Book Review: Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

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I’ve seen this book on many tbrs and many times on Goodreads since its publication in 2017, but I never picked it up. I’m glad I finally did. Because Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is another book that surprised me in a really good way.

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 over night, 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.
In this warm debut novel, Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us about adventure and love in a beautifully written story full of nature and wonder.

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve read some of the most unique stories lately, and I’m loving it!!

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is a debut novel that doesn’t read like a debut novel.

It’s whimsical. It’s magical. .It’s altogether different.

I don’t often read magical realism but I also don’t stay away from it. I take it as it comes. As with The House in the Cerulean Sea, magical narrative can be wonderful, and if it’s done well it just works.

The magic in Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance wasn’t too in your face. It was just right. A light sprinkling that made the story so much more interesting. I especially loved Weylyn’s affinity towards animals and nature. And Weylyn himself was such an interesting and endearing character. He is different, and the world sees different with skeptical and fearsome eyes. But for me, he was a character easy to love.

Weylyn’s story, or better his journey, touches so many people, and isn’t a short one. It spans many years. And many stops along the way. The story enfolds throughout many different POV’s and I loved to find out how the different characters met Weylyn and how he touched and changed their lives.

I’ve read a couple books that were told this way, and they always make for a unique way of story telling. And again, it worked for Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, because I couldn’t put the audiobook down. I think I finished all 10 hours in two days.

So, if you want to read something different. Touching. Magical. Well written. I can only recommend it. And I’m not alone. The reviews for this one are fantastic and well deserved.