I didn't realize that this had first been published in 2019. However, I'm glad it's being reissued. The story is one part Russian mob, one part Romeo & Juliet & one part fairytale all woven together to make a fascinating novel.
In modern day NY City, 2 rival witch families fight to maintain control over their respective empires. But as always, love gets in the way. On one side are the Antonova sisters and their mother, Baba Yaga. On the other side are the Federov brothers and their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless. After 12 years of relative peace, one family's (ahem) 'business ventures' cause a rift in the stalemate. But love complicates everything and even death is no match for fate.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc..*

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Book Review:
One For My Enemy
Written by Olivie Blake
Read by Ferdelle Capistrano
Book 75/200
Genre: Fantasy, Crime
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 427
Published: 2019/2023
Rating: 9/10

“The past is nothing. We are everything.”

This audiobook was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Back-Cover Blurb:
In modern-day Manhattan where we lay our scene, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their respective criminal empires.
On one side of the conflict are the Antonova sisters — each one beautiful, cunning, and ruthless — and their mother, the elusive supplier of premium intoxicants, known only as Baba Yaga. On the other side, the influential Fedorov brothers serve their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless, whose community extortion ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan.
After twelve years of tenuous co-existence, a change in one family’s interests causes a rift in the existing stalemate. When bad blood brings both families to the precipice of disaster, fate intervenes with a chance encounter, and in the aftershocks of a resurrected conflict, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, fraying loyalties threaten to rot each side from the inside out.
If, that is, the enmity between empires doesn’t destroy them first.

Olivie Blake's One For My Enemy is a new take on a classic story. I would describe it as Romeo & Juliet + The Godfather + witches. And yes, this is as good as it sounds! Blake continues to write fantastic morally grey characters that are well developed and feel real. Heartbreaking and riveting, One For My Enemy manages take familiar stories and tell them in a new way.

This book is also enhanced by Ferdelle Capistrano's great narration. Because of the combination of Blake's writing and Capistrano's narrating, i could not put this one down. Special thanks to Netgalley, Tor Books, and Olivie Blake for this ARC!

As far as Romeo & Juliet retellings go, this one made top of the list. It was done in a very unique way with a complex and intriguing magic system. And I liked the way it ended, which says a lot.

Think: the mafia but with witchcraft and then add in Romeo and Juliet and you’ve got the outline of this book.

This story involves magical underground crime all set in New York and is a modern fantasy based retelling of Romeo and Juliet. It deals with a blood feud between two rival witch families, and a forbidden love story with stunning prose and high stakes.

I think Olivie Blake’s work is so creative and unique. Her writing is absolutely beautiful. If she writes it, I’ll buy it.

I hadn’t read a fantasy book in awhile and this filled my cup. It is always difficult when first diving into a story like this because there are often many characters and world building to understand and adapt to, but this had a list of characters in the beginning, which was helpful.

Thank you @netgalley for the audio of this to review. The narrator read it seamlessly and I enjoyed listening to it. I also bought a hard copy for my shelves because I love this author and the gorgeous illustrations make me happy.

My. Goodness. Olivie Blake has my whole heart. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that this is the first of her “formally” published works that I’ve read, considering how I tell everyone to read her fanfics.

I was immediately sold based on the blurb- Baba Yaga and Koscheii the Deathless are heads of modern Manhattan (witch) organized crime families, but this book is so much MORE than a modern take on old lore.

This is going to appeal to so many people. Mafia readers. Mafia romance readers. People who like lore/fairytale retellings. Fantasy girlies. Witchy friends.

Don’t sleep on Olivie Blake. This was incredible.

I found this Romeo and Juliet retelling to be beautifully written, but somewhat confusing. I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator did an incredible job, I found myself wishing I had a physical copy to follow along. The plot is complex with multiple viewpoints and I enjoyed the time spent with these characters. I just feel like I need to read the book to fully understand what went on in the story.

Amazing twist on Romeo and Juliet. Olieve Blake develops characters and gets us inside of their head. I loved Alone with you in the ether,but this one takes my number one spot od Olievie Blake's books. Olievie's makes us look at different love (obession) such as parents, siblings and lovers love. Which love would win in your life?

Olivie Blake's writing is perfection.

One for My Enemy has a few different variations of Romeo and Juliet across two rival witch families, all of which pulled at my heart strings.

I usually dislike books with lots of POV characters because it's usually hard to keep track of all of them, but even though there are so many characters in One for My Enemy (often with several nicknames) I never had any issue keeping track of the characters, just because Blake's characters are so richly developed.

The world building of the witches and magic was *chef's kiss* perfection as expected.

This book can be read as a standalone. I'd definitely read another book set in this world though!

Really enjoyed the audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC! In this Romeo and Juliet retelling, we follow to warring magical families, the Antonovas and Fedorovs. The two families used to work together, but a rift has kept them rivals working under a tenuous detente for the past twelve years, now a violent betrayal has brought them to an all out war. The only problem? The youngest Antonova sister and Fedorov brother have fallen (maybe not hopelessly) in love. Can they heal the past wounds between the two families or will they be forced to separate as enemies? Olivie Blake's lavish writing is masterfully told through the narration of Ferdelle Capistrano.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

Olivie Blake has proven once again why she is an auto-buy author for me. This book was captivating and beautifully written and successfully drew me in from the very first page. I am eagerly awaiting my physical copy so I can highlight all of my favorite quotes from this story, as there are many.

