A great take on a well-explored genre. Very well executed story with engaging and dynamic characters. Plenty of surprises and, though the subject matter is slightly stale (bullied smart kid retreats to find greatness elsewhere) I really enjoyed this particular combination.
Distractors:
* The author knows nothing about how AI works (which is OK, so long as you don’t either)
* The “rich people can get away with anything because money” trope is a bit overplayed
* There are multiple female characters in the book: can we please start to use female narrators for them?
Other than that, Bagwell creates an engaging and entertaining world where the characters are subject to very human scenarios. Well worth the read!