The first half of the book felt a little like a loose tale spliced into a taxonomic exploration of the world's flora and fauna, readable but not engrossing. In the second half the story picks up and the themes of the first half make more sense, and by the end I felt like it was a complete story and the encyclopedic nature of the definitions and plant descriptions make sense as part of the journey of the protagonist. The book describes a fascinating world, and you can sense the depth of consideration and thought the author has put into it. The story does leave some unresolved questions about the nature of some things, but these loose ends feel like evocative possibilities, things to ponder upon, rather than gaps in the narrative.