What do you think?
Rate this book
Amelia #1
Amelia The Level Zero Hero Book 1
Who needs a Class when you're already the strongest anyways? Ten years ago, Amelia woke up alone and lost in a broken world where she had to fight for her survival. Now, after reaching the pinnacle of power, defeating the Void itself, and escaping the abyss, she has finally found her way back into the real world. But instead of returning to Earth, she arrives in the land of Vacuos. A fantasy world with magic, monsters, Classes, and Levels. A world that is governed by a System like it were a video game. And when rewarded with a Class befitting her accomplishments— to become a powerful [Hero] that will forever dedicate her life to protecting this world that is not her own— she only has one response. “Absolutely not. I’m going to live a normal life now, thank you very much.”
605 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2023
1077 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 18, 2023
So the hero is completely OP, but that's right there in the blurb so no surprise. I figured it'd be a slice of life and I was in the mood so I picked it up.
Sadly, not slice of life. This is more a "hero bumbles into world-shattering monsters, kills them, still can't find a job." Which got boring after about a quarter in.
But that's not really what booted me out of the story. What pulled my chain finally were sections from the bad-guy faction. They're some secret society idiots trying to end the world. Apparently because they can? Like, they're already super powerful; kings, archscholars, that kind of thing. So why are they bickering with one another about embracing the void? It's weird. And seems stupid.
And since Amelia is busy thrusting a heroic calling away as fast as she can, it's not even like she'll be seeking these idiots out. So I'm calling it one star and I'm sad it wasn't what I thought it would be.
Sadly, not slice of life. This is more a "hero bumbles into world-shattering monsters, kills them, still can't find a job." Which got boring after about a quarter in.
But that's not really what booted me out of the story. What pulled my chain finally were sections from the bad-guy faction. They're some secret society idiots trying to end the world. Apparently because they can? Like, they're already super powerful; kings, archscholars, that kind of thing. So why are they bickering with one another about embracing the void? It's weird. And seems stupid.
And since Amelia is busy thrusting a heroic calling away as fast as she can, it's not even like she'll be seeking these idiots out. So I'm calling it one star and I'm sad it wasn't what I thought it would be.
August 23, 2023
Daria on God mode. Became boring pretty quickly. Basically a much less funny 'One Punch Man'.
October 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of One Punch Man this is a no brainer, i love the characters and the story was very well paced.
April 6, 2025
Good book I intend to read the next in the series however it was kinda redundant. Also fair warning there is some unnecessary foul language. Which in and of itself is not bad, but it is something you might wanna be aware of in the event that younger audiences are reading or listening to the book.
June 8, 2023
Poorly developed antagonists and protagonists, repetitive story gimmicks, lack of world building or context, no suspense or consequence, surface level introspection that feels like it goes nowhere (why did I become an adventurer), things just happen for reasons that aren't explored or explained (some people don't die because of the void for reasons? Noele can suddenly fight beyond her power level when needed because why not. Honestly what is the plot line for the antagonists? Why do they do what they do? Who knows). The occasional entertaining situation and concept potential sadly does not save this work.
This story is the embodiment of people being saved last second and *pikachu face* wow the protagonist is more powerful than they expect ad nauseam, your time is likely better spent elsewhere.
This story is the embodiment of people being saved last second and *pikachu face* wow the protagonist is more powerful than they expect ad nauseam, your time is likely better spent elsewhere.
June 18, 2025
TL;DR: I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a different take on the LitRPG genre. This story features an overpowered character who’s trying to figure out how they’re supposed to fit into a world with classes, levels, and skills, when none of those things contribute to the main character’s abilities. For me, this was a page-turner I could hardly put down.
What Worked
There are several themes to this story, but I think the one that’s probably the easiest to talk about is Amelia’s struggle to fit into her new world. Partially, this is because of her refusal to accept the class offered to her by the “World System”. But more than that is that the people of Vacuous cannot imagine someone being good at something without having the requisite class. If Amelia wants to be a cook, she needs to have a Cook or a Chef class. This naturally puts her in a position throughout the entire first book of trying to figure out what she’s going to do without a class, and without going back to fighting monsters all the time.
Unlike most LitRPG books where the main character generally adjusts to the new system relatively quickly, Amelia spends the entirety of this book choosing not to participate in the system. I found this self-inflicted friction to be an engaging dynamic, and while I sometimes found myself wanting her to give in and accept her class (if only because I thought it could lead to some memorable scenes), Amelia’s consistent choice to stay on her own path ended up making her character arc more believable.
I appreciated the overall pacing and structure of the story. The tone feels consistent throughout, and even though there are moments of humor, they don’t feel contrived and don’t distract. The other characters feel distinct and behave like I imagine someone who grew up in a world with an RPG-like system might behave.
Challenges
Throughout the story, Amelia is generally put into positions where she has to confront her own issues, and while not all of her emotional troubles are solved, she does begin to grow throughout this book. Other characters also follow engaging development arcs; however, they don’t necessarily see enough development until the latter part of the book.
Additionally, because Amelia starts the story as being overpowered, the main source of narrative tension comes either from placing other characters into mortal danger or by placing Amelia in positions where she has to confront some aspect of her own personality. Of the two, the first grows to be a bit repetitive, and the second doesn’t always deliver as much weight.
For tension derived from dangerous situations, the general pattern the story follows is a character, like Noelle, will find themselves in a life-threatening situation. They either must overcome the situation or die. In nearly all cases, the threat goes in two phases. The first phase allows for the character in danger to grow and get stronger. Noelle, for instance, learns new system-free skills, which allow her to succeed in taking on enemies the story frames as being outside her weight class. However, there is always a second phase, and that second phase is inevitably handled by Amelia showing up at the last moment. While this pattern of two-phase battles doesn’t cause any major issues, its predictability does undercut some of the stakes.
