This one was pretty good the first part of it slightly horrified me to the point where I almost put it down. But I kept going and I am glad I did. This one lacks a little character development which I would have liked but other than that the story and plot keeps it going. I loved the blend of Norway and the old American West. It was an amazing blend and I wish more authors would explore blends like this. This one doesn't shy away from brutality and blood guts and gore and it made it awesome if you like those kinds of things in your teen novels. I would definitely recommend this one.

“She was a Berserker, cursed to fly into action whenever anyone she loved was in danger. A killer who would be compelled to murder elegantly, viciously, and without remorse.”

Berserker is the story of a family blessed with the Nytte. Or cursed with it. It depends on who you ask.

The story is told through the alternating narration of Hanne, Owen and Rolf. Hanne is the oldest daughter in her family. Her older brother Stieg, and her younger brother Knut all have a variation of the Nytte. The youngest, Sissel, shows no sign of the Nytte. Owen is a cowboy in America trying to find his way in the wild frontier; with plenty of his own demons to fight along the way.

After an incident forces the siblings to pack up and flee their home in Norway. They head to America, where they have family living in Montana. They hope to be able to find someone with the Berserker gift to help Hanne keep her gift under control.

“Embrace the Nytte,” Aud said, as Hanne scrambled backward in the pine needles and dried leaves. “Open your heart to it, or it will be the ruin of you. And your siblings, too.”

Rolf is an interesting character, and I won’t say much about him though to avoid spoilers. His is mission finding the Nytte in children and ensuring that the gifts do not die out. The role he plays with Hanne and her siblings brings a richer understanding of the legend of the Nytte, and it keeps some of the mythical elements entwined in the plot.

“Rolf kept his eyes trained on the faces of the crowd. Despite the hectic and daunting landscape that presented itself, what Rolf saw again and again, on all manner of faces, was hope.”

Once the family gets to America, they manage to make it through immigration and onto the train that will take them to Wolf Creek where their uncle lives. But they have been pursued from Norway and fleeing the men who chase them causes their path to collide with Owen’s. Literally. Owen agrees to take them the rest of the way.

“It was a strange spell that had been cast. Disaster had been so narrowly averted, and by such sudden heroics. No one could think of quite what to do next.”

The relationships between the siblings was written well. Sissel goes from being a bratty younger sister, jealous of her older siblings, to quite loving and doting when necessary. There were a few times when her tantrums felt a little shallow, but overall, it felt natural. Tantrums and jealousy aside, it was nice to read how they all worked together as a team and really only wanted the best for each other.

Owen and Daisy, his dog, were great characters. It is through them that we get a real sense of the frontier, and how hard life could be back then. In his agreeing to be their guide, we also get to read details about what travel was like then too. He is teaching them at the same time he is teaching us. I thought that was really well done.

“Perhaps even the most friendly town might seem hostile when you were on the lookout for it.”

This book is a mix of western folklore and mythology. The blend was unique and refreshing to read. It was a very fast read, at only 288 pages, and they all flew by. Laybourne does a really good job mixing enough information to really submerse us deep into both the reality of the frontier with the legend of ancient mythology, all while driving the plot forward.

What I rally liked was how each of the characters all struggled with acceptance in some way. Owen, to accept that he was good enough, even if his family thought he wasn’t. Hanne’s struggle for acceptance is a little more complicated. Her impulse to kill when her loved ones are in danger must be controlled, so she isn’t necessarily looking to ‘accept’ that aspect of herself. Sissel and Rolf both struggle with acceptance as well, though I don’t want to give anything away. And acceptance means different things for each of the characters, some leading to tragedy and others to triumph. I really enjoyed the complexity of each of these characters and how their journeys were both internal and external.

“Feelings didn’t seem to care if they made sense.”

We read books to get lost in a story, but the best stories teach us something as well. Legends and folklore often had morals to them. Endings to help us see a bigger truth either about ourselves or the world at large. So, it felt right that a book based on legend and folklore would have a moral wrapped up in it as well.

Overall, this was a fun read with a good story. It did feel a touch on the younger side of YA to me, so some of the conversations and plot pacing felt a little simplistic to me. But, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan for approving my request to read and review this book!

