Magical!

A charming tale tat moves from meeting to meeting with a variety of creatures/peoples. No spoilers, very much a charming tale.

This book was a lovely place to escape to for a few days. Weylyn was such an easy going, practical kind of guy that even when he went through hard or scary situations, the story still felt steady and safe. That sounds boring, but it wasn't. I'd have a hard time recommending a book that has a similar feel and pace. There was adventure and magical realism and family relationships, and it was all so wonderful to get to experience along with Weylyn.

This is a really different type of fantasy which I found a pleasant change.
Well written, with great characters giving a good feel throughout the book.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book. A boy raised by wolves? A magic ability to 'control' weather? It definitely was not the normal genre of books I read. I was pleasantly surprised. The way the story was told, through the memories of people who knew him through various parts of his life and the characters themselves were very entertaining. I ended up finishing it in just a day or two. At the end I felt like it was more a love story with a little bit of magic thrown in. It reminded me of those stories where the characters are constantly torn apart and then re-united, like The Notebook or Legends of The Fall. I highly recommend it.

I was utterly charmed by Ruth Emmie Lang’s Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, a novel about a reclusive man with strange abilities told by the people who knew him as well as anyone could. From the doctor who delivered him to his foster sister, adopted mother, and his frequently lost love, everyone knows that there’s something odd about Weylyn Gray. It rains when he’s upset and woodland creatures bring him presents. Oh, and he was partially raised by wolves.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance jumps from decade to decade as Weylyn touches other characters’ lives with a mix of good and bad luck. Weylyn’s abilities are never fully explained, which I think adds to sense of sustained curiosity as people meet and lose him over time. For the most part, Weylyn and his ad hoc family and friends treat him like a secret. No one else will believe them anyway about the weather and the animals and the shockingly verdant plants that follow in his war. Further, there’s something about Weylyn makes people protective.

What saves this book from being tritely inspirational—Weylyn often reads like a socially anxious Jesus—is the fact that, over and over, things don’t work out according to anyone’s plans. Just like bad weather, animals, and sudden gardens, unintended consequences follow him throughout his life. His friends and family are more than willing to take the risk, but Weylyn is terrified of accidentally hurting someone with his abilities. He’d rather take to the woods and live like a Disney hermit than chance it.

This isn’t a perfect book. There is one misstep at the end of the book, but I chalk that up to the limitations of having the book narrated by characters other than Weylyn. Readers willing to over look this and Weylyn’s more messiah-like moments will find a quirky, fast read for those of us who don’t trust happy, uncomplicated endings. Over and over, Weylyn’s plot arc demonstrates that love and life are often dangerous. The rewards, however, are much better than a safe loneliness.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. It will be released 7 November 2017.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books I was sure I'd love but didn't. I was left a little disappointed despite all the five star reviews.

This is the story about Weylyn - an orphan raised by wolves, who can control the weather, talk to animals, and is one of the gentlest and purest of people - and the lives he touched.

DNF @ 59%.

I will usually rate my DNF books at a one-star but that seems way too harsh. The writing was good - it's whimsical, it's light, and it has a fairytale like cadence...everything I SHOULD like - but something just didn't click with me. I struggled to stay interested enough to finish and constantly picked it up only to be distracted by another book. After a couple of months (rather than the couple of days I usually take), I finally decided to throw in the towel. I just didn't care enough about Weylyn to continue.

I did love, however, HOW people changed after their interactions with Weylyn and it made me think about those that have touched my own life to change it for the better. I thoroughly enjoy when books make me introspective because it means that I've connected with them on some level. I can only hope I've touched someone else in that positive of a way.

I wish I could pin-point what exactly about the book I couldn't get into...perhaps I was expecting more of this to be magical and atmospheric? I wasn't satisfied with the brief flashes of the few characters I did enjoy? All of the above?

Those that want a light and easy whimsical read may enjoy this but don't expect deep character development.

This book was unexpectedly great. A sweet love story, mixed with humor and fantasy. I don't usually enjoy love stories much, but this was just the right kind for me. Loved it.

Really enjoyed this modern fairy tale that takes you through the decades of a life unlike any other. Weylyn is a great character and the love story here made me tear up toward the end of the book. The only negative would be that the story was told from so many perspectives that it got a little hard to keep the characters straight at times.

This was absolutely beautiful. My favorite book of the year, by far. the writing is fantastic and creative and my favorite sentence ever is in this book. A wonderful debut novel and I'm looking forward to reading many more from Ruth Emmie Lang.

I received a free Kindle copy of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang courtesy of Net Galley  and St. Martin's Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I am on the search for new fantasy and science fiction authors and the description of the book sounded interesting. It is the first book by Ruth Emmie Lang I have read (not hard to imagine as it is her first book).

I had high hopes for this book, but it was disappointing. The author's writing style just did not resonate with me. It was slow moving and did not hold my interest for long periods of time. Other reviewers found the book quite enjoyable, but it just did not take me to the place I thought it would based on the description.

Though I can definitely see where this book will do well I just felt like I wasn't connecting with it well. Even with that issue it was super unique and something I hope to revisit with a fresh mindset

I really enjoyed reading about Weylan Grey, a boy raised by wolves, who is pulled back into human society. He possesses magical powers that he doesn’t fully understand and his coming of age story takes you on a magical mystery tour of magical realism. He enchants the reader from the start and the book transport you to a wholesome fairy tale world that I didn’t want to leave. I would highly recommend.

