Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance
5/5
This book was absolutely amazing from start to finish. It was magical, beautiful and thought provoking.
I love this story because of the purity and complexity of Weylyn Gray. His unexplained abilities are never officially identified as magic, but they are the closest thing that any of our characters have ever experienced. This is magic in an almost "possible" way.
As much as this Potterhead would love there to be a secret magical world hidden right under all our noses, the magic in this book is something that you can almost feel everyday, in small familiar ways.
"I wasn't doing magic, but I was in it, surrounded on all sides by incredible, beautiful things. It made me feel like a wizard even though I wasn't one, even though I never could be one" p. 306
I absolutely love the way we get to know Weylyn- through the eyes of others as they interact with him.
As you meander through the thoughts of many characters, you learn just as much about them as individuals, as you also learn about Weylyn.
Mary is a brave child, who turns into a scared adult during the periods without Weylyn in her life. Her timid demeanor makes it a complete shock when she runs away to live with Welyn & his wolfpack.
I think we can all relate to Mary- her somewhat carefree and naive childhood turns into a sad and unhappy adulthood. Constantly punishing herself for things outside of her control, she forces herself into a miserable field of study & a horrendous relationship (Quan is the WORST!)
"If country music has taught me anything, it's that getting drunk probably isn't the best method of dealing with heartbreak. But I'm a traditionalist" p. 202
The absolute & pure love she and Weylyn share is something for the story books. As soon as Weylyn finds her, Mary's spirit is resurrected.
She leaves her crummy boyfriend and finally works to achieve her goals- working with wolves. With Weylyn, Mary begins pursuing and accomplishing her dreams. She just needed a little magic.
" I was always doing that, apologizing for the way I looked as if the world were somehow suffering from it" - Mary p.29
Lydia is the courageous high-schooler who isn't afraid to be different. She never wavers from her true self as she embraces Weylyn as a brother as an adult, just as much as she did as a child. Her true ability to welcome any one into her home, no matter how strange, is the kind of openness I hope to personally embrace.
"Well, I guess we have that in common," I said, raising my glass. Weylyn raised his too, and we toasted to not quite fitting in" p. 225
I cannot reccomend this book enough. The way the author transports you to a childlike belief in magic is a feeling you never want to let go.
