Half City

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

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

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! - Sarah Hawley, author of Servant of Earth

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 - Laura Thalassa, author of The Four Horsemen series

If she writes it, I'm gonna read it! - Goodreads review

I'm obsessed with this book, simple as that. It's the kind of book you think of long after you read it and I'm sad I can't go back to read it for the first time again. When I say this is one of my favorite FMC, I genuinely mean it. It's not your typical "stabby" female lead, it's honestly a trope that I don't relate to too much, but with this lead, it's not like that at all. She has so much heart and is so real and vivid that it feels like you're reading about a friend - Goodreads review