A reluctant 3 star rating on this one. There were certainly some interesting stories being told but if you are expecting James Herriot meets exotic animals you will be disappointed. There is none of the charm of James Herriot’s characters or storytelling and while there is mention of penguins and tortoises, it is primarily sheep, goats, chickens and rats’ tails of all things!
Personally it was the writing I found difficult to get to grips with. Overly descriptive and meandering to the extent that I lost track of what actually was happening and got no real sense of the landscape. It reminded me of students in school with the thesaurus out to find an alternative word just for the sake of it. And when explanation was required, if you didn’t have a medical degree, it was lacking. 
A struggle to finish but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for this honest review.