It’s difficult to suspend disblief when the writing feels so stunted. The over use of metaphor and comparison hurts dialogue between characters that already lack any real depth.
The MC comments on several occasions that the NPCs are so much like people that she can’t tell the difference but you’re constantly reminded of the game mechanics driving their overall goals and again making them feel like two dimensional characters.
I understand a slow start to world building, but usually that comes with more character development or actual conflict.
Overall, I’m disappointed at how boring the first entry to series ended up. I was hoping for a new set of books to dig into but this will likely be it for me.