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ghostsversion's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don’t get to say this often, but I really had no idea what this book was actually about when I started reading it. With that being said, I thought this was an interesting story. The dual POV narrative for each “book” was also cool, more so because one was almost always an outsider and the other was very close to Weylyn. The fantastic elements were cool albeit not really explained thoroughly but to be fair that wasn’t the point of the story. Even though the characters weren’t always really perfect, looking at you Lydia with your “fraternity over sorority” crap (internalized misogyny is bad guys) I think that made them more real in a way. The ending was kind of left open in my opinion (what do you mean Mary had a husband? where is he?) but it wasn’t horrendous so whatever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Animal death, Cursing, and Sexism
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
caitlinpfry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is filled with wonderful contradictions. Its lessons are simple yet complex. Its emotions pure yet overwhelming. Its plot is ordinary yet otherworldly.
This is going on my list of books to recommend to readers who believe that playing with glitter can be messy but always worth it.
This is going on my list of books to recommend to readers who believe that playing with glitter can be messy but always worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
melaniem03's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a little quiet, a little whimsical, a little slow, and a lot of heart. The MC from the get go is a bit mysterious and magical but you only get to know him through the POVs of others until the very end. He tells his story in interludes to a young boy - tracing key episodes throughout his life typically through multiple POVs during that period. I enjoyed this as a quiet, subtle read about the magic of the world, and the real magic that lies in our connection to those around us.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Animal death
amberjackonski's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
haexelhasel's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racism, and Terminal illness
jedore's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"You have all this good inside you, but you give it all away. You don't keep any for yourself."
This is the latest in a string of recently published novels that just didn't really do it for me.
Until the end, this magical realism story was told by secondary characters in the book—only in the second to last chapter did the main character, Weylyn, chime in. Maybe I missed something (big), but I never did fully grasp anything more than he had some magical powers tied to weather and nature (particularly wolves).
Despite reasonably good development, the characters felt flat to me. Being that it's primarily a character driven story, this meant the whole book was flat for me.
Clearly, there are many who would disagree with me as the book is holding a 4+ rating here. I go back to chemistry...we had enough of it to keep me reading until the end, but not enough to stay with me for much longer.
This is the latest in a string of recently published novels that just didn't really do it for me.
Until the end, this magical realism story was told by secondary characters in the book—only in the second to last chapter did the main character, Weylyn, chime in. Maybe I missed something (big), but I never did fully grasp anything more than he had some magical powers tied to weather and nature (particularly wolves).
Despite reasonably good development, the characters felt flat to me. Being that it's primarily a character driven story, this meant the whole book was flat for me.
Clearly, there are many who would disagree with me as the book is holding a 4+ rating here. I go back to chemistry...we had enough of it to keep me reading until the end, but not enough to stay with me for much longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Bullying
motleybooksandtea's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Bullying, and Fatphobia
erinwolf1997's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Car accident
a_reader_of_book's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance" tells the story of Weylyn Grey and his incredible life. He runs with wolves, may or may not have magical abilities, befriends a pig, and touches the lives of the people he meets. This book is a pretty decent example of storytelling. It feels like the kind of story you could hear around a campfire. It covers decades of life choices and adventures. I enjoyed that Weylyn's story was told through the eyes of the people he interacted with, and it was just as much about them as it was about him. It was a simple read that was joyful. While the story may be about Weylyn, I think I found more connection with some of the other characters in his life, specifically his adoptive sister Lydia and his coworker Duane. Like I said, "Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance" was a pleasing read. I didn't fall in love with it, but it was alright.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Blood
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