Soara and the House of Monsters Vol. 2

ソアラと魔物の家 [Soara to Mamono no Ie] #2

by Hidenori Yamaji

In this delightful and intricately illustrated fantasy tale, a girl who was raised to fight monsters starts building cozy homes for them instead!

Soara is a young orphan girl who was raised by knights and trained to fight against marauding monsters. By the time Soara is old enough to join the fray, her blade is no longer needed, as peace has been declared with monsters. Searching for a new calling, Soara stumbles upon Kirik the dwarf, Architect of the Monster World. Suddenly, instead of fighting monsters, Soara finds herself working alongside Kirik to build comfortable homes for monsterkind! In the course of her new career, will Soara find a home for herself?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Magic, Adventure, Monsters

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2022

About the author

山地ひでのり

Reviews

[Julia Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as cute as the first one, was happy to get more conflict in this one.

[J-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series that I’m gonna wait a bit to continue reading because I’m gonna get annoyed with the little amount of material and long wait times. Only two things happened in this volume. TWO! Yes, the architecture is phenomenal and the art itself is *chefs kiss* ৻(•̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)⊹｡₊*⊹.˚

HOWEVER, I’m not willing to shell out time and money for measly scraps, so this series is gonna be a pass for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halfway through this volume is where my scanlation reading of this ends with everything now being new! It continues from volume one with an ever-present charm from its fun cartoon-y monsters, cozy and inventive houses, and unique world-building of a post-war fantasy setting through the lens of someone who was so entrenched in the war she has to learn to see her ex-enemies for the people/monsters they really are.
We get the conclusion of the mermaid and thunder wolf which was a fun ending and then get the really cool Demon King arc. The Demon Lord arc was super fun. It really opened the world and long-term goal while showing another side to the importance of housing from the side of the integrity and joy of building something for yourself. This volume really showed off the amazing locales Yamaji can draw up. Everything is such a visual feast that only further compels you to dive deeper into the lush world they crafted.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good second volume for a series. It picks up where volume 1 left off with the mermaid + thunder wolf house, and then follows the crew to the demon lord's castle. There they learn more about how the demon world came to be what it is now and the struggles it will face in the future. A longer arc begins to form, and as the volume concludes, the crew sets off with a goal in mind. It's unclear if the story will continue to be done in a case-of-the-week style, or if this starts off a more long-form story. Either way, it looks to be a fun adventure.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love it like the first volume :(

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soara and the dwarves she is studying create the perfect house for the unlikely couple the Thunder Wolf and Mermaid, so they can live happily under one roof. Then they have been summoned to the house of the Demon Lord (lord of the monsters). But the castle appears to be empty? Why have they been summoned there?

For some reason English translators of Japanese frequently translate yokai (mythological monsters) as demon but I feel like it is a bad translation. It isn't really spiritual, more like evil/potentially-sinister mythological Japanese monster would be better but that is kind of a mouthful. Soara and the dwarves led by Kirik meet the Demon Lord Hagan and find he's actually a nice guy tying to help his subjects (he tells the story of building his house and how the architect, who is also Kirik's mentor, reformed his character through the building process). Soara and the dwarves are given the mission to go find this lady architect who is missing. And that's to be continued in the next book. I like the home improvement fantasy-style and the very imaginative architecture in this series.

Notes on content:
Language: About 6 minor swears.
Sexual content: Nothing beyond a hug. The mermaid's outfit is equivalent to Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid, pretty tame as mermaids go.
Violence: A sea monster attacks a ship and gets zapped. Hagan's enemies are threatening and he used to be a mean guy.
Ethnic diversity: All fantasy creatures except for Soara.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Nothing else comes to mind.

[Ellyn → Allonsythornraxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

06/03/2026
4 ⭐
I loved every second of this! I've definitely found a new favourite series!

✨ 06/100 read for 100 Graphics in 2026 Reading Challenge ✨

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[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soara and the dwarfs build a house for the Thunder Wolf and mermaid and then meet the Demon Lord.

I liked this volume more than the first one mostly because of the second story. The Demon Lord is not what they thought or were afraid of. He's quite happy with a small cozy cottage even though he has a grandiose castle as well. I'll be continuing on to the third volume.

If you like this but want more silliness, try "Dragon Goes House-Hunting" by Tanuki and Aya.

[Carlos Eguren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un manga que no esperaba que me gustase tanto como me está gustando, gracias a que no se queda en ser simple «cozy fantasy», sino que, a través de carismáticos personajes y maravillosos diseños, nos plantea ideas muy interesantes dentro del fantástico como hasta qué punto somos nuestros hogar o nuestro hogar pasa a ser parte de nosotros. Para mí, una serie que se merece muchísimo más reconocimiento.

