Pros: Good LITRPG world-building. Really good. A theme that has adult language that adds to the suspension of disbelief and a MC who the reader can have sympathy for. The in-game world is very interesting, and the characters in it are funny and intriguing.

Cons: The cheesiest WB level teenage drama that feels like an AI was trying to guess at what an adolescent might go through using “The OC” caricatures of, ‘bully’ and, ‘misunderstood outcast with a heart of gold’, with a not so slight touch of, ‘secretly interested ingénue currently with the bully.’ The MC real-life plot is so transparent and unoriginal; it is very unfun to read. The adults in the real world aren’t really people, they just fill the role that makes the plot go forward, and there is very little care that they could exist at all, or exist in reality. The (slight spoiler) fight between MC and parents was straight out of a Mexican telenovela. I was waiting for the overall-clad blonde man baby with the bowl haircut and painted on freckles to make an appearance every time the real world caught up to the MC. This young-adult drama does not match the swearing and adult language it misuses. Also, the narrator was a terrible choice for this teenage drama. His disinterest in the material is apparent in Book 1, and frankly and old man telling a teenage boys story is a poor choice. This isn’t Princess Bride. I’m getting book two to see if he took any notes.

In summary the pros outweigh the cons, but only to a LitRPG fan. This world building is top-notch and I really want to see more. But if you are trying out LitRPG for the first time, go for Dungeon Crawler Carl and thank me later.