4.25 stars!

This cozy queer fantasy was heart warming and entertaining! The fantasy quest of the book was interesting and the romance between grumpy but soft Eamon and cheery but thoughtful Alaric was tender and sweet. There were some pretty funny scenes throughout and I’m a sucker for the found family element as well! Sometimes cozy books can be a little too cozy, but that is not the case with this one! Definitely recommend!

The audio format was well done and the voices that the narrator did for the various magical creatures was a fun addition!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ALC!

This was a fun cozy fantasy with magic, adventures, deception, and fighting. What more could you want from a story? Oh yes, maybe a little romance, well this book has that too!
I love how Alaric will not let Eamon give up on anything, including taking care of himself and his dream for a better life for all "monsters".

I love this cast of characters and I didn't want this story to end. I will definitely read more of Hadley Field's and Felix Green's work in the future.

Thomas Busby did a great job narrating this story.

A cozy romantasy with ogres, magic and royalty. The narrator did a really good job. Some of the goblin voices hurt my ears but overall I enjoyed listening to it. I usually don’t like when a book is really slow paced but with this one I didn't mind. I love the dynamics between the characters, there are so many different personalities and beings. The amount of drama, sorrow and yearning sometimes made my heart ache. The love story is sweet but it also focuses on who deserves love, to be seen and that once presumptions are wrong a lot of times.

The author succeeded with one of the most important things, and that is to make you care for the characters. I really wanted to know what was going to happen to them. Cheering them on hoping for a HEA, not only for the main characters but also for the other people/beings that you got to know.

Cute little cozy romantasy. I felt that the beginning was slow but by the end I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a little trouble differentiating the male main characters but that may have been due to audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review!

A sweet & cozy romantasy with no spice and slow, relaxing narration. The characters are lovable and their slow-burn warmed my heart. The plot was more interesting than many others in this genre; it kept me interested beyond the romance. I was invested in the outcome for every character. I also found the slow narration to be particularly nice for bedtime listening.

This Shrek-coded, MM, grumpy/sunshine, cozy romantasy is perfect for fans of The Spellshop, Legends & Lattes, and obviously—Shrek. I personally would have LOVED a spicy scene, but the story and the romance held its own.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the opportunity to give my honest review this audio ARC.

This was a lovely story on all accounts. The narration was great. The characters were diverse and fun and the plot didn't let up the entire time.

The romance was really endearing and grumpy and the found family was lovely.

4.25/5

A sweet queer romance, an adventurous fantasy plot, a cosy setting.

Aemon used to be the best potion maker in the realm till the fatal day he saved someone's life and paid the price - becoming an ogre. Alaric needs Aemon to make a complex potion so he can save his brother. They work alongside each other while sparks fly.

The characters were endearing, well defined, and their psychology made sense. The side characters were also quite good, in particular Lilly, the young tree nymph and avid baker, Aemon's adopted daughter. Their relationship was quite sweet.

A key theme of the book is marginalisation and discrimination. This is told through the metaphor of "monsters" who are outcast, feared, and heavily discriminated against within the kingdom. Aemon himself lives in a village that's barely more than a handful of tents with a mix of goblins, werewolves and vampires. That's the site of our cosy setting, and the neighbourly relationships are well handled. The mechanics of how Aemon lives in an actual house with windows and an oven while his neighbours don't have walls? Well, let's not think too carefully about that...

Two things knocked a star off for me. First, I feel like the world-building was sometimes a bit wobbly, particularly in the mechanics of how magic and potions worked. How the final resolution worked out wasn't totally clear to me for example. <spoiler>I get that the king drank first, but did it need to be the same batch of potion as Cedric drank? Did he need to drink it after Cedric drank it? And why didn't he drink it immediately upon getting the potion earlier that day? Or did I miss something?</spoiler> Second, there were quite a few repetitive passages, especially regarding the slow-burn romance between Alaric and Aemon. They spend quite a lot of time pining for each other with not much happening. <spoiler>Then, after their first sex scene was gracefully ellipsed, we run right back into the plot without talking about how it made them feel at all.</spoiler>

That said, I really enjoyed spending time in the world the authors created and following along the characters' journey. I'm quite curious about the new setting introduced at the end of the book. If a new instalment is published, I'll gladly read it.

