Name: Kerri McDonald's review of Beasts of extraordinary circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Item: Beasts of extraordinary circumstance
Rating: 4
Author: Kerri McDonald

Ruth Emmie Lang

Raised by wolves after being orphaned in childhood, Weylyn Grey, a man with astonishing powers, is evaluated by the people who care or wonder about him, including a woman who falls in love with him after he saves her from an angry wolf.

Beasts of extraordinary circumstance

Izzy 

“The fireflies must have thought we were crazy, burying all their precious light, but we were saving it. I asked Weylyn what we were saving it for, and he said, ‘For a rainy day.’"

Kerri McDonald

Heather Margaret

I fully believe in magic weather wizards after this book. Also Mary, Merlin, and Weylyn forever. I have been reading a lot of magical/witchy books this year and this one is my favorite. Simply put, please read this book.

I love the purity in Weylyn’s soul and how he views the world. Being in his friends’ POV sounds like it would be hard to get close to the characters, but it surprised me by how much I liked it. You never really knew what Weylyn thought until he already did it. There is also a small love story that always makes me smile. The story is realistic enough for light readers yet whimsical enough for everyone else. If I’m not reading it then I’m thinking about it, and I doubt it will leave me anytime soon.

Siya S

Is it me or the tone of this story reminds me so much of Emily st John Mendel's Station Eleven? 

I think this is one of those books that once you start reading it, you have to finish it as soon as possible or the magic will die down pretty quickly. I wouldn't argue that the language here is beautiful and poignant, but the story overall is rather....dull. Since when that something as badass as wolves made me feel like falling asleep? 

I think the problem, apparently, is that I didn't like one of the main characters that much. All chapters with Mary involved bored me to death. She's...bland and at times one dimensional. I do like the other characters, though, especially Merlin the pig, Lydia the stepsister and Roarke the boy. They were funny - a great addition to an otherwise melancholic (almost Bon Iver-ish) kind of story. More importantly, they made things roll forward in the plot, which was nice.

Janice Hopper

A story about a magical boy/man. Weylyn Grey was born with the ability to influence... things around him - weather, animals, growing things. It's a gift, but it can bring danger too. 

The story recounts his life as he moves from place to place: living with wolves, living alone in the forest, finally coming home.

A solid 3 stars. Sweet and uncontroversial.

The audiobook is nicely done, with different narrators for the different major people in Waylyn's life.

Celeste Richardson

I can’t remember the last time I was so utterly charmed and delighted by a story. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance reads like a middle grade novel for adults, and I need more books like this one in my life. There is a wholesome, wonderful innocence to the story that won me over immediately. I’ve never been a fan of the word “precious,” but that term perfectly describes Lang’s debut novel.

I’m a sucker for stories in which nature is a main character, and that is definitely the case here. Lang does a marvelous job describing the natural world. The way in which she presents forests, and wolves, and storms, and bees is simply lovely. Everything in this book, whether human or fauna or flora, is busting with character.

 Weylyn is an absolute treasure who needs to be protected at all costs. He’s charming and innocent and kind and selfless and incredibly loving, and I adore him. I just wanted to adopt him. But though his life is a bit of a mess, he does come across good people who love him for and in spite of his inexplicable uniqueness.

This is the kind of magical realism that I love. The story takes place in our world, but with one major difference: Weylyn. All of the unusual and uncanny events center around and siphon through him. There is never an explanation given for how or why he is the way he is, and I was totally okay with that. The mystery is part of the magic. With the right casting, I think this could be a brilliant movie.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is one of those rare books that I could comfortably recommend to just about anyone. It’s light in tone with plenty of depth, it’s relatively clean, and it’s concise. I read it in roughly 48 hours or so. But more than anything, it was a delightful breath of fresh air during a difficult year. It’s definitely worth your time.

Gaia Marino

This book was a charming experience.
A story that perhaps wouldn't have been enough by itself was narrated through the eyes of those who experienced it by the sidelines instead of the eyes of the main character. A quick and fascinating read and a cast of characters that all has their little position in the orchestra.

Elizabeth Moore

A nice dreamy bedtime story, set largely in the forests (and sometime coasts) of America. There is some beautiful and inspiring imagery, but not too much below the surface. It’s worth a casual read, especially if you want to depart from your usual stock feed and you don’t want to have to work too hard but rather just enjoy an easy-reading (and pleasantly bizarre!) magic tale. Just brace for a lot of contrived meetups and an overdose of adverbs and unnecessary adjectives.

What I liked:
- While I didn’t get where the story led, the Firefly Honey scenes were beautiful. I would have loved to see this all in poem form.

- The first chapter where Mary and Weylyn lived with wolves was my favorite. It was like Hatchet meets Sleeping Beauty.

- All of the nature settings in general were really well drawn and atmospheric.

- That sweet little horned pig was so cute.

What Bothered Me:

- There were WAY too many adverbs and lazy adjectives and if I had to read one more description of something using some overwrought shade of color I would have puked.

- The alternating first person narrative didn’t work for me at all. They didn’t feel distinct, the adverb-i-ness seemed like something that every character across 5 states and 60 years had a problem with, and I didn’t get how it added to the story. It would have felt much more like a fable or a mystical fairy tale (which I think the book is supposed to read as and works well as) if everything was told in 3rd person - by some omniscient storyteller narrator.

