“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Take something beautiful and vandalize it with skepticism?”

I love magical realism, and as much as I hate comparing authors, this novel had a similar feel to Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace. I absolutely adore the beginning with Roarke’s story. The ‘Old Spider Man’, it just tickled my fancy to no end, it’s fantastical and exactly the sort of magical spice I love. The novel is about the lives of all the people crossing paths with Weylyn Grey, a boy and later a man both of this world and not. Strange things happen around him, strange curious things, but the biggest curiosity is him. Are his gifts a blessing or a curse? He is dangerous, but could the love of Mary save him? Can love save any of us? Aren’t we all dangerous in our nature, all of us slipping in some mess, hurting others unintentionally, a beacon for some, a misery for others? Isn’t love, friendship, all of it a complete mystery and adventure?

He is a fleeting beauty to some, a rip in the safe universe for others, but no one remains untouched after being in his presence. Inside the heart of a the wild boy raised by wolves, there is tragedy, disasters that have left him the biggest victim of all. It’s a strange and wonderful journey, there is an intelligence in the ‘fantasy’ that touched me. He is, like many of us, afraid of himself, in his own way because of his extraordinary gifts that aren’t always leading to rainbows and happy endings. Everything costs him, even helping others, much as it does the rest of us. Misery and happiness are conjoined twins for anyone alive and kicking.

Of course we are all of nature, though we forget with our creature comforts, but Weylyn is connected in a mysterious way even he can’t understand. He isn’t the only character, the people he touches or scratches with his wildness are beautifully written even in their rottenness. Lydia Kramer’s story broke my heart, the sixth daughter of a beautiful brood of girls, the least remarkable one according to her vain mother, but she has such fire and bite. This is a captivating novel, I miss these sort of stories terribly because to me, the most mysterious thing of all is human nature and the environment the surrounds us. Does Lang spin a fantastical web, sure- but there is so much painful reality within to keep you anchored. What an achingly lovely novel. I cannot wait to read her next novel! I have a new favorite author! This won’t be out until November, hence I didn’t divulge much, I really don’t want to ruin the novel. I didn’t share all the things I highlighted, wish I could!

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

St. Martin’s Press

Upon finishing this book, I thought: Wow, this was beautiful! But why didn't it click for me?

It's taken me a few days to finish writing this review, because I had to let my thoughts simmer about it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, but when I put it down, I didn't feel an immediate urge to pick it up again. Perhaps the slow magic was what drew me back to it, the simmering style of the author that fills your heart with warmth.

Overall, the plot is simple: it's the life of a man names Weylan Grey, who apparently can speak to animals, control the weather, make plants grow... fantastic gifts, which all make for a fantastic character. We see his life through the eyes of different people he meets along the way (always two at a specific point in time, with hints clueing you in to what happened while he was away). It's also a love story, between him and a brilliant woman named Mary.

Despite the fact that there are dangerous hurricanes, wolves, and snowstorms, the novel still has this odd sense of tranquility. It's calm, slow paced. The story moves along in a gentle, steady way, like a quiet walk through a forest. You can't help but love Weylan, his comical confusion with the rest of mankind (the running gag of the business cards had me in stitches) and his ease with animals.

I think it's the love story that messed with me the most. Now I won't say anything here because of spoilers, but the ending, while it looked cute and romantic, at second glance rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I'm too picky. I should just be happy for them.

It's one of those are cases where I preferred how the author told the story over the story itself. Beautiful book, nonetheless. For fans of magical realism, love, and wolves.

I will fully admit that the beginning of this book was slow to grab me. If you find the first fifty pages a bit difficult, I would recommend sticking it out to page 100 before making a decision about whether to press on. As for me, I'm glad I did because Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is an utterly charming novel.

Weylyn Grey is a boy who lived with a pack of wolves after the death of his parents. You might imagine that he would struggle with human connections, but he forms a close bond with a girl named Mary who is mourning the loss of her mother. The novel flits through various perspectives of the people who know him throughout his life: Mary, his foster sister, his adoptive mother, a supervisor, and more. Strange weather seems to follow Weylyn, and that isn't the only connection he has with nature. Through his life, he has to struggle with this influence as either a blessing or a curse. This novel is a lovely work of magical realism that explores the bonds between people and how willing we are to believe what we see, no matter how fantastical it may be.

A magical tale about a man who can control nature, whether he wants to or not, and the lives he touches along the way in his life.

Weylyn Grey, now an older man, recounts his life to Roarke, a young boy who on a bet wanders into where Weylyn has been living, who hears the recounting of his life orphaned in the woods and raised as a child as part of a wolf pack that treated him as one of their own. Cut off from the outside world, he's suddenly pushed back into it when Mary Penlore runs away with him into the woods. Once the two return to civilization, Weylyn must join society once again.

Things might have gone a lot smoother if Weylyn didn't have a peculiar gift for nature. He can understand animals in a way that no one else can, as if they are speaking to him and he speaking back, and can control the weather - whether he wants to or not. If he's angry, it can start raining and later in life when he's asked to stop a hurricane- he does.

