Great atmosphere and world-building, interesting characters, and a super unique storyline - all things that make a great book. This one kept me coming back, wondering what would happen next.

This book was beautiful-Lang is such a fantastic writer and storyteller. I loved the fantastical elements mixed with a contemporary setting. I have since bought this book for two others because I loved it so much.

I have since purchased a copy from Book of the Month for my library at home.

I received an arc of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that!

An extraordinary, beautiful and sometimes bittersweet story in which a magical boy who lives with wolves finds love, family and friendship in a series of stories that intertwine perfectly to tell us the story of Weylin Grey, an orphan boy, raised by a pack of wolves and possessing the power to manipulate the weather according to the emotions he feels at the moment.
Highly recommended for readers who like to enjoy a magical, innovative and excellently well-written story.
I thank the author, publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, and declare that the opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think of this book.

This story was so whimsical and magical and I enjoyed the plot and the writing style and the adventure of the story!!

This is a charming and well written book. The story itself reminded me of other modern classics. But saying that I wasn't expecting anything when I picked this up.

It's a nice story about an orphaned boy who was raised by wolves and has magical powers.

It was a little too whimsical for me. It was a nice fantasy but it also reminded me of other books from my youth.

It's worth a read so give it a go

This is an engaging story that i thoroughly enjoyed. . I loved this right from the very beginning. It is a story about a young boy named Weylyn who was raised by wolves.

The book is beautifully written, appealing, and magical. The storyline is fantastic and has engaging characters that you won’t forget. Weylyn was innocence, sweet and adorable,

The story is told through everyone that Weylyn encounters throughout his life which was such a clever way to develop his character..

Liest man häufig Interviews mit Autor_innen, stellt man fest, dass viele ähnliche Strategien nutzen, um Hürden in ihrem Schreibprozess zu überwinden. Die in Schottland geborene Schriftstellerin Ruth Emmie Lang berichtet hingegen von einer Technik, über die ich noch nie gestolpert bin. Hat sie Schwierigkeiten, die Stimme einer Figur zu finden, castet sie diese Figur in ihrer Fantasie. Sie stellt sich vor, welche Schauspieler_innen die Rolle übernehmen könnten und liest ihr Manuskript mit ihren Stimmen, visualisiert ihre Mimik und Gestik. Ihnen ein Gesicht zu geben, hilft ihr, ihren Charakteren Leben einzuhauchen. Je lebendiger diese mit Fortschreiten der Geschichte werden, desto seltener muss sie auf diese Krücke zurückgreifen. Dieses interessante Vorgehen unterstützte Lang dabei, ihren Debütroman „Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ fertigzustellen, den ich als Rezensionsexemplar von Netgalley erhielt.

Als Weylyn und Mary einander das erste Mal begegneten, waren sie noch Kinder. Sie war das Mädchen, das ihm Kuchen brachte; er war der Junge, der im Wald unter Wölfen lebte. Gemeinsam erlebten sie ein Abenteuer, das in einer Tragödie endete. Mary wurde ihrem Vater zurückgebracht; Weylyn wurde den Behörden übergeben. Er traf viele Menschen, wurde Teil vieler Familien. Doch immer wieder ereigneten sich um ihn herum seltsame Naturphänomene, die nicht zu erklären waren. Tiere verhielten sich merkwürdig, Tornados und Flutwellen schienen seinem Willen zu gehorchen. So sehr er geliebt wurde, stets musste Weylyn weiterziehen und die Leben, die er berührte, hinter sich lassen. Erst, als er Mary wiedersieht, wünscht er sich, selbst berührt zu werden. Nur sind seine scheinbaren Kräfte unberechenbar und bisweilen gefährlich. Kann er riskieren, mit Mary zusammen zu sein – oder wird er ein einsamer Reisender bleiben?

„Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ ist ein Buch, das sich kaum zusammenfassen lässt. Ich habe tagelang über der Inhaltsangabe für diese Rezension gebrütet und konnte dennoch keine Version entwerfen, die den Kern des Romans wirklich trifft. Warum habe ich mich so schwergetan?
Wenn wir Fiktion lesen, sind wir es gewohnt, zu kategorisieren, was das Zeug hält: Wir ordnen die Geschichte einem Genre zu, teilen die Figuren in Haupt- und Nebenrollen ein und vergeben Prioritäten für Erzählstränge. „Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ weigert sich, sich diese Kategorisierungen gefallen zu lassen. Jeder meiner Versuche, bestimmte Aspekte dieses Buches mental in Schubladen zu sortieren, endete mit der Erkenntnis, dass mein Schubladensystem nur die halbe Wahrheit erfassen konnte. Irgendwann musste ich mich zwingen, loszulassen, weil meine Frustration darüber, dass ich nicht fähig war, eindeutige Aussagen treffen zu können, meine Leseerfahrung zu überschatten drohte. Das hat „Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ nicht verdient, denn ich fand die Lektüre zauberhaft und dieser positive Eindruck hängt entscheidend damit zusammen, dass dieser Roman eben nicht in Schubladen passt. Offiziell schildert Ruth Emmie Lang die außergewöhnliche Biografie ihres Protagonisten Weylyn; dabei tritt Weylyn aber selten als Protagonist auf und was ihn außergewöhnlich macht, sind auch nicht seine rätselhaften Kräfte. Das Besondere an Weylyn ist der subtile, sanfte Einfluss, den er auf jedes Leben ausübt, das er betritt. Er geht nie, ohne etwas Bedeutsames zu hinterlassen und alle, die er trifft, erhalten durch seine Anwesenheit etwas, das sie sich sehnlich wünschten. Um diesen Effekt zu verdeutlichen, schildert die Autorin sein Schicksal indirekt durch die Augen derjenigen, die ihm begegnen. „Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ ist eine episodische Abfolge wechselnder Ich-Erzählungen, in denen Weylyn stets eine wichtige, jedoch nie die Hauptrolle einnimmt. Diese Herangehensweise erlaubte es Ruth Emmie Lang, ihm eine beinahe magische Aura zu verleihen, als sei er nicht von dieser Welt, ein Phänomen wie ein Regenbogen. Trotzdem wirkt er nicht substanzlos, sondern fest in der Realität verankert, was meiner Meinung nach daran liegt, dass Weylyn selbst eine recht tragische Persönlichkeit ist. Obwohl er sehr bemüht ist, Gutes zu tun, ist ihm klar, dass seine spezielle Verbindung mit der Natur die Menschen in seinem Umfeld in Gefahr bringt. Darum traut er sich nicht, sich je völlig auf die Beziehungen, die er aufbaut, einzulassen und daraus resultiert leider auch meine Kritik an diesem sonst sehr stimmigen Roman. Nachdem Weylyn seine große Liebe Mary wiedertrifft, fällt er eine Entscheidung, die zu großen Lücken in seinem Lebenslauf führt. Ruth Emmie Lang übersprang mehrere Jahre, was mich enttäuschte, weil ich das Gefühl hatte, dass es sich dabei um eine Notlösung handelte, als hätte sie einfach nicht mehr genug Platz, um weitere Anekdoten zu involvieren. Hätte sie den letzten Abschnitt von „Beasts“ anders umgesetzt, hätte ich mit Freuden zusätzliche Sterne vergeben.

„Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ ist ein Buch wie ein Sonnenuntergang am Ende des Sommers: Farbenprächtig und warm, gefasst und würdevoll, ein wenig magisch und getragen von einer leicht melancholischen Ausstrahlung, die mir sehr zu Herzen ging. Es ist definitiv einer der besseren Debütromane, in dem die Autorin Ruth Emmie Lang beweist, dass sie über das bemerkenswerte Talent verfügt, eine Geschichte auf genau die Weise zu erzählen, die notwendig ist, um ihre maximale Wirkung zu entfalten. An ihrem Gespür für Taktung muss sie hingegen noch arbeiten; ich habe aber kaum Zweifel daran, dass es ihr gelingen wird, dieses Fingerspitzengefühl zu entwickeln. Derzeit schreibt sie ihr zweites Buch „The Wilderwomen“, das hoffentlich dieselbe bezaubernde Ausstrahlung aufweisen wird wie „Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance“ und wahrscheinlich irgendwann in meinem Regal landet. Uns steht eine lange, fruchtbare Lesebeziehung bevor.