"“Write me a tragedy, Lev Fedorov,” she whispered to him. “Write me a litany of sins. Write me a plague of devastation. Write me lonely, write me wanting, write me shattered and fearful and lost. Then write me finding myself in your arms, if only for a night, and then write it again. Write it over and over, Lev, until we both know the pages by heart. Isn’t that a story, too?"

SO. BEAUTIFUL.

I am typically not a big fan of retellings, but this was a rare exception for me. My only complaint were there were elements of this story that felt confusing, but I do wonder if I would have felt that way had I read instead of listened.

All in all an easy 4 star read and would definitely recommend to any fans of Blake, Romeo and Juliet, or tragic love stories with a hint of magic.

One For My Enemy, previously self-published, is set to be traditionally published on April 4th, 2023. The new editions are definitely worth checking out, including the stunning sprayed edges of the Waterstones edition, the black colorway of the Barnes and Noble edition, and the special blue colorway of the UK edition from Fairyloot. Don't forget about the original self-published edition that collectors are seeking!

The book has a gripping plot that includes forbidden romance, rival witches, and deep betrayals. However, I have to give it a rating of 2.75 due to the chaotic magic system and erratic character motivations. While these aspects could use some improvement, the overall story is still engaging and will appeal to many readers.

The audio version of the book was well done, with clear differentiation between acts and scenes, and the narrator did a great job with character voices.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book before its publication day. I look forward to reading more of Blake's work, as she has an incredible imagination with many out-of-this-world ideas.

Olivie Blake has done it again wow. This was so beautifully written and I was hooked from the absolute first second. The chemistry between the Dima and Masha and Lev and Sasha was insane. I loved the parallel of the relationships where Lev and Sasha were essentially what Dima and Masha would have been if they had the chance. My heart broke for Dima and Masha because they both deserved the world and unfortunately their family rivalry tore them apart.

I know this is based on Romeo and Juliet so you think I would be prepared for a tragedy but let's just say I was not. The amount of times I had to pause this because I could not take the emotional damage at scenes was insane. This book is 98% hurt and like 2% comfort but all the hurt is so worth it. Also, you would think I would know what to expect with this one since it is based on Romeo and Juliet but I was kept constantly guessing and blindsided until the end.

I love the structure of this book where it goes back and forth between different characters. We got to see the history of Baba Yaga and Keoche and how they transformed from friends to enemies. We got to see how the characters ended up the way they were. I loved the transformation into corruption as the characters experienced their heartbreak and betrayal. Let me just say, I hated new Masha but in the best type of way. I completely understand why and how she became the way she did, but she was written in that role so well that even though I hated her, I also loved her. The betrayal and hurt she caused Sasha broke my heart because until that point, Sasha viewed Masha as this loving figure who treated her like she was special and different from her other sisters. So to listen to the scene where Sasha realized Masha's betrayal and how she just didn't care how Sasha felt was heartbreaking.

The only reason I bumped it down a half star is because I didn't completely understand the magic system or the epilogue. This may have been my fault since I did listen to the audiobook so maybe I missed important details at points, but I just didn't completely understand the families and characters powers. Also the epilogue, I liked how it ended but I just was kind of confused with Bridge and what happened with his father, or who his father was. Again, might have been my fault, but I feel like it could have ended without the epilogue.

Shout out to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the copy of this audiobook.

Buddy, Olivie Blake does not disappoint.

I read The Atlas Six after being lightly bullied into it and I loved it. So when I found One for My Enemy was being repackaged and republished I knew I was going to try to get my hands on it. And it did not disappoint!

On two different occasions I messaged by trash birds group chat and told them they should add this to their TBR.

I also had NO IDEA where this book was going to end up which was such a joy. It's a LOOSE retelling of Romeo and Juliet and the whole time you're thinking, are they going to actually live at the end of this story? And also, who is supposed to be Romeo and Juliet? There are several couples in this and we follow them all, and they are all star crossed. Poor babies.

Do I want them to live? Yes, because I love them. But also, no, no I do not want them to live because I want the metalness of R&J dying at the end. And I will just say, this book didn't disappoint me with where it ended. I am gleeful.

I guess I should actually give some kind of real review so I'll just say, Olivie Blake's writing is wonderful. It's beautiful without being purple prosey. It grips you by the collar and drags you through the wormhole that is imagination and drags you into the book's world. She wrote a weird, witchy retelling of Romeo and Juliet and she knocked it out of the park...which is not easy. R&J retellings are TIRED, but this is great, and unique, and dark.

