Half City

Harker Academy #1

by Kate Golden

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She just also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father's murder, she's been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider. . . . Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Dark Academia, Adult, Fantasy Romance

496 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 17, 2026

About the author

Kate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of both The Sacred Stones and Harker Academy trilogies. When she isn’t writing, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their puppy, Milo.You can find her on Instagram at @KateGoldenAuthor and on TikTok at @Kate_Golden_Author.

Reviews

[Uswah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.35 ⭐️

This read was pretty boring, and there were so many unnecessary details and scenes 😭

I was so excited to start this book because first, it’s dark academia 👀 and second, the blurb was so interesting 🤭 But once I actually started reading… yea, the beginning did not hook me at all 😭 I was bored until 21% in—what the hell 😭 especially since I was reading it with my friends 😭🫂

I kept reading because the author reached out to me and I was reading with my friends 🫂 but imo, it was not worth the wait 😭 The premise was so interesting, even the plot had potential, but Miss Author just wasn’t able to deliver 😭 She kept adding unnecessary details and scenes that were so boring I genuinely wanted to DNF 😭

It got a bit interesting when one student went missing 👀 and during the fight scenes. But then… it went right back to being boring 😭 I lowk feel accomplished for finishing this book 💀 This read really tried to put me in a slump 😭 but I fought hard lol.

Now let’s talk about Viv, the FMC. She is such a pick-me 💀 I don’t like her at all 😭 not even a little bit. This girl wants to be the center of attention, but at the same time, she wants to be alone 💀 And dayummm, she was judging everyone 😭 Like, give me a break… you’re at an academy. Everyone is learning how to hunt, but you’re judging everyone and thinking “I’m better at hunting than them cuz I’ve been hunting since I was a kid” 💀 I’M TIRED OF THIS LINE 😭 STOP SAYING THAT. Not everyone has been hunting since they were kids, some students are learning now 😭

And then during one fight, our dearest FMC goes alone to fight someone and leaves her teammates behind 💀 and her reaction is “But I’ve been hunting alone all my life” 💀 I’m actually speechless- trust me, it’s for her own good 🙂‍↕️

Overall, this book was very boring 😭 and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. But still, if anyone plans to read it, I genuinely hope you enjoy 🥹🫶

I did have so much fun with my besties 🥹🫶 even though we didn’t really enjoy the book. I love you all so much 💋

Yea, that’s it guys. Love y’all 🫶🤎💛

—————————————————
.• ࣪ :🗡་࿐pre-read .• ࣪ :🗡་࿐

Bestie Rei, Bestie Vanessa, and I got an ARC together, so you know what that means… BUDDY READING TIME 🤭🤭 Eeeep!! I’m so excited to do this BR with my besties 🤎💛 The blurb is soooo interesting 👀

Thank you to Berkley, the author, and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[rei ‧₊˚✩彡]

pre-read:

my first romantasy book and i’ll be reading it with my lovelies, uswah and vanessa 🥹💖🫧 i’m really excited to start with my romantasy journey, and what great way to start it with my friends right?! i’m really intrigued, sooo wish us luck!! 🥹🤞🏼🩶

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⌗🧋 ── ᝰ .ᐟ read.
okay, this was something, but i have some things to say, lol
rtc!


⌗ 🍋‍🟩 ── ᝰ .ᐟ pre read.
thank you Kate, Berkley and Netgalley for an arc in exchange of a review

I'M SO EXCITED, THIS LOOKS DEFINITELY LIKE MY TYPE, OMGGG

[vanessa ⋆.☕︎ [semiᝰia] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2 stars.
I don't know what led me to approach this book with such high hopes, as I was really looking forward to reading it. However, it didn't turn out to be what I anticipated, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Still, I encountered several issues that could be considered problematic. First and foremost, these are just my personal thoughts. It appears that some individuals get quite upset about the way I express my reviews, so please keep your opinions to yourself and let me be.

The main character felt all over the place. She kept saying she was fighting on her own and insisted she’d keep it that way, but honestly, she needed a team if she wanted to get anywhere. I didn’t see any real connection in what she did, and she didn’t seem to grow at all—just acted like a whiny kid. Look, I get that sometimes a story gives you a complaining female lead and that can work, but here it just got under my skin. She was more irritating than relatable, and honestly, kind of foolish.

While I did enjoy the world-building to some extent, it didn't leave a lasting impression. Regardless, I had a great time reading this with my dear friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing them again when the second book is released. Perhaps it will be an improvement; who knows?
>>> ──────── .✦

⊹ ࣪ ˖🕰️୭˚. ᵎᵎ🗝️ This one feels like chaos wrapped in urban fantasy glitter, and I mean that in the best possible way. A hidden world beneath ordinary life, monsters lurking in the shadows, and a main character who’s been fighting battles no one else sees? I’m already invested.

