ARC Review: Cursed City by Kate Golden

Cursed City
Author: Kate Golden
Series: Harker Academy (Book 2)
Publication: Ace (September 20, 2026)

Description: Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner.

Viv Abbot will do whatever it takes to rescue Reid Graveheart, the reformed Brood demon she loves—even if it means teaming up with his violent, unpredictable older brother, Deacon. Her uneasy truce with him offers Viv something Reid never could: the chance to embrace her darkness.

As the search for Reid intensifies, Viv and her friends must maintain appearances on Harker grounds while wading into Astera's seedy underbelly with none other than the White Stag as their guide. But when a bounty on Viv's head puts those she cares about most 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?

My Thoughts: The second book in the Harker Academy urban fantasy series has Viv on the run. She has had a spell embedded in her that will make her insane if she can't get it removed. It will also grant world-shattering power to anyone who kills her for it if it doesn't kill them first. She needs to rescue her missing demon boyfriend Reid, find a way to remove the spell, and stay away from the High Thane and his son Finn.

Viv has her group of school friends to help her and she has Deacon Braveheart, her boyfriend's brother. Deacon is also known as the White Stag or Cernunnos. He's morally ambiguous, violent, and unpredictable and often needlessly kind. 

Viv becomes fascinated with Deacon which makes her feel guilty which shows as anger most of the time. Of course, the syrabraxa embedded in her encourages the anger and the desire to kill even while it is driving her insane. 

Viv has lots of adventures in this richly developed fantasy world where many people wear two faces and danger is hidden in the ordinary. When events come to a head at a party held to announce her mother's plan to run for mayor, the battle rages in the catacombs beneath the event hall. 

Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this series which has it all: wonderful worldbuilding, fascinating characters and even romance. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.