My only critique of this book is that everyone in the book has multiple names. There are their given, Russian-based names, and then there are their nick-names. And it can get a little confusing when you're listening to it. I know we go through all their names at the start of the audiobook, but it's like an info-dump and who really pays super close attention to that? Not me. And all of a sudden there are endearments but also real names and it took me a WHILE to get them all straight. I think this is probably much easier to follow when reading the physical book.

Anyway, five out of five stars. Olivie Blake now has me in a chokehold.

ah yes, sexy and charmingly abrasive female characters are my achilles heel.

take romeo & juliet, throw in an oversized scoop of the romantic prose of alone with you in the ether and add a pinch of the philosophical thought and twisty plot that the atlas six is known for, mix it all together, and you’ve got one for my enemy. oh, and add witches.

somewhere in a grave, shakespeare is weeping softly at being bested.

also, I was cackling at the witty banter within the text message conversations. I need more of that from you, sis.

✦4.5 stars

I could recommend this book in one sentence: if you liked The Atlas Six, you will like this one. The story is pretty straightforward. Two Manhattan Russian families of witches brawl with each other over the drug market. Magic and Romeo and Juliet trope complicate things.
I have listened to the first half with no break whatsoever. I was engaged and wanted to know what will happen next. But after the first big event in a midbook, I was set back by the solution. One thing that seems to be Blake's signature move is focusing on relationships between characters, which is fine, but there are so many times I can read the same thing over and over. I get it. She is his whole world. Let's please move on. It doesn't add to dramatics, it adds to the annoyance. By the end, I was so bored and uninterested that I finished it not even caring anymore, despite quite charismatic characters. I think that you can only go so far with the tell now show. This plays into the disadvantages of the story. Overall, if that is something you enjoy, you will like this book for sure. The attention to detail is amazing, and I can tell the author did her homework, somewhat. There might be some stereotypes that I did not pick up on, but I'm not the one to notice them.

Overall audiobook was an awesome production and even tho it would be cool to have a PDF with all the characters, I was able to follow it no problem. Also, the lector had an amazing and soothing voice, so it was a pleasure to listen.

I really wanted to love this but it just fell a bit flat for me. This was just OK for me. I'm sad about it, trust me.

I think this could have been cut down and still held its shape, while still hitting all the drama and tragedy. Speaking of which, when those big moments came, I felt that.... well, I didn't actually feel anything, and that's the problem. I didn't really care much about the characters. Sometimes the emotional drama between them was so over the top that it was just too much. It almost felt campy in a way, but not in a way I vibed with.

if there’s one thing olivie blake knows how to do it’s write a story that’ll have me so invested i never want it to end! listening to this audiobook was such an experience. i’ve read the original version so hearing the new edits was such a treat! these new edits really added a lot more to the story and the characters you can tell olivie blake only gets better as an author. her writing is so well put together. the audiobook narrator also did such an amazing job at depicting the story and characters, i loved it!

I never have a bad time reading an Olivie Blake book and this was no exception. One for My Enemy feels like a modern mashup of Romeo and Juliet, Russian mythology, and Practical Magic. It has Shakespearean levels of melodrama, enemy families that are deeply intertwined, magical drugs, death that may or may not last, starcrossed lovers, and wonderfully vicious women.

It's a wild ride with lots of twists, complicated relationships, and big feelings. If that sounds like your cup up tea I do recommend it. I had a great time with it, though occasionally the emotional drama was so over the top as to feel campy. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I took my time with this book. It's a magical, political/crime family re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet. While similar in theme, this story is more complex and delves further into the motivations and strengts of about a dozen key characters.

The family dynamics and loyalties, deceptions and risks are well-explored and I have been fully engrossed in the outcomes for all the characters, alive or dead.

Truly and genuinely relieved I liked this one.

Needless to say, I was nervous to read this after DNF'ing my last Olivie Blake book 8% in because of the indigestible pretentiousness of it. I was a little worried when I saw a few reviews saying the same about this but they are so very wrong. This was absolutely stunning and not at all what I expected.

It's certainly a loose take on Romeo and Juliet, but with Russian witches in New York City. The emphasis of the story lies not in the magic but in the families feuding between it. Both heads, building an empire for their children to take over, not understanding that the forbidden love crossing boundary lines can make all the difference in keeping those empires alive. The characters are so rich in this, focusing mainly on the three Fedorov brothers and the oldest and youngest Antonova sisters.

There is so much history and politics between each family and I am obsessed with how masterfully this was told. It slips between POVs and past and present, unfolding with an ease that lent this a fairy tale quality. I honestly don't know if I enjoyed Lev and Sasha as a couple more than I did Masha and Dima. The latter took me by surprise, as they aren't as charismatic as the former, they are just as tragic with the most compelling backstory.

Macmillan was kind enough to offer me the audiobook early and the narrators did a wonderful job with this.

I have to knock a star off for the ending though, because what the heck was that? After the gorgeous slow build towards it, the ending simple did not hit and I was so lost as to what was going off. If there was some huge machination that had been taking place over the entire book I clearly missed it.

Okay, I'm 1 for 2 on Olivie Blake books now, but I'm willing to dig deeper into that backlist of hers soon and hopefully push into more that I like.