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Half City

Harker Academy Book 1: The Instant Number One Bestseller!!

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Half City

By: Kate Golden
Narrated by: Taylor Harvey, Teddy Hamilton
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Summary
 *** The Instant Sunday Times Number One Bestseller!***

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?©2026 Kate Golden Fantasy

Critic Reviews

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
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
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
Half City is the dark academia demon hunter fantasy novel of my dreams. Kate Golden delivers high stakes and sizzling romance set in an exciting new world. The chemistry between Viv and Reid is electric, and the twists and turns kept me up way past my bedtime. Half City is wickedly sexy and outrageously fun, and I'm obsessed!
Is it too early to say this is the best book of 2026? Yes? No? Because it has been a long time since a story has made me feel this way. Bad ass fmc? Check. Academy vibes? Check. Enemies to lovers romance? Check. Refreshing world building with enough nuance and mystery to leave me desperate for more? CHECK. Kate takes all the beloved genre traditions of urban fantasy and academy books and makes it her own, and the result is something rich and entirely new. It's going to be a long time until I get over this book
All stars
Most relevant
This was an enjoyable book. Even though the events unfolded at a slower pace than I usually would prefer, I still found myself reaching for it. If you love gothic academy setting, demons and hunters, mystery, and most importantly “a tortured soul” type of main characters - this book is for you!

A very enjoyable book

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The best! I literally couldn’t stop listening! Im dying for the next book. I usually guess twists and turns but i was so enamoured with the writing i missed them!

One of the most original stories ive read for awhile

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I went in expecting a duet, but this is a solo narration—and Taylor Harvey carries it beautifully. Teddy Hamilton only makes a brief guest appearance, but once I adjusted my expectations, I was hooked and devoured Half City in a single day.

Think Charmed meets academy life: slow burn, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a forbidden teacher × student dynamic. The first date at the observatory was quietly magical and one of the story’s most tender moments.

The real standout is the character work. Viv and Reid are layered, lonely, and deeply wounded, and watching a demon and hunter find fragile understanding in each other is the heart of the story. The supporting cast of hunters feels fully realized, adding depth beyond comic relief, while Viv’s family brings conflict that lands—especially her confrontation with her mother.

Layered, immersive, and emotionally charged, this audiobook leaves you desperate for the next installment.

Slow-Burn Magic with Emotional Depth

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I enjoyed the story and the narrators. I’m a bit thrown by the fact that Taylor narrates all of the characters except Deacon who is voice by Teddy and seemingly a side character? It makes no sense to me that he only voices one character and it’s not the supposed love interest. It really threw me, but also makes me intrigued for the next book.

Solid academy set fantasy

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I was a little bored for the first third of the book but I ended up enjoying the story so much and the second book is fantastic. Overall a fun listen

A slow start but worth it

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