Half City (Harker Academy #1) by Kate Golden
Publication Date: February 17th 2026 by Ace
Pages: 496
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
Twenty-one-year-old Viv Abbott has been fighting demons
alone ever since she watched her father murdered right before her eyes. She’s
spent years carrying that burden alone, so when an invitation arrives from
Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, a school for demon hunters, she’s stunned
to learn she’s not the only one out there. The offer becomes even more
suspicious when it comes from Reid, a Brood demon she has every reason not to
trust.
Viv has always felt like an outsider among her family and
friends, forced to hide the truth about her life and constantly missing out
when hunting called. At Harker, for the first time, she finds people who
understand her. The camaraderie is immediate, the friendships fast and genuine.
But the safety she feels is short-lived. When one of her new friends disappears
and the academy is attacked, Viv and her tight-knit group are thrust into a
dangerous mystery. I loved this crew, quirky, loyal, and determined to uncover
what happened. The romance was a slow-burn, chemistry-heavy enemies-to-lovers that
I’m on board for.
Half City starts with a slower setup as the world and
characters are introduced, but the moment Viv steps onto Harker grounds, the
story hits its stride. The mystery surrounding the missing student and the
escalating attacks unfolds with several surprising twists, leading to a
thrilling, high-stakes conclusion. The book ends on a to-be-continued note. I’m
eager to see where Viv’s journey goes next!
4 Stars
Book Description:
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?