And the best part? I’m buddy reading this with the sweetest girls ever, rei ‧₊˚✩彡 and Uswah , and we even got the ARC together, hehe. Shared reactions, theories, and chaos are guaranteed.

Going in excited, curious, and fully prepared to get attached. Let’s see what Harker Academy has in store. <𝟑

.ᐟ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎ Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒅 . . .” 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒏. “𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔.” 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒕.

A demon hunter and a demon? Why yes, please 😮‍💨🔥 This book was so bingable and had everything I wanted when looking for a romantasy with a dark academia ambiance 🖤 Viv Abbott, a baddie FMC, who as soon as she realizes there is a school for people like her and can help her find answers about her dad’s death. She doesn’t think twice about attending, specially when a hot demon, Reid Graveheart, is the one who recruits her. And it goes against everything she believes in to just let a demon run free. HEHEHE tension alert 🔥

Did I mention that Reid is a professor at the academy? 👀 We gotta love the student x professor trope, no? Besides the romance, I do have to say that I really enjoyed the plot, as well as the way the friend group came together and worked to solve all the strange things happening at the academy. It gave the reader a constant “who did it?” 👀 mystery throughout the entire story, making you want to know more, while at the same time desperately wanting Viv and Reid to just be together already 😭 a perfect 2-in-1 combo. I freaking loved every second of it 🥹

The chemistry between the two and the way both of them have their character development in a way that I personally loved. Viv gets humbled as soon as she is a student and notices she has a lot of work to do. Meanwhile Reid is tested with Viv in numerous occasions because demon all they do is eat souls right? WINK WINK hellooo banter and tension. Both characters impressed me so much since the beginning, I personally can't wait to see where it all goes on the next book.

My final thoughts are that this book got me so hooked SO FAST, that I will be diving into book 2 no quesitons asked because what do you mean Kate hit me with the acknowledgements section after THAT SCENE?! HOW COULD YOU!!!! 😭🔥 (I love it.)

tropes
🖤 dark academia
🖤 student x professor
🖤 demon x demon hunter
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤 found family

Thank you Berkley and Kate Golden for my eARC!

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ I just got this arc and the way I'm so giddyyyy! can't wait

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 5 out of 5]

kate golden + dark academia + demon hunters = I NEED IT.

>> thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc! <3

[Lucie V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an e-copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✅ Pace
✅ Plot
✅ Setting
✅ Academy setting (without immature, mean girl drama)
✅ Characters
✅ Complex relationships with family & beautiful friendships
✅ Demons / Hunters / Magic
✅ Twists / Betrayal
✅ Sexual tension / Some smut
✅ Enemies to lovers (kind of)
✅(🆗) Romance
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: blood, death of a family member (past), zombies eating people, stabbing
❗️❗️Cliffhanger

What a great and refreshing urban fantasy!

I don’t only hunt to save lives like other hunters. I hunt because if I don’t kill things, I’ll crack. I’ll get sick. I could kill humans instead.

Viv is a 21-year-old huntress who’s been hunting on her own on the streets of the Astera, the Half City, since her dad was killed a decade ago. When she is approached by a demon, inviting her to attend Harker Academy, she accepts to go check it out, mostly out of curiosity, but once she realizes that her father attended the Academy, she decides to stay in the hopes of finding out what happened to him all those years ago.

This book got me hooked from the very beginning, and before I knew it, I was done with the book and grieving the fact that I do not have access to the second one already. The plot is focused on Viv’s quest to figure out who betrayed her father, at first, but it quickly becomes a race against time to find out who is targeting students and why. The author gave us little clues here and there, slowly building the plot and increasing the tension, which was amazingly well done. The way she managed to give us a compelling plot, but also focus on Viv, her complicated relationship with her family, and her even more complicated feelings about herself and what she is even better.

Astera—the Half City, the country’s epicenter of culture, business, and politics, located on the glittering edge of the eastern seaboard. We must have the largest population of billionaires in the world—our graffitied Caspar Harlock over there and my best friend Penny Pine’s parents, to name a few—and yet the highest percentage of its population living on the street.

The city of Astera has a dark and gloomy vibe, mixed with an exciting modern youth life energy. Some parts are very high-class and cater to the rich elite, while other parts almost give a dystopian feeling to the city. The setting reminded me of The Mortal Instruments series, but with more mature characters and a more compelling world-building.