I read this book in audio format, which was a bit of a mixed experience for me. The narrator's voice is very lovely, his natural accent very pleasing, and the recording perfectly professional. He does exaggerated voices for all the "monsters", which is just not my cup of tea. Meanwhile, the narration alternates between Aemon and Alaric's inner voices, and those are told using the narrator's natural voice, which I found sometimes confusing. This is an instance where having two separate narrators for the two different points of view might have been helpful. But this is very much a personal preference - your mileage may vary.

[Copy obtained through Netgalley]

I wanted to like this story more than I did. Perhaps part of that was the (to my taste) overly stylized narration—I might have had a very different reaction to words on the page/screen. As it was, I kept getting the two MCs mixed up, and I found it difficult to pay attention to the plot. I did think it was a pretty good story, just maybe not the one for me, hence the four stars.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

The Poison Paradox is a fun, sweet book. Eamon and Alaric are delightful characters and I loved Lily.
What I enjoyed most about the story is the cozier tone paired with a somewhat tangled plot. The overlapping narrative style and small discoveries along the way made it fun, though it was clear all along that Eamon and Alaric were meant to find each other.
By fay my favorite scene is when they run from the baking contest. It's funny and appeals to a sense of justice. Over all, this is a charming story

3.75 ⭐ rounded up for the audiobook.


📚 The king's former mage has become an ogre and went into hiding, monsters aren't really welcomed in this kingdom. The prince is looking for the mage, not knowing he's an ogre... he needs his help. Will the ogre help?


👁️ This truly was an almost cosy fantasy. We got some action and something that needs to happen as soon as possible, yet we take our time. Potions need to be brewed according to the moon phases after all.
The prince needed the healer's help. But, who heals the other in this book?

The setting was good, providing what we like in cosy fantasy. Creatures of all walks of life live in this story.
The pacing was good. Not fast or rushed but mastered.
The world building was also interesting.

A sweet story if you are in the mood for an almost cosy fantasy.


👂The narrator was good and I liked listening to him tell this tale.
It was also funny to me to notice the rhythm of sayings that come often in this book, always the same.


🗡️ Tropes: queer romance, LGBTQIA+, fantasy, MM.

The Prison Paradox is a fantasy story with a strong focus on found family.
A mage turns into an ogre after bringing a little girl back to life and hides out in a village of quirky "monster" outcasts until one day the crown prince tracks him down because he needs a potion.
The prince is a very cheery, sunny person while the ogre likes to grumble and complain, but when the prince decides to stay in the village (where he of course has to stay with the Ogre), they get to know each other, become friends and grow closer while learning about each other.
The story is quite sweet and cosy despite some darker themes and includes a closed-door slow burn opposites attract romance.
I'd give it 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠. I enjoyed listening to it but it was a little slow-paced in parts.

The (British) narrator did a great job. The only thing was that he read a little slowly for my taste but since most audiobook apps have speed adjustment functions, that isn't an issue at all.

✨ World and plot
The world building has a cozy backdrop and is straightforward enough to let the characters and the story shine. The main characters are Eamon, a retired royal mage and Prince Alaric, who’s seeking his help to in order to save his brother.

✨ The MMCs
Eamon is a grump with a big orc heart. He is rising a teenager and their home is always full of their neighbours. Much to his chagrin, folks intrude on his private space with unparalleled glee but Eamon is the “mother-hen” of every village around.

Prince Alaric is the sunshine half of the couple and his friends literally call him… Sunbeam! He’s equally charming and stubborn. He begs, threatens and schemes to get Eamon’s help - which makes him a slightly wicked cinnamon roll. Although he’s a prince with authority in spades at his disposal, he’s reluctant to use it and prefers relying on his bubbly appeal to get his way. Again, much to Eamon’s chagrin and jealousy towards the occasional bar maid.

✨ The couple
The pacing of the romance is exceptionally done. The progression of the relationship felt natural, their closeness was worked towards and earned thought the story. Both MMCs are sweet, have lovable personalities and they act only with care and respect toward each other.

