Back of Book: 

A magical weapons master might be the key to saving the continent; if only she didn’t have to fake date a dangerous fae leader to do it.

Rose ran from her grief and the fae courts to a reclusive life in a remote village. When the encroaching mist plague hits too close to home, her sword proves more valuable than she could have imagined—unfortunately, the handsome fae from the market notices, too.

Deadly and determined, Luc is more than he appears. While Rose may realize she’s the continent’s best chance for survival, his plan to hide her in plain sight as his romantic partner when he drags her back to the center of fae politics might take more convincing.

Together, they’ll unravel a history of selfish gods and corrupt leaders, and Rose must decide if Luc is her enemy, ally, or more as he threatens to uncover the secrets she's kept long buried.

An adult romantic fantasy set in a world inspired by United States National Parks. Fans of cozy vibes but higher stakes will love this enchanting new series with fake dating, elemental magic, an animal companion, and a strong female main character. This book will appeal to readers of softer fantasy stories like A Deal with the Elf King and Emily Wilde’s Encylopedia of Faeries. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Mystery 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The start to a high fantasy trilogy featuring magical compasses, elemental magic, and rogue gods.

After fleeing her past life, Rose now lives on a secret island as a magical weapons master. Rose doesn't mind her life of solitude. After all, she's not truly alone with Arie, her shapeshifting companion, by her side. When the dangerous mist plague hits close to her village, Rose's simple life is disturbed. A handsome fae by the name of Luc is now desperate for her talent as a weapons master because he believes that her forged weapons are the only thing that can combat the mist plague. Knowing that her magic might be the only chance to stop the deadly force, Rose reluctantly agrees to accompany Luc back to the court's capital as his fake girlfriend. As the two look deeper into the plague, they begin to realize that more is amiss than they ever could have imagined.

I actually unknowingly started the sequel series to this one first, so now I'm playing a little bit of catch up. I absolutely adored "Bargains with Benefits" so I was excited to see what this series was all about. Being familiar with the magic system made it easy to dive into this world and I found it fascinating to learn more about the kingdom's lore. "Compass Points" is definitely more of a high fantasy adventure whereas "Fae by the Bay" is a cozy romantasy, but they are both great reads despite their differences.

Rose is definitely a character that is shrouded in mystery, and one must unravel her secrets as the story progressed. She's a strong-willed woman who is willing to fight for what she believes in. Her companion, Arie, is a menace to society. He is a devilish shapeshifter who disappears and reappears at a moment's notice. Luc seems to have just as many secrets as these two, but despite this, he makes a great addition to their group. Rose and Luc may not have met under the best circumstances, but they get past their differences rather quickly.

The fake dating element in this one is pretty peak. Luc ends up being a pretty prestigious member of the fae court, so they need a legit reason for Rose accompanying him that doesn't arouse suspicion. Of course, this leads to the two pretending to be together romantically, though their feelings become real soon enough. The fact that they are forced to share lodgings and a single bed definitely doesn't hurt in this situation either.

The magic system in this world is pretty neat. Each court is represented by the point on a compass, and each court has a ruler called a Compass Point. The four courts are referred to as: Norden, Suden, Vesten, and Osten. Norden (north) is home to the water fae. Osten (east) are made up of the wind fae. Suden (south) is where the earth fae reside. And finally, Vesten (west) houses the fire fae. Each point of the compass has their own magical specialty and worships a different god or goddess. The gods created the fae to watch over the world and to act as a check to keep the gods' power in balance. Some of the lore gets pretty deep, but the surface level concept itself is cool despite it not being the most original.

The mystery involving the shadow plague keeps this story rolling along smoothly. This element keeps an air of suspense present throughout the whole book and has me keen to figure out just what in the world is going on. I look forward to finding more answers in the coming books.

Overall, "Compass Points" is a great start to this fun fantasy mystery trilogy. I am intrigued to figure out just what is up with the mist plague and how much power the gods still have. Rose and Luc are fine protagonists to follow, and their fake dating scheme turned real romance is so fun. Seeing their romance bloom farther should be exciting. I have enjoyed Witt's writing and humor in the past, so I'm glad to see it's consistent across her series. I look forward to reading the next installment soon!

Audiobook Note: Kasi Hollowell did a great job with narrating this one! Her character voices aren't anything special, but I feel like they captured the specific characters nicely. I think young Rose was probably my favorite voice of hers. The audio quality seemed a tad off, but it wasn't enough to bother me after I original noted it. I will continue listening to her read book two on audio, so I think that means it passed my listening test. 

Back of Book: 

“Technically, the continent is doomed if you can’t figure out how to work together…the good news is there’s no way for the Compass Points to trust each other less than they currently do.”

-- Arie

Before the Compass Points can confront a god, Rose will unite them the only way she knows how: through their magic.

To forge her weapons is to know the heart of the wielder. Uncovering the secrets that have plagued the fae courts longer than the mist will not be an easy task. But it may be simpler than predicting how her magic entwines with the Suden Point’s unprecedented power—and the growing bond between them. 

Book Number: Two

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Mystery 

Review: ? 

Back of Book: 

A bond strong enough to unite the continent is one she’ll cross realms for.

Their temporary solution to a god-sized problem leaves the Compass Points with only one option–to journey beyond the veil. Carter and Juliette’s secrets, now surfaced, make the path clear. But the realm’s ruler has secrets of her own, and the machinations of the Lost God are more far-reaching than anyone expects.

If they’re to restore balance and rid the continent of the mist that plagues it, Rose must trust the connection that’s been building deep in the heart of her magic since she first met the Suden Point. Being bound may be an impossibility, but Rose and Luc’s path has always defied expectations. 

Book Number: Three (Last Book) 

Genre: Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Mystery 

Review: ?