That was a hell of a debut! Going into this, I just could not imagine how this would work, the concept just a bit too weird to result in anything worth taking seriously, but Habeck balanced the fantastical element of human-to-animal mutations with an extreme amount of heart, tenderness, and humor. I loved the character work, Wren and Lewis and Angela were deeply fleshed out and felt very real. I was a little unsure when Part 2 left Wren to go back in time to Angela’s story, but I ended up loving her part just as much as the rest of it.  I think my only complaint is that the prose felt a bit overwritten at some points, like on the whole it was absolutely beautiful but sometimes it was just a bit much. But this was ingeniously crafted, wholly unique, and a testament to loving fully even when it can be lost.