Amelia The Level Zero Hero

Written By V.A. Lewis

First, I really enjoyed Amelia, the Level Zero Hero, and I hope you guys did too! I had fun chatting with a couple of you about the story, and hope more of you can join in as we introduce more stories in the coming months.

I want to start off by saying that I wanted to read this story because it was sold as 'if One Punch Man was a LitRPG/Gamelit' and I feel it did that fairly well. I actually think your enjoyment of the story is improved if you've read the One Punch Man manga since so many of the same themes and tropes were used throughout the book.

Don't worry about spoilers - I've kept my review high level.

I think this book excels in the characterization of its main characters. I find V.A. Lewis/MelasD is an amazing character writer, and from the beginning of the book to the end, I found that Amelia's character tone felt abundantly consistent. Additionally, Noelle was a good character opposite to the stoic and crass Amelia. They both had a character arc that I thought was relatable and well done.

The secondary characters also had some very interesting characteristics that made several of them stand out. A couple were a bit odder to read than others (e.g. Evan and Nicole), but overall I thought there were some standout side characters. Two side characters, especially, one very large and one very small, added some interesting humor to the story. Plus, their back stories were both interesting to read about.

In fact, I think the characters drive the story's plot quite a bit. Without spoiling anything, Amelia's story is one of melancholy and confusion as she arrives in a foreign land. It's an isekai, with a bit of a twist, that doesn't forget that it's an isekai. That said, much of the plot is centered around people who are not Amelia. Which, if you've read One Punch Man, is exactly what you would expect.

I enjoyed parts of this format, because you learn about different people, their stories, and get to explore the world through different eyes. Still, I can understand this might be jarring to some who might expect a centralized focus on the main character at all times.

The author, V.A. Lewis, is an absolute pro at their craft. The story was originally serialized, and oftentimes this causes several sequences to be repeated. Said differently, the format of the story causes the author to re-explain what is, or has, happened. I understand why, but I found that the repetition was, at times, a bit frustrating to read in novel format.

To finish, let me say that I also loved several of the fighting sequences in this story. I found that there was a good mix of blow-by-blow explanations and short action clips that kept you guessing about how things would end. I also envy the author's creativity with Skills and power sets. Each character's skill set was very diverse from the next, and that is not an easy thing to do. And lastly, the characterization, again, was on point.

That said, I'll give this story 4 stars overall. I believe it was a great way to start the book club, and I hope people had fun reading along.