Vielen Dank an Netgalley und den Verlag St. Martin’s Press für die Bereitstellung dieses Rezensionsexemplars im Austausch für eine ehrliche Rezension!

I am so behind the times on this review but I just have to say that I unexpectedly enjoyed this one so much. I wasn’t really expecting to care for it too much, especially with having gone this long without reading it. But the more I read, the deeper I was drawn into Weylyn’s story and unusual life. There was so much heart in this story and I found myself in one of those moments where I was fully visualizing the story and setting in my mind so easily. Many of the characters were so memorable but Weylyn and Mary were my absolute favorites. Their shared affinity with the wolves and how that brought them together… so beautiful. My heart broke for Weylyn when he started to believe that he was a danger to those he loved because of his magical ability to affect the weather. As Weylyn traveled around the country, I was so fascinated to see what he would be up to next. I don’t want to give too much away about the ending but I felt very happy for the way Weylyn’s story ended. Also, side note… I would very much like to have a one-horned pig named Merlin… thank you. Overall, I loved the themes of friendship and being true to who you are. The author did such a wonderful job writing this book and creating this unique story. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by Ruth Emmie Lang.

This book was an absolute delight to read. I wasn't sure what I was expecting - all I knew was that I heard about this book a lot but I always thought it was nonfiction for some reason. Clearly, I was dead wrong as this was such a whimsical magical book about a man from childhood to adult where he grew up with wolves, struggled with his magical powers and tried to change his story for the woman that he loves.

What really stood out to me was how this book was written and the fact that it was written in the perspectives of the people around him and not him. I found that super unique because as he moved around and grew up, it was so interesting to see how others perceived him as an awkward child to a mysterious man.

Overall, this book was fantastic and I highly suggest everyone to pick it up.

I need to stop trying magical realism. For some reason it is just not the genre for me. I haven't heard many things about this book from people who do like magical realism, so I might not be the best person for this review. I found it boring, with not very likable characters and not much of a plot. It didn't keep my interest and I struggled through reading it. The only reason I got through it was because I was reading it during a readathon.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

This one sounded so magical & cool. While totally out of my wheelhouse, I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the right audience for this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

I *finally* got around to reading the Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. I had heard amazing things about it, but I weirdly thought it was not going to be something for me. I cannot believe it - this was SO GOOD! Beautiful writing, beautiful story - I love Weylyn.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After Weylyn's parents die in a car accident when he is in kindergarten, Weylyn goes to live with a pack of wolves. His life is changed when he meets Mary. They run away together, and when they are found, Weylyn is sent to live with a foster family. He develops bonds with one of his foster sisters and his teacher; Weylyn also adopts a horned pig. When Weylyn stops a tornado with his mind, though, his foster family is no longer willing to keep him. Thus goes Weylyn's life, hovering on the edge of life with animals and nature and life with humans. Weylyn is afraid to get too close to anyone, fearing that he will unwillingly hurt them with his supernatural abilities. However, he never forgets Mary or the way he feels about her.

This was an interesting book with a pretty unique story line. Yes, there are stories out there about boys being raised by wolves, but this story is nothing like the others you have heard, in part because of its magical realism. This book was different than what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be more of a fantasy rather than being set in the real world apart from Weylyn's abilities. It was hard to get a grasp on Weylyn, despite him being the main character of the book, because so much of the book was told from other people's perspectives. Even when we heard Weylyn's point-of-view, though, it was still hard to get to know him. For me, the book was uneven, with some parts being more interesting than others.

Okay, I have mixed thoughts on this one. I requested this ages (cough - years?) ago from Netgalley and received it. I was super excited about it being a Book of the Month pick, but for some reason didn't order it. And I didn't read the Netgalley ARC either. Well, I tried to...but I kept reading the first few chapters and abandoning it. I'm trying to clean up some of my massive TBRs, so I downloaded the scribd audiobook copy of this one and told myself this was my month to finish it.

Cons: So, obviously the beginning was a bit slow for me. And the book seemed to drag on a bit. Not sure why I felt this way, as I liked all of the different parts. Overall, this book is a little strange and I'm not 100% sure if its good or bad strange. I'm erring on the side of good strange and my review reflects that.

For me as a reader, this book would have been better if it was a little shorter, although I'm not sure what I'd cut. I adored the characters and the overall story. I originally had this as a 3 star read, but after writing about all of the things I loved, I bumped it up to 4 stars and I'd say my overall rating would be 3.5. I loved the concept. I loved the magic. I wish it had been a bit faster of a pick-up at the beginning and maybe a bit shorter overall. While I adored both Weylyn and Mary, I wish both had been a bit stronger characters. Now, Lydia was one of my favorites - she was snarky and good and just one of my favorite parts of the book!

I'm definitely going to keep this author on my radar - I enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what she puts out next.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance will forever be held on my favorites shelf. The narrative, the characters, the atmosphere of all surrounding this book will be with me for a long time. I have recommended this to countless friends and family members already. I look forward to future titles from Ruth Emmie Lang. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this title.

Thanks to the #awesomeafbuddyreads on IG, I finally picked up this book and I’m forever grateful. I fell in love with Weylyn and the writing style. I could re-read and rediscover probably bits and pieces each time in this one. It was one of those books which grow with the reader, in the mind and and the heart. A quick read, yet beautiful throughout .

An original novel in its own right - I went into the story not knowing what to expect, but what emerges is a gripping story of a "wild boy" told through the viewpoint of the people around him.
I love the warmness of Lang's prose. It is down-to-earth and quietly beautiful.

Orphaned, raised by wolves, and the proud owner of a horned pig named Merlin, Weylyn Grey knew he wasn’t like other people. But when he single-handedly stopped that tornado on a stormy Christmas day in Oklahoma, he realized just how different he actually was.
That tornado was the first of many strange events that seem to follow Weylyn from town to town, although he doesn’t like to take credit. As amazing as these powers may appear, they tend to manifest themselves at inopportune times and places. From freak storms to trees that appear to grow overnight, Weylyn’s unique abilities are a curiosity at best and at worst, a danger to himself and the woman he loves. But Mary doesn’t care. Since Weylyn saved her from an angry wolf on her eleventh birthday, she’s known that a relationship with him isn’t without its risks, but as anyone who’s met Weylyn will tell you, once he wanders into your life, you’ll wish he’d never leave. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance tells the story of Weylyn Grey’s life from the perspectives of the people who knew him, loved him, and even a few who thought he was just plain weird. Although he doesn’t stay in any of their lives for long, he leaves each of them with a story to tell. Stories about a boy who lives with wolves, great storms that evaporate into thin air, fireflies that make phosphorescent honey, and a house filled with spider webs and the strange man who inhabits it. There is one story, however, that Weylyn wishes he could change: his own. But first he has to muster enough courage to knock on Mary’s front door.
The book was really good. I loved both main characters as they went through the story. Both characters were well written. I really enjoyed the plot. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

DNF - couldn’t get into this at all. I didn’t like the prose style and found the story a bit saccharine for my taste.

such an interesting book that in some aspects i loved and in others completely confused me.
I loved the writing and characters but the actual plot sometimes utterly confused me.
But all in all it was a great book and one that ti want to reread to see if i will be less confused the second time around.
If you are interested in this book give it a try!