This was a miss for me. I didn't review it anywhere.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read Berserker by Emmy Laybourne! Hanne has inherited Norwegian Berserker powers and supposedly this is what drove her mother away. Hanne lives with her drinking father, two brothers and a younger sister. Her eldest brother Steig wants to move to America, get a teaching job and bring his siblings to America when he has enough money. Hanne’s story alternates with Owen Bennett’s, who’s treated badly by his family because he’s the product of Mr. Bennett’s past affair. Hanne is overtaken by the Berserker powers when she senses that her family is in danger and she kills the three men that mean to cause harm to her family and her father ends up dying also. The four siblings run away from their home. Meanwhile, two men, Rolf and Ketil, are sent by a Baron, their employer, to hunt down any Nytte, anyone with Norwegian descent that has inherited Viking strengths. They all travel to America. Owen meets the siblings when he saves Sissel from a moving train so she can be with her family. Owen becomes the family’s guide. Along the way to their uncle’s home in Montana, the group braves many setbacks and they also meet Ketil and Rolf. The story comes full circle with much action and adventure involved and the loyalty of friends and family is what I enjoyed the most in this book. 4 stars for a suspense filled mythological adventure!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Berserker sounds amazing - Norse Gods and Vikings in the American West - but I struggled so much. It is a quick read but I didn't care much for Hanne which prevented me from really getting into this. I do like that family plays an important role but the world building could have been expanded a bit.
I can see I'm in the minority here so if the premise interests you I suggest giving it a shot.

The Nyette are gifts handed down within the bloodline that can manifest in different ways. Hanne's gift is that of a berserker: she is driven to protect those that she loves, even to the point of killing enemies. As a result of this trait, her mother left the family years ago, she and her siblings lost their father, her brother is blamed for a crime he didn't commit, and now have to leave Norway for America. They're followed by those interested in the Nyette, and are led through the wilderness by Owen, their guide through the Montana wilderness to find the uncle that had left Norway years ago.

Hanne's fears for the berserker trait and the desire to keep from killing led most of the family's actions and need to move throughout the novel. It's a reasonable fear, given all the family had lost, and one that her younger sister resents. Her brothers Steig and Knut don't fear their gifts, and are able to use them when needed.

Their story eventually links up with Owen, a hard working and likable young man hoping to make it as a cowboy rather than a ranch hand. The romance between Owen and Hanne is very slow going, and even by the end of the book there's no big spark or flare to passion that usually is seen in the paranormal romance genre. As a result, this is a book that is very much geared toward a young adult audience.

It's more historical paranormal fiction than romance, really. There is more attention given to the powers of the Nyette and the family interactions, as well as the two men following them with the intention of collecting them and returning them to Norway.

The descriptions of their travels in this time period and the concern involved were very vividly done, and I could easily picture cinematic sequences for them.

This is a great book, and I would love to read more adventures regarding the rest of the siblings.

If you’re looking for a story with a decent amount of action and don’t mind rather graphic violence, you might want to give this book a try.

Just in case the title and blood splatter on the cover aren’t enough to warn potential readers, the author opens the book with a vividly described scene of a pig being slaughtered for butchering. Plenty of animal and human deaths follow in the course of the novel. So, if that sort of thing bothers you, you really don’t want to read this book.

The story is a mashup of a Western and Norse fantasy, and I’ve never read anything quite like it. In 1883, Hanne and her siblings flee Norway to find their uncle in Montana after Hanne kills three men who were threatening her father. Hanne’s family is descended from Viking royalty who were given magical gifts (the Nytte) by the Norse gods. Hanne herself is a Berserker, a preternaturally skilled warrior whose abilities are triggered by threats to herself or those she loves. Although the family believes they will be safe in America, they are pursued by from Norway by men working for a noble who is “collecting” people gifted with the Nytte. They also find that the story of the triple murder has followed them across the ocean, with Hanne’s younger brother Knut being wanted as the killer. As they try to evade their pursuers, Hanne’s brother hires a young cowboy, Owen, to guide them to their uncle’s home. They then set out into the Montana wilderness, where they must overcome threats from the harsh environment and from people who would hurt them.

