I found this audiobook surprisingly good. There were aspects of the story that were a bit sluggish to develop, like the reasoning for the difficult quest in the final act. Then other aspects that should have been developed more so, like Zee’s relationship with the other members of his group.
I normally avoid dystopian litrpg stories since either I cannot suspend my disbelief enough to get into the story or the dystopian aspects are too accurate as too ruin my escapism. While this story was solidly in the latter with a depressingly realistic 2050s USA, the writing and characterization were good enough as to not sully my enjoyment of the story. I also tend to dislike excessive pop culture references, but the in-universe reason for the references and the fact that they are not used ham-fistedly as a shortcut for genuine humor has mollified me.
The narration was okay. The characters had distinct voices and inflections, which is good. But the narrator seemed a bit flat overall and could have emoted better, especially when a character is supposed to be yelling or sobbing. He didn’t detract from the audiobook, but didn’t add anything.
Overall, I like this story and am looking forward to the sequel.