Weylyn Grey's life has never been what one would call
ordinary. From his very first breath of air, Weylyn affected
the weather itself as snow began to fall and continued to
fall until 6 inches were on the ground. This wouldn't be
the first or the last time that the weather was affected by
Weylyn. Orphaned and subsequently raised by wolves, Weylyn
lives a unique life and BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES is his story as told by those who briefly
experience some of the strangeness that surrounds Weylyn.
Told through snippets from other characters, BEASTS OF
EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES threads its way through
Weylyn's life. At first, I found the change in narrators a
bit disconcerting, particularly since I wasn't overly fond
of some of the early narrators of the story.
Surprisingly, Mary Penlore is my least favorite narrator and
yet she's the love of Weylyn's life. I love the magic
surrounding their romance but their early exploits left me
shaking my head in frustration. Soon, however, we meet Lydia
Cramer and Mrs. Meg Lowry, two of my favorite characters in
the storyline. It was only by seeing Weylyn through their
eyes that I began to truly like Weylyn.
I love the animals that weave in and out of the storyline of
BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. From Merlin the
magical pig to Matilda the talking raccoon, the animals
provide a sense of wonder and magic to the story. However,
Ruth Emmie Lang doesn't hesitate to show the darker,
harsher side of nature as we clearly see with the wolves and
the bees. Regardless, the scene with the fireflies will stay
with me for a long time as that sense of wonder is so well
executed by Ruth Emmie Lang.
It's hard to characterize BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES as it has magical realism, romance, and quite
a bit of fantasy in it. The strength of the relationships
and the reader's investment in the believability of those
relationships is what makes BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES work. If you love magical realism, don't
hesitate to give Ruth Emmie Lang's BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES a try.
Finding magic in the ordinary.
In this warm debut novel, Ruth Emmie Lang teaches us about
adventure and love in a beautifully written story full of
nature and wonder.
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.
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