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Cursed City

Paperback
$20.00 US
5-3/16"W x 8"H (13.2 x 20.3 cm) | 13 oz (369 g) | 24 per carton
On sale Sep 29, 2026 | 528 Pages | 9780593953457
Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt

This deluxe, first-edition trade paperback of Cursed City will feature beautifully stenciled edges and captivating interior cover art!

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?
“Sexy, fast-paced, and utterly addictive. Cursed City is a delicious sequel that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What a rush!!!” — Kaylie Smith, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Games series

"If Half City was a gorgeous appetizer, Cursed City is the sumptuous main, served rare & oozing red. Violent, brutal, with a sizzling will-they-won’t-they dynamic, and all the vibes of your favourite paranormal shows dialed up to eleven. I devoured this. An absolute knockout. P.S. Viv can step on me."—Brigitte Knightley, New York Times bestselling author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

"Cursed City is a magical combination of urban fantasy, Buffy nostalgia, and a forbidden romance that sizzles right off the page! It's whip-smart and packed with action, with a romance that had me kicking my feet. I would die for Viv and her quirky little pack of hunters, but I would *kill* for the MMC and his smart, sassy mouth."–Demi Winters, New York Times bestselling author of Dawn of the North

"Cursed City had me on the absolute edge of my seat, turning pages late into the night almost faster than I could read them. This one's for everyone out there who watched Buffy and agrees with me that, yes -- the slayer should have two bad-boy demon boyfriends. The Harker Academy series is deliriously twisty, sexy as hell, and has me entirely by the throat. I am counting down the seconds until the next book arrives."—Jenna Levine, USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire

"Cursed City is a thrilling and seductive sequel to Half City, and I could not stop turning the pages! The stakes are higher than ever, the romantic tension is off the charts, and I was fully immersed in this vivid, dangerous world and the characters who inhabit it. Kate Golden has perfected the art of Romantasy, and Cursed City is a sexy and dagger-sharp installment in my new favorite series.”—Sarah Hawley, USA Today bestselling author of Servant of Earth

"I didn't think I could love a book more than Half City, but with Cursed City, Kate Golden has done the impossible! With plot twists and turns I never saw coming, Cursed City expands on the intricate world of Astera in ways that are fresh and exciting. But, as with any romance, it's the characters that give this world its heart, and Cursed City allows us to spend more time with Viv and her squad, plus a few new additions who stole the show. Cursed City is a banger of a sequel that I couldn't put down. It only left me wanting more!"—Falon Ballard, USA Today bestselling author of Something Wicked

"This is how sequels are done! Cursed City is not a book, it is a battering ram that targets readers’ hearts. You could not have paid me to put it down. Funny, propulsive, nostalgic, and totally spellbinding, I truly cannot get this book out of my head. Cursed City is hands down my favorite read of 2026."—Meg Smitherman, author of Entity and Thrum

Kate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of both The Sacred Stones and Harker Academy trilogies. When she isn’t writing, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their puppy, Milo. View titles by Kate Golden
Available for sale exclusive:
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Available for sale non-exclusive:
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•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Morocco
•     Myanmar
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     Saint Martin
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Cameroon
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Cyprus
•     Dominica
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Gambia
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Lesotho
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Western Samoa
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

About

This deluxe, first-edition trade paperback of Cursed City will feature beautifully stenciled edges and captivating interior cover art!

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?

Praise

“Sexy, fast-paced, and utterly addictive. Cursed City is a delicious sequel that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What a rush!!!” — Kaylie Smith, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Games series

"If Half City was a gorgeous appetizer, Cursed City is the sumptuous main, served rare & oozing red. Violent, brutal, with a sizzling will-they-won’t-they dynamic, and all the vibes of your favourite paranormal shows dialed up to eleven. I devoured this. An absolute knockout. P.S. Viv can step on me."—Brigitte Knightley, New York Times bestselling author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

"Cursed City is a magical combination of urban fantasy, Buffy nostalgia, and a forbidden romance that sizzles right off the page! It's whip-smart and packed with action, with a romance that had me kicking my feet. I would die for Viv and her quirky little pack of hunters, but I would *kill* for the MMC and his smart, sassy mouth."–Demi Winters, New York Times bestselling author of Dawn of the North

"Cursed City had me on the absolute edge of my seat, turning pages late into the night almost faster than I could read them. This one's for everyone out there who watched Buffy and agrees with me that, yes -- the slayer should have two bad-boy demon boyfriends. The Harker Academy series is deliriously twisty, sexy as hell, and has me entirely by the throat. I am counting down the seconds until the next book arrives."—Jenna Levine, USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire

"Cursed City is a thrilling and seductive sequel to Half City, and I could not stop turning the pages! The stakes are higher than ever, the romantic tension is off the charts, and I was fully immersed in this vivid, dangerous world and the characters who inhabit it. Kate Golden has perfected the art of Romantasy, and Cursed City is a sexy and dagger-sharp installment in my new favorite series.”—Sarah Hawley, USA Today bestselling author of Servant of Earth

"I didn't think I could love a book more than Half City, but with Cursed City, Kate Golden has done the impossible! With plot twists and turns I never saw coming, Cursed City expands on the intricate world of Astera in ways that are fresh and exciting. But, as with any romance, it's the characters that give this world its heart, and Cursed City allows us to spend more time with Viv and her squad, plus a few new additions who stole the show. Cursed City is a banger of a sequel that I couldn't put down. It only left me wanting more!"—Falon Ballard, USA Today bestselling author of Something Wicked

"This is how sequels are done! Cursed City is not a book, it is a battering ram that targets readers’ hearts. You could not have paid me to put it down. Funny, propulsive, nostalgic, and totally spellbinding, I truly cannot get this book out of my head. Cursed City is hands down my favorite read of 2026."—Meg Smitherman, author of Entity and Thrum

Author

Kate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of both The Sacred Stones and Harker Academy trilogies. When she isn’t writing, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their puppy, Milo. View titles by Kate Golden

Rights

Available for sale exclusive:
•     Canada
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Benin
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Morocco
•     Myanmar
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     Saint Martin
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Cameroon
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Cyprus
•     Dominica
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Gambia
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     India
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Lesotho
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Sudan
•     Swaziland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Western Samoa
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe