There are a lot of rather questionable things in this book and the book never tries to go into the moral depths of that stuff but despite my common sense telling me that this is problematic it really didn't bother me.
This book was just fun. Wish fulfillment? for sure. Gary Stu? absolutely. But all in a fun way.

Something that bothered me about the series is the harem aspect of it. It's not explored at all and neither is there any smut. The entire harem setup feels entirely unnecessary. The author expands on neither the social dynamics nor the romantic aspects of it at all.
It serves no purpose. Most of the characters in this harem are much better developed than most love interests I've read about in romance in general but the actual romantic relationships are just missing.
I think this series could've profited from not actually going the harem route and just have the MC be somewhat of a player. This way the whole relationship awkwardness could've been bypassed and at the same time, the sexual tension and sass could've been preserved.

A lot of inspiration was taken from typical shounen manga tropes in regards to said harem setup. It's basically the cast you find in every third-class shounen with an op male MC.

The following books sadly don't fully own up to the quality of the first one but they can still be fun if you find yourself invested in the cast. ( )

Where is this story going? Is it just building up a kind of stronghold? Where's the tension? Don't really get to spend any time with any of the super heroines and the MC has the emotional depth of day old pancake batter.

DNF'd at 29%. ( )

Either the driest satire I've ever read, or well written sociopathic garbage.

I'm hoping for the first but won't visit with this author again until he learns to let his audience in on the joke.

Fun and different

Heroic anti-hero uses a pathetic power to get beautiful female superhuman slaves that he then treats well.

If you like tabletop RPGs and character creation...this is amusing and at times surprisingly deep.

If there is a sequel, I am going to buy it now. Best recommendation I know how to give. ( )

Stuff I liked:

– The main character, Felix, undergoes a satisfying journey from pure schmuck to badass overlord.

– The supporting cast is likable, with each woman in Felix's life having different powers, expertise, and personalities. Andrea is the most adorable, with her love of pancakes and sunny outlook on life. (She can also be classified as an airhead, and this point is raised during the story, but I digress....)

– There's a good mixture of action, legal headaches, budding romance, and organizational planning.

– The novel isn't some syrupy good vs. evil tale. Felix is no saint – he and his cohorts do plenty of vile deeds as they ascend to power. It's always refreshing to read a story that doesn't present a shining star of a hero who spends ten pages agonizing over some “impossibly difficult” moral choice. (Though I'll admit the cannibalism was strange.)

Stuff I didn't like:

– The writing could use some polishing. The author loves to have characters “grump” or “sigh” or “quirk a brow.” Most of these words are just filler to split up dialogue. Many paragraphs are repetitive and simply bland, as if hastily written.

– Felix's powers are confusing, and the author forgets or ignores his own rules governing their use. And just when I thought I had a handle on these powers, the author adds some new dimension that makes Felix even more powerful. By the end of the novel, he can do almost anything. I understand "leveling up" is a staple of the genre, but sometimes the power spikes were a wee bit much. On the other hand, Felix does have weaknesses, which his enemies exploit to great effect – but again, the main weakness doesn't make sense either. I'm trying not to give too much away.

– The ending is weak. I know it's a setup for book two, but I would've liked to have seen at least a few revelations.

– The world itself isn't fleshed out. Supervillains are in charge, and superheroes are routinely killed with impunity, but it all feels distant, like it's happening on some other planet. The story focuses so tightly on Felix and his budding empire that it's myopic.

Overall, I'm interested in book two, and other novels from Arand. He has compelling ideas and a decent grasp of storytelling. However, there's plenty of room for improvement, and I hope he continues to grow as an author, so that I'll happily hand out four or five stars. ( )