Viv is strong and a badass fighter, but contrary to some “stabby woman” main characters in recent romantasy, she is not defined solely by her ability to wield a weapon. She is confident in her capacity to take care of herself, but she does not always try to show off or feel overconfident to the point where it is annoying.

Viv feels true, real, and so full of raw emotions. She is desperately trying to fit in with her normal friends and family, and hates that she has to lie and live a double life, but she also needs the thrill of the hunt and needs to feel like she is doing all she can to protect her city. From the start, we can see how she struggles to balance both lives and how it is taking a toll on her happiness. Despite being only 21, she feels grounded (as much as one can be while living a double life) and mature. She also has a dry humor that I loved, and made it even easier to like her and feel connected to her.

I loved the setting, and I am usually picky with Academy settings. I rarely read Academy books, because I am getting too old for all the juvenile crap happening in them. Thankfully, none of that happened in Half City. Harker Academy is an “Elite deviant-slaying college” where hunters can learn how to fight and survive deviants, but also learn skills to help them mingle among humans and keep up the pretense of a normal life. There was no mean girl drama or jealous girlfriend bullshit. At all. And I loved it. It allowed me to be engaged in the story and like the characters, even though they are a decade younger than I am, and it proved that it is possible to write a great dark academy story without the more juvenile tropes.

”Who knew a demon and a huntress could have so much in common?” he says with a sorrowful grin. “When we’re together, Viv… I don’t know. I feel reborn – I see myself in your eyes, and I like the reflection.”

I know Reid is probably the endgame here, and I am not complaining because I enjoyed his interactions with Viv, and he is a compelling love interest. That being said, there is clearly potential for another very interesting romance in this series, with a certain club owner (iykyk).

My heart aches for him. This man I’ve come to respect. Come to admire. Who’s been so wronged. Wants so badly to be good and has to fight his inherent genetic makeup every day to do so. I know that pain because I’ve been living with it for years.

Reid and Viv are very different, yet also very similar. On the surface, they seem to have nothing in common, and their biggest obstacle is that he is a demon, and she is a hunter. Once we get to know them, though, and see them interact with each other, it is clear that they are so similar, and they come to see themselves in the other. They are both driven and have a set of rules and morals, but most importantly, they both hate a part of themselves and wish they could be different. Viv hates the aeon instinct that pushes her to hunt and enjoy it, and Reid hates that his kind needs to feed on human souls, and tries to repent for the past mistakes he made.

”And here I thought you were trying to kill me.”
In the streetlight, his eyes are a navy so dark they’re practically black. Wistful, hungry, isolated. He smooths a hand down his face in the kind of exhaustion I know too well. Wanting with no hope of having.
When he faces me once more, he’s not the demon I thought I knew.
“No, actually,” I tell him. “Not anymore.”

I would describe the romance as a one-way hate-to-love, simply because Reid did not hate Viv. She does hate him from the start, and even tries to kill him, for no other reason than because he is a demon, and she can’t fathom the idea that a demon could be decent and even kind. Once Viv is forced to spend more time with Reid, though, she gets to know him, and a delicious sexual tension slowly builds between them. I loved the banter between them, the sexual tension, and the few smuttier moments they shared, but the romance and dive into deeper feelings did feel a teeny bit rushed.

That's why I was dating James, right? Because it was important to my mother, and what she thought of me was important to how I saw myself?

Poor Viv is torn between pleasing her mother and choosing to be true to herself, and happy. She wants to make her mother proud, but hates the mold she needs to fit into to do so. She tried her best to have a normal life that would make her happy, while also being distinguished and fancy enough for her mother, and thankfully, Viv had Penny to help her see her worth. Still, it was heartbreaking to see how Viv craved her mother’s love, only to be disappointed again and again.

I would have loved to see more of Penny, especially since she is described as Viv’s other half. We can see how they love each other, but as soon as Viv started attending Harker, Penny got relegated to the background for most of the book. I do think gthat the part where Viv lied to every one about where she was, and nobody asked too many questions, or double checked with the others where Viv was, was very convenient, but there was eventually a partial explanation as to why Viv managed to get away with it for so long, so in the end it worked out, I guess.

Other beautiful friendships are developing at Harker, and the secondary characters were all well-written and layered enough for me to really like them and want more of them. I also like how the author leaned into some stereotypes we often see in Academy settings, only to destroy them. Elliot and Soph are not what I expected at first, and I am happy for it.

