It took me a while to appreciate this story as it seemed juvenile, slow, and a bit confusing. Why did the magical-fae-paranormal characters populating the “monster” village like creatures from a Grimm’s folktale act so oddly towards one another? Why did Aemon resurrect Lily, a tree nymph, from the dead? Especially knowing it would lead to his physical change into an orc, and which resulted in his lover’s abandonment? And how in the world did Prince Alaric manage get robbed of his money and boots, leaving him with an out of tune lute? Was he that dim witted? Why did he insist on playing the out of tune lute so often? The beginning interactions in the storyline just felt disparate and tedious and I was a bit bored.
However, about halfway through the book, about the point where Alaric convinced Aemon to work together to create a potion to save Alaric’s brother I began to enjoy the story, and got caught up in caring about the characters in the story. I understood Alaric and Aemon’s earlier inexplicable behavior; I understood how important saving Lily was to Aemon and why that decision led to the loss of his lover, and I understood just how committed Alaric was to resurrecting his brother, Prince Cedric, from his suspended death. The quest to procure the elements needed to make potions of all kinds, but especially the deadly potion to bring back the dead, was creative and interesting. The paranormal beings in the village were fleshed out and had purpose. When Field and Green revealed the evil king’s dastardly plan, Alaric’s brother’s misplaced loyalty to a father who used him (a child who craved parental approval and love), and the events surrounding Alaric’s banishment from the kingdom, and I was fully engaged in and enjoyed the climatic ending.
The narrator was delightful. Accent and pace of speaking enjoyable.

This book has become another DNF far in. I will definitely finish eventually but lord it is so boring. I absolutely love this genre and this could have been as incredible as Sorcery and Small Magics, but I just didn’t connect with the characters at all. They aren’t nearly as loveable as characters in similar books, and the whole Poison thing doesn’t end up being a plot point really, and I am just dragging through this.

An adorable cozy queer fantasy that felt like It could be in the world of Ella Enchanted! The ensemble of characters was the best part of this story for me; very lovable, funny, and made the fantasy world feel whole. The story has Interesting fantasy lore that felt entertaining and relatively well thought out. The romance was adorable and felt like it had a steady progression. The narrator of this audio book was wonderful! Their various voices were incredible, I loved how they changed their voice for each character, even the small characters who we only get a few lines from. Overall such a fun read and will definitely recommend this to my cozy fantasy loving friends!
Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an ARC of the audio book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cute cosy fantasy tale about kindness and finding a way to forgivness.

Eamon's life has changed drastically in the last few years- once a well respected potions master he gave that life up and ended up living in a small community of monsters. Between keeping his head down and raising a young girl the best he can, he tries to make the best of his life.

All that is turned on his head when Alaric a careless Prince stumbles upon him and follows him home.

Undaunted by Eamons frightening appearance Alaric is determined to save his sibling at any means nessisary- even if it means blackmailing an ogre to do it.

Eamon is quick to realise that what hides under Alarics constant fake smiles is a deep pain which he is desperate to remedy. Together they fight with their own conciouses about what the future might look like as they work closely together to help the small monster community while working on Alarics request.

A sweet romance built on a friendship, with a dash of political intruigue and plenty of magic.

The audiobook for this book has been great and although I found the use of one narrator confusing for the different POVs to begin with it soon became clear that both men had very different written voices making their chapters easy to discern from each other.

The voice of Thomas Busby gave the whole story a whimsical and folk tale feel, like being read a bedtime story.

Favorite bit- How Eamon is so mindful of his temper and thoughtful about how people perceive him in his current form.

Oh my goodness, this is such a cozy, feel good, fantasy. The romance is light and fluffy and a really good balance of grumpy/ sunshine. There's no spice. only one or two fade to black (up to your interpretation scenes) and some really likeable characters.

* I don't think this is a spoiler since this happens so early on in the book* but, Mage Eamon vanished into the woods, racing for a cure to save a young girl he barely knew. In his quest to save her, his sacrifice turned him into an ogre but she was ultimately saved, Prince Alaric is now searching for the previously renowned mage and ultimately crosses paths with Eamon who wants nothing to do with the royal family.

Alaric, who has some skill in magic, brings his brother back from the dead. However, he doesn't come back right and now he needs the help of someone who has done the same. He understands there is a cost but he would rather have his brother alive than worry abut what may happen to him once he is restored.