✨ Tropes and vibes
- found family and bonus kid
- “it takes a village” meets its consequence, noisy neighbours :)
- MM slow burn with closed door spice
- a cute spin on the one bed trope - really nice to see something different!

✨ The audiobook
The narrator was genuinely fun. I particularly appreciated how humorous and quirky they made the side characters sound.

✨Themes and message
The main characters try to answer the question of what we owe to each other. Eamon’s heart breaks for a youngling and makes a huge sacrifice to save her, yet his partner leaves him as a result of his choice. Sunbeam wronged his brother but is willing to take any step to repair his mistake, including losing his role of successor to the throne.

Overall, a lovely audiobook and would love to see more stories in the same world.

I still don't think I would have really liked this book, but the narrator made it a lot worse. I think he'd do great for middle grade, but the voices he would out on for the side characters really took me out of the story.

Not that I was very into the story to begin with. It just feels so aimless. By the halfway point I had to remind myself what we were here for. Mind you, I love cozy fantasy, but it definitely felt like we lost the plot a few too many times.

“I hate that I’m wearing his clothes. I hate that he left you because what you did is the most selfless thing I’ve ever heard. And for him to blame you for what followed makes me want to commit violence. I love that he left you because he never belonged with you if he couldn’t see that. And I hate that I’m wearing his clothes, is all.”

^this scene had me CRYING

I’m a huge fan of a queer cozy romantasy, so this book did not disappoint on that front and it was nice to read something without any actual homophobia; there was never any judgement from anyone about the sexuality of characters. Eamon and Alaric’s rocky start and slow-burn romance was delightful and entirely believable - the deep annoyance, begrudging smiles, longing glances, accidental touches… Grouchy Eamon’s relationships with the townspeople, especially Lily, were so heartwarming and I loved seeing Alaric get welcomed into the fold and become deeply beloved. Alaric was a complex character, forged by his childhood (and adult) trauma and full heart. Getting to see his mask slip more and more with Eamon added so much beauty to their relationship. And the story was not at all boring. The conflict in the story was riveting and really kind of upsetting. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a romance and romances have to have HEAs. I was STRESSED.

Eamon is an exiled mage turned ogre after performing dark magic to bring a young girl back from the dead. He was once the king’s potion master and had been a hero of multiple wars, but now lives in a small ramshackle village of fellow monsters with his adopted daughter, the girl he saved. Alaric, the rambunctious, handsome crown prince, is seeking out the once potion master for desperately needed help in saving his brother and is shocked to find that the ogre he was stalking through the woods is actually the very same magician. Eamon agrees to brew the potion under duress; not only is it the same potion that turned Eamon into an ogre and almost made him lose his soul, but he swore to never brew a potion again. As they collect ingredients and unravel each other’s pasts, Eamon and Alaric grow closer and closer. Suddenly Alaric isn’t quite so eager to sacrifice himself to save his brother and Eamon isn’t ready to lose the man who repaired his heart.

My only real notes for this book are that the narrator is very slow and his voices for the two main characters were pretty similar. I had to adjust the speed significantly and it still felt a bit slow. It’s largely a personal preference thing though. With the voices, I felt like I had to keep reminding myself whose POV I was in the middle of. But other than these small things, I really loved the story.

I binged this book in 24 hours and loved it - a village of misfits and monsters, a rogue prince, a series of bot quests…. A delight

I really enjoyed this! The time jumps between the early scenes at the start were a little jarring but once we come to the present the pacing improves with enough context provided for later flashbacks to not be so disorienting. The characters were lovable and the relationship between the two leads feels like it grows naturally! It had the feel and tone of a cosy fantasy with the promise of a happy ending, but the stakes were high enough to keep me engaged with the plot. The narrator did a great job too! I'm hoping we get more books set in this world! 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio ARC.