Overall, this is a great, quick, and very engaging read. It is addictive, the characters are layered and raw, and the urban fantasy setting, investigation, and mysterious attacks on the school made it impossible not to fall in love with Viv and her city. I also want to thank the author and applaud her for being able to write a book with a badass stabby main character that is not annoyingly over-confident and defined by her stabiness, and an Academy setting that does not have an ounce of mean girl drama or jealous girls fighting over the hot boy.



Follow me on Instagram 🙂

[✨Julie✨]

Heck yea!! I got the ARC!! 🤘🏻🙌🏻✨

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Can’t wait for this one! I hope this is a sign that we’ll be seeing more urban fantasy in 2026!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Kate Golden's writing so much!!! The ending WOAH. This is like if CC + Fourth Wing had a baby.

If you enjoy Urban Fantasy with a little bit of mystery, this is for you!!

Now, I typically struggle with Urban Fantasy. It is most definitely not my favorite genre but I love Kate's writing so much I will read anything she writes!!

I do think a lot of readers are going to eat this up!

3.5 ⭐️

[veerali · Rating 4 out of 5]

what was THATTTTTT OMG?!!! RTC!! 🤯🤯

── ✦ pre-read review

i got the arc!! already 24% in and i'm looooving it!! 🥰

[☀︎El In Oz☀︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

I am in awe of Kate Golden. Girl you are a GENIUS for this book. This is the perfect urban fantasy. Literally PERFECT. I just have so many thoughts but will try to keep my thoughts succinct (I’ll have a spoiler section at the end!). All I know is I cannot wait for 2027 to have my hands on book 2, I pray arcs are available late next year for it. Or that it’s a late 2026 release. This is one of the BEST fantasies of 2026, trust me, and one of my favourite reads of this year.

Thank you so so much to Berkeley and NetGalley for gifting me with an e-arc!!

Viv is an iconic and deeply human main character. Her struggles with fitting in, her grief, her anger, and her love are all incredibly palpable. It’s impossible to read this and not feel what she feels. To read this and not laugh at Viv’s jokes, her dry humour, to not have your heart ache alongside hers. Although she did some things that made me want to yell at her to be more careful, Viv stands by her principals this entire novel. Her character development is beautiful but the way her core stays the same because she never needed to change it is just…beautiful.

I have really not much to say about Reid 😭 He was kind of just…there. But I have lots of spoiler thoughts on him, to be given below.

The side characters are all so so well developed. I wish we’d seen more of Elliot but Soph and Penny are just incredibly well written. PENNY IS MY GIRL. Lowkey like she’s so Janie by Ethel Cain coded in a way if Viv was singing it about Penny and the world in general.

The PLOT. Oh this is 10/10 , 100/100. It is so nostalgic in a way, the puzzle piece esque mystery that’s so reminiscent of Buffy, while also combining the rain soaked electric city vibes that evoke Crescent City. The setting of both the Half City and Harker Academy are insanely well drawn. As I mentioned, the Half City is like Crescent City meets Shadowhunters NYC. Harker is incredibly fun. It’s like a university campus that you could stumble upon in the middle of nowhere.

The worldbuilding is extremely cool. I loved the way it was like a mix of Buffy, charmed, Shadowhunters, and something entirely unique. The concept of aeons was incredibly interesting and I hope to learn more about how they came to be in the future!

The mystery is, again, so nostalgia tinged, as if you’ve read it a million times already but have forgotten the twists. Everything is so well placed, it truly just feels like home in a way. The blend of the mystery with Viv’s emotions is done in a way that will have you on the edge of your seat.
The sequence at Fever Dream is probably my favourite of the whole book, but the ending is absolutely PERFECT. The way I was praying it would end how it did!!!! More on this in the spoiler section.

I do think the romance is a bit too insta-lovey for my tastes. I feel more development would have made their connection seem more interesting, instead it sometimes just felt very basic. I do feel that this is intentional though!

Now, for my spoiler thoughts. These will all be about the end and about one character, so DO NOT keep reading if you don’t want spoilers. 💫💫

DEACON. That’s endgame oh I’m praying for it. Instantly when he meets Viv sparks fly. Their dynamic is so interesting, and they literally have 2 scenes together. I’m his biggest fangirl. I’m their #1 fan, I’m launching the ship as we speak. HER GOING TO HIM AT THE END HAD ME SCREAMING MY HEAD OFF. EXACTLY WHAT I PRAYED FOR. THEIR POTENTIAL. I may be delusional but I think NOT!!!!!! All I know is he’s iconic already and so are they as a TRUE enemies to lovers couple in the future….
The end was incredible. I am SO PSYCHED TO SEE HOW BOOK 2 GOES. Viv having dark power in her??? Adding extra tension to the fact no one can know what she is? 10/10. Penny putting things together and accepting her? 10/10. Warning about Reid being maybe a bad guy? 10/10. Her going to deacon? 100/10.
I have so so many theories. I am first in line for an arc of the sequel okay.

