so off the back of her other series comes another book, again i am starting to wonder if the publishers are just pushing her work out as quick as possible to keep the hyper up.

advertised as a romeo and juilet story but its more inspired by it as personally i didnt see much of that kind of story line in it and so i dont know why they went with that tag line, yes there was a few quotes but again you wouldnt kn0w if you hadnt been told it was a re-telling.

world building was very basic as it was based in NYC and so felt minimum to me, the characters were nice but rather basic to me and i did get confused with who was dead and who was alive at time and so had to flick back pages to work out who was who which annoys me so much.

this book sadly nearly made it to the DNF list but i powered thought and was happy it was over,

This story is a combination of Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream, which is a crazy combination but it totally works. I especially enjoyed the multiple perspective whilst listening to the audiobook, the cliffhangers in this book really had me at times! I enjoyed all the characters and would definitely recommend.

As a huge fan of The Atlas Six and The Atlas Paradox, I was keen to read another book by this author.

She has a way of writing characters that do questionable things at times, but you still care about them. The atmosphere and magic in this book was so immersive, and it was definitely a case of 'just one more chapter'.

Her writing is sublime and whilst it may not be for everyone, it's definitely for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh take on Romeo and Juliet.

I love olivie blanke and will never not pick up anything she writes.

This book just wow... its a mix between romeo and juliette meets practical magic, it's intense and magical and at times quite emotional.

Olivie blake has a brilliant writing style and if you love romeo and juliett retellings you'll love this.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

3 STARS

Unsure about this one. Like others, I immensely enjoyed Atlas Six (even if it did seem to lose it's way slightly at times). This one reads like Romeo & Juliet meets The Godfather but I'm not sure if those two genres should be meeting to be honest-it makes for uneasy reading. Solid enough but not one to be reaching for again.

While I thought the premise of this was fun, it wasn’t my favourite recent adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and some of the narrative solutions melt very deus ex machina. I still enjoyed it and would probably recommend it to others.

I think this might be the best spin on Romeo and Juliet I've ever read. It takes several themes from the play (and some of the mischief from A Midsummer Night's Dream) and dives deep, which most attempts at a retelling don't do, focusing instead entirely on the starcrossed romance. In short you get the sense that Blaje really understood the play before she decided to mess with it, while most retellers half read it for GCSE and it went over their heads.

Not that this is merely a R&J retelling. It's very definitely its own thing as well, documenting the feud between two powerful criminal families of witches, and delving into the subjects of legacy, establishing yourself when you're 2nd gen immigrants, desire vs love and familial loyalty. It has a large cast and several sub plots tangle through the main weave. Structurally it was perfect for me - I need more than a linear plot to get excited about. I can see how readers picking this up and expecting a straight forward dark romance would be disappointed. Similarly if you don't want a book that asks you to keep up then it's probably not for you.

However, I loved every second of it. Blake writes such interesting, complex characters capable of both great and dispicable acts. Her prose is intricate and rich, more literary than genre. I've read several of her books now and I'm always newly surprised and delighted. This is in my opinion her best one so far. Highly recommend

this book is an amazing Romeo and Juliet retelling, but with witches and mafia families. This was a super interesting take on the play we all love and know.

I felt like I was gripping the book tighter with every twist and turn and I was suddenly rooting for characters that I hated 2 chapters ago.

I was slightly let down by the development of relationships between characters. The main love interest didn’t grip me quite the way that I wanted it to, so I was left feeling slightly apathetic at times when I felt like I should be moved. But overall this book was super fun, and Blake’s writing, as always, moved me.

Olivie’s writing is just so amazing - if you haven’t read any of her books then you really do need to. This book is just so good, it has a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe, rival families, magic and a lot of plots! Olivie is really in depth with her story telling which is what makes her books stand out as so intriguing and unique.

A completely underwhelming and overwritten retelling!

In this Romeo and Juliet retelling, rival witch families in New York City fight for supremacy. This book deals with love, loss, struggles for power with a sprinkling of magic.

For a book marketed as a fantasy, this really missed the mark. The magic element of this novel was not developed and was largely missing. The magic system is not explained at all which is something I struggled to get past when reading One For My Enemy.

In addition to a lacking magic system, the characters were completely flat. They lacked emotional depth which made it hard to be invested in the love stories presented.

Finally, the story was completely convoluted and overwritten. This is my first try with an Olivie Blake novel, so maybe the writing just isn’t for me. Overall I struggled to enjoy this Romeo and Juliet retelling.

I don't know if I will ever feel clever enough to read Blake's writing... But, I'll always be here for it! I enjoyed this one, who doesn't love a spin on our much loved Romeo & Juliet?!

The prose, as always, was stunning, I found at times the multiple POV a bit difficult to keep up with, but I very much appreciated them.

I did find it lulled a little, but I loved the character building. Its a longer read for me though as I have to get my head around the complexity.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

I really enjoyed this and will be re-reading in the future. I really enjoy this authors writing and can’t wait for her next book

This was meant to be Romeo and Juliet with witch families but I just couldn't finish the book.

I don't know if there were just two many voices, if the editing was nonexistent or if I just can't get along with the writing style (surprising as I love My Mechanical Romance by her) but I just found myself dragging myself through the story rather than flying through it like I usually do with books. I wasn't invested in any of the characters, they seemed to stay 2D all through the 1/3rd I made it through and none of them made me emotionally attached in one way or another

This book is a hard one to rate because there are some elements I really loved—the writing, the Russian folklore and the Romeo and Juliet vibes, whereas the plot and the narrative structure were all over the place and made me lose interest in the story as it progressed.

One for my Enemy

Two rival families of witches fighting for control and power. Throw in a Romeo and Juliet. Retelling with a bit of a mafia style makes this a gripping read. I was so invested in this story. I LOVED IT.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillian, and Olivie Blake for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Following a Romeo and Juliet style storyline, One for My Enemy follows two magical families in an alternative modern day New York. The families are both aiming to be the ones with the most power, although approaching it in different ways - reflecting their old and new money backgrounds. What they don't bank on is their first and last borns being star-crossed lovers; the double threat. I loved the Fedorov boys - particularly Lev - and was a little terrified of what the Antonova girls would do next, so I loved them all the more. Through the chaos and magic, the romance was well balanced and heightened the stakes of the story without hindering it in platitudes and romance that didn't feel true to the characters style or motivations. I was caught up in the web of deceit and still managed to feel surprised by the twists and turns of the tale, even with the core influences making some elements more obvious. Mostly though, it feels like Blake finally has her narrative balance right for me as a reader - poetic but still serving the overall point of the story.

Unfortunately that formatting in this copy made it unreadable. I have bought a copy and will update this review when I read.

I went to see the author talk last month and I am very excited to read this book, I know I’m going to love it from what she said!

I requested this after reading The Atlas Six series and after seeing all the hype surrounding Olivie Blake on social media.

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. the characters were well written and interesting. I look forward to reading more books from the author.