When it comes to emotional tension, as in Amelia struggling to figure out what it is she actually wants to do with herself, I felt it was often the weaker source of tension. Amelia is characterized from the outset as being a very straightforward and blunt character. When it comes to the moments of humor, this characterization works, but when it comes to her more vulnerable moments, the story didn’t always feel like it gave her enough room. This can sometimes have Amelia coming off as being aloof and unbothered by everything, even though the story does try to indicate she struggles with regret and grief at having been pulled from her previous life without warning.
Final Thoughts
I found this book to be very engaging. Though there were some aspects which felt less impactful, they didn’t detract from the story. If you are looking for a different take on an overpowered character, this story is for you.
What Worked
There are several themes to this story, but I think the one that’s probably the easiest to talk about is Amelia’s struggle to fit into her new world. Partially, this is because of her refusal to accept the class offered to her by the “World System”. But more than that is that the people of Vacuous cannot imagine someone being good at something without having the requisite class. If Amelia wants to be a cook, she needs to have a Cook or a Chef class. This naturally puts her in a position throughout the entire first book of trying to figure out what she’s going to do without a class, and without going back to fighting monsters all the time.
Unlike most LitRPG books where the main character generally adjusts to the new system relatively quickly, Amelia spends the entirety of this book choosing not to participate in the system. I found this self-inflicted friction to be an engaging dynamic, and while I sometimes found myself wanting her to give in and accept her class (if only because I thought it could lead to some memorable scenes), Amelia’s consistent choice to stay on her own path ended up making her character arc more believable.
I appreciated the overall pacing and structure of the story. The tone feels consistent throughout, and even though there are moments of humor, they don’t feel contrived and don’t distract. The other characters feel distinct and behave like I imagine someone who grew up in a world with an RPG-like system might behave.
Challenges
Throughout the story, Amelia is generally put into positions where she has to confront her own issues, and while not all of her emotional troubles are solved, she does begin to grow throughout this book. Other characters also follow engaging development arcs; however, they don’t necessarily see enough development until the latter part of the book.
Additionally, because Amelia starts the story as being overpowered, the main source of narrative tension comes either from placing other characters into mortal danger or by placing Amelia in positions where she has to confront some aspect of her own personality. Of the two, the first grows to be a bit repetitive, and the second doesn’t always deliver as much weight.
For tension derived from dangerous situations, the general pattern the story follows is a character, like Noelle, will find themselves in a life-threatening situation. They either must overcome the situation or die. In nearly all cases, the threat goes in two phases. The first phase allows for the character in danger to grow and get stronger. Noelle, for instance, learns new system-free skills, which allow her to succeed in taking on enemies the story frames as being outside her weight class. However, there is always a second phase, and that second phase is inevitably handled by Amelia showing up at the last moment. While this pattern of two-phase battles doesn’t cause any major issues, its predictability does undercut some of the stakes.
When it comes to emotional tension, as in Amelia struggling to figure out what it is she actually wants to do with herself, I felt it was often the weaker source of tension. Amelia is characterized from the outset as being a very straightforward and blunt character. When it comes to the moments of humor, this characterization works, but when it comes to her more vulnerable moments, the story didn’t always feel like it gave her enough room. This can sometimes have Amelia coming off as being aloof and unbothered by everything, even though the story does try to indicate she struggles with regret and grief at having been pulled from her previous life without warning.
Final Thoughts
I found this book to be very engaging. Though there were some aspects which felt less impactful, they didn’t detract from the story. If you are looking for a different take on an overpowered character, this story is for you.
January 3, 2025
Honestly, this book objectively deserves maybe 3 stars at best. Repetitive plots, a ridiculously OP protagonist, shallow side characters—all of these amalgamated together output a boring and skippable read.
However, as someone used to generic power-fantasy manhwas and webnovels, I’ve seen people challenge the true meaning of trash. Many have succeeded, churning out horrible works that can only cater to the most dull-witted of individuals. Thus, I fail to see this story as bad. The fact that it has a female protagonist, a female main side character, and the two have a friendly relationship and not an antagonistic one, already puts it miles ahead over many other LitRPGs out there. Additionally, the writing is more than decent; I managed to read through the entire thing in a day, which is a testament to how absorbed by it I was. i guess it helps that i’ve been accustomed to tasteless MTL writing, and so the author being fluent in English and having that as the original language of the story already sets it levels above its competition. I am aware that these supposed strong points should be the bare minimum for any book, but as someone who sometimes just needs an entertaining way to pass the time, this does just fine.
I any case, I give Amelia: the Level Zero Hero a five star rating, as what matters to me really is whether or not i had a fun experience with the book (and yes, i had a sizable amount of fun).
P.S. I started reading this solely due to the Webtoon original! That helped with visualizing the characters a lot, so if you’re interested in trying that medium, do check that out.
However, as someone used to generic power-fantasy manhwas and webnovels, I’ve seen people challenge the true meaning of trash. Many have succeeded, churning out horrible works that can only cater to the most dull-witted of individuals. Thus, I fail to see this story as bad. The fact that it has a female protagonist, a female main side character, and the two have a friendly relationship and not an antagonistic one, already puts it miles ahead over many other LitRPGs out there. Additionally, the writing is more than decent; I managed to read through the entire thing in a day, which is a testament to how absorbed by it I was. i guess it helps that i’ve been accustomed to tasteless MTL writing, and so the author being fluent in English and having that as the original language of the story already sets it levels above its competition. I am aware that these supposed strong points should be the bare minimum for any book, but as someone who sometimes just needs an entertaining way to pass the time, this does just fine.