Round of applause to Kate for this masterpiece.

[Kristen Hernandez]

If she writes it, I’m gonna read it!

[Youssra (semi ia)]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER X FOURTH WING ????????????????????????????? I NEED IT

[Jenna Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the urban fantasy / dark academia book this Buffy fangirl has been waiting for her all life. The Harker Academy series is now officially my newest obsession. (Also, Reid?? Can we please talk about REID?? In 5-7 business days that is, I’m still recovering).

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Kate Golden apparently thinks it's fun to torture her readers.

What the actual f- was that ending?!

How are you going to do that to us?! I still have so many questions!

Also I'm confident my theory will come true and really wanted to find out BEFORE the book was over but noooooooooo. Book 2 cannot come soon enough!

This was a fun read! The romance + tension + emotions are where this author shines (imho) and because of that I’m slightly disappointed the romance wasn’t a stronger plot point BUT it’s the first book in a series so hopefully we’ll get a bit more of that magic in book 2!

Whats to love…
- dark academia
- urban fantasy
- hunter FMC + demon MMC romantic subplot
- sllllllloooooooooooowwwwww burn
- found family
- CLIFFHANGER + shocking reveals
- interesting world + magic

What didn’t work for me but might work for you…
- I wanted more romance (fingers crossed for book two!)
- Viv is really cocksure, which… slay, she should be! But at times her need to do it all herself got a little furstating. I liked the overall character arc but I wanted to get there a little faster.
- slow to build plot. Appropriate for book one in a series but i’m an impatient person.

🌶️- open door, only a couple scenes.

| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Berkley for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can confirm I would have let Reid Graveheart eat my soul approximately 500 times without a second thought. Who needs one of those things anyway.

KPOP Demon Hunters x Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac x Crescent City in the best possible ways. Half City was a fresh new take on academic urban fantasy and I had the best time with this.

- demon x demon hunter
- professor x student
- urban fantasy
- academic setting
- secret society and mystery
- found family
- single POV
- first book in a series

If you absolutely loved the chaotic “beating the crap out of everyone in the name of education” class sessions of Professor Xaden Riorson mixed with the broody “forced to be a professor” bullying of students like Professor Lance Orion you will EATTTTT demon boy Reid Graveheart up like he’s a 5 course dinner buffet.

Our FMC Viv is a bad ass martyr demon hunter who puts everyone she loves before herself always. She lives a double life of protecting her city from demons and deviants that society does not even know exists. She stumbles across a school that specializes in training demon hunters just like her and gets caught in the middle of a web of evil. I LOVED her and I laughed outloud several times at her internal monologue and banter between characters.

As someone who usually isn’t a big fan of urban fantasy, everything about this worked for me. I could not have loved this more. I was so intrigued by the rich world building and the mystery of it all. I loved the characters and the layers to all of them. The friend group was adorable. I read 60% of this book in one sitting. I could not peel my eyes away.

The ending plot twists truly shocked me and I really don’t know where this is going to be headed. All I know is I WILL be reading it.

Thank you to Ace / Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

KATE GOLDEN WHEN I CATCH YOU

stunning beautiful perfect i’m at a loss for words for how much i loved this — rtc 😭

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the world may be on the verge of ending, but I have just started to live knowing him.

NO BECAUSE THE WAY MY JAW JUST DROPPED SO MANY TIMES IN THE LAST 25%??????????? LIKE HELLO OH MY??? THE POTENTIAL THIS SERIES HAS AND I AM SOOO HERE FOR IT. I NEED BOOK 2 ASAP.

Kate Golden you have officially ensnared me completely!!!! Like I was already hyped before reading Half City because the premise sounded amazing and now having read it???? Even better than I imagined oh my god. The world building? Literal perfection, I'm obsessed and need more. Characters? The way I would die for most of them!!! Plot? UM YES I AM HOOKED AND HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. Genuinely though... every part of this book was written so well, I have a new obsession guys.

From page 1, I immediately fell in love with Viv's character and oh the things she went through!!! The way we see Viv struggling to balance her two lives--Viv the regular 22 year old and Viv the hunter--felt so realistic and its such a prominent theme in this book. Two completely different lives with very different people like omg watching her juggle all of that was stressing ME out?? Though I also just wanted to give her a hug because wow she really had to deal with so much😭 Especially so many frustrating people!!!!! But also seriously, I adored her character so much. Her anger, fierceness, loyalty, and love for others, oh Viv you absolute queen. I am her #1 supporter.