Other than Hanne, Owen, and Rolf (one of the Norwegian men hunting the family), most of the characters aren’t developed in much detail. Hanne gets the most page time, and she’s a pretty unhappy person, which might put off some readers. I think her moping is justified, though, given the fact that she becomes a stone-cold killer whether she wants to be or not. In contrast, Ben was definitely a likeable character. I also thought Rolf was interesting. Given the fact that he seems to be guided by the gods in an unusual way, I started wondering whether he had the Nytte himself, although it was never confirmed by the story.

Overall, I found this book to be a quick read. Rather than focusing on characterization, the author spends her time keeping the plot moving along. The book is basically an extended chase peppered with violence, with Hanne and her family attempting to elude the Norwegians as well as people who might recognize Knut as a wanted fugitive. (I’m not really sure how likely it is that wanted posters with his picture would make their way from Norway to the Montana frontier, but I just went with it.)

Berserker is apparently the first in a planned series. I’m hooked enough by the storyline I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next volume to find out what happens next.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Such an interesting story,I was hooked from the beginning.Wonderful set up,brilliant story and great characters.The Norse mythology was so unique I enjoyed it a lot.

It's not a fast paced story but I think the fact that it was slow it was perfect for the atmosphere of the book.
The romance in this novel was also a sweet touch that made me even more connecting and invested in this story.

This book would be perfect for readers who enjoy action .The concept of families with children endowed with gifts from the Norse Gods to be entertaining.

This is one of those books. You know the ones. Where your rating almost completely depends on what happens in book 2. So let's talk Berserker #1.

I love the premise. Children given gifts (Nytte) as descendants of old Norse gods. And Emmy Laybourne, who wrote the Monument 14 series (they could not be more different). Take all of that and mix it in with old west Montana as the setting. Not sure how that looks? I wasn't either but Emmy pulls it off perfectly.

Here's the thing.......... I didn't like the main character, Hanne. I'm sorry! I think I was meant to like her.... I just don't. She's this amazing STRONG sixteen-year-old girl who can't manage to stop viewing her gift as a curse and whines a lot. This is why my enjoyment depends so much on book 2. Does she grow? If so, it makes a huge difference.

Other positives:
1. It's a quick read. (Also a negative because now I'm just sitting and waiting for book 2!)
2. I love the central theme of family. So many books don't include family. It was nice to see, and I will be interested to see what happens next.
3. It's just so unique! No one else is writing this stuff. Fans of indie author D.S. Murphy and Erin Bowman can sink into "Berserker".

Unique concept
Dang! I really love this concept! The Norse mythology was so unique and so well utilized in the story. And yet the rest of the story just didn't really do it justice because the actual reasoning behind the plot felt almost 2nd to something else. Would have loved more focus on the mythology and how this affected the characters (ie their development.)

Slow
This is not a fast-paced story. Even the intense scenes do not really have a sense of adrenaline or thrill to them. They just are. It kind of lessened the intensity and intrigue of the story, which was quite disappointing as it was such a cool concept.

Undeveloped characters
This... is quite sad. The personalities of all the characters were so different from each other that it honestly felt forced. They felt too different from each other. And none of them really felt well-developed, like there were multiple layers to the characters. Honestly, I think this had to do partly with the number of characters followed through the story. At least two of them had no purpose in being highlighted so much and their scenes could've easily been stricken from the book, which would've made for a tighter, potentially faster story.

Predictable
Sorry to say, this story is extremely predictable. I could figure out what was going to happen and when and to whom before it ever happened, which also had a negative impact on my interest in this story. I didn't quite see how the ending was going to happen, it was still extremely obvious it was going to happen. Nothing surprising happened in this story and I kind of wish it had.

Full of grit and heart, Berserker blends the Old West with Norse mythology in a harrowing tale of survival, family and self-acceptance. The four Hemstad siblings have fled Norway in the aftermath of a gruesome murder wrongly pinned on Hanne's brother, Knut - after all, who would believe that Hanne, a girl, would be capable is killing three grown men? Her Berserker powers are a gift and a curse - a gift in that she can sense impending danger toward herself and her loved ones, a curse in that she's unable to control the deadly rage triggered by such danger. She struggles with self-loathing as they traverse the wilds of Montana with the help of a rugged cowboy guide, dodging enemies on two fronts - those who want to use her Berserker power and those who want to see Knut hang for the murders. This book does an excellent job of presenting America as a melting pot of cultures, by having a steady stream of thoughtful references to the Hemstads' Norwegian background in regards to clothes, word and food, as well as some secondary German characters that are quite delightful. Familial relationships are a dominant force, and the tones of a slowly budding romance don't overshadow that in any way. Berserker is a well-paced frontier adventure that will have you wanting to strike out into the wilderness.

