This book is intense. Very intense. Killian is an incredible character. She's totally badass and pretty messed up. This book is crass and graphic and extremely violent - even by my standards. The language was over the top and pretty much every female character has been raped at least once. This book won't be for everyone. It won't be for most people.

I liked Killian though. The females in this book were all pretty likable. Shannon was a bit of an idiot to get into the trouble she did but she also handled it like a pro. She was tough and resilient and vicious and it was great. I liked the parole officer, Donna. I liked Story the plain Jane backup. And I liked Dash even though I didn't really love the romance between him and Killian. Or the romance between her and Jason. I don't know, the romance all felt off to me.

It was a fast paced read and I enjoyed the action. 4 stars. ( )

Wonderful book! Awesome main character with exciting action and a good story.

I always have a good look at a book's cover before reading the tale. The cover for the first book, Seven Crows, in Kate Kessler's Killian Delaney series drew me in. Have you heard that old nursery rhyme about counting crows? Seven for a secret never to be told....

Killian is an ex-con, hard core fighter and is associated with a biker gang. She's just been released after a nine year stint in prison. It was a sentence she gladly served. She messed up the man who killed her boyfriend. He's tried to have her killed numerous times in prison. But now that she's out, he's trying something else - he's kidnapped her teenage niece. And....yup you got it....she's gonna hunt him down....again....

Seven Crows absolutely reads like an action movie. With a kicka** female lead. Kessler does a great job of revealing Killian's past even as she fights to find Shannon. Her extended family includes the Crow MC. Now, fair warning - the activities of outlaw MCs play a large part in the plot. And Killian's actions and thoughts reflect someone living that life. As a reader, I did initially question some of the dialogue, reactions and outcomes of certain plotlines - were they realistic? Well, not maybe to me, but they perfectly suit the tone and tenor of the plot and players.

The supporting characters are also intriguing. Dash is from the old days - he and Kill have a history. (And maybe a future?) He's running a legit business now, but behind that front, he's still got his hand in some questionable activities. His cohort, Story, is another enigmatic female support characters I'd love to hear her backstory as well.

The action doesn't stop, the danger just multiplies and Killian's own moral compass never budges. The reader can't help but be on her side as she battles seemingly overwhelming odds. Revenge drives her forward. Will she find redemption?

Gentle readers, this one's probably not for you. But if you watched Sons of Anarchy, this is a book you'd probably enjoy. And....keep your eyes out the second Killian book, Call of Vultures. It releases December 1/20. ( )

Seven Crows is a story told from the perspective of Killian Delaney - a female ex-con just released from prison. It was refreshing to read a crime novel from a different perspective than some form of law enforcement. Killian's character is very raw; reminiscent to equal parts a female Daredevil and Punisher. The interactions between the characters feel real and believable - Kate Kessler does a really good job with describing how the characters are feeling. The topics of abduction and trafficking are a very real and frightening reality today.

Overall a really good and exciting read with some surprising plot twists worked in. This book features quite a bit of violence, profanity & sensitive subjects so if that's not something you like to read about I would pass on this book. I would recommend this book to fans of action, crime, thrillers and female protagonists. I personally hope we'll hear more about where her road leads in another novel.

I won this book from a GoodReads giveaway. ( )