I any case, I give Amelia: the Level Zero Hero a five star rating, as what matters to me really is whether or not i had a fun experience with the book (and yes, i had a sizable amount of fun).
P.S. I started reading this solely due to the Webtoon original! That helped with visualizing the characters a lot, so if you’re interested in trying that medium, do check that out.
May 30, 2023
One Punch Man of LitRPG
Our main MC Amelia is OP, yes, but the story is not about her beating everyone into pulp (that too of course) but the everyday heroes and adventurers trying their best to become stronger. While there are some boring and repetitive elements, it’s a well written fun book that is worth giving a try. The writing and world building opens up in the first few pages, so you can check quickly is it’s something you’d enjoy or not.
Our main MC Amelia is OP, yes, but the story is not about her beating everyone into pulp (that too of course) but the everyday heroes and adventurers trying their best to become stronger. While there are some boring and repetitive elements, it’s a well written fun book that is worth giving a try. The writing and world building opens up in the first few pages, so you can check quickly is it’s something you’d enjoy or not.
August 26, 2023
Book one
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I've been seeing it on Royalroad and avoiding it. Mainly because I'm not really a fan of starting off a story with the MC already OP.
I like to see them grow and discover their power.
I'm looking forward to finding out why the System is only offering one class to the MC.
I found a good handful of mistakes and will list them on Goodreads.
8/10
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I've been seeing it on Royalroad and avoiding it. Mainly because I'm not really a fan of starting off a story with the MC already OP.
I like to see them grow and discover their power.
I'm looking forward to finding out why the System is only offering one class to the MC.
I found a good handful of mistakes and will list them on Goodreads.
8/10
February 18, 2025
V.A. Lewis' Amelia The Level Zero Hero presents a premise I have previously enjoyed: an overpowered protagonist who wants nothing more than to live a normal life. Amelia, having survived ten years in the void and emerged as an absurdly strong combatant, rejects the class-based system of the world she finds herself in. Her refusal to conform leads to a series of encounters where her unmatched strength clashes with the world’s expectations, and she inadvertently becomes entangled in conflicts she would rather avoid. While the setup suggests an interesting subversion of traditional power fantasy tropes, the execution ultimately falls flat.
The most glaring issue was a sense of thematic inconsistency. The narrative feels like it wants to explore personal choice, yet Amelia lacks a strong personal drive and never truly makes any choices. As a protagonist Amelia is frustratingly passive, lacking meaningful development or emotional depth. Despite her insistence that she just wants a quiet life... she consistently steps up to take action, rendering her supposed reluctance hollow. Her past trauma from and life in the void (which could have added complexity to her character) is barely explored beyond what is necessary to justify her power. Her opponents, with their intriguing powers again and again had the potential to be engaging... yet because their motivations and backstories remain almost entirely unexplored, they are reduced to little more than obstacles.
In stories with overpowered leads, the appeal often lies in their personality, struggles, or the contrast between their power and the world around them. However, because Amelia is neither compelling nor dynamic, the book's core message is muddled- rather than presenting a thought-provoking deconstruction of power and identity, it reads like a series of loosely connected events with no real direction.
The supporting cast fares no better. Noelle’s clear ultimate goal of avenging her sister makes sense— but her entire personality seems to revolve around that loss in a way that feels more contrived than earned. We learn little about her sister or the broader impact of her death, making Noelle’s obsession feel hollow rather than compelling. Noelle herself swings wildly from struggling to keep up here to single-minded lethality there, and then into unnecessary monologuing at the most frustrating time. It makes her actions feel less like organic character beats and more like convenient setups. And, of course, with Amelia in the picture, tension is nonexistent—no threat truly matters when she can erase it with a flick of her fingers.
The only character who managed to hold my interest was Saros; his reliance on artifacts with distinct strengths and limitations created genuine risk and struggle, made him feel far more grounded than the others. Once he was introduced, I felt like I had seen a glimpse of a much more compelling story- one that I kept imagining would have been far more engaging to follow than Amelia’s monotonous adventures.
Despite these shortcomings, there are some glimpses of potential. The world-building, while somewhat underdeveloped, has interesting concepts that could be expanded upon. The humor, though inconsistent, occasionally lands well, offering brief moments of enjoyment. However, these positives are not enough to outweigh the novel’s numerous flaws. Amelia The Level Zero Hero is, at best, a book to have on in the background, something to tune in and out of without much investment. For those seeking an engaging protagonist, compelling character arcs, or a well-paced story, this book is likely to disappoint.
The most glaring issue was a sense of thematic inconsistency. The narrative feels like it wants to explore personal choice, yet Amelia lacks a strong personal drive and never truly makes any choices. As a protagonist Amelia is frustratingly passive, lacking meaningful development or emotional depth. Despite her insistence that she just wants a quiet life... she consistently steps up to take action, rendering her supposed reluctance hollow. Her past trauma from and life in the void (which could have added complexity to her character) is barely explored beyond what is necessary to justify her power. Her opponents, with their intriguing powers again and again had the potential to be engaging... yet because their motivations and backstories remain almost entirely unexplored, they are reduced to little more than obstacles.
In stories with overpowered leads, the appeal often lies in their personality, struggles, or the contrast between their power and the world around them. However, because Amelia is neither compelling nor dynamic, the book's core message is muddled- rather than presenting a thought-provoking deconstruction of power and identity, it reads like a series of loosely connected events with no real direction.