Long ago, the Norse gods bestowed supernatural gifts upon a few favored familial lines. These gifts are called the Nytte. As this gene passes through the bloodlines generation after generation, those who possess Nytte come into their abilities during puberty. With their gifts (or curses, depending on how one views them) also comes often incapacitating negative side effects from headaches and bloody noses to blindness, stopped hearts, and even insatiable hunger. 

For sixteen-year-old Hanne, her gift feels more like a curse to her for she is a berserker. When anyone she loves is threatened or in danger, she flies off into a killing state with little control and all murderous grace. She has always felt ashamed of her gift - even more so when an incident leads her and her three siblings to flee from their home in Norway to America. Upon arriving, the siblings enlist the help of a young cowboy to help guide them across the expanding western frontier to the heart of Montana. Their journey is fraught with harsh weather, mountain lions, and bounty hunters hot on their trail with varying agendas. Yet they also encounter the kindness of strangers, moments of long-forgotten happiness, and strength within each other. 

Emmy Laybourne's genre-blending tale of historical fantasy and Norse mythology took me by surprise. It's so refreshing to see YA tackling different mythologies beyond the same dozen tales re-told over and over again. The biggest compliment I can give Laybourne is that BERSERKER is certainly original and stands out from the offering of historical fantasy on the market. Who would have thought I'd ever read a western mixed with Norse mythology? It's an odd mix, but it works for me. That kind of combination is inherently delightful and if it gets teen readers to branch out and do more mythological research, then I love this book all the more for it. I do think, however, that Laybourne could have expanded more on the world-building at large and gave her plot more meat as opposed to shuffling her characters from point A to point B for most of it. The setting never immersed me deep enough. Given that the ending hints at a sequel, I'm hoping for growth in future installments, if possible. The potential is absolutely there. 

BERSERKER also does a rare thing and gives priority to familial relationships than romance (though, the romance is still here). You don't see that often in YA, so when it happens, it's something to take notice of. They have their ups and downs, but the protectiveness and love between Hanne and her siblings shine through on the page at all times. It's nice to read about a solid familial unit like that - and seeing them gradually fold Owen, someone for whom the idea of a loving family was a foreign concept to him, into their family brought a warmer touch to the dynamic. The romance aspect was fine, if a bit rote, though I will say how much I appreciate the quieter, more introspective male love interests cropping up in YA these days. More Owens and less alpha males with dubious behaviors, please. 

All in all, BERSERKER is worth a read for the interesting blend of genres, fresh mythological takes, the importance of family, and the discovery of self-worth that has little to do with a romantic cure-all. It's not a perfect tale and it only scratches the surface of the true greatness it can be, but it's a start.

Berserker is a brilliantly violent story that keep me up till two in the morning aching to finish it. Berserker is a mix of horror, historical fiction, fantasy, and dark western combined to make a story that I could not put down no matter how hard I tried.

The descriptions in this book are grotesque yet somehow beautiful and it made my eyes dance across the page to see what would happen next. Before this book I never had the desire to pick up a western set novel (even though I grew up watching little house on the prairie), because westerns never looked interesting to me. However, I think I’m regretting that thought because this book was just too good to resist. Plus, the western elements were done incredibly well and I really enjoyed the cowboy aspect and traveling down the old American West.

The romance in this novel was also a sweet touch that made me even more connecting and invested in this story. It felt so hopeless because of how grossly violent Hanne’s powers as a Berserker were and how calm and different our helpful cowboy was. I also really enjoyed the family tension that their growing interest started to create, especially with Hanne’s little sister. It was cool to see the anger and worry build as they all worked out if Owen (our handsome cowboy) could be trusted with their family secret or not.