In terms of the romance, I don't want to spoil too much on it but let's just say a certain thing happened in a certain scene that has me like YES THEM!!! I'm so obsessed, the potential for the romance in this series??‼️

Side characters!! Oh my gosh genuinely how did Kate make me love them all SO much??? Penny is a sweetheart and I can't wait to see more of her next book. She's such a cinammon roll and needs to be protected at all costs!! And Sophia?? Another queen! She made me laugh so many times and I love her strength and confidence. Viv, Sophia, and Penny would make such a beautiful friendship trio, I need more of them together too. And then Kitty, Peter, and Elliot!!! They each had such distinct personalities and are so lovable like why was their friendship literally so wholesome??😭 The group hangouts especially omg. The bonding between all of these characters was written so well, like I will be genuinely devastated if anything happens to any of them (PETER ESPECIALLY, HE'S TOO SWEET TO BE KILLED) (AND PENNY TOO) (AND SOPHIA) (BASICALLY ALL OF THEM)

Also the plot??? Genuinely, I was so addicted and had SO MANY QUESTIONS. The amount of guesses I made that were so off too??? LOL though that's nothing really new, I'm not usually good at predicting plot twists, but it was so fun coming up with theories!! Especially with others while reading like that made the experience reading 10000x better. BUT OKAY THE LAST 25% WAS JUST PLOT TWIST AFTER PLOT TWIST I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. I want to scream about it allll in this review but really don't want to give anything away so all I'll do is vaguely mention one reveal I loved: DEACON!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am so beyond excited for book 2. I will be absolutely insufferable about this book. Everyone needs to add Half City to their TBR, or else!


Okay also actually I do want to freak out vaguely about something, and I will hide it under spoilers but it will still be very vague! [REDACTED] LOVE OF MY LIFE!! THE SECOND I MET [REDACTED] I KNEW THEY SCREAMED SOULMATES LIKE??? THE OBSESSION I HAVE WITH [REDACTED]???? AND WE ONLY HAD [REDACTED] SCENES WITH THEM, OMG KATE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME I CANT WAIT UNTIL 2027 I WILL BE COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS IN PAIN. ALSO I FEEL INSANE BECAUSE WHY IS IT LOWKEY HOT WHEN [REDACTED] PURRS??? LIKE GUYS I JUST SEE SO MUCH CHEMISTRY AND POTENTIAL I AM SCREAMING FOR THEM‼️‼️ AND HOW IT ENDED???? Oh I am in agony. I am in love with you, [redacted]🥹 [redacted] i would sell my soul to you!!!!!

Crying, can it be 2027 already????


Eternal thanks to the author and publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!!

[Dayna | daynas.bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half City is like if shadowhunters had a baby with crescent city, and zodiac academy is the fun cousin they hang out with at holidays.

this book felt nostalgic in the best way, but also like watching a comfort paranormal urban fantasy movie. what’s not to love about a demon hunting girl who thought she was alone, but then finds out there’s an entire academy of demon hunters?? and the combat instructor is a hot “reformed” demon??? i will say there were some moments that i had war flashbacks to Rumi and Jinu so like do with that information what you will.

something that stood out to be was how much i enjoyed being in Vic’s pov. her inner dialogue is funny af and i want to hang out with her but also maybe have her step on me idk.

the side characters really made this even more fun! i’m rooting for some of them in book 2 and i love to see found family moments 🥹

things of note!
✨ demon hunter x demon
✨ academy student x combat instructor
✨ banter & tension to the max
✨ found family
✨ urban fantasy setting

thank you to ace/ berkley and netgalley for the early copy!

[Katelyn C · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars

This is going to be the next big romantasy book sensation, mark my words!!!

"When we're together, I feel reborn. I see myself in your eyes, and I like the reflection."

Half City releases on February 17! If you're a fan of Zodiac Academy, A Discovery of Witches and KPOP Demon Hunters, then this book is for you. Bluelance girls, I'm talking to you!

The story centers around Viv Abbot, a young adult who secretly slays demons that haunt her city. Her father taught her everything she knows about demon hunting, but was tragically murdered a decade ago. Viv finds herself being recruited to a secret, special academy for demon hunters, where she finds herself, along with a group of solid friends and a hot professor who makes her feel extra stabby. One of her newfound friends goes missing, which starts an investigation on her own around campus to figure out what sinister plots are going on at the school.