The supporting cast fares no better. Noelle’s clear ultimate goal of avenging her sister makes sense— but her entire personality seems to revolve around that loss in a way that feels more contrived than earned. We learn little about her sister or the broader impact of her death, making Noelle’s obsession feel hollow rather than compelling. Noelle herself swings wildly from struggling to keep up here to single-minded lethality there, and then into unnecessary monologuing at the most frustrating time. It makes her actions feel less like organic character beats and more like convenient setups. And, of course, with Amelia in the picture, tension is nonexistent—no threat truly matters when she can erase it with a flick of her fingers.
The only character who managed to hold my interest was Saros; his reliance on artifacts with distinct strengths and limitations created genuine risk and struggle, made him feel far more grounded than the others. Once he was introduced, I felt like I had seen a glimpse of a much more compelling story- one that I kept imagining would have been far more engaging to follow than Amelia’s monotonous adventures.
Despite these shortcomings, there are some glimpses of potential. The world-building, while somewhat underdeveloped, has interesting concepts that could be expanded upon. The humor, though inconsistent, occasionally lands well, offering brief moments of enjoyment. However, these positives are not enough to outweigh the novel’s numerous flaws. Amelia The Level Zero Hero is, at best, a book to have on in the background, something to tune in and out of without much investment. For those seeking an engaging protagonist, compelling character arcs, or a well-paced story, this book is likely to disappoint.
July 2, 2023
Maybe more like 2.5 stars. Giving it the benefit of the doubt. And this is not going to be for everyone. And the ending kind of sucks.
So, Amelia finds herself in a game-based fantasy world, but that's after she's spent an indeterminate amount of time in another reality where she did nothing but fight. She defeated a god. Now all she wants to do is relax, but that's never going to happen obviously. We have a snarky female protagonist and OTT fights. This should be a shoe-in for my favourite book of the year!
And it's amusing. When there's nothing really going on, it's a fun read. The interplay between Amelia and her apprentice Noelle, and a few of the other characters, is fun. Generally, it's an easy book to read with a moderately well-developed world. There's some interesting stuff going on here. There are a few issues, however.
Amelia makes Superman look like a weakling. (Thinking about it, she's rather more like Saitama from One Punch man. She's a demigod who thinks she's normal.) She can be hurt, just not by anything much in the new world she finds herself in. Nothing is a threat. This means that she basically has to be kept out of the way whenever the author wants any level of tension. The excuses for why she's not where she needs to be until the last minute get more contrived as the book goes on.
There's an awful lot of repeating. This was originally a web-novel or something. It was, I assume, episodic. It exhibits the same problems of transfer from episodic format as others of its type (and that's nothing new: Dickens suffers from the same). There's a lot of recapping. Chapters often start with basically the same text as the end of the last chapter, maybe reformatted a bit. Reminders of things you don't need reminding of are dropped in all over the place because the parts were originally spread out over a long time instead of being read in a couple of days. I did a lot of skimming.
This book needs a good editor, or any editor. A proofreader would work. It's far from being unreadable, but there are some glaring errors which bounced me out of quite important scenes wondering how they were missed. I suppose I can't complain overmuch since I read the book on Amazon Unlimited (which is on a three-month free trial). It does make me wonder whether I'll want to pay money to read the second volume which isn't available until August.
And it ends on what amounts to a cliffhanger, having spent two chapters ignoring the protagonist. Because, of course, there's nothing on the planet that's a threat Amelia, so it would be impossible to have a cliffhanger involving her. I hate cliffhanger endings, especially when I'm going to have to wait a month to read the next part.
So, not my favourite book of the year. OTOH, not my least favourite either. But it's really a niche read. If you're an anime/isekai fan, it's possibly for you. Otherwise... probably not.
So, Amelia finds herself in a game-based fantasy world, but that's after she's spent an indeterminate amount of time in another reality where she did nothing but fight. She defeated a god. Now all she wants to do is relax, but that's never going to happen obviously. We have a snarky female protagonist and OTT fights. This should be a shoe-in for my favourite book of the year!
And it's amusing. When there's nothing really going on, it's a fun read. The interplay between Amelia and her apprentice Noelle, and a few of the other characters, is fun. Generally, it's an easy book to read with a moderately well-developed world. There's some interesting stuff going on here. There are a few issues, however.
Amelia makes Superman look like a weakling. (Thinking about it, she's rather more like Saitama from One Punch man. She's a demigod who thinks she's normal.) She can be hurt, just not by anything much in the new world she finds herself in. Nothing is a threat. This means that she basically has to be kept out of the way whenever the author wants any level of tension. The excuses for why she's not where she needs to be until the last minute get more contrived as the book goes on.
There's an awful lot of repeating. This was originally a web-novel or something. It was, I assume, episodic. It exhibits the same problems of transfer from episodic format as others of its type (and that's nothing new: Dickens suffers from the same). There's a lot of recapping. Chapters often start with basically the same text as the end of the last chapter, maybe reformatted a bit. Reminders of things you don't need reminding of are dropped in all over the place because the parts were originally spread out over a long time instead of being read in a couple of days. I did a lot of skimming.
This book needs a good editor, or any editor. A proofreader would work. It's far from being unreadable, but there are some glaring errors which bounced me out of quite important scenes wondering how they were missed. I suppose I can't complain overmuch since I read the book on Amazon Unlimited (which is on a three-month free trial). It does make me wonder whether I'll want to pay money to read the second volume which isn't available until August.
And it ends on what amounts to a cliffhanger, having spent two chapters ignoring the protagonist. Because, of course, there's nothing on the planet that's a threat Amelia, so it would be impossible to have a cliffhanger involving her. I hate cliffhanger endings, especially when I'm going to have to wait a month to read the next part.
