Monster and the Beast, Vol. 2

Monster and the Beast #2

by renji

The innocent Cavo has finally managed to express his true feelings for the irrepressible Liam, but mysterious figures related to Liam’s past interrupt them. In the midst of saving damsels and fleeing enemies, they hardly have a moment alone to explore their new status quo. Chance encounters, dangerous foes, and unexpected companions test the limits of the bond between Cavo and Liam. But Liam’s appetite won’t be stopped forever. And Cavo may not be as innocent as he pretends…Will the strange duo escape their pursuers? And how will their relationship survive the trials ahead?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Yaoi, Queer, Comics

178 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2019

Reviews

[Grace W · Rating 5 out of 5]

(c/p from my review on TheStoryGraph) Ok I'm totally sold on this series now and I'm hecking excited to read the next one! Love these two, love watching them develop can't wait for them to maybe smooch more!

TW for this book include: Violence and Suggested sexual assault

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhhh, Cavo is ADORABLE!!

The number of times that this big scary monster blushes because of a simple touch is so delightfully endearing. He's just a big teddy bear - I love him! And it looks like Liam is definitely being charmed too. Cute, cute, cute!!

ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE LICKING? fire.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still so in love with this story and with the two characters.
Liam still is a free spirit, not wanting to bind himself just because the monster loves him, and I love that - it's so normal. And Liam, as a middle aged man, is so ... not horny but hes so.. horny :D i dunno. I just love the whole book.

In Vol. 2 we get to learn more about Liam, there's actual plot because of Liams mysterious past and how he can be such a gentleman :D the scenes where he subdued some bad guys was so fucking hot. People, who love characters like Alastor (hazbin) Kuya (NuCarnival) etc, will love him.

The Monster still is so damn cute ;w; i lub his innocence, and how overwhelmed he is, when Liam wants to cuddle. It's such an extreme difference.

And of course the vol ends on a big dramatic cliffhanger.

[crybby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tessica Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, again, yes

[chromAyshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

pause dans le toxic yaoi ils partent sauver la veuve et l'orphelin

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume less than the first one, but it was still a quick and easy read. I am curious as to what Liam's whole backstory is - we don't really get much of a glimpse at it, but it does seem interesting.

These volumes seem to come out pretty quickly - the next volume is apparently slated for a March release in Japan - so I will probably continue reading the series for now.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The monster is cute, but I got a little weirded out when the licking happened lol. I liked the little detour they took to help that kid with the village. I guess I'm curious about how they're going to move forward with the way this ended.

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the direction this took and the slightly faster pacing! The story has settled into one that's adventurous, witty, and starting to get some good character development, which is exactly what I personally wanted after reading volume 1. The "save the town" detour was a little predictable but neat because we finally got to see some of Liam's mysterious powers at work. I'm also super eager to see where that cliffhanger goes next!

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
I liked this one even better than the first volume, but I don't want to wait for more -- I need to see what happens next! Cavo is so utterly wonderful, and I loved the interactions between him and the boy Naru -- so sweet! Liam is such a scoundrel, but Cavo is slowly making him a better person. I hope. Time will tell. Just hopefully it will tell soon!

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, the first book I was annoyed that Liam was a player, but the second book gave us more interesting information and also made me love Cavo even more. I will say that I don’t understand why it’s wrapped with “explicit” on the cover… maybe that’ll make sense for a future volume, but so far it makes ZERO sense.

[Djinn Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did indeed like this volume a bit more than the first, though my reservations still stand. Still, there was more story to be found here, and some interesting reveals about both Liam and Cavo. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series, especially given how this volume ended. And the aesthetics remain aces.

[Lobo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Język .//////.

[Grey Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still love Cavo. Still want to give him a big ole teddy bear hug. We learn more about what's going on with Liam and get a tiny bit of backstory for both Cavo and Liam as well as some teamwork and action. Even a cute kid character interacting with Cavo! Nice. I get to full five stars this one because Liam was far less of a selfish dick in it! Woohoo!

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cavo is the absolute sweetest. The way he told Naru he was going to pick him up before he did - I just adore him. 🥺

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cavo has my whole heart. HOW is this huge demon monster the sweetest thing to ever exist.

This picks up with some action and rescuing and ends with a cliffhanger. Some secrets are revealed and I'm really curious to see where this will go next!

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

marginally better than the first volume but yeah I don't see the point.

[Myffanwy Geronazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

THAT CLIFF HANGER ENDING THO :(

[ashandream · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am still confused

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021: Updated from 3 to 4 stars.

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually forgot just how cute this is

[Ottery Chocolat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit, I have not read the first one. I jumped into this one first because it was the only one that the library had at the moment. -sighs- I think the first is on-order. I don't know. Everyone donate to your local library so they can afford more books, and pay your taxes too, cuz the same.

So, here we go. I'm currently reading The Ancient Magus' Bride, it's another romantic fantasy series, and I can't help but compare the two series somewhat. I love them both. But I have to say, I like the art and the story of Monster and the Beast slightly more. The story of Monster and the Beast is a cutesy little romance between an older man and what appears to be a demon. Despite being the bigger creature and likely stronger the Monster, Cavo is shyier and more cute about their relationship. He can only take a few of Liam's attentions before he gets all bashful and blushy and it is the cutest thing to see.

The boys are being pursued by two others, for something Liam did before, which is a mystery (at least in this volume). The romance in Ancient Magus takes a very slow route (I'm on volume 8 and they're cute but c'mon Chise, kiss your monster more), so it is refreshing that here at least it is adorably just a thing. While the story is more about the romance between Liam and Cavo it is still a cute adventure, they get sidetracked on their escape, help out a young boy and save a village, then they get split up . . .

