Half City by Kate Golden | Book Review

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"Golden keeps you on the edge of your seat."--New York Times

This beautiful trade paperback of Half City includes stunning interior cover art!

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 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 if 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, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

I felt a push to read Half City by Kate Golden after seeing everyone so excited about its sequel – Cursed City. There’s something about shared excitement that just gets me swept up. And so, I put a hold on Half City at my library because I like to have a physical copy. Partway through, it had to go back as someone else also got the idea to put it on hold. Lucky for me – Half City went on sale and I got my own shelf trophy along with several other books. I am so glad I have this – what a fun read!

Half City is a paranormal romance that kicks off the Harker Academy series. Viv Abbott is a Hunter, meaning she has the ability to see monsters and demons and is pretty good at fighting them. She’s been alone in this ability since her father passed away. One day she is on the train and sees a demon about to go after a mother and her young children. So, Viv takes the demon down. She then catches the attention of another Demon who is actually reformed. His name is Reid and he tells her about Harker Academy – a special university for Hunters to hone their skills. Viv checks it out and decides she might as well stick around. As much as she doesn’t want to, she makes friends and has new people to care about. She also continues to hone her skills. Unfortunately chaos happens and two students go missing. Viv takes this seriously and looks into it. Oh and yes, there’s a romance – very much an hate to love sort of trope. I enjoyed how it played out and Viv’s growth when it came to the romance.

This book made me glad that I have several of Kate Golden’s other books in my house on my TBR. I felt Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels vibes while reading – IYKYK. I believe this is classified under romantasy but to me, someone who has been yapping about books for twenty years, this felt more like paranormal romance. We have hunters, demons, and other paranormal creatures. The setting of Astera and the chasm is a fascinating bit of world building as well. I pictured South of the Chasm as being a bit like Gotham – particularly the Gotham of Daredevil but with demons running around. I also have to point out that the secondary characters are interesting and while it is great that the next book is also about Viv, I want a Sophia book because she just seems like someone who would be a fun main character. Be sure to pick this up if you like action, a slow build romance, and magical schools.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Latest posts by April (Books&Wine) (see all)

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