So, not my favourite book of the year. OTOH, not my least favourite either. But it's really a niche read. If you're an anime/isekai fan, it's possibly for you. Otherwise... probably not.
January 4, 2024
"You can't have the cake and eat it too!"
Amelia has a choice at the beginning of this story (this story starts 10 years later than the beginning) whether to choose a class or not. It's not really a choice (because most game-like-other-world-systems, assign a class and that's it). You have other-world-game-like-systems-where-the-main-character-chooses-their-profession/class. But this is not one of those "game-like-systems". So, Amelia, main character (isekai-ed to this alternate reality universe), chooses not to choose. Denies the system and basically does not get any of the "buffs and skills that the other-world-game-like-system" would typically dish out. Where I am going with this is, because Amelia chooses not to choose/select a class (then the universal translator buff/spell would not work on her), she would stay at level zero, but she would not get any abilities, skills, buffs, or any good at anything in this alternate reality universe. Having no martial arts training, no weapons, armor, system-store, food, for 10 years does not give Amelia any chance for survival. And, yet, she becomes incredibly Over-Powered (OP), somehow loots an old sword and is able to survive for 10 years (not eating, sleeping or going to the bathroom) (at all).
So, this would be the anti-RPG-lit fantasy novel series. If you can get beyond the fact that Amelia went from 0% training and capacity/0% skill and 0% food/sleep/bathroom for 10 years and "SURVIVED" and was able to get incredibly Over-Powered from this ordeal/sacrifice/24/7/10 years torture...
Because Amelia has no profession/no formal class, no one will hire her. She accomplishes a lot of quests for the adventurer's guild (even though she is a level zero and has no profession).
The book has no maps, no inside illustrations, no real world-building (alternate universe) describing the geographical, geopolitical, economic, social, religious, systems in place in this other world.
It is nonsensical and irrational and on the dark (sociopathic/psychopathic) side of the fantasy-isekai adventure series. It is not really original. Japanese light story series have repeatedly told stories of main characters staying at level 1 (because level zero is impossible) and becoming Over-Powered. Because this is a Westerner/author not from Asia, it has no real training, no cultivation, no law of equivalent exchange (she gets over-powered without having to do anything but survive and overcome). Even though the story is dark and sociopathic/psychopathic, this author tries to fake it, giving it a happy ending (through sacrifice there are rewards) but because of the huge plot holes and tunnel vision, making it 1000% nonsensical, illogical and irrational, the story becomes not credible at all. Kind of like Peter Pan and the lost kids, Amelia being Amelia (Mary Sue) Pan.
Amelia has a choice at the beginning of this story (this story starts 10 years later than the beginning) whether to choose a class or not. It's not really a choice (because most game-like-other-world-systems, assign a class and that's it). You have other-world-game-like-systems-where-the-main-character-chooses-their-profession/class. But this is not one of those "game-like-systems". So, Amelia, main character (isekai-ed to this alternate reality universe), chooses not to choose. Denies the system and basically does not get any of the "buffs and skills that the other-world-game-like-system" would typically dish out. Where I am going with this is, because Amelia chooses not to choose/select a class (then the universal translator buff/spell would not work on her), she would stay at level zero, but she would not get any abilities, skills, buffs, or any good at anything in this alternate reality universe. Having no martial arts training, no weapons, armor, system-store, food, for 10 years does not give Amelia any chance for survival. And, yet, she becomes incredibly Over-Powered (OP), somehow loots an old sword and is able to survive for 10 years (not eating, sleeping or going to the bathroom) (at all).
So, this would be the anti-RPG-lit fantasy novel series. If you can get beyond the fact that Amelia went from 0% training and capacity/0% skill and 0% food/sleep/bathroom for 10 years and "SURVIVED" and was able to get incredibly Over-Powered from this ordeal/sacrifice/24/7/10 years torture...
Because Amelia has no profession/no formal class, no one will hire her. She accomplishes a lot of quests for the adventurer's guild (even though she is a level zero and has no profession).
The book has no maps, no inside illustrations, no real world-building (alternate universe) describing the geographical, geopolitical, economic, social, religious, systems in place in this other world.
It is nonsensical and irrational and on the dark (sociopathic/psychopathic) side of the fantasy-isekai adventure series. It is not really original. Japanese light story series have repeatedly told stories of main characters staying at level 1 (because level zero is impossible) and becoming Over-Powered. Because this is a Westerner/author not from Asia, it has no real training, no cultivation, no law of equivalent exchange (she gets over-powered without having to do anything but survive and overcome). Even though the story is dark and sociopathic/psychopathic, this author tries to fake it, giving it a happy ending (through sacrifice there are rewards) but because of the huge plot holes and tunnel vision, making it 1000% nonsensical, illogical and irrational, the story becomes not credible at all. Kind of like Peter Pan and the lost kids, Amelia being Amelia (Mary Sue) Pan.
June 8, 2023
Not necessarily bad but not my thing
I’ll admit to a bias that I have. I tend to automatically pass over books that have anime girls on the cover which I why I skipped this authors other books despite Amazon trying to shove em down my throat. I just find that heavily anime inspired stuff tends to be written a certain way and when it’s some poreless anime girl with big tits there tends to be tropes I don’t like (though no harams or paper thin sex objects here to be fair).This one had a less anime cover and I decided to try something different. It’s just not for me though. I’ve watched very little anime but this feels very anime to me and obviously that’s a great thing for a lot of people but though I’d love to be into it I’m just not. The characters are very broad and cartoony, the humour isn’t bad but lacks the wit I look for instead going for again quite broad strokes. The main character is obviously overpowered it’s literally in the title but it gave the story no stakes. Amelia comes in and saves the day with a punch, makes some quip that doesn’t land for me about how easy it was and I yawn and wonder why I’m reading this book.