[Helena Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely better than the first one and I like the slower arcs, I guess I just am still uncomfortable with the way the female characters are drawn. It's not super overt or anything, but it really takes me out of the story. I hate it so much! It's so hard to enjoy the rest of this! Also, I think the main group needs to be characterized a little bit more, but hopefully those arcs will be coming soon.

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good follow-up to the first volume to the series which pays more attention to world building. It explains the origins of the human-monster conflict and how they came to make peace. At the same time, it provides more of the creative houses and quirky monsters the first volume led us to expect from the series.

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series already, and this is only book 2. So creative and fresh! Also, got confirmation from my almost nine year old nibling that they LOOOOVED the first book too, so while your kid's mileage may vary, my graphic-novel devouring little pal at least is proof that some kids will dig it.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great continuation! It introduced some more high-stakes problems to keep the plot interesting while keeping the fun of the first volume. I love the character design and the blueprints of the houses; the art is great!

[Rebecca Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Got some back story on the demon king which was cool and unexpected. Love how the dwarves and the MC work together and are forming a friendship. This is a cute series and I'm really loving it.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thunderwolf and mermaid find their happily home after all thanks to Kirik's ingenuity. Soara meets the demon lord, she's wary of him at first. Until, she sees the change brought on by Kahyo his former human slave.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love all the architecture and cross sections of the homes! so cozy....

[Natalie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the story and the house designs.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really great volume! This series is knocking it out of the park. I love the architecture designs and the story both!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 did not disappoint. I am so excited to see the rest of this story. I loved the demon king's story hehe

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is stunning and the story is entertaining and interesting. I love the little twists that pop up and how characters aren't always what you expect.

[Dita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read. Full of laughter. Amazing monster's houses.
Cute characters. Cute stories, I'm sensing big plot coming.
So yeah it's a fun entertaining read.

[Kristin Dougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 was just as endearing and heartwarming as the first. The characters don’t disappoint, the attention to architecture superb, and I can’t wait to see how the group’s adventure continues!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

the thunderbolt wolf is so cute with his pookie :)

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

My tween and I are both enjoying this series.

[leyendoconand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adoro la construcción de las casas

[Sarah AK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still loving absolutely everything about this... its monsters, houses, and especially the art! But now there's a major overarching plot, much more backstory, AND creepy villains? YES, PLEASE!

[Zinal Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

soara's attitude is starting to annoy me a bit

[S46354595 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soara and the House of Monsters Review

5/5 stars

I picked up this manga on a whim because I saw it at the library and it looked cute. There are currently two volumes out, with a third on the way. There will be no spoilers. Granted, that will make this quite short, but hopefully you get enough to determine if you’d want to start this series. Enjoy!

This is a relatively new manga about a girl named Soara who spent her whole life training to fight monsters, only to find out that the monsters have just signed a truce with the humans and they will no longer be at war.

While trying to figure out what to do with her life, Soara ends up running into these dwarves who are architects who build houses for monsters. She doesn’t trust them at first, because she’s not sure that the peace treaty will last very long.

But after seeing them create such beautiful houses that are perfectly suited to the monsters who will inhabit them, Soara eventually agrees to help them. She’s sort of the hired muscle for their group, but might eventually learn about architecture as the series continues.

In the first few volumes, they build a couple of houses for different monster species, and work through some of the difficulties they have getting to know each other. The architecture is really where this series shines. Every house is designed specifically for each monster, and the creative ideas are so fun to read about. It kind of feels like dream architecture, but it’s actually drawn out and tangible!

And then everything changes when they receive a mysterious letter from the king of the monsters, asking them to come back to his castle for some unknown reason. I won’t tell you why, as that’s spoilers, but what I will say is this adds a whole new layer to the world building and plot I was not expecting from a kind of cute, goofy series about magical architecture.

I honestly had a lot of fun with these two volumes, and I can’t wait for volume three when it comes out later this year. I’m always on the hunt for fantasy or sci-fi manga that aren’t just your typical shonen, because those start to all feel the same after a while. I’ve never read anything like this in manga or book format, and I’m super glad I found this series. I cannot recommend it enough!

Have a nice day/night everyone!

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series - the comedy, combined with the innovative ideas for the houses make it such an interesting read, and the notion that a house that you can truly be comfortable in is invaluable is a lovely sentiment. I didn't realise I wanted a fantasy architecture manga, but this is glorious. I love the slime, too!

[鯊 · Rating 4 out of 5]

沒辦法建頁面所以先直接紀錄：續集第3(2023/7/12)集我看了。