Berserker

By Emmy Laybourne

The highly anticipated historical fantasy from Emmy Laybourne, author of the internationally-bestselling Monument 14 trilogy.

Ancient powers. Strong love. Desperate times.

1883. Hanne would give anything to be free of the ancestral Viking curse that overcomes her when she or anyone she loves is in danger. She becomes a Berserker—an elegant, graceful and shameless killer.

When she kills three men attacking their father, Hanne and her siblings must flee Norway and head to the American frontier, on a desperate search for their uncle, the one man who can help Hanne learn to control her powers.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their ancient powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

A gripping and emotional story filled with adventure, destruction, longing and redemption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781250135230

Emmy Laybourne

EMMY LAYBOURNE is the internationally bestselling author of six young adult novels, including Monument 14, Sweet, and Berserker. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, American Library Association, and the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, among others, and translated into 9 languages. She studied writing as an undergrad at Vassar College and while getting an MFA at UCLA for screenwriting, she won the Eleanor Perry Award from Women in Film. Emmy is a former character actress, and is occasionally recognized from her role as Mary Katherine Gallagher’s best friend in the movie “Superstar.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

Reviews for Berserker

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent book! I was really quite surprised by just how much I ended up liking this one. I try to go into books as blindly as possible so I didn't read the summary of this book too closely and as a result, I was really quite surprised by some of the turns the story ended up taking. This was the kind of book that I found myself reaching anytime I had a moment to spare. I am so glad that I took a chance on this gem of a book.Hanne and her siblings posses a gift. Or maybe a curse depending on how you look at it. Hanne doesn't see it as a gift. She is a Berserker which means that anytime someone she cares for is in danger she loses control to the Nytte and people die. Hanne doesn't want to be someone who kills so she really struggles with this gift. She must eventually flee Norway with her siblings after one of her murderous rages.I really liked the characters in this story. Hanne was so easy to like and her struggle with her different sides felt authentic. Her elder brother, Stieg, has his own gift which proves to be rather useful to the family. Stieg is a really even tempered and intelligent man. Knut also has a gift and is the quietest of the siblings but he possessed a certain wisdom. Sissel was the youngest sibling and the most difficult of the group. I am not sure that I really cared for her character but I think she added a needed element to the group. When I started reading this book, I had no idea that the story would soon shift to the American frontier. The change in setting was really well done. I could completely envision the small towns and wilderness that this group encountered. I think the combination of the frontier setting and the Norse mythology worked perfectly in this little story and I found it to be really exciting. There were a few sections of the book that were a bit more violent that I would have expected but it worked well with the story. I would highly recommend this book to others. This book is listed as being the first in a series but this story stands on its own. This was the first book written by Emmy Laybourne that I have had the chance to read but I am eager to read more of her work including future installments in this series.I received an advance reader copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Feiwel & Friends via NetGalley.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

BERSERKER is historical fiction with a magical twist. Owen Bennett is a young cowboy in the wilds of Montana in 1883. He is a bastard and his only inheritance from his father is a horse and his loyal cattle dog. After being robbed of his entire wages at the end of a cattle drive, he is left looking for work.Hanne Amundsdottir is one of four kids on a farm in Norway. They are descendants of Vikings and have some magical gifts. However, each of the gifts has consequences. Steig, the oldest brother, wants to emigrate to the United States and become a teacher. He is eighteen and his gift lets him bring storms but will also eventually cause blindness. Fourteen year old Knut is an Oarbreaker. He's big and strong but he is still a child at heart. Hanne is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she becomes fast and strong and a killer. Sissel is the youngest child. She is weak and scrawny and a whiner who doesn't have one of the Nytte gifts.When men come to the farm and threaten their father, Hanne goes Berserker and kills them all. The kids flee first to an aunt who gives them some money and then they take off for the United States. The aunt is sending them to their uncle who is also a Berserker and who lives in Montana.Meanwhile there is a baron who is collecting the Nytte and who dispatches his librarian and another man to track this family down. Needing a guide once they reach Montana, they hire Owen. The kids have all sorts of adventures as they travel through Montana looking for their uncle and trying to stay ahead of the law who have sent out wanted posters for Knut thinking he is the one who killed the men. They also need to stay ahead of the baron's deputies.This was an entertaining story. I liked that Hanne was so conflicted about her gift and took quite a while to come to terms with it. I liked the romance between Owen and Hanne.