I only got half way through but Amelia had no real substantive character development, there is no true progression and I don’t find the characters engaging enough for those elements being absent to be ok. The progression is offloaded to other characters who just didn’t land for me. Like anime seems to often be, the writing is knowingly ridiculous and indulges in that and sometimes that can be a fun ride but it just didn’t work for me at all. The humour isn’t my thing at all and the characters are so broad and cartoony that nothing feels nuanced or developed. For example the sidekick character has a sister she’s grieving and that affects her a lot but the emotion seesaws about so much and is so heavy handed I just couldn’t care at all.
Overall to be honest I wouldn’t flat out say this is a bad book. If you like this kind of tone and other books of this ilk you’ll probably enjoy it but it’s just not for me.
I’ll admit to a bias that I have. I tend to automatically pass over books that have anime girls on the cover which I why I skipped this authors other books despite Amazon trying to shove em down my throat. I just find that heavily anime inspired stuff tends to be written a certain way and when it’s some poreless anime girl with big tits there tends to be tropes I don’t like (though no harams or paper thin sex objects here to be fair).This one had a less anime cover and I decided to try something different. It’s just not for me though. I’ve watched very little anime but this feels very anime to me and obviously that’s a great thing for a lot of people but though I’d love to be into it I’m just not. The characters are very broad and cartoony, the humour isn’t bad but lacks the wit I look for instead going for again quite broad strokes. The main character is obviously overpowered it’s literally in the title but it gave the story no stakes. Amelia comes in and saves the day with a punch, makes some quip that doesn’t land for me about how easy it was and I yawn and wonder why I’m reading this book.
I only got half way through but Amelia had no real substantive character development, there is no true progression and I don’t find the characters engaging enough for those elements being absent to be ok. The progression is offloaded to other characters who just didn’t land for me. Like anime seems to often be, the writing is knowingly ridiculous and indulges in that and sometimes that can be a fun ride but it just didn’t work for me at all. The humour isn’t my thing at all and the characters are so broad and cartoony that nothing feels nuanced or developed. For example the sidekick character has a sister she’s grieving and that affects her a lot but the emotion seesaws about so much and is so heavy handed I just couldn’t care at all.
Overall to be honest I wouldn’t flat out say this is a bad book. If you like this kind of tone and other books of this ilk you’ll probably enjoy it but it’s just not for me.
November 14, 2023
Originally I thought this book would be comparable to Solo Leveling, but it turns out that it's more rompy and compares better to the "This Quest is Bonkers" series. Fate circles around an unwilling MC like a calamitous hurricane causing problem after problem. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this series was likely intended to be comedy, the Laugh out Loud moments were sadly lacking and the humor for me sadly just didn't land all that often. Honestly, I think the problem here was Amelia. She's incredibly single minded. She's the type of MC that will continue cooking through a literal apocalypse. As long as nobody is actively breaking her toys, she doesn't care about anything, and if they are actively breaking her toys, she doesn't banter. She runs murder.robot.exe and then pretends nothing happened. There's an actual ROBOT in this series that is more emotional/curious than the MC from earth.
For example
For example
September 11, 2023
I've been avoiding the author's other books because the blurb/reviews are bad (or gives bad vibes) or many of them praise the book, but the ones I pay attention to are telling (Salvos).
Then a friend I trust with recommendations told me to stay away from that Tian series, but that same person said I would enjoy this, so here we go.
I was liking this at first. It took a comedic route of an overpowered protagonist, like Virlyce, or a few others that I can't recall at the moment.
What I didn't like was how the focus was slowly placed on the people around the protagonist, instead of the protag themself. I can understand that this let's you see the protag through the eyes of others, and how their presence affects others. Understanding and liking are two different things though.
I'm not sure if I will read the sequel. I really didn't enjoy the side characters and their problems.
We will see how it goes.
2.5/5 Stars
Then a friend I trust with recommendations told me to stay away from that Tian series, but that same person said I would enjoy this, so here we go.
I was liking this at first. It took a comedic route of an overpowered protagonist, like Virlyce, or a few others that I can't recall at the moment.
What I didn't like was how the focus was slowly placed on the people around the protagonist, instead of the protag themself. I can understand that this let's you see the protag through the eyes of others, and how their presence affects others. Understanding and liking are two different things though.
I'm not sure if I will read the sequel. I really didn't enjoy the side characters and their problems.
We will see how it goes.
2.5/5 Stars
March 18, 2024
An exceptional LitRPG
Wow, what a read! I couldn't put it down once I started! I mean I actually went without sleep and skipped work (probably should have said something to my boss about that...oops) because I absolutely had to find out what happened next. I saw a lot of similarities; okay, less similarity and more inspiration; from a lot of the classics all blended together. Such as, world building akin to kingdom hearts, geographical pulls from world of warcraft, to system manipulation like Latna Saga: Survival of a Sword King, and character backgrounds found amongst League of Legends. It's a wonderful blend of all of those while still standing on its own as a masterful culmination of a fun and curious (anti-)hero esk journey in the world of Vacuous. Of course that's also just my own interpretation of it all, and at no point did I feel it deviated from staying true to itself with amazing character growth and plot progression. A must read if I ever thought one could be. Loved it all and can't wait for moar! ^.^
Wow, what a read! I couldn't put it down once I started! I mean I actually went without sleep and skipped work (probably should have said something to my boss about that...oops) because I absolutely had to find out what happened next. I saw a lot of similarities; okay, less similarity and more inspiration; from a lot of the classics all blended together. Such as, world building akin to kingdom hearts, geographical pulls from world of warcraft, to system manipulation like Latna Saga: Survival of a Sword King, and character backgrounds found amongst League of Legends. It's a wonderful blend of all of those while still standing on its own as a masterful culmination of a fun and curious (anti-)hero esk journey in the world of Vacuous. Of course that's also just my own interpretation of it all, and at no point did I feel it deviated from staying true to itself with amazing character growth and plot progression. A must read if I ever thought one could be. Loved it all and can't wait for moar! ^.^
September 8, 2023
what this book is about is a overpowered Karen.