I really loved this book, it took a little while for the plot and romance to build, but once it did, it was amazing and I didn't want the book to end! Speaking of the end, how dare the author end it like that! I turned the page and it was just done! I need the next book ASAP!! I think we have a new book boyfriend in the making here ladies and gents...

What to expect in Half City:
~Fantasy Romance
~Dark Academia
~Professor x Student
~Demon Hunters
~Found Family
~Forbidden Love

[ciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“who knew a demon and a huntress could have so much in common?”

—

oh my god. 6 STARS.

when i tell you i devoured this book??? not a crumb left. everything about it was perfect — the plot, the romance, the found family, the mystery, all of it. this is 100% a book for the zodiac academy / crescent city girlies (me). i was genuinely giggling and kicking my feet the entire time and you could not have pried this book from my hands (in the 24 hours it took for me to finish it) if you’d tried.

viv is our fmc and i love her. she’s witty, a complete badass, and yet deeply insecure and struggling with self-loathing — which makes her so painfully relatable. such a refreshing fmc who not only makes mistakes, but is actively trying to heal, work through trauma, and fight against her own instincts.

reid? smash. i am utterly obsessed with this demon. the second he opened his mouth i was done for. and yup he’s her instructor. hehe. i won’t say too much to avoid spoilers, but his character progression throughout the story was everything.

the found family? perfection. i already love every single one of these characters and i am fully emotionally attached. penny & peter, my sweet cinnamon rolls. sophia and elliot, my favorite unhinged besties.

i already loved kate’s writing after adoring her sacred stones trilogy, but this book completely blew me away. fair warning: i will be insufferable about recommending this to everyone i know.

a HUGE thank you to berkeley publishing and netgalley for this e-arc!

“𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒗𝒊𝒗 . . . 𝒊 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝒊 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏—𝒊 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

[monica ✨ romantasyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

kate is sick for that ending

4.5 rtc!!!

[Devin The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half City has a lot going for it. A compelling mystery, a hidden society of monster hunters, and a school setting that gave me some nostalgic Harry Potter Book 1 vibes as Viv explores each class for the first time. The urban fantasy world full of vampires, demons, and werewolves kept me curious, and I definitely wanted to know how the overall mystery would unfold.

That said, it took me a while to get into the book. A ton of characters are introduced very quickly which made it hard to keep everyone straight. The main character, Viv, didn’t help matters. She is constantly rushing into danger and breaking rules with very little awareness of how her actions affect others. I know “resting bitch face” is part of her personality, but it is mentioned so often it starts to feel like a running joke. Meanwhile, the male lead, Reid, felt underdeveloped as a character and their dynamic didn’t entirely work for me. For someone who is supposed to be her professor, he lets her get away with everything, and the lack of respect made their relationship feel a bit off.

Overall, this book has a great premise and enough intrigue to keep me reading but some characterization issues and pacing struggles took away from the experience. I won’t be continuing on with the series since I didn’t care enough.


I really enjoyed Dawn of Onyx, so I have high hopes for this book! Thank you to Netgalley for providing in exchange for a review.

[Sophie (lambsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m the loneliest person I know. I see movies and TV shows about loneliness and think, Those assholes have nothing on me.”

3.75 stars

I honestly don't know how I feel about this one. I was annoyed for 90% of the book. But it was also like addictive trash? Like, I sold my Fairyloot copy but ordered the regular copy?? I didn't like Viv the majority of the time. She was “not like other girls,” and that was brought up a lot. If you have to say you’re not like other girls, you most certainly are, bitch.

“I wake up every day actually grateful to be who I am. I never sit in the bathtub with no lights on, wishing I’d been born someone else.”

But she had thoughts like me, you know? I wanted more showing, not telling. Emotion doens’t feel real if you just tell me it. SHOW ME. So if it was written better, I think this could have been a 5 star.

Nothing feels as good as delivering that death blow. Not sex, not drugs. Not anything at all.

Reid was not fleshed out enough for me. What a 1-D character for. Also, lmao at them NEVER once behaving like enemies. One fight does not an enemy make. I don't have any stake in him, and I obviously know something is going to happen in the next book. I did like when he lost control and his little horns popped out of his head, lmao, and he was so lonely too and that was sad.

Reid folds his arms across his chest and leans against the wall. “You’re hard to miss.” He doesn’t say it like it’s a compliment.
Steam could billow from my ears. “Why are you always leaning against things? Are you very off balance or something?”