Eamon and Alaric are adorable. In all the best ways, this reminds me of Shrek, we are just missing Donkey. and Fiona is actually Alaric who is so charming and caring. I feel as though the ending is open just enough that we could continue to explore more in the world. There's not a ton of action but it makes up for it with a truckload of heart. this was right up my alley and I hope you will give it a chance. I had the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. I just which when he would talk from each characters perspective, he would continue to use "the voices' to ensure I know who's talking.

I loved the characters so much, and I loved their blossoming relationship! I like how it unfolded slowly over months, not just instantly in love.

Spoilers below!
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The main problem is making a potion to bring someone back to life -- I'll suspend my disbelief and buy that someone dedicated to helping as many people as he can would bring a child he barely knew back to life and, in exchange, never brew another potion again after he's forced to leave town because of his appearance. I'll pretend that someone used to triage and warfare would make that calculation and still make that choice. I'll even buy that to bring back a soul requires giving up someone else's -- life for life makes sense. It's harder to but that the crown prince would willingly become an orc zombie so his brother (who he thinks he killed but didn't) can come back to life. But sure, I'll buy it. But why would the king get one brother to kill the other, then exile his one heir to search for the potion brewer to bring back his other son instead of just sending his guards to find the potion brewer, especially since he doesn't know about the cost of potion? Why go through all those extra steps? Why not just find the potion brewer again and force him to brew the potion? If he knew so little about the spell, did he even know that brewing the potion required soul binding first? It felt like a plot twist that didn't really need to happen. I appreciated that the quirk of the spell meant the king was removed from power (I saw that coming a mile off, that was a great moment!) at least.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc, all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars. The definition of a cozy fantasy. I am only knocking off half a star because the resolution felt a bit rushed. Otherwise, I loved this. Our two MMCs, Eamon and Alaric, were so fun to get to know. I felt like they were sufficiently fleshed out for me to feel affection for and root for them. Add in the grumpy/sunshine, and I'm swooning. I loved all the side characters too in Eamon's village, especially his adopted daughter Lily. She was a nice buffer between Eamon and Alaric. Overall I really enjoyed this.

A note on the audiobook, I have a new favorite narrator in Thomas Busby. He can do so many voices!! He was amazing. My favorite was the wolfman with that deep gravelly voice.

**Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for providing this audiobook. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Victory Editing and Hadley Field & Felix Green for providing the ARC audiobook, narrated by Thomas Busby, through NetGalley.

The Poison Paradox is a (mostly) cozy fantasy romance following Eamon and Alaric. Eamon is an ogre that has retired into the forest after being the king’s mage for years and years, not wanting to do potion work anymore. Prince Alaric seeks Eamon out to craft a potion to revive his dying brother. They work at the forest village Eamon lives in together to make the potion, and their relationship develops along the way.

This story truly was a mostly cozy fantasy romance. The pairing is a sociable prince and a grumpy, yet soft, ogre. I appreciated how there wasn’t any “instalove” and their relationship progression felt organic. Romance didn’t dominate the plot and the characters had personalities, interests, and lives outside of being attracted to the other character.

The magic system is pretty standard, think of basic potions and magic, and not really elaborated upon. Eamon and Alaric’s interactions are interesting and facilitate most of the story, so I didn’t mind the lack of magical detail as I was entertained by them.

Minor characters felt like they had a purpose to the story beyond adding humor. Lily was very endearing, I especially loved her teasing Eamon about things while Alaric was present. Above all with minor characters, the treatment of the goblin towards the end stood out to me. Usually in stories with a plot point like this, the belligerent, rude person that is invited to the village is kicked out if they’re not “up to par”. Alaric working things out between the villagers and allowing the goblin to stay was a point I really enjoyed.

I had a great reading experience overall and loved the romance between Eamon and Alaric. I have posted reviews to TikTok and Fable as well (@fantasylobster), they will be posted 7/21/2025 and remain up indefinitely.

The Poison Paradox surprised me in all the best ways—Cozy fantasy meets found‑family feels, with Prince Alaric and ogre‑mage Eamon’s slow‑burn partnership at its heart. The world‑building is gentle yet rich, sprinkled with humor and magic, and those grounding moments in Eamon’s garden were my favorite. If you love charming, character‑driven stories with a dash of romance and ogre-sized heart, this one’s a delight.