This is a horrible MC. She is overpowered, which is great as far as I’m concerned. Where the story and book falls short is the characters, callousness and lack of empathy for things around her we all remember what Peter Parker said, and it’s mentioned in the book, with great power comes great responsibility. She shouldn’t have the power because she does not have the responsibility. What this author has created is a Karen basically self-centered self-absorbed And it’s all about her. if you like reading about self-centered, emcees, or Karen’s, you’ll enjoy this book. Most of the fights are done very well by the secondary characters in the book you would think this book was more about the secondary female character in the story. You might enjoy it I did not.
This is a horrible MC. She is overpowered, which is great as far as I’m concerned. Where the story and book falls short is the characters, callousness and lack of empathy for things around her we all remember what Peter Parker said, and it’s mentioned in the book, with great power comes great responsibility. She shouldn’t have the power because she does not have the responsibility. What this author has created is a Karen basically self-centered self-absorbed And it’s all about her. if you like reading about self-centered, emcees, or Karen’s, you’ll enjoy this book. Most of the fights are done very well by the secondary characters in the book you would think this book was more about the secondary female character in the story. You might enjoy it I did not.
January 8, 2024
Yeah it's one-punch man, to a fault. If you like OPM (I do) you will like this.
I don't just mean, OP main character ergo OPM clone, I mean, the entire premise is identical. The MC is too strong so everything combat based needs to be centered around other characters or reallllly long buildup for one punch. And the MC's plot needs to have everything but fighting involved in it.
This book is solid, though I wish the opportunity had been taken to remedy a few of OPM's issues. The extensive buildup for an MC single hit can often feel repetitive, it would be nice to perhaps see some variety in that comedic timing. An arc of "eh screw it" where the OP protagonist just goes ham would have merit too. There are things to do that aren't "clone Genos and Speed o' Sound and put them on the covers".
I don't just mean, OP main character ergo OPM clone, I mean, the entire premise is identical. The MC is too strong so everything combat based needs to be centered around other characters or reallllly long buildup for one punch. And the MC's plot needs to have everything but fighting involved in it.
This book is solid, though I wish the opportunity had been taken to remedy a few of OPM's issues. The extensive buildup for an MC single hit can often feel repetitive, it would be nice to perhaps see some variety in that comedic timing. An arc of "eh screw it" where the OP protagonist just goes ham would have merit too. There are things to do that aren't "clone Genos and Speed o' Sound and put them on the covers".
March 6, 2024
Female One Punch Hero
Weirdly our main character isn't even really the main character. Yes, she is over powered and yes she swoops in at the last second destroy the high leveled nasties, but she doesn't truly have much of a story.
Just like in One Punch Hero, the real storyline happens to the friends of Amelia. And I agree with some other reviews that she is depressing to read about; thank goodness for the fun frivolity and screaming her cohorts bring.
I don't feel the need to read the other books as this one didn't truly keep my attention enough, but it was still a fun read. There just was not enough information or story of our main character to keep me going.
Have fun!!
Weirdly our main character isn't even really the main character. Yes, she is over powered and yes she swoops in at the last second destroy the high leveled nasties, but she doesn't truly have much of a story.
Just like in One Punch Hero, the real storyline happens to the friends of Amelia. And I agree with some other reviews that she is depressing to read about; thank goodness for the fun frivolity and screaming her cohorts bring.
I don't feel the need to read the other books as this one didn't truly keep my attention enough, but it was still a fun read. There just was not enough information or story of our main character to keep me going.
Have fun!!
November 16, 2023
Help me read more books
This was a great story. Generally, when you read stories about overpowered main characters, the stories focus on their many many many skills, level ups, and their total domination of the local levelling system. Not in this one.
In this one, the main character just wants to be left alone (or so she thinks), the system isn't about to allow that, so the entire story is about her trying to ignore the system, while effectively doing what it wants anyhow. Only, it's not quite that simple.
If you like stories with lots of fun, plenty of action, and a great storyline, then don't miss this one.
This was a great story. Generally, when you read stories about overpowered main characters, the stories focus on their many many many skills, level ups, and their total domination of the local levelling system. Not in this one.
In this one, the main character just wants to be left alone (or so she thinks), the system isn't about to allow that, so the entire story is about her trying to ignore the system, while effectively doing what it wants anyhow. Only, it's not quite that simple.
If you like stories with lots of fun, plenty of action, and a great storyline, then don't miss this one.
January 22, 2024
2.5/5, OP MC litrpg isekai
This was thankfully low on the angst/mood scale and had no romance. It's your usual OP MC isekai trope. It adds some cosmic horror and a bit of a subversion of litrpg mechanics, but the subversion felt flat. Things like no one trusting food not made by a Chef class crops up a lot, but begs the question that if there's no Chef, do people just eat raw foods?
The story also spends a lot of time with normie side characters building tension, but you know it's for the sake of the OP MC to be humorously OP. The stakes don't really have weight because the story never tries to endear the world or characters to the reader.
This was thankfully low on the angst/mood scale and had no romance. It's your usual OP MC isekai trope. It adds some cosmic horror and a bit of a subversion of litrpg mechanics, but the subversion felt flat. Things like no one trusting food not made by a Chef class crops up a lot, but begs the question that if there's no Chef, do people just eat raw foods?