There was no subtle foreshadowing at all. It was in your face, tell instead of show, but it also ended on an abrupt cliffhanger, like I flipped the page fully expecting more, and it was the acknowledgments, so I don't know if the foreshadowing I was seeing is true or not. The cliffhanger was actually annoying lmao I don’t mind cliffhangers, but too many authors are doing these flashy, middle of the scene/sentence cliffhangers for shock value (or blatant “buy the next book” tactics) and I’m just not a fan. We’ll see with the next one. Which I will read because of spoiler reasons below.

"You’re more than the brand on your neck, Reid.”

Spoilers for the end

Reid's brother. Hm. I'm getting vibes here!? Are we going to see a second love interest? Ried’s got some secret (obviously) and it’s gonna push her to the brother? I’ve seen the blurb for book 2, so they do have to work together. I do love the corrupt ones and at this point, even though he tried to kill her, I'm vibing with his character. And he has snow white hair. Swoon. I dunno. We'll see. At least it would be ACTUAL enemies with this one. Maybe that’s why I like him more, more tension, since he’s, um, pretty horrible.

If he really is the White Stag, he’s younger than I expected. Of course, he’s likely as old as Reid, but he looks about thirty-two. In fact, he looks like the type of criminally hot guy you’d find in a Babylon coffee shop: cigarette behind his ear, bleached-blond hair, plain white T-shirt, and loose black jeans with a chain on them. On either side of his neck are two tattoos.

Like…you can't describe a guy like that and expect me to be fucking chill about him.

Sorry I butchered that paragraph with spoiler tags lmao

That small realization— the agony he’s putting himself through to kiss me— is more sexually gratifying than most actual sex I’ve had.

The side characters. Eh, standard nerd, jock, and popular hoe. Absolutely nothing special. Kitty was sad, and I didn't see that coming.

I was definitely shook with Fiona. But it was a little out of left field too, you know? Like, how random.

I have theories for the next book, but also lots of questions because of the cliffhanger.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and the author for this ARC!


__________________________

Wait, no. There must be a mistake? Where’s the next chapter at the end? I swiped for it and the book ended. Oh. Oh no.

How did I both hate this and was addicted to it?

What was this book.

Rtc once I can decide if I liked it or not

[Larareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Last ARC of the year and maybe even the last book... and fuck! This was incredible!!! I honestly have one regret with reading this as an advance copy and it's that I'll have to wait that much longer for book two.

The writing was sooo good, the characters!!! The enemies to lovers trope!!! Immaculate!!!

All everyone needs to know is that this book is academia × paranormal demon hunters and they need to read it immediately!

[Silvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is kpop demon hunters meets divergent meets buffy the vampire slayer AND I COULD NOT 📣 PUT IT 📣 DOWN 📣📣📣

full review to come once i rescrew my head on

[fromthestudyof · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ariana grande voice* YUH

this was fun as hell, okay

A little Vampire Academy meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Things to know:
- She’s a demon hunter on her own
- gets approached by Hot Guy to join a demon hunting academy
- he gave off Theo James in Divergent energy (my favorite)
- found family
- double life (human job + hunting academy)
- mysterious disappearings

This read like a movie!!!!!! Starting me, of course, & Hot Guy of the Month

I’ve loved everything Kate has put out and there’s no exception here. How unreasonable of me is it to ask when book 2 is coming when this is still months from release????

The FMC is a badass and of course - extremely reckless. Which only bothered me at the 80% mark for a few minutes where she was making <3 bad choices <3 but she’s 22 so that is to be expected!

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gonna need 5-7 business days to write an actual review because OMGGGGGGG

[✨⚡ Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

2.75 stars

Oh man, this was so frustrating.

I'll start off by saying the world was really interesting and had a lot of potential. And I enjoyed the side characters and everything they were bringing to the table in this story.

But oh my god, I don't know if I have hated an FMC more. She was incredibly frustrating and I also saw no viable reasons for her to be the romantic interest. She has zero impulse control (which is attempted to be explained away, but she has had more than enough time in her life to try and adjust and not give herself away), she is kind of a B to people for no reason, and she is arrogant when she probably shouldn't be.

And the MMC had a lot of potential, but I had my issues with him too. A lot of "you can do that, it's not safe, and I need you to be safe." Good intentions, but I think we are all quite over that mentality after Tamlin.

And I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be adult? But it did not read that way at all. It read like kids TRYING to be adult and not really succeeding at all.

This was a real bummer. I was excited for this one, especially since I really enjoyed Kate's other series, The Sacred Stones. But this did not hit for me 😔

[vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5⭐️

ugh I missed Kate Golden and her snarky bantering characters!! this was a delight. rtc🖤...

Also DEACON???...yeah i need that.