I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.
First, Justin Thomas James and Laurie Catherine Winkel do a great, professional job of narrating. Jeff Hays and his team at Sound Booth Theatre are great, and these two protégés are prime examples. The storytelling of James is smooth and captivating, and Winkel adds a nice touch.
The story itself is entertaining. There are some lovely human elements to it that speak to love in various forms, and express the importance of strong individual values and loyalty. Although, this is probably a bit more appropriate for a teen YA audience. The language may be a bit dicey, however.
On a critical note, I almost bailed on this book after the first 15 or so minutes due to the blatant parallels to Ready Player One. It is verging on plagiarism it is so close. The minor differences between the stories that appear in those early minutes so soon begin to manifest into a somewhat more unique plot, though throughout the story the are still several merge points. Also, the romantic element is forced.
It tries to be naturally occurring, but it is definitely artificial.
Despite the aforementioned flaws, the story is still entertaining. The time listening passed pleasantly, and I enjoyed it enough to continue to the next book. After all, my goal with the LitRPG genre is to have a pleasant listening experience, not discover allegories and deep symbols (though sometimes they appear).