This story followed the quirky adventures of Weylyn Grey, as he grows and learns. His selflessness is inspiring and I enjoyed getting to know all the characters he influenced along his journey. He survives many situations, including living with various wolf pacts, tempering storms, and befriending a pig. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This was not exactly what I expected, but I wound up loving it. Weylyn Grey loses his parents early, and winds up living for a while with a pack of wolves. And then his life takes a few more surprising turns. He can speak to the animals, he can control the weather, he is gentle and loving and yet at times he's a very tragic figure. He meets some remarkable people as he grows up, and experiences great sadness and loneliness, along with great happiness. The story jumps around a bit, but it does lay out his life beautifully. This is just a wonderful story of friends and family, love and loss, how chance meetings can change a life - and there's just the right amount of magic sprinkled throughout. I can't wait to see what Ruth Emmie Lang writes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this perfectly wonderful story. Loved it! 4.5 stars!

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is the story of Weylyn Grey, but told from the perspective of those who had first hand experiences with him, they could be people who loved him, friends or acquaintances in that period of his life. This is was probably my favourite aspect of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance as it was a fresh approach that I had never read before. Your opinions of Weylyn are influenced by the narrator of that particular chapter of Weylyn’s life.. leaving you with a curiosity that leads you throughout the entire novel.

With Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance being a magical realism the pacing is quite slow, but I think a slower pacing is necessary for this genre as it allows you to fully immerse yourself into the plot and get to know the characters involved.

My only complaint about Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is the atmosphere, I found the world building was quite lacking. For a story that primarily takes place in the southern United States it didn’t quite feel as distinct as I think it could have been. For a story like this I believe the setting is as important as the characters and the setting didn’t quite live up to my hopes when I went into the story.

Overall I adored Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, Weylyn is such a precious little bean. If you’re seeking a magical realism with an adorable, curious main character I highly recommend Ruth Emmie Lang’s debut novel Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance.

This book was an advance copy I received via NetGalley and had a myriad of different impressions throughout the book. 

My first thought was that the book's title was a misnomer but the final conclusion I arrived at was that this book does not just mention Weylyn Grey (our lead) as a beast but that all the people who pop in and out of the story are but beasts trapped in their circumstances. This realisation and the ending that had just the right tone made this book rate higher.

Some of the parts of the book were not as good as the others but if worked through, the good part is not far behind. The story begins with Weylyn's birth and follows him to his old age at important intervals. Nature has a way of sensing his emotions and act accordingly. This information is a revelation in progress and it has its repercussions. The life is not easy and he is not an ideal fictional character but a very human one with a childish side ( his childhood having been spent with wolves). From 'wolf boy' to  'Old Man Spider' we can hear the tale unfold from different people and overall this was a good read.

3.5 stars
A magical and modern tale, full of warmth and charm, and with a dash of humor too.
Weyland is a special character, and this is his story, told through his encounters with the various people who helped to shape his life. Orphaned as a young boy, he grows up in the forest with a pack of wolves, but as if that is not unusual enough, he appears to have magical abilities to control weather, or at least influence it, since sometimes what happens is out of his control, and has a pet pig, which may also be magical.
This is a book filled with whimsy, but underneath that, there is a story about a man who has struggled to fit in his whole life while being different, and who has used those differences to isolate himself by pushing away anyone who comes too close.
It's a sweet read, and definitely well written, one for those who are young at heart.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances has a bit of an extraordinary problem – the prose and the setting compete with each other for gorgeousness. I’d spend three paragraphs admiring the writing, to suddenly find, oops, the story has slipped into fairy tale mode while I wasn’t paying attention. It was a wonderful experience.

And yet despite the beautiful words and evocative ambiance, I felt the story lacked emotional weight. To me, the end was trying to be climactic, but we had spent too short a time with some of the characters to truly feel the significance the author (and prose, and story) desired.

Nevertheless, this is a beautiful book, and I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing it.

Filled with beauty, charm, and magic, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance chronicles the life of Weylyn Grey, an extraordinary man with the ability to touch and impact so many people's lives in the short amount of time they encounter him.

An orphan raised by wolves, Weylyn's story begins under tragic circumstances. His parents were killed in an accident leaving him alone at an incredibly young age. Old enough to remember his parents, yet too young to fend for himself, he wanders to the woods where the wolves become his new family. Which would be odd and tragic in itself under ordinary circumstances, but Weylyn Grey is anything. While living with his wolf-family, he meets a girl about his own age, and that's truly where this story begins. Weylyn meets many people over the course of his life, never staying in one place for very long, but there's one person who will always remain in both his heart and mind - a girl named Mary, the friend he met when he was living with his wolves.

I loved this book to pieces, and it's one of those ones I'll talk about and recommend until everyone I know has read it (and even some I don't know). Ruth Emmie Lang created such an endearing character with Weylyn, with his innocence and his wit and his knack for leaving such an impact on those he meets. He carries his innocence long through adulthood, and possessed a beautiful spirit that infected everything around him - from people to animals to nature and everything in between.

Bottom line - do yourself a favor and read this beautiful book. It's a story of love, yes, but it's so much more. Whimsical and magical and equal parts beautiful and tragic, this is definitely a book that's going on my Favorites of 2017 Shelf. Highly recommended, and I'll certainly be looking out for anything else Ruth Emmie Lang graces readers with.