Storywise, the plot is a little quicker and fluffier than in Ancient Magus' Bride, but it is more fun and romantic. Artwise, here again, Renji's style is a lot more sparse than Kore Yamazaki, not quite as detailed. But I find it to be just as delightful. So this book is seriously cool, a little on the fluffy side but if you like gay romance it's well worth a read. Now to find volumes 1 and 3.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5

Pros:
- The art is still clean and consistent
- The work hints at a larger world and narrative (especially Liam's), but doesn't get much farther than that.
- Cavo is cute; the author leans into the "canine" like aspects of his personality (both in appearance and characterization) this volume

Cons:
- I gave it some thought, and my main complaint about this work is that it isn't steamy enough to really work the "Boy's Love," angle, and isn't intriguing enough to work as an "Adventure / Thriller" manga.
- In the liner notes, the author says something to the effect of, "I wanted to write a story about a monster and an older man." This is all well and good, but if Liam is an older man, it hardly shows in his thoughts and actions. It barely shows in his character model, save the white hair.
- Cavo accepts Liam's "power," the exact details of which I will omit to avoid spoilers, much too easily in my opinion. This, in turn, diffuses any tension that situation could have created.

Conclusion:
The total package continues to be serviceable. Like I said in my review of volume one, unless you're a "Boy's Love" completionist or the premise speaks to you, you can safely skip this one.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Volume 2 of Monster and the Beast begins to delve into the reason why Liam is the "monster" of the story. While Cavo is physically a beast, Cavo acts more human-like than Liam does most of the time! Liam is still quite the charmer and we learn more about how he is able to get his way out of any form of trouble, but I felt that this revelation about his "powers" was too sudden. Additionally, Cavo accepts it rather easily even though based on previous interactions, I would have expected more of a fight. Despite discovering a bit more on Liam, there really isn't much else to this volume. I really was interested in reading more about his dangerous past but it was lightly touched upon and then forgotten...

It was nice to see a confession happen, but so far this relationship seems one-sided in my opinion. Liam is interested in Cavo for sexual reasons, but I'm just not convinced he's romantically involved with Cavo just yet. Also that half-asleep licking from Cavo was a little weird but you know Liam...he was into it hahaha

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 7-11

Back at it again with Cavo and Liam.

They escape the ‘bad guys’ and get cozy (;D) in some distant woods before they are interrupted by a kid fumbling into them. The kid tell them of his village in need and they agree to help. Liam uses his powers to take over and trick the men in the town, easily freeing everyone.

But when Cavo exposes himself from the shadows, the townspeople are not happy and Liam says they will take their leave, but the kid gives them the map they needed and hugs Cavo. They head out and take a bath before discussing getting on a ship and sailing to a new continent. They discuss Liam’s power to charm but Cavo insists he loves Liam simply and purely, not due to the charm power. They kiss and Cavo gets nervous.

They make it to the sea side town and get a room but oh no! Liam sleeps in and they miss their boat! The two of them get separated and Liam gets on the boat alone in all their haste and confusion!

This one was cuter and added much more needed drama!

[R E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating BL series with unusual MC's and effective world building

I'm not sure why I like this BL so much, but I do. I haven't decided if Liam, the middle-aged hedonist with a strange power to enchant people, is a full-on sociopath or not, although in this second volume we start to get glimpses into his backstory that humanized him. We also get glimpses of the sweet, kind-hearted Beast's vaguely reptilian face (which is typically covered by long hair), which makes him visually interesting as he's clearly a mammal (well, if demons can be so classified).The art isn't exceptional, but it is good - there are unusual panel rhythms that propel the visual narrative without being compositionally elegant, although there is a kind of elegance in the way the artist simplifies details and surface texture to communicate only what is necessary.

[Pinkberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

On to Volume 2 of my review. The plot is slow in volume two, and there is no sex or heavy make-out sessions. Just light some light tongue kisses or a tease. Even if this is marked as boys-love, it’s barely enough to keep ‘me’ as an adult audience. I felt myself getting slightly bored and actually putting the book down wondering when the monster c**** was going to come out to play... guess not. A full two volumes, and if the third doesn’t go anywhere I’ll probably drop this.
Would recommend to anyone that enjoys reading light stuff with hardly any sexual action. Characters are cut though.

Volume Two Rating: 7/10

[Konstantin R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

[rating = A-]

I have waited almost five months for this! I read Vol. 1 with wonder and ecstasy, and because you couldn't get the second installment (for some reason...), I speedily read Vol. 3. And you don't really need this one to understand the story. However, I am still happy I splurged and got it and read it in an hour! I love Cavo and Liam; they are a brilliant and entertaining duo. The story is so good and my heart just flutters when Cavo shows his innocence. And Liam's seductive and slightly lewd desires and attitude are delightful. I am longing to read Vol. 4, though I fear I will have to wait for quite some time.

[Ryofire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great volume in this series! I love both protagonists, though I am a bit worried this is going to keep going down the "polyamorous character needs to not be polyamorous anymore to find happiness" route. It's kind of walking the fine line of it. I do really like the plot with Cavo doing things for himself. He's generally self-reliant outside of staying in Liam's shadow, but it's neat to see how he handled the boat problem.

If you're looking for m/m kind of Beauty and the Beast if the beauty was a middle-aged bisexual lech and the beast was a giant nervous softie, plus some dubcon (and size difference and xeno, obviously) this is good for you!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great continuation from volume 1 where there aren't quite explicit sexy time scenes but it's implied. Also, Liam gets to use his powers and you begin to understand why he is considered a "monster" in this equation. Cavo remains devoted to Liam and goes lengths to protect him from harm, but his scary "beast" appearance still scares people.

I'm looking forward to the next volume! The art is beautiful and I always like a BL series in the Yen Press lineup! ⭐⭐⭐⭐