DNF at 20%. I really wanted to like this book but the premise was no compelling and the characters were flat. It was also really confusing to have both perspectives read by the same narrator. I often didn’t realize when it had switched. I think there was some promise, but it just wasn’t a pleasurable read for me.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This was a fun blend of: Cottage Core + Found Family + Fantasy + Small Town + Necromancy

It was a quick read, lots of character growth and some adventure, but not too action packed. It was a nice cozy read. I like that they left it open to either continue the story elsewhere or let it be as concluded.

🎧 ALC - the narration was good, but sometimes inconsistent with voices when switching POV's.

Hear me out; I’m not sure if this is just me, but this story reminds me a lot of *Shrek*. The beginning of the relationship felt like a romance between Shrek and Donkey, but if both were attractive and Donkey were a human. For instance, when Alaric first meets Eamon in the forest and starts following him home, despite Eamon telling him to leave, it’s similar to their dynamic on the movie when they first met. Another example is when Alaric invites creatures to Eamon's home without his consent and befriends everyone. So, if you enjoyed *Shrek*, you might find this story appealing.

Aside from the similarities to *Shrek*, this story itself is a great read, especially as an audiobook. It’s become my go-to while commuting to work and doing chores around the house, as it's light, cute, and cozy. The atmosphere is well-crafted, and the side characters are fun and diverse, though most lack depth or background. My main issue with the book is the ending; it felt rushed and too convenient for the characters. I understand this is cozy fantasy, which typically lacks major conflicts or drama, but I think the execution could have been better. Overall, it’s an entertaining read, and I had fun for the most part.

Regarding the romance, it's a slow-burn, closed-door mxm relationship. They make a cute couple, but I would have preferred fewer scenes with the side characters in exchange for more interactions between the main couple. While I didn’t miss the spice, I would have liked a bit more proximity and longing between them.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the copy of this E-Arc. All opinions re my own.

I'm not usually one that gravitates towards cozy fantasies, but the description left me intrigued and I'm so glad to have had the chance to give it a listen! We start off with Eamon making difficult decision that will follow him throughout the rest of the story and setting up the magical world. Later on, he meets Alaric a prince on a mission whose smiles are holding secrets.

Already from the start I was hooked in. The book listens easy and keeps you engaged trying to figure out where things will go. The cozy aspect of it was soft like a marshmallow but still had wonderful relationship building and plot advancement. All of the main MCs relationships felt like they had a natural progression, and I enjoyed Eamon and Aleric's individual growths immensely. I really liked how we found out what became of Eamon's decision from the beginning, it felt natural to hear how things occurred and then got us to this point in the story. The epilogue made me laugh and I would love to see more.

The Audiobook itself was wonderful as well! I haven't listened to Mx. Busby before but found that I really enjoy listening to his narration. The voices were all very unique and I had an easy time telling apart the cast of characters. The quality was great, and I think that as an audiobook it really added to my experience hearing the cozy world come to life.

Overall I had a wonderful time, and this was a "side quest" for me as I don't normally read this genre!

The best part of this book was the slow-growing romance between Eamon and Alaric. Fans of cozy fantasy will enjoy the village of magical creatures, the sweetness of Eamon's relationship with Lily, and the warmth of life inside Eamon's cottage once the three of them are living there together. That sweetness, however, contrasted awkwardly with the high stakes plot that served as a frame story. Overall, I don't think novel this was entirely successful, but as a light read, many readers will likely enjoy it.

This isn't the type of book I normally read. However, I wanted to expand and was intrigued by the cover and blurb. I typically read romance, wide open door romance ;-). This "cozy fanatsy" still has the romance element, but more like MM LOVE. I really enjoyed the book.

I listened to the audiobook. Thomas Busby did an amazing job bringing the story to life. I listened at 1.5x, and it was perfect. I had no trouble distinguishing between characters. Not only did he do a spectacular job acting out the main characters, Eamon and Prince Alaric, but he really gave the story that whimsical feel with the "monster village" characters. I started the book late Thursday night and finished the next day. At one point, I looked, and there were 4 hours left. It seemed like maybe an hour had passed, but I looked again, and only 33 minutes remained!

The blurb does a great job describing the storyline. I promise there IS lots of banter and tea drinking-between MCs, as well as other characters.

Both Eamon and Prince Alaric are selfless and self-sacrificing. Eamon hides behind a gruff exterior. He is a scowly, grumpy ogre. However, his actions and the love and admiration of those whose lives he has touched allow us, and Prince Allaric, to see past his shields. Prince Alaric is charismatic and exudes the sunshine or "sunbeam" vibe. However, underneath that, he has a very guilt-prone personality. Their relationship is very turbulent to start, but as they start to see beyond eachothers shields, things get better between them.