The story also spends a lot of time with normie side characters building tension, but you know it's for the sake of the OP MC to be humorously OP. The stakes don't really have weight because the story never tries to endear the world or characters to the reader.
June 19, 2023
humorous
‘Oh, him. I killed him last week.’ Ridiculously OP, but dealing with a world not her own. Moments of wry humor abound.
One thing to be aware of: this was written as a serial. There are certain things that are repeated more than they would be in a traditional novel. And there is a penchant for ending a chapter, and having the start of the next chapter echo what happened .
It is not a series that I will follow avidly, but it is good enough to fill the gaps between my favorites.
‘Oh, him. I killed him last week.’ Ridiculously OP, but dealing with a world not her own. Moments of wry humor abound.
One thing to be aware of: this was written as a serial. There are certain things that are repeated more than they would be in a traditional novel. And there is a penchant for ending a chapter, and having the start of the next chapter echo what happened .
It is not a series that I will follow avidly, but it is good enough to fill the gaps between my favorites.
June 4, 2023
This is literally One Punch Man.
Hero trains really hard, becomes able to kill any villain or monster with 1 hit, is given a low rank by the hero guild, takes on a higher ranked apprentice, doesn't really train her and instead wanders around trying to be a chef, but runs into world ending threats and kills them with one hit.
It's really dumb, the world isn't internally consistent, it lacks One Punch Man's humor, but maybe you'll like it.
Hero trains really hard, becomes able to kill any villain or monster with 1 hit, is given a low rank by the hero guild, takes on a higher ranked apprentice, doesn't really train her and instead wanders around trying to be a chef, but runs into world ending threats and kills them with one hit.
It's really dumb, the world isn't internally consistent, it lacks One Punch Man's humor, but maybe you'll like it.
September 23, 2023
A classic example of an overpowered person who simply can't comprehend that people might be weaker than them despite constantly being presented with evidence to the contrary.
If you want to have the characters make mistakes when acclimating to a weaker world, that's fine, but when the world itself says you're the strongest being around and everyone is constantly cowering from things you kill with a finger flick, I feel like something should start to feel off to you.
If you want to have the characters make mistakes when acclimating to a weaker world, that's fine, but when the world itself says you're the strongest being around and everyone is constantly cowering from things you kill with a finger flick, I feel like something should start to feel off to you.
October 2, 2023
It’s a good, wholesome time
I’m deeply biased in liking overpower main characters who are unsociable but caring. So I automatically loved this book. It’s smooth blend of humor and humanity has me totally hooked.
I’ve definitely fallen in love with world building and the characters—they definitely grown on me. And yes, even a few initially asshole characters.
If you’re a total weeb and like isekai, this series is the beginning to a solid fun time.
I’m deeply biased in liking overpower main characters who are unsociable but caring. So I automatically loved this book. It’s smooth blend of humor and humanity has me totally hooked.
I’ve definitely fallen in love with world building and the characters—they definitely grown on me. And yes, even a few initially asshole characters.
If you’re a total weeb and like isekai, this series is the beginning to a solid fun time.
November 2, 2023
WolvenWarrior969
I recently learned I love LitRPG. I love your books, but, sorry, it has to be said, all of my favorite series have cliffhangers at the end. And then no other books. It is SO annoying. I mean, have you ever read a amazing book, and it doesn't have a second one? Its ridiculous!! You have to fix that. Do it. Now. Please, I beg you!!! Okay, maaaybe that was a LITTLE dramatic. But I'm sure you get the point. Add more books to existing series. Please?!
I recently learned I love LitRPG. I love your books, but, sorry, it has to be said, all of my favorite series have cliffhangers at the end. And then no other books. It is SO annoying. I mean, have you ever read a amazing book, and it doesn't have a second one? Its ridiculous!! You have to fix that. Do it. Now. Please, I beg you!!! Okay, maaaybe that was a LITTLE dramatic. But I'm sure you get the point. Add more books to existing series. Please?!
October 7, 2025
Pretty funny book, it's basically a novel about a "one punch man" type of hero who wants nothing to do with being a heros because she already defeated the main villain thousands of times. side characters are constantly in dire situations and then the MC walks in and has a "get off my lawn" vibe and then effortlessly atomizes a villain. Has a flaw that the author repeats themselves a lot but it's still a fun read regardless.
May 25, 2023
Great OP MC
This book is amazing. It has all the best parts of a stupidly powerful mc that gives you the power fantasy your looking for while also having a great sidekick who grows strong giving you the progression you love to inject directly into your veins. It has the best of both worlds
This book is amazing. It has all the best parts of a stupidly powerful mc that gives you the power fantasy your looking for while also having a great sidekick who grows strong giving you the progression you love to inject directly into your veins. It has the best of both worlds
June 3, 2023
What a ride
I loved this book. The MC is completely OP and could have been a Mary Sue. News flash, she is not a Mary Sue. She is a flawed character who's just not good with people. She is a bit short and sometimes crude, but absolutely hysterical. I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long time.
Highly recommended.
I loved this book. The MC is completely OP and could have been a Mary Sue. News flash, she is not a Mary Sue. She is a flawed character who's just not good with people. She is a bit short and sometimes crude, but absolutely hysterical. I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long time.
Highly recommended.
July 9, 2023
Fun story. The MC reminds me of One Punch Man. This can be problematic because it doesn’t feel like there is any conflict to overcome unless you count boredom. There are some well written side characters and they have to overcome trials. The ending was interesting but I’m not convinced Amelia will have difficulties in her future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews