Just finished this book and I enjoyed it so much! This book follows the life of a man by the name of Weylen Grey and the people whose lives he has touched. Part of the storyline revolves around whether or not he is magic and the rest of the story involves the people he loves and cares about. I found it a little difficult to follow, initially, as the story is told from different points of view. Eventually, I got used to it and really enjoyed the beautiful story. Will definitely be buying a hard copy for myself and highly recommend to others! Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and enjoy this wonderful book!

This book gets one of my rare fives. It is well written and immersive.

The story is about Weylyn Grey, his life and those around him. Some would say his life was magical, I think Weylyn would disagree.

His tale is told through the commentary of others who are part of his life and occasionally of Weylyn himself.

He first appears as someone to whom a young girl named Mary is tasked to make a delivery, by her father. Mary makes further deliveries after this initial one, then when Weylyn's money runs out and he is forced to move on, she runs away with him.

Mary eventually gets reunited with her father and Weylyn is fostered by a Reverend and his family.

Sadly Weylyn is destined to move on from his new home and from many of his future relationships. He spends his life leaving people behind, in his own mind, to protect them.

This book was very involving, instead of a straightforward telling of Weylyn's life from one viewpoint, it is told from the eyes (and voices) of many. This keeps it fresh and engaging. There were many points in the story that grabbed my attention.

My favourite bit was when Weylyn and another had a meal and "crouched over our stew like Vikings, hair falling into our bowls, scooping it up with chunks of bread and slurping the rest." I don't really want to spoil the book for anyone, so I'm deliberately being vague - part of the enjoyment is the discovering for yourself. What I will say though is that this book was so well described throughout and extremely enjoyable. I really recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of fantastic, natural, magical storytelling.

Thank You Net Galley for the free ARC.

This is the story of Weylin Grey as told by others. We find out that Weylin is raised by wolves until one fateful day hunger causes his "mother" wolf to get killed by a farmer and he gets picked up by social services. Somehow Weylin can communicate with animals, plants and nature. He may be able even to influence the weather. Weylin has a harder time fitting in with humans.

Very charming and interesting book! It's like a children's tale for grownups.

I loved this book! Humor, magical realism, and romance blended together wonderfully. A very satisfying read.

I absolutely loved this book! It's the first 5 star book I've come across this year. The characters and the story are both so engaging. At no point did I want to set the book down and come back to it later. It's just brilliant.

This book is so gorgeous. I could not put it down. The story of Weylyn is so fascinating and heartbreaking.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance attracted me as soon as I saw the beautiful cover. Although the beginning was a little bit slow, it was beautifully written and reminded me slightly of The Bear and the Nightingale, with its exploration of love, loss and family.

It was a short read, but thoroughly enjoyable and is definitely perfect for cuddling up next to a fire with a blanket as you explore the magic that is Weylyn Grey.

I am so beyond thrilled that I was able to receive a copy of this book - thank you so much for that!

Magical realism isn't my strong genre, by far. I struggle with memory loss and due to that, it can make it difficult to get through books with complex plots, crazy long character names, and locations etc.
Fortunately, I didn't feel that way with this book - and I am so happy for that. When I requested this it really sounded very similar to the world of Harry Potter with magic and many different kinds of amazing beasts, and I wasn't disappointed.

I love that this story was done with a male main character - which there just doesn't seem to be enough of. I greatly enjoyed viewing him through other characters eyes.
Truly just a great read - I can't stress that enough. The story was beautiful...and the author sure knows how to end a book with a bang. The plot was interesting and I adored the environment, and I really really hope that more people give this book a chance.

Due to the release date still being so far off, I will be posting this review on both Amazon and Goodreads when the date comes closer

Beautifully written throughout. Another great magical realist novel.

I'm not usually a fan of fantasy but this novel blew me away with its lyrical prose and plot. Weylyn Grey is an odd and unusual boy but he never fails to affect those he meets in a positive way. A house filled with spider webs? Really? But yes, it's a captivating and lovely story that draws you in from the beginning and doesn't let you go until the end. I will definitely open myself up to fantasy--or at least this author--in the future!

Weylyn Grey is different. An orphan raised by wolves. Special, right! He loves two things. His horned pig, Merlin, and a woman called Mary.
He can do amazing things except master his courage to let Mary know how he feels.
This is his story, and it's magic!

Lang's debut novel is a magical realism tale about a boy who's lead a most unusual life and those he touches along the way. Weylyn Grey, raised by wolves and possibly influencing the weather, grows up (mostly) through the perspective of those he meets and affects in his life. As they weave in and out of Waylyn's life we learn more and more about him, his life, his loves, and what extraordinary things he can (and can't) do.

In most ways, this is a respectable debut. I enjoyed the story and the interactions quite a bit. The overall narrative being told is well mapped as it jumps around between the present and flashbacks to periods in the main characters' lives. The magical aspects are nicely handled and kept at bay in a nice way that certainly pushes it closer to magical realism than straight-up fantasy.

The scope of the tale is somehow simultaneously large and somewhat intimate. It covers a good amount of time and bounces around between several characters who come and go in and out of each other's lives. It keeps the story from getting stuck in one place and allows for a decent cast of characters and development. It's an ambitious style for a new author. I appreciate her attempt but it's also part of my only real problem with the book: the lack of distinct voices for each character.

Because the novel bounces around between different characters, its incredibly important to give each character a distinct, appropriate voice of their own. Lang does not execute this aspect well at all. All of the characters; male, female, adult, child...they all sound and speak the same. So, while each chapter/section is named for the character who's point of view we're in, once you lose sight of that heading it's anybody's guess. For the majority of the book I was able to get past this, but when the 11-year-old boy speaks and uses the same language as the several adult females it's a pretty glaring issue.

That said, if you're into magical realism and naturist leaning fiction then this is a pretty quick, mostly enjoyable read. Because it's a debut I'm not going to be overly harsh on the flaws and hope that Lang can learn from her work going forward. I'll keep an eye out to see what else she does.

This book was magical, well written. The characters in this book were portrayed so well, that you knew them inside and out, making their magic emotions an integral part of this book.

Although the jumps between time periods and narrators rhe author employs were confusing, the story Lang spins is a wonderful one. Her characters are quite real, despite the "magic" of the story. I wanted Weylyn Grey to be my friend, and I wanted to chat with Mary over tea. I will definitely recommend this books to my patrons.

"Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance"

By: Ruth Emmie Lang

Don't be discouraged in the beginning of this book. It's not as complicated to follow as it seems. See, this is a book told by multiple characters and their recollections of a young man named Weylyn Grey. A young man who may or may not have control of the weather and was raised by wolves after loosing his entire family.

Now Weylyn is a unassuming character who has a magical pig. Named Merlin of course. Merlin was born with a single small bump in the middle of his forehead and that must make him magical. But then on the day Weylyn was born, there was a snowstorm....and it was the middle of summer! So it's really hard to tell who really has the magic.

Even thought I was having a little trouble jumping right into the purpose of this story I was enticed into continuing by the individual stories told. There were a total of 9 characters giving accounts of Weylyn's life events. Three of those became central to the story but all added dimensions to the development of Weylyn's character. I liken it to painting a picture. In the beginning all you may see is the stark outline of something that becomes a masterpiece by the end. Interesting concept, great writing and just enough info in the separate tales to want to keep you pushing forward to "see" the finished product!

Jeanie G

Getting 4.5 "Extraordinary" sheeP

You MUST go into this book knowing that it is full of magic! It is a wonderful story about the people that we meet and what we leave them with.

While this book is not my usual cup of tea, I was entertained. I am very happy that I read this book and hope that you will be, too.

My thanks to netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy.

The story is told through the eyes of the people Weylyn Grey encounters in his life.

And what a life it has been! He lost his parents at a young age and ended up living with a pack of wolves before he was taken in by his first foster family. And always, always no matter where he goes, whispered rumours of his ability to talk to animals and affect the weather follow suit.

There was a sweet innocence to this story. When trauma or difficulty faced the characters, it was done with light strokes, humor and a little magic.

Ultimately the book asks the question, is home a person or a place?

I enjoyed the reading experience and can recommend this for readers who may have found The Summer that Melted Everything too dark or disturbing.

Oh goodness! you say. How could a book about a boy raised by wolves be anything other than cheesy? I mean, after "The Jungle Book" and "Julie of the Wolves," it's all kind of downhill, isn't it?

Well, I am pleased to say that "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances" is a lovely and very readable addition to this genre. It's billed as magic realism, and it might as well be called that as anything else, but it doesn't really fit into any genre classifications. It's part magic realism, part urban fantasy, part contemporary literary fiction of a distinctly American flavor. It follows--sort of--the life of Weylyn Grey, who has strange silver eyes and can communicate with animals and control the weather. When his parents die in a freak snowstorm, he runs away and joins a wolf pack. Several years later he's pulled back into human society and adopted, only to cause, inadvertently, problems within his adoptive family. He bounces from home to home, touching the lives of those he encounters, but never feeling like it's safe for him to stay.

The action is narrated by the people he encounters, some of whom become deeply involved with him, some of whom hardly get to know him at all, but whose lives he changes profoundly. There are multiple little subplots and side arcs to the story from all these people, and the main story only emerges gradually, as Weylyn's life takes shape around the people in it. It isn't until the latter half of the book that the heart of the story is revealed.

These interwoven plot lines require the reader's attention, but this isn't a difficult book to read--the language is casual and conversational, peppered with moments of humor, especially when the child narrators speak. This isn't "light" or "genre" fiction, but it isn't heavy or dense either: a good choice for those who want to read something a little more literary but don't want to saddle themselves with something really long and challenging, or those who just want a little more magic in their lives.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.