The synopsis portrays this book as an amazing and true tale of the evacuation of the Mosul Zoo. However, the the first four chapters fail to live up to the hype of the synopsis. While the story itself is no doubt fantastic and one that should be told, I feel that the author has fallen short of giving this zoo and its occupants due justice. The writing is lackluster at best. Nothing stands out by way of style and there is no development of the characters in any way that would, in the first four chapters, connect the reader to them. A middle-of-the-road work. Additionally, it seems that this book is lost in a weird blend of article, chronicle and story. While I would read the rest of this book, it would be on the basis of the story alone and for no reason associated with the author's talents.