As he moves from family to family, life to another life, he runs time and time again into Mary and the two stories intertwine in a way that will leave you needing to dab your eyes at the end.

The story of Weylyn is a heartbreaking tale of a man with a peculiar gift he can barely control who longs for love and acceptance. He can understand the animals better than he can his own human counterparts who let him down time and time again. To find a home, Weylyn is torn between the humanity he's a part of and nature and the wolves who call to him in howls in the night.

Told from multiple points of view, this debut novel is a keeper. It's everything you want a novel to be: it's got a great story, originality, and a heartwarming center storyline that makes you care for these characters beyond the final page.

Lang does an excellent job of providing wonder in these pages that suspend any disbelief and the writing is completely solid.

Readers definitely should add this book to their bookshelves and Book Clubs for sure should make this one of their book picks.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for early access to this title out November 7th, 2017.

I'm so happy to be one of the people that have gotten to read Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang before it comes out in November. It is such a lovely story, filled with magic, fun characters, and many emotions.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is the story of Weylyn Grey's life, it is told not only from his perspective, but also the people that have been close to him. Weylyn is a unique individual, he has a connection to nature that he doesn't even fully understand. This connection to nature manifest itself in a few different ways; he lives with wolves and his emotions may or may not affect the weather. Because of these powers he fears he could put the people he cares about, particularly Mary, the woman he loves, in danger.

This book was not only a fantasy story, but a love story. It is a beautiful book with a lot of imagination in it. I enjoyed the landscapes chosen for the story and how the love story aspect interwinds with the magical aspect. I think this is the kind of book you read as an adult and get transported to your childhood, when anything seemed possible. You see Weylyn's life unfold from childhood to adulthood, and even though he does get a bit cynical as he grows up, there is always some wonder in his life.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed the nature aspect of this story. Weylyn's connection to nature, his respect for it, I think is something that we should emulate more. I loved reading about Weylyn's life and the magnificent stories those who met him got to tell.

I think this book is a great gift for any book lover in your life. It's a book you can reread and still enjoy. Most importantly, it's a book with vivid imagery, that will put a smile in your face. If you love fantastic stories, if you love wolves, if you love magical realism, you need to read this.

I LOVED this amazing sweet story. I'm a bit in love 💘with Weylan. All the characters were so wonderful. I loved each and every one of them. I thought we were going one way but then we went another way, which I was equally happy about. There was so much in this story. Part fantasy, part love story, part spiritual guide, it fires in all levels.

This book. Oh wow this book. I seriously loved it. I usually hate books with unusual methods of storytelling and multiple perspectives but this was a beautiful piece of work. I was sucked in by the story immediately. All of the characters are interesting, so very likable and have unique voices.

Weylyn is such a genuinely human character. His emotions feel so authentic and it doesn’t seem played up for dramatic effect. The ending was slightly predictable but honestly, I didn’t mind it.

It was a fun and uplifting read, not to serious and with an interesting format. I absolutely recommend this book and will likely read it again.

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.

What a lovely, strange book!

The story of Weylyn Grey’s life is told mostly through the perspectives of the other people he encounters across his life, starting with the Doctor who delivered him noticing the strange snow that began to fall at the time of birth. Weylyn is odd – magical even – able to interact with the weather and connect with wild animals. However, he struggles to find a place and people who he can fit in with. Weylyn also seems to struggle with the nature of his power – seeming in turns to understand what he can do, being afraid of it and his control over it, and finding new uses for it.

It’s a close tie between the characterisation and the prose as to what makes this book. The characters are lovely and real. I like that they have their own lives and personalities that continue on even while Weylyn is not there and I like that we got to see them develop over their lives, too. They’re a varied cast, but all have good hearts that are often standing up against their own struggles about who they are and whether the rest of the world accepts them. Being an outsider is depicted in lots of different ways across this novel and they’re all interesting angles on the same idea.

Lang’s prose is beautiful. Easy to read with inventive descriptions, wonderful dialogue and scatterings of humour and fantastic imagery contrasted against the mundane world. There wasn’t a single sentence in here that wasn’t thought-through and presented exactly how the author wanted it to be. The artistry is obvious and for a debut it’s impressive.

I found the pacing worked well, jumping as it did across time and place and people to tell Weylyn’s story. But I did also find that the story lacked an overall direction beyond following Weylyn’s life. As much as I enjoyed the world and the characters, and Weylyn himself I would have liked a bit more of a narrative thread – a goal or motivating driver or something. A reason beyond Welylyn’s mere existence as to why all of this is special. I get that with this sort of book it’s much more about internal journeys - particularly in this one it’s about finding your place in the world, and the people you call family, and coming to find peace with yourself and your own personal weirdness - but I don’t think an overarching external conflict would have gone amiss.

Next time you’re looking for a warm story about people circling around and finding each other across a lifetime, edged with light fantasy elements, this is the book you should be thinking about.

An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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!