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Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing #1
Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing Volume 1
Her powers may only heal skin-deep…but she’s determined to mend every wound with all her heart!
Meet Sophie Olzon, the only daughter of a wealthy merchant family, cursed from birth with a mysterious skin condition. With her rough, bark-like appearance, Sophie has been cruelly nicknamed “The Monstrous Miss” by her peers and bullied relentlessly at school until she could bear no more. Forced into isolation, she retreats to her family estate and dedicates herself to mastering her peculiarly weak brand of magic that can only heal surface wounds.
One fateful day, when Sophie nearly succumbs to the weight of her condition, a forgotten truth hits her—she once lived a life as a single mother in modern-day Japan! With renewed purpose, the Monstrous Miss opens her heart and doors to those seeking her unique brand of healing.
Meet Sophie Olzon, the only daughter of a wealthy merchant family, cursed from birth with a mysterious skin condition. With her rough, bark-like appearance, Sophie has been cruelly nicknamed “The Monstrous Miss” by her peers and bullied relentlessly at school until she could bear no more. Forced into isolation, she retreats to her family estate and dedicates herself to mastering her peculiarly weak brand of magic that can only heal surface wounds.
One fateful day, when Sophie nearly succumbs to the weight of her condition, a forgotten truth hits her—she once lived a life as a single mother in modern-day Japan! With renewed purpose, the Monstrous Miss opens her heart and doors to those seeking her unique brand of healing.
- GenresLight NovelFantasy
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2025
25 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 4, 2025
Monstrous Miss Sophie is a story about Miss Sophie, the daughter of a rich self-made man and skilled woman who both showered Sophie with love, in what appears to be a fairly typical sword-and-sorcery world (even if we see little of it). She awakens to past memories at the age of seventeen, suffering from a painful skin disease when she finally gave in to despair due to her disease. The new memories gave her an unique point of view on her situation, and made her remarkably suitable to follow (one of) her original dream of becoming a healer even if she is only powerful enough to heal skin thick wounds. Official healers might dismiss its power, but she is well aware of how painful serious scars can be.
The book are several short stories with each (potential) patient telling their story as part of the healing process within the overarching story of Sophie herself. It is a serious story with its share of drama, after all, scars on the skin have a big impact on one's life and that is not even taking into account how they were acquired. The author does acknowledge that blemishes of the skin are not the end of life as for example when the first serious patient doesn't want to be "cured" in the end. The characters are interesting, if a bit simplistic, which is a good thing since this is a story about characters with very little world building beyond a few big strokes, no action or a big plot. I would have preferred a few less patients, and a bit more on Sophie herself, but not to the point of it negatively impacting my enjoyment of the story.
So, all in all, a good first volume and I am curious about the next volume even though I am not expecting too many surprises as far Sophie's story goes.
The book are several short stories with each (potential) patient telling their story as part of the healing process within the overarching story of Sophie herself. It is a serious story with its share of drama, after all, scars on the skin have a big impact on one's life and that is not even taking into account how they were acquired. The author does acknowledge that blemishes of the skin are not the end of life as for example when the first serious patient doesn't want to be "cured" in the end. The characters are interesting, if a bit simplistic, which is a good thing since this is a story about characters with very little world building beyond a few big strokes, no action or a big plot. I would have preferred a few less patients, and a bit more on Sophie herself, but not to the point of it negatively impacting my enjoyment of the story.
So, all in all, a good first volume and I am curious about the next volume even though I am not expecting too many surprises as far Sophie's story goes.
July 21, 2025
This suffers from the exact same issue as Restaurant to Another World. The premise is great, and the fact that Sophie has the memories of a 57 year old single mother also sets it apart from other similar stories. As someone who suffers from a skin disease, Sophie knows really well how much pain physical flaws and imperfections can bring. Her magic might be weak, but she does her best to heal others—both physically and mentally.
I usually don’t mind episodic format where each chapter is a short story featuring a different character, but here it’s all just so… shallow. The idea that Sophie needs to know her client’s background before she can heal them feels like a very convenient set-up so they can lay bare all their issues abruptly, then resolve them just as quickly. Since there’s barely any worldbuilding, compelling characters are necessary to drive the story and there just isn’t any. It might’ve been better if the story puts more focus on Sophie to make up for it, but it doesn’t do that either. Instead, it makes jokes about how protective Sophie’s father is, which didn’t land most of the time because I don’t know enough about them to get fully invested.
