Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner.
To rescue someone close to her, Viv Abbot must team up with Reid’s violent, unpredictable older brother, Deacon. Her uneasy truce with him offers Viv something Reid never could: the chance to embrace her darkness.
Viv’s mission takes her to the center of Astera’s seedy underbelly with none other than the White Stag as her guide. But when a bounty on Viv’s head puts those she cares about in danger, Viv will be forced to go to lengths she never dreamed in order to protect them.
With enemies closing in from all sides and a ticking clock on her life, Viv must save the Half City from destruction while surviving a betrayal that strikes at the heart of everything she’s fighting for. Because in a world where monsters wear familiar faces and temptation cuts deeper than any blade, making it through her second semester at Harker will take more than skill-it will take everything Viv has left to give. Who can she really trust in a city that thrives on lies?
‘Welcome to Half City, in which Kate Golden does nothing by halves: full-throttle action, a twisty mystery, and a deliciously tense romance make this an absolute romp. Our lead, Viv, is equal parts badass and messy, and her love interest may give you a thing for claws. Absolutely fabulous action writing by Golden, beautifully offset by a story about acceptance, belonging, and what it means to be human’ – Brigitte Knightley, author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy
‘Kate Golden deftly fuses a lush and bewitching dark academia setting, complex characters, and a sizzling slow burn romance in Half City, the unputdownable first installment of a trilogy that will leave readers breathless’ – Julie Soto, author of Rose in Chains
‘Packed with edge-of-your-seat action, steamy scenes that will set your curtains on fire, and some of the wittiest banter I’ve ever read, Half City is the urban fantasy / dark academia book this Buffy fangirl has been waiting for all her life. I don’t know what sort of magic Kate Golden weaves into her books but I hope she never stops. The Harker Academy series is my newest obsession‘ – Jenna Levine, author of Road Trip With a Vampire
Reviews
Sexy, fast-paced, and utterly addictive. Cursed City is a delicious sequel that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What a rush!!!
If Half City was a gorgeous appetizer, Cursed City is the sumptuous main, served rare & oozing red. Violent, brutal, with a sizzling will-they-won't-they dynamic, and all the vibes of your favourite paranormal shows dialed up to eleven. I devoured this. An absolute knockout. P.S. Viv can step on me
Cursed City is a magical combination of urban fantasy, Buffy nostalgia, and a forbidden romance that sizzles right off the page! It's whip-smart and packed with action, with a romance that had me kicking my feet. I would die for Viv and her quirky little pack of hunters, but I would *kill* for the MMC and his smart, sassy mouth
Cursed City had me on the absolute edge of my seat, turning pages late into the night almost faster than I could read them. This one's for everyone out there who watched Buffy and agrees with me that, yes -- the slayer should have two bad-boy demon boyfriends. The Harker Academy series is deliriously twisty, sexy as hell, and has me entirely by the throat. I am counting down the seconds until the next book arrives
Cursed City is a thrilling and seductive sequel to Half City, and I could not stop turning the pages! The stakes are higher than ever, the romantic tension is off the charts, and I was fully immersed in this vivid, dangerous world and the characters who inhabit it. Kate Golden has perfected the art of Romantasy, and Cursed City is a sexy and dagger-sharp installment in my new favorite series
I didn't think I could love a book more than Half City, but with Cursed City, Kate Golden has done the impossible! With plot twists and turns I never saw coming, Cursed City expands on the intricate world of Astera in ways that are fresh and exciting. But, as with any romance, it's the characters that give this world its heart, and Cursed City allows us to spend more time with Viv and her squad, plus a few new additions who stole the show. Cursed City is a banger of a sequel that I couldn't put down. It only left me wanting more!
This is how sequels are done! Cursed City is not a book, it is a battering ram that targets readers' hearts. You could not have paid me to put it down. Funny, propulsive, nostalgic, and totally spellbinding, I truly cannot get this book out of my head. Cursed City is hands down my favorite read of 2026
