Best Character: Daisy the dog cattle-herding-extraordinaire

Berserker - Emmy Laybourne
Book Title: Berserker
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Series: Berserker #1
Genre: YA, Historical,
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group Feiwel & Friends
Setting: Norway & Montana
Source: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review


⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜

Plot: 3.8/5
Main Characters: 3.8/5
Secondary Characters: 4/5
The Feels: 3.5/5
Addictiveness: 3.8/5
Theme or Tone: 3.5/5
Flow (Writing Style): 3.5/5
Backdrop (World Building): 4/5
Originality: 5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Ending: 3.8/5 Cliffhanger: Sort of
Total: 3.8/5 STARS


⇝My Thoughts⇜

First off, I freaking love this cover, it's what initially drew me in, and the synopsis had me thinking, wow, that's sounds amazing…Norway mixed with some early American old west…I totally clicked on the READ NOW button on Netgalley. I'm not at all disappointed that I did, either…overall I really liked Berserker…it's just so different from anything else I've been reading lately, but I do have a few issues.

Berserker is very violent and it doesn't sugarcoat any of it, either. Plot wise it's a very ambitious undertaking and I'm not sure the Author pulls it off completely. I would have liked more character development and I wished the romance was a little more developed too. The ending scenes were a little over-the-top supernaturally, and I didn't fully commit to feeling them.

⇝Will I continue this series⇜ I would like too…just to see where it goes from here. It really could have ended with this book, though.

3.5 stars, I think. Really fun, original premise and well-written.

"Berserker" was an interesting and unique story about four brothers and sisters who possess Nytte. Nytte were "gifts" given from the Norse gods to select bloodlines, and they show themselves upon puberty. A Berserker is one of the Nytte where the person is compelled to protect their loved ones by attacking whoever threatens them and murdering them. When the gift takes over, the Berserker is unaware and unusually skilled. Hanne is a Berserker, and she resents her gift- unsurprising, since it was the final straw that caused her mother to leave them. When her father is threatened (and then killed), Hanne is drawn to protect him by murdering his three assailants.

Not sure what to do in the wake of the deaths, the children flee to America where they hope to locate their uncle who is a Berserker and may be able to help Hanne control her gift. They are pursued by some men who collect people with Nytte and train them for unknown (and likely sinister) purposes. After being confronted by them, Hanne makes her brothers and sister jump off the train early to escape. They soon meet Owen, a cowboy in search of work. They hire him to guide them the rest of the way to where their uncle lives.

The first section of the book was a little tedious and difficult to follow as explanations come slowly about the Nytte and background. Once they begin traveling with Owen, the book really picks up and becomes engaging. I found it much better in the second part than the first. Owen and Hanne are drawn to each other pretty quickly, and I would have liked more scenes building up their relationship. They seemed to have little interactions as she was hesitant to get close to him and her siblings took up most of the attention. Regardless, their relationship was sweet. It was interesting to see Hanne evolve in the second part of the book, to begin to overcome her self-hatred and fear of the Nytte, and move towards the inevitable conclusion. The setting was also creative, combining fantasy/magical-type powers and Norse mythology with the wild west/cowboy life.

Overall, it was a creative and enjoyable story. I am very curious to see how the series will continue (with one of the siblings maybe?). Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Short and sweet! I finished this one in a morning of travel and really enjoyed it. It was not the typical fantasy story and I enjoyed that the budding romance did not take away from the plot. I would have liked to see a tad more character development, but overall a great story.

Very few books end up with the coveted position of being on my "wtf is this shit" shelf. This book managed to find it's way there by about page 10. And it was a long slog to the grave after that moment.

I don't know what went wrong with me and this book. I like Vikings. They're my ancestors. I like cowboys. They're cool. Mixing the two together should totally work, right?

So wrong. So very, very wrong.

First of all, while I realize I was reading an ARC, the typos that were everywhere kept distracting me. I'm an English teacher, so missing punctuation just jumps right out at me. And, oh lord, was there missing punctuation. Also, letting your readers know who's speaking is always a good thing. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs where I had to seriously puzzle out who was speaking. There would just be a floating paragraph of dialogue in the middle of a conversation between 3 or more people, all of whom had recently spoken. I terribly wished that I had a Twister board just so I could spin the wheel and make a guess on who was speaking.

Second of all? The lack of characterization or any real growth. The characters were so very, very flat. I didn't bond with any of them - I didn't really like any of them. In fact, I found myself wishing at about page 100 that all the characters would just die and the book would end and my life could go on. And that's a sad thing to say about a 288 page book. The "romance" between Hanne and Owen is just so contrived it hurts. The characters are so stock and so predictable it hurts. This whole book just hurts. Also, the amount of characters that are in the book is a ridiculous amount for a book this size. I didn't care about any of them and half the time I was annoyed by at least half of the "cast".

Third of all? I'm not sure the author did any real research into the American West. The speed that mail moves in the book is completely unrealistic given the time period along with the amount of time that it takes to get places. And while I realize that is a strange thing to gripe about, that's kind of a crucial part of the plot and something needed to help make the setting. I would rant more about this but it would provide huge spoilers for the book.

Fourth of all? If you're going to make up terminology and keep using the terms? DEFINE THEM EARLY IN THE BOOK. Do not make your reader guess for 50+ pages what your made up terms mean. By the time you define what each term actually means, readers have given up caring about the book and trusting you as an author.

Fifth of all? I'm not sure the author realizes that YA audiences really aren't in to historical fiction right now. Adults? Yes. We love it - we also have the background knowledge needed to fully enjoy (or hate) the book (see above rant about the speed of mail). Young adults? Not so much. This book is straddling a weird line. Personally, I would have added some sexy times and made it an adult book and called it a day. No teen I know is going to willingly pick up this one.

I just. I've been more disappointed by books in the past, but this was a rough one. If I could recommend you all a better book to read, I would. Just stay away from this one.

Love Emmy Laybourne! Great YA book... interesting plot and love the characters. Leaves me anxious for a sequel.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the late 1800s, this is the story of 4 Norwegian kids whose bloodline makes them Nytte. Nytte are people blessed with special abilities from the old Norse gods. The kids don't see the abilities as blessings and due to the main character Hanne's berserker ability causing her to kill several men to protect her family, the kids flee to America in search of their uncle. They are pursued by agents of a Norwegian baron who collects Nytte and by various other law agencies. In America they meet up with a cowboy who aids them in their journey. Then the fun begins.
I enjoyed the idea of Viking powers and how they fit together in a Viking crew (berserker, oar breaker, whatever the wind controller was called, treasure finder). I wish Hanne had been a little more accepting of her abilities to begin with but then you wouldn't have had the story you had. The bad guy was definitely despicable, but the showdown at the end bothered me. Here Hanne is, fighting against her power and the mystical chant magically makes her super-awesome-mega-berserker-at-one-with-the-universe. It was a bit too over the top even in a fantasy setting.
Overall a good read and I will order it for the library collection.

Norway meets United States in this supernatural read. It was interesting to read about customs in Norway and Norse legends. I liked reading about Hanne and her siblings. Owen the cowboy in the United States was very likable and he had a unique dream he was pursuing. When he agrees to be a guide for Hanne and her siblings it is the start of the true adventure. I must admit when I first started reading I was unsure about the book but it soon hooked me and as you can see I read it within 24 hours. Didn't want it to end but it does end without a cliffhanger. I can't wait to see where the group ends up in Berserker #2. I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.