- What the hell happened to Merlin!?! You can’t just introduce something like that and then not follow up, I was pissed.

Krista M.

Magic. Family. Quirky. Charming. 
Very cool and sweet concept. The characters were all very likeable and realistic. I felt very deeply that I wanted them to succeed. It seemed to be a story about courage and accepting yourself despite your circumstances. 

Laura Kehoe

Review originally published on The Book Unicorn

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. I'm not exactly sure what it was I did expect, but this wasn't it. Don't get me wrong, I actually did enjoy reading it. This is a sweet, if a little slow-moving, story of love, friendship and a little bit of magic.

If you go into this book expecting an exciting magical thriller, full of intrigue and epic battles, you're going to be disappointed. The story moves slowly and at times I wasn't quite sure what the plot actually was. But it had such a sweet innocence to it that most of the time I didn't really mind. While the magic itself was less prominent than your typical fantasy novel, the book still felt incredibly magical on its own. Does that make sense? I hope so because I can't really figure out a better way to describe my feelings.

I think what really sealed the deal for me was the characters. I adored Weylyn so much. Seeing his journey and growth unfold throughout the book was so beautiful. And really, the entire cast of characters was incredibly delightful. At times, though, I felt like there were almost too many characters, especially when they each had their own point of view chapters in first person. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping track of who was speaking and at what point in Weylyn's life we were in. But, I still thoroughly enjoyed meeting these characters.

All in all, this was a sweet, fun read. It pulled at my heartstrings in a good way and was the perfect book for relaxing with a cup of tea. If you like magical realism, or more of the coming of age type of book, I'd say definitely give this a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance

Juliette

At first, I was only going to give this 3-3.5 stars but decided at the end that it deserves 4 stars. The beginning was really slow for me and took a while for me to really get into it, especially with the way it is set up and all the different characters. I am definitely glad that I read it, but it's nothing extraordinary (pun intended).

Jennifer Dieter

Between this book and Heart's Invisible Fury, I feel like I won the Book of the Month lottery. This is everything I want in a book - quirky characters, coincidences that don't often occur in real life, humor, a touch of magic, and romance. I fell in love with Weylyn, Mary, and everyone else who came in and out of their lives. I can't wait for Lang to write more, I'm a fan.

A Novel

Natalie Hanna

“Forgive me for both my coming and going”

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is about Weylyn Grey, a compassionate boy raised by wolves. His story is told through the stories of the people whose lives connect with his.
For me, this was a pleasant break from what seems like a constant negativity that fills all the movies, tv, and literature I consume. So many of the books I pick up are such downers even if they are well-crafted and impactful. This story is in many ways the opposite of that.

I doubt that this book will leave a huge impact on me or make it to a list of favorites but I can't say I didn't enjoy reading a story that was filled with so much goodness and hope for a change. I really enjoyed the way Lang wrote each character that interacted with Weylyn. They seemed like good people who were never without flaws. I can tell she had put a lot of care into crafting them. 

The story really hooked me in the beginning which I thought worked better than the middle and end. When all the characters were children, it better suits the tone of the story which was realistic but with this sort of fairytalesque childhood wonder and lightheartedness. Near the end, that sort of realism that really grounded the story slips away making the more fantastical elements seem almost over the top and the relationships seem a bit ingenuine.

Despite that, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is still a rather lovely story and a good option is you are looking for an escape into a slightly more magical version of our world.

Brittany Mitchell

I was hooked from the beginning. I read and listened to the audio book for this one. Great story. One of the best of the year for me. Highly recommend.

Abby Hoggatt

It was like reading/being read sweet bedtime stories. :)

Well, this book was an absolute delight! I haven't enjoyed reading about one person's life this much in quite a long time. Of course, Weylyn Grey's life is anything but ordinary. Orphaned at a young age when his parents die in a blizzard, Weylyn spends a good portion of his youth raised by wolves. And, from there, it just gets weirder!

I really loved how we were told the story of Weylyn's life through accounts from people who knew him. It made this book that much more interesting and gave it so much heart. The writing was beautiful, the stories were engaging, and the love story made my heart thump. Honestly, the only thing I could wish is for this book to be longer!

All in all, the best word I could use to describe this book is one that Weylyn Grey might not agree with: magical!

Jessica Nottingham

Catching up on mini reviews for books that I haven't written anything on yet. For Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance though, it was less a matter of not wanting to write a review and more a matter of not knowing what to write. This book is beautiful. It's the exact kind of magical realism that I love, where everything feels completely plausible and yet you also feel transported. The multiple narrators were done excellently. The chapters were evenly weighted, and full of all kinds of magical happenings. Even the ending was a perfectly satisfying, and that's not something that I say a lot. So, in summation, this book was my perfect kind of read. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I'll likely read it again! To the favorites pile it goes.

Jo H

4.5stars.

How lucky am I to be blessed with finding my reading tastes expanded so that I can discover the joys of this type of tale. 

This book is beautiful, lyrical, provocative, atmospheric. I really am on a roll right now...

Kerri McDonald &
Beasts of extraordinary circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Kerri McDonald &Beasts of extraordinary circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Kerri McDonald &
Beasts of extraordinary circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang