried to run, tried to hide, tried to forget, she knows now is the time to, even if reluctantly, fight. Especially after the plague mist takes one of the only people close to her, Tara.

Together with Luc, and Arie as occasional well-timed support, Rose travels to the place she swore she would never set foot in again: Compass Lake, the home of the Compass Points.

The Norden, or north, Court, led by the Norden Point, who worship the god Aurora.

The Suden, or south, Court, led by the Suden Point, who worship the god Aterra.

The Osten, or east, Court, led by the Osten Point, who worship the lost god Zrak.

The Vesten, or west, Court, led by the Vesten Point, who worship the god Arctos.

Overall, this was a delightful and cozy romantasy read. Is this Jillian Witt’s debut novel? Because if so, WOW. This was a great debut, and if not, simply a great introduction to a new series.

I will admit, I went into this completely blind after requesting an arc based on a quick look at the cover and blurb, which sounded interesting. After reading the first few pages, I was starting to get worried. I wasn’t getting hooked immediately. However, once we were introduced to Luc, and his and Rose’s banter started to pick up, along with the beginnings of the worldbuilding, I was much more engaged.

I wouldn’t consider this an epic or high fantasy, with intricate and puzzling plotlines and worldbuilding. The writing was fairly basic and straightforward, and that, coupled with the short chapters and dialogue, made this a super digestible read, and quicker than most fantasy books. I would definitely say this is classified correctly as a true romantasy.

Give Compass Points a try if you’re looking for a cozy romantasy with some classic romance tropes thrown in for funsies, a fun-to-read main couple, and some light worldbuilding to erase reality for a while.

Book 2 is Tangled Power which comes out Spring 2024, and I will definitely be checking it out and seeing where Rose and Luc’s story goes🩵

4⭐️ - A deadly mist plague, sword fights, gods and fae, plus a fake romance were all combined to make this first book in the Compass Points series very enjoyable read. I look forward to the continuing the series.

TL;DR: Heavy worldbuilding in the first ¼ but when it picks up, IT PICKS UP. I loved this take on the fae and gods and thought it was a unique view. Rose, Luc, and Arie have my heart. I am anxiously awaiting book 2.

RATINGS: (out of 5)
Stars: 4.5 (rounded up to 5)
Spice: 2
Plot: 4
Characters: 4.5

Gems:
-ARIE!! A shapeshifter who is sarcastic but loyal?! Shows up when needed but your never really sure where he is?? Count me in. Arie is, so far, one of my favorite supporting characters I’ve read.
- The slow burn between Rose and Luc is * chefs kiss *.
-I wasn’t sure about Luc at first but he grew on me, and by the end I was in love.
-Rose?! GURL, get it! I love that right from the beginning you know she is more powerful than she let’s the world let on. She is a strong FMC and I ate it up.
-Overall, the characters were wonderful and I couldn’t get enough

Gem/Opp depending on your taste:
-The spice wasn’t heavy in this book. I felt like it was pretty light, but I know some friends who might think it was too much.
-It was a good in between for me but if you want more YA fade to black scenes it’ll be a little bit more for you. But if you are a spicy book reader, then this will be light.

Opps:
-For the first ¼ of the book, I was really confused trying to understand the world. Since this is a series, it makes sense for the first book to be more worldbuilding.
-I think a map and description of the different fae and how they interact would be helpful

Readers who like these books might like Compass Points:
-Fortuna Sworn- KJ Sutton
-A Deal With the Elf King- Elis Kova

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next in the series. If the rest of the series was out I would be devouring it right now. I loved the unique take on fae and Gods and the introduction to political plot that was set up for the next book. The characters are lovable and I only see the storyline increasing in enjoyment.

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Link to Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5925698500
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