The Poison Paradox is a cozy magical journey that completely swept me away. It’s the perfect blend of whimsy, heart, and character-driven storytelling. At the center is a beautifully developed found family that feels authentic and comforting. The emotional connections between the characters give the story so much warmth, and the way they support one another through magical mishaps and emotional challenges is deeply satisfying.
The romance features a classic grumpy sunshine pairing and the enemies to lovers trope, which are two of my favorites. The chemistry between Eamon and Alaric is electric and evolves naturally, full of witty banter, emotional tension, and ultimately, a tender payoff that feels well earned. Their interactions add layers of depth and charm.
The magical elements are creative and enchanting, enhancing the story without overwhelming it. This is a fantasy world that feels lived in and inviting, with just the right touch of wonder. The authors also did a fantastic job weaving in themes of trust, healing, and acceptance.
An element that truly makes the story shine is the cast of delightful side characters. Each one is memorable in their own way and adds humor, heart, or insight to the journey. They enrich the world and make it feel like a place you’d want to return to again and again. In particular, seeing how the main characters interact with others in their lives, really enhances the way you feel about them both individually and as a couple.
Thomas Busby’s narration is absolutely spot on. He brings nuance and personality to every character, capturing their unique voices and emotional arcs with ease. His performance adds so much charm and depth to the story and makes it a joy to listen to from beginning to end.
The Poison Paradox is a magical, heartwarming listen that’s perfect for fans of cozy fantasy, character-driven plots, and found family dynamics. It left me smiling and already hoping for more stories set in this enchanting world.

The Poison Paradox is a cute and cozy fantasy with queer love. It follows Prince Alaric on his search for the only man able to help him fully revive his brother, the king's former mage Eamon. Once the most powerful mage in the kingdom, Eamon vanished years ago. When Alaric finds Eamon, he's nothing like he expected. Not just because he's an ogre, but he also instantly refuses to help a "spoiled prince".
Driven to desperation, Alaric forces the former mage's hand before he realizes the price of a cure for his brother will come at the expense of his own life. A life that, in Eamon's ramshackle village, he's beginning to enjoy for the first time.

It took me a bit to get used to the voice actor but in the end he was actually my favorite thing about the audiobook. And I absolutely loved the accent and the different voices for the different characters. It was really well done.

The blurb promised cozy and it definitely delivered. Though, I wish there would have been a bit more suspense.
I found the pacing a bit uneven. The romance developed rather slowly and didnt't get as much "screen time" as I would have liked, especially since I really liked their romance in the end and I wish I could have gotten more of it.
In comparison, the ending felt rather rushed and the conflict resolved quite quickly.

With all that being said, I still liked the story and I would recommend the audiobook, especially because of the performance of the voice actor.
If the romance would have happened sooner in the book and the ending would have been a bit more refined, it would have been a 5-star-book for me. This way it's "only" 3.5 stars for me.

I will say my baffled first impression of this book was "is this gay shrek fanfiction?" but I'm very pleased to announce it is not in fact that! Well, there is a surely ogre main character, and a prince who is slowly turning into one himself, but truly other than that this is entirely original.

The main focus of this novel by far is community and building your found family. While the actual plot (trying to find a cure for the prince's currently comatosed brother) is an interesting one, it's almost entirely set dressing for the domestic and sweet scenes between our leads and the strange little village they live in. If you aren't down to listen to several hours of potion making as a cover for the emotional bonding happening than this isn't the book for you.

Technically this book did nothing wrong, but I can never seem to get into cozy fantasy the way I want to. It was in fact very cozy, which I knew upfront, and I genuinely like the Eamon and Alaric, and Eamon's very sweet adopted daughter Lilly. But it just lacked a certain something to make it truly hit for me.

One of my favourite things in a book (there’s probably a trope name for it, but I’m not sure what it is) is when the couple is genuinely kind and thoughtful toward each other. There’s no questionable consent, no toxic narcissism, and no plot gymnastics trying to excuse the love interest for being a “misunderstood” asshole. Prince Alaric and Eamon are simply good to each other, and it’s so enjoyable to read. This was such a cute, cozy fantasy.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. Narrator Thomas Busby did a fantastic job bringing subtle distinctions to each character, making it easy to follow whose POV each chapter belonged to. The monster village voices were especially unique and fun. They perfectly captured the essence of each side character.

If you enjoy cozy fantasy novels like Legends and Lattes or Spellshop, then this one definitely deserves a spot on your TBR!