Not for me. Healing fiction is good, but it still needs to be interesting.
I usually don’t mind episodic format where each chapter is a short story featuring a different character, but here it’s all just so… shallow. The idea that Sophie needs to know her client’s background before she can heal them feels like a very convenient set-up so they can lay bare all their issues abruptly, then resolve them just as quickly. Since there’s barely any worldbuilding, compelling characters are necessary to drive the story and there just isn’t any. It might’ve been better if the story puts more focus on Sophie to make up for it, but it doesn’t do that either. Instead, it makes jokes about how protective Sophie’s father is, which didn’t land most of the time because I don’t know enough about them to get fully invested.
Not for me. Healing fiction is good, but it still needs to be interesting.
November 5, 2025
I think if I made it 8 hours into this read I might end up enjoying it. But it's one of my rare DNF. Mainly because it's woo woo magic fix stuff. And it kinda would have been more interesting if she used her knowledge to fix issues. With a dab of magic. You end up having to listen to story after story. And the weight of that story is basically lemme wave my hand and take away the issue. It's just so boring that way. Sometimes that would fine but for every problem. 0 knowledge of the modern world? I think maybe later on that changes no idea. But it's a slog to get to that point. Kind of a wasted premise range. To the point where I came close to reading slump range with this one. The one good thing about this story is she targets into the actual issues kinda like a therapist in there story. And truly the idea of them taking away the minor thing or the skin issue isn't the ACTUAL fix for the problem but there heart core issue is. I like that but I don't know the packaging kinda sucks.
December 27, 2025
Cute and well crafted.
Sophie has an unfortunate skin condition that makes her look like an oozing goblin, which is a bit of an obstacle for socializing. Her solution was to utilize her healing abilities in a home salon by inviting the desperate to visit. The story is built case by case with one client per chapter, contributing to the whole.
Most light novels have a perfunctory translation with far too much colloquial dialogue. This book was translated with care, capturing a picturesque and regal setting with quaint characters and excellent prose. It’s not the type of book I usually read, especially with its slow burning romance, but I enjoyed this first volume. The illustrator depicts Sophie as gorgeous, which I think defeats the point of the story, but the art is lovely. Overall an enjoyable read.
Sophie has an unfortunate skin condition that makes her look like an oozing goblin, which is a bit of an obstacle for socializing. Her solution was to utilize her healing abilities in a home salon by inviting the desperate to visit. The story is built case by case with one client per chapter, contributing to the whole.
Most light novels have a perfunctory translation with far too much colloquial dialogue. This book was translated with care, capturing a picturesque and regal setting with quaint characters and excellent prose. It’s not the type of book I usually read, especially with its slow burning romance, but I enjoyed this first volume. The illustrator depicts Sophie as gorgeous, which I think defeats the point of the story, but the art is lovely. Overall an enjoyable read.
June 18, 2025
I normally don’t care for novels of this sort — a bunch of short stories wrapped around a larger story — but it was executed so effectively here that I could not help but enjoy it.
The stories are both interesting and entertaining, including the “interludes” that are part of the main story.
The characters are captivating, their stories carrying different kinds of emotions for a reader.
One of the things I especially liked is that while they are seeking out Sophie to heal their physical scars, it is the path she often sets them on for mental healing that is potentially more transformative.
The stories are both interesting and entertaining, including the “interludes” that are part of the main story.
The characters are captivating, their stories carrying different kinds of emotions for a reader.
One of the things I especially liked is that while they are seeking out Sophie to heal their physical scars, it is the path she often sets them on for mental healing that is potentially more transformative.
August 8, 2025
This is sublime and transcendent!
What an absolutely beautiful story! I am all in! So wonderfully written with such unexpected and powerful splendor from the language, from the characters, from the many small victories and small sorrows! Exceptional! I am so glad I found this! Observing the healing the characters receive is healing my own heart!
What an absolutely beautiful story! I am all in! So wonderfully written with such unexpected and powerful splendor from the language, from the characters, from the many small victories and small sorrows! Exceptional! I am so glad I found this! Observing the healing the characters receive is healing my own heart!
July 4, 2025
💜💚💛💙
Oh,l wow!! What an amazing start to a series. Absolutely loved our Sophie and the stories if the injured seeking healing. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Oh,l wow!! What an amazing start to a series. Absolutely loved our Sophie and the stories if the injured seeking healing. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews