The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP! Volume 2

The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP! Light Novel #2

by Nao Wakasa, ica (Illustrator), Emily Hemphill (Translator)

On a quest to save the world, extraordinary people like the Sacred Maiden, Dragonslayer, and Prince are accompanied by... Lucia, a plain, ordinary laundrymaid with one special spell. After an incident following their cleansing of the first Cristallo Sacro, Lucia and the Knight Celes find themselves separated from the rest of the party! They head to the nearest town to stock up on supplies so they can catch up to the others as soon as possible. But Celes, wanting to hide their identities in this foreign country, tells the villagers that they're freshly eloped newlyweds!? "I can't act like your wife! They'll see right through us!"

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Magic

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2020

Reviews

[s. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave a lot plot-wise. I remember being angry and frustrated for Maria, being embarrassed for Lucia and being astounded for Celes. A lot of things happened and this book certainly moved the plot far in this series.

There are numerous plot points I would like to point out and these points elicited intense reactions from me.

First, how the incident with Lucia in the opening (which the previous book left hanging) was swept under the rug and was rather... unsatisfying. The incident being brushed off without relevant action done (or maybe there is but not really relayed to the readers) leaves quite the unsatisfaction. The build up from the previous book was rather high so I expected it to end well too but ahh, that got done fast.

Next, Lucia purifying the Cristallo Sacro of Kyriest. It left me feeling conflicted, to be very honest. I felt so much for Maria. At that point, I remember feeling sadness for her. She was plucked out of her world and thrusted into another, all of the people therein telling her she should save them. But then down the road, they find out someone else could have done it instead? I felt for her. It's as if she suddenly lost purpose - something that anyone would be so mad and frustrated about if the same thing happened to them. She was forced into this, convinced that she's the last ray of hope, only to realize later that's not the case? The feeling of hallowness in that realization must have been overwhelming.

This leads to the other point. The revelation that the king wants her assassinated. I was soooo mad for her at this point. After everything they have done to her, they want to take her life too? I was so mad and later on became so frustrated because she got over it so quickly. Must be my tendency to hold grudges and be angry longer but still!! I was real mad for her.

Lastly, that little arc wherein Celes and Lucia finally became lovers. Grrr it took so long for them to reach this point!!!! I was starting to ask just how much longer are they going to keep dancing in circles but heavens! Finally!!! And dear lord, Celes really went from 0 to a hundred with what he did - leading Lucia to faint from a kiss lmaoooo it was hilarious. I was squealing but also *sighs with relief* finally!!

Not gonna lie, I really like this book in the series. It was good plot-wise and the perspectives (of Maria and Lucia) add to the greater understanding of the whole world in this and the story. I am very curious about what the third book will hold. I am very excited to read the next!!

[Jonathan Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series, now that volume 2 exists.

(Based on a pre-press version of the book.)

The writing is still great. The romance and drama really get moving. There's adventure and danger and strained relationships. Maria blossoms from an isekai trope into a 3-dimensional human character. The translation continues to be excellent. I highly recommend it.

On a side note, volume 1 of this series was a nearly-perfect book marred (some would say ruined) by a poorly-timed cliffhanger that was more frustrating than suspenseful. This volume spends a few pages righting that wrong, resolving the Amarith arc surprisingly quickly but in a satisfying way.

(For anyone wondering, this volume itself does end a few pages into the beginning of its Dal Canto arc, but the break is just inelegant and not really a cliffhanger. You can read without trepidation.)

[Robert R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another volume where it's a bit hard to justify the full 4 stars, but given that I was entertained I'm going to go ahead with a 4 instead of rounding down to a 3. This volume picks up the action right inside the cliffhanger that the first volume leaves off on and brings it to a quick and mostly satisfying close.

The good: primary main character and her guy finally admit their mutual feelings - it is a 3 volume series so it's not like there's that much time to waste, but it's nice to see that this doesn't get dragged out all the way to the end.

The bad: the worst bit is a very odd villainess who's actions are just, IMO, too random. I suppose this is in part keeping with the rating to keep any deaths off screen and not at the hands of the major characters, but the way this particular plot unfolds and resolves just feels way to contrived to me.

Overall it's a good continuation of the story and if you enjoy the first volume, you'll likely enjoy this one.

[Aelvana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucia is barely comfortable with her new role traveling with the most important members of the kingdom, when a misunderstanding results in her and Celes stranded in the wilderness. As they work their way back to the group, Celes sees a chance to try to explain how he really feels . . .

Although I overall liked the fact that Celes and Lucia are able to move past some of their misconceptions about each other, the way they get there left me really frustrated. Celes KNOWS Lucia is a bit of an idiot in these things, but it takes him forever to just come out and say what he really means. (And then repeat it a few different ways, because obvious is not obvious enough for Lucia.) So I was surprised more than anything else that they actually managed to end up somewhat on the same page by the end.

Maria is still a pain. The whole mess is her fault, and everyone being super nice and apologetic to her at the end just didn't sit right with me. No one points out that her behavior has just been the worst, that she would win more allies by not acting like a spoiled brat, that regardless of what happened in the past it's her decision on how she moves forward, and the way she's acting right now is A LOT OF THE REASON WHY certain people want to see her assassinated. (I even have some sympathy for this mindset, as it's a terrible idea to have a queen who is openly seducing other men. How can you prove any child is actually the prince's if she's THAT obviously unfaithful?)

So overall, I think this series lost me. I still like Lucia, I'm happy the development with Celes doesn't look like it will get stuck in eternal limbo, but I just cannot stand Maria or the ways the plot keeps bending over backwards to accommodate her. I rate this book Neutral.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[Sharakael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a novel where they didn't drag out the relationship aspect. Both leads confirmed their feeling, and thankfully it didn't fall into the cliche of "oh no we have different statuses".
Minor cliffhanger at the end, nothing as bad as the first book though...

[Briony Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluffy

After getting over the aburpt dark hurdle in the last book soap becomes the cute and fluffy romance it was in the last book, though the old fashioned sensibilities of the world do grate a little

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love watching the progression of Maria's character. There is a certain major plot point that gets resolved in this volume in a way I wasn't expecting and felt a tad rushed.

[Allen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up from the first volume, this volume was not bad. I loved seeing the romance blossom between Lucia and Celes and the new adventures the group went on. A solid four out of five.

[Live · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cliffhanger from Volume 1 is resolved quickly and we're brought to the next arc real quick. As with the first Volume the story's strong point is it's characters (the plot is a little generic, though not unpleasantly so) and this Volume continues to have its character be it's largest strength. They're adorable, the conflict is realistic and not dragged out until the point of melodrama and the development of the characters is great. There's a mild cliffhanger this time that isn't anything dramatic like the last Volume; more setting the next arc of the story up.