Lily, Eamon's (kind of adopted) forrest sprite daughter, is a riot and so precious. Eamon has that single dad thing going for him, too.

There are some dark/sad parts, but it only makes the ending so much brighter!

I received an ALC through NetGalley. This is an honest review.

Very wholesome and precious fantasy, with both MM romance and found family, that definitely deserves the cozy label.

I also enjoyed the audio narration a lot. Minor struggles with sometimes not knowing which character's POV I'm listening to but always quickly resolved thanks to context.

The Poison Paradox by Hadley Field ★★★★☆

A very sweet monster-ish romance following the two main characters Prince Alaric and a mage named Eamon. Alaric enlists the help of Eamon to make a potion that will save his brothers life. Eamon has his own problems to deal with, what with being an Ogre and all, and adopting a tree nymph named Lily. The relationship that these two characters develop is definitely grumpy vs. nothing-can-get-me-down, but the character development wasn’t too deep. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me, though.

I appreciated the LGBTQIA+ representation, the cozy fantasy vibes and the magical world that is described in the book. I think if you enjoy Travis Baldree, you may enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hadley Field and the publisher for providing the audio ARC of this book.

#netgalley #thepoisonparadox #hadleyfield #felixgreen #cozyfantasybooks # LGBTQIA+representation

★★★★☆ — A sweet monster romance and an even sweeter tale of found family

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio ARC of The Poison Paradox by Hadley Field and Felix Green, narrated by Thomas Busby.

If I were rating the audiobook on its own, it would be a solid 5 stars. Thomas Busby was incredible. His ability to shift voices and bring the characters to life genuinely elevated the story, I absolutely loved his narration, and I think it really enhanced my enjoyment overall.

As for the story itself, it was pretty good! Not my usual kind of read, since I don’t often pick up Achillean romances (I tend to gravitate more towards woman-focused, especially sapphic stories), but this was such a lovely surprise. I have a well-known weak spot for “grumpy man adopts a kid” plots, and this book delivered on that. While Alaric and Eamon’s romance was sweet and tender, what really touched me was how much they loved Lily, Eamon’s adopted tree nymph daughter. Their love for her, and for the small, outcast village Eamon is the unofficial leader of, gave the book a strong, sincere sense of found family that never felt forced.

Eamon himself was great. A grumpy, prickly bastard on the surface, always ready to grumble and say something unpleasant, but underneath, so compassionate and kindhearted. I really enjoyed how the story slowly showed us more and more of him. I enjoyed Alaric too!

If I had any minor gripes, they were mostly personal preference. I’m not particularly fond of books that linger too much on how attractive characters find each other, it tends to make me cringe a little. Things like, “I couldn’t help but stare at his huge, muscular chest,” just don’t do much for me. That said, it wasn’t excessive here and didn’t significantly affect my enjoyment. I also noticed a few small repetitions, like words or phrases used close together, which might’ve stood out more in the audio format than they would have in print. But again, nothing too distracting.

All in all, I enjoyed this much more than I expected. It was a very sweet monster romance (? kind of, ogres are monsters, right?), and an even sweeter tale of found family and choice.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hadley Field, and Felix Green for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book deserves more attention. If you enjoy cozy fantasy, fresh takes on magic (for cozy fantasy, anyway), not overdone fantasy races, herbal tea, and the found family trope, you will definitely appreciate this story.

I would say the story feels quite relaxed, although the stakes weren't very low, at least not for the main characters, which was actually great as it makes for a well-balanced narrative where things are happening for a reason. (I love me some good tea, but a drop of necromancy with side effects is always fun!)

It was a very fun and light read. I loved the characters, the world, and the pacing of the book. I especially adored the main character, as one of my favorite D&D characters is a bard who plays their instrument very badly but very enthusiastically. We need more representation for characters who are mediocre at things, but it doesn't stop them!

Audiobook released June 30, 2025

I would call this a cozy fantasy book, not always something I would pick up but thanks to Netgalley, I gave it a go.

Alaric and Eamon are trying to make a potion to save Prince Alarics brother and throughout, they find conflict throughout the kingdom, some good side characters, and some character development. Alaric and Eamon were both well written and had good chemistry.
I think the plot could have been a bit quicker but overall, it felt like exactly what it was, a cozy, easy fantasy (without too much world building, which you know I hate).

The audiobook was well narrated and the characters were distinct throughout.