The families magical gifts added another layer of fascination for me, especially with the horrid consequences that come from using those gifts. The contrasting details of how gorgeously the use of the gift were described and the horrid nature of their punishment made for a deliciously rich narrative.

This book is one of my favorites of the year. The way Emmy Laybourne spins together words into music made this story very special. I don’t think I could ever get enough of it.

I love the literal, and figurative strength of our main female protagonist, as well as the relationship she has with her siblings. It is great to see that women can also struggle with the same issues as men in regards to what they are truly capable of.

How would you live if you had a skill for killing? What if that skill leads to the ruin of your family? This book is the story of Hanne who is born with the skill of the Beserker.

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hanne and her brothers and sisters are gifted with powers from the Norse gods. Hanne is a Berserker, when her family is threatened she becomes an uncontrollable murderer. No one can know about her powers but when Hanne must use her powers to protect her family the siblings must go on the run fleeing Norway to the American Old West. While on their journey the group hires Owen, an American cowboy, who will serve as their guide and who may be able to see beyond Hanne's secrets.

This book definitely has a slow start but once the siblings meet up with Owen the definitely picks up. However, the story felt a little mismatched with the narrative feeling as if it was aimed at a younger readers but the story is dotted with many, many gory interactions.

I don't really know how to feel about this book. I was sold immediately by the synopsis when I got the email from NetGalley. Vikings and cowboys and old Norse Gods? Sign me the heck up.

And it does have all of those things. Unfortunately, the character development just isn't that deep. At first, I thought we were going to get some really intense stuff, since the dad is an alcoholic, and the mother abandons her children because of their Nytte gifts. There could have been some serious OOMPH added to the character dynamics there. But really, aside from some pretty gnarly sister rivalry, it's pretty bland.

I liked the story itself though. It's fast-paced, and the concept is good. The Norse lore is really interesting, and I like how she brought in the history of the northern and midwestern US--how it was homesteaded by people from different European backgrounds.

I probably won't continue the series, if there is one (it's labeled Berserker #1 on Goodreads), but this was a fun, out of the usual read from a culture I don't get into much.

I liked the premise of this book, but as it neared the end, it seemed the author tried to hard to wrap it up neatly.

I had such high hopes for this book. To be honest, I was sold the second I read "old Norse gods" in the synopsis. I'm such a sucker for anything related to Norse mythology so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Berserker. And while it wasn't a bad read by any means, it didn't really spark any strong interest in me either. 

So. Berserker is a weird mix of a Western and fantasy. We have cowboys and unusual powers with their roots in Viking culture. It's a little odd but I figured I could get behind it, if it was done well. This wasn't done. . . badly? I felt like a lot of work definitely went into writing this book, especially as it falls more in the realm of historical fiction than anything (in my opinion, at least). But I treat historical fiction much like I would fantasy. Because it's not our modern world, I want more detail as a reader to fill in the blanks, to really wrap my head around this "strange new place." 

I didn't get that with Berserker. This world came off as a pretty face and nothing more. I never really went into the West or walked the roads of Norway. I wanted to but just didn't have that depth I look for in a book like this.

The same goes for the characters. Hanne drove me through the roof. She constantly brought the entire mood down and there was no reprieve. Her character's purpose was to make this power of hers, her Nyette, out to be the worst thing that ever happened to her and she now has to overcome it. Except. . . she doesn't, not really, so I really wasn't behind her to succeed. 

Owen is a nice guy but he bored me. I wanted him to reach his dreams but mostly because of the two characters, I didn't mind reading through his eyes as much as Hanne's. But nothing really happened with Owen until the two characters connect and from there it turned into a romance between characters I really didn't care much about so that subplot did nothing for me. 

The thing is, I didn't hate this book. For starters, the entire premise is so unique. I love the idea of combining what would be two genres almost into this one book. Plus, I really don't see a lot of historical YA right now so that sets Berserker apart on the shelf too.

It came down to whether I was entertained or not. This is a very quick read and the pace kept it going the whole way through, but once I finished I was pretty meh about the whole experience. I'd say give it a go if it sounds interesting to you! Just didn't work out for me.

The world building was well done, but I was unable to get into the story.