What do you think?
Rate this book
Brainpunch: A Progression Fantasy Adventure
An action-packed progression fantasy featuring a unique power set. For fans of Super Supportive and Worm.
Saving lives is the brand. Ending them is the instinct.
When Vivian gains a superpower that allows her to telekinetically apply ten pounds of force, it seems underwhelming. Hardly super. Almost useless.
On her first night out, however, she find out how wrong she was as she reduces a man's brain to mush.
F-rank telekinesis. S-rank lethality.
Do not kill. Many think that’s the first rule of being a superhero… and it’s the first one Vivian broke.
Now, pitted against villains, shady corporations, college debt, and the government's brutal hero program, she has to find a way to control her abilities, prove precision is the ultimate weapon, and become the hero she has always wished she could be.
The world has other plans.
Jump into an action-packed new Progression Fantasy from bestseller Aaron Shih where the line between hero and monster is only a heartbeat away. It's perfect for fans of Super Supportive, Drew Hayes' Superpowereds, and Worm.
Saving lives is the brand. Ending them is the instinct.
When Vivian gains a superpower that allows her to telekinetically apply ten pounds of force, it seems underwhelming. Hardly super. Almost useless.
On her first night out, however, she find out how wrong she was as she reduces a man's brain to mush.
F-rank telekinesis. S-rank lethality.
Do not kill. Many think that’s the first rule of being a superhero… and it’s the first one Vivian broke.
Now, pitted against villains, shady corporations, college debt, and the government's brutal hero program, she has to find a way to control her abilities, prove precision is the ultimate weapon, and become the hero she has always wished she could be.
The world has other plans.
Jump into an action-packed new Progression Fantasy from bestseller Aaron Shih where the line between hero and monster is only a heartbeat away. It's perfect for fans of Super Supportive, Drew Hayes' Superpowereds, and Worm.
480 pages, Paperback
Published June 9, 2026
About the author
Aaron Shih
14 books42 followersAaron Shih is a Chinese-American college student who is currently wondering why bios are supposed to be written in third person.
He writes progression fantasy and litRPG alongside everything that catches his fancy.
He writes progression fantasy and litRPG alongside everything that catches his fancy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 9, 2026
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that her superpower turns out to be the ability to depress the hell out of you.
June 11, 2026
Honestly, this is one of the better (best?) superhero books I've read - even better than Super Powereds, sorry not sorry - but I don't recommend reading it for two reasons.
1) The book ends on a cliffhanger after some absolutely wild shit goes down. This normally wouldn't be an issue, but...
2) The author stated (on Royal Road, prior to publishing the novel) that he wasn't going to continue the series because he didn't make enough money from it. Then he published the book on Kindle Unlimited, and changed his story: he commented on a Reddit post that he was only going to continue the story if he earned enough proceeds from it.
I understand that indie authors need to chase trends and also be very cautious when writing because their entire livelihood depends on how many readers they get. But why publish a book with a cliffhanger if you have no interest in releasing a sequel? The author is, essentially, holding any future books hostage, saying, "I will not release more books in this series unless I publish enough books!" But what is enough books? How much money is enough for future books to be published? Can you guarantee that you won't do this again with future books? Will the series never end because you're just not happy with the amount of money you're earning?
Don't get me wrong: I completely approve of authors getting their bag and earning what they can from their writing. That being said, if completing a series or producing a sequel is contingent on some arbitrary number of books sold or money earned, just don't publish the damn book or put it behind a paywall. Keep it on Royal Road and treat it like a vehicle for advertising your writing. No matter how good I think this book is, it feels like a waste of time and money that I will never get back.
So yeah, I'm rating this book 5 stars because it is genuinely really good. But the author's attitude towards publishing is appalling and I don't think I'll ever read anything else by him in the future. Sometimes things just don't need to be said.
1) The book ends on a cliffhanger after some absolutely wild shit goes down. This normally wouldn't be an issue, but...
2) The author stated (on Royal Road, prior to publishing the novel) that he wasn't going to continue the series because he didn't make enough money from it. Then he published the book on Kindle Unlimited, and changed his story: he commented on a Reddit post that he was only going to continue the story if he earned enough proceeds from it.
I understand that indie authors need to chase trends and also be very cautious when writing because their entire livelihood depends on how many readers they get. But why publish a book with a cliffhanger if you have no interest in releasing a sequel? The author is, essentially, holding any future books hostage, saying, "I will not release more books in this series unless I publish enough books!" But what is enough books? How much money is enough for future books to be published? Can you guarantee that you won't do this again with future books? Will the series never end because you're just not happy with the amount of money you're earning?
Don't get me wrong: I completely approve of authors getting their bag and earning what they can from their writing. That being said, if completing a series or producing a sequel is contingent on some arbitrary number of books sold or money earned, just don't publish the damn book or put it behind a paywall. Keep it on Royal Road and treat it like a vehicle for advertising your writing. No matter how good I think this book is, it feels like a waste of time and money that I will never get back.
So yeah, I'm rating this book 5 stars because it is genuinely really good. But the author's attitude towards publishing is appalling and I don't think I'll ever read anything else by him in the future. Sometimes things just don't need to be said.
July 1, 2026
Jesus man if you don't intend to continue writing the series just have the kinetic at the end kill her or something instead of this Deus ex machina cliffhanger. Or idk make her fall to the ground and close her eyes or something so that she's technically not dead for if you want to write a sequel but it can function as a legitimate ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2026
Interesting superhero world. The MC is more complex than she first seems. There are a lot of twists and turns with the plot. Things are not that straightforward with the morality of the actions. Thoroughly enjoyable.
June 19, 2026
I loved this!! Vivian's telekinesis is basically my ideal super power, so maybe I'm biased but I think she's inherently cooler than the other supes. Sorry, Alex (as in, the Great).
Can't wait for the continuation.
Can't wait for the continuation.
June 26, 2026
superheroes and super villains
Not my usual read, but it kept me turning pages and rooting for the protagonist. Backstory wasn’t fleshed out so I didn’t care for her as much as I could have, but there was tons of action and more to come
,
Not my usual read, but it kept me turning pages and rooting for the protagonist. Backstory wasn’t fleshed out so I didn’t care for her as much as I could have, but there was tons of action and more to come
,
May 11, 2026
Incredible and heart wrenching
June 12, 2026
10/10
Who knew how powerful 10lbs of force could be?
Once I picked the book up I could not put it down. I’m excited for the next book in the series
Who knew how powerful 10lbs of force could be?
Once I picked the book up I could not put it down. I’m excited for the next book in the series
June 25, 2026
The MC is a very angsty mentally ill person. It gets really old and there's no resolution.
didn-t-like-it
July 1, 2026Note to self: not for me.
July 4, 2026
Pretty weird one, but I'm looking forward to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews