Okay I have to preface my review with this one quote from this book which was exactly what I needed to hear while reading it:

"You are not incomplete because a piece of your heart is gone. You are you, an entire whole, all on your own. If you have loved and been loved, then you can only be richer for it - you don't become a smaller version of yourself simply because what you once had is gone."

There are so many beautiful, stunning pieces of prose within these pages, but that quote really stood out to me. Olivie Blake just has such a gorgeous way with words, and this book really proves that. A loose retelling of Romeo & Juliet, I knew it was going to be devastating and it was; so much grief and loss and love, with so much ANGST. There's a lot of twists, and some very complicated family relationships and the ROMANCE. The romance was heartbreaking yet also so beautiful; I adored Lev and Sasha, and pained for Dima and Marya. Lev and Sasha had the most insane chemistry and I would die for them quite frankly.

I do wish that the setting had been a bit more atmospheric, as this is something I had come to expect from Olivie Blake's The Atlas Six, especially in this witchy, dark world, but I still really enjoyed this story and it's definitely a new favourite!

This book is incredible, the writing draws you in immediately and I found it hard to put down. This book ripped my heart out and I recommend to anyone who wants a book which makes you so invested it hurts

When i requested this book i didn't know much about it but soon found out it was a Romeo and Juliette inspired one. I love the plot and story ideas a lot however the pacing of the book was for me and the same with the way it was writing. But again maybe i read it at the wrong point in my life. This was also probably not helped much by the fact that i was listening to the book over a wide length of time. I will say that i loved the character and the aesthic of the book. Upon a reread i may like it more, i just found it hard to get into. I'd recommend it though especially because its a standalone, so you can read it on holiday or something.

3.5 stars

Any kind of Romeo and Juliet retelling is a win for me and this was no different. Blake does such a great job of consistently keeping you engaged and guessing throughout the entire book. The characters were well written and lovable, and the relationships wholly believable. It was perhaps slower paced than I typically would like however I never felt bored. I sometimes struggle to understand the hype in Blake’s books however this was a perfect example for me, I think it really suited her writing style. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a long time!

I gave 4 out of 5 stars, aside from the staging bit of the story, every other element was executed well for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5475496632

This is my third Olivie Blake book and it has all the same high points and frustrations as the others.

On the plus side, fabulous characters and world building, and writing that really pulls you along. Anyone who likes stories with a hefty dose of romance, fantasy, magic, witches, fairies etc. will enjoy this.

On the downside, there's quite a bit of repetition and meandering about in the plot, and some of the decisions said characters take are totally inexplicably. We all like a tragic, romantic ending, but it would have been perfectly possibly for everyone in this book to live happily ever after if they just stopped doing random inexplicable things!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A fascinating Romeo and Juliet retelling. I felt as the characterisation was the strongest part, especially of Marya and Dmitri. I enjoyed the first half of the book the most, with the background of both families and the betrayals, but as the story went along I felt as if the pacing was slower than I would prefer. I would have also liked to see more references to the magic system in the book, as I feel as if certain events that happened to do with magic did not make much sense to me. And I found the ending slightly disappointing as it felt unnecessary, and I didn't get the point of it

Overall, the book was an exciting read with strong characterisation, though my interest decreased by the latter half.

“Sasha, my Sashenka, we are Antonova witches and we do not weep for loss.”


I won’t lie, when I heard this was a somewhat loose retelling of Romeo & Juliet, I was a tad hesitant, but let me tell you, One For My Enemy is the far superior version of this tragic tale. 

Two rival witch families. The Antonova sisters. The Fedorov brothers. Betrayal seeking every corner. Sibling love & heartbreak. 

When I say I’m blown away by this book, I mean it. I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how someone can rewrite a classic tale, put a very interesting spin on it, and come away with something that beats the original ten times over. 

I like to be as spoiler free as possible, but if you pick this up thinking ‘I know where this goes.’ then you have another thing coming. Blake took nearly every enemies to lovers/forbidden lovers trope there is and created something that is...unimaginable. The angst, the pain, the complete destruction she has caused me will never be forgiven.

Dimitri Fedorov was the sun, the moon and the stars.


Dima. Masha. Lev. Sasha. 
I swear they will be the death of me. 


”We were suppose to have a book, Lev, you promised me a long story.


Yet again, Olivie Blake reminded me of why I love reading. Why I love losing myself in the pages of a book. Their writing is something I cant even begin to describe. She has a way of making words so delicate and soft, but razor sharp and heavy. 


”I do know” Dimitri said, gesturing for him to sit again. “I know the measure of your worth, Lev. I take pride in it every day.”


Honestly, I’m mostly at a loss of words for this review. I’m pining after this novel. 
I wish I could go back and restart this without ever having read it before. From the first page I was hooked by how enchanting the writing & characters are. 

If I could rate this higher, I would. It deserves so much praise

In New York City two rival witch families are locked in a battle for control of their criminal empires. 12 years ago this battle forced Masha and Dima to walk away from one another and now their younger siblings look doomed to the same fate, as the conflict reaches a point of no return can the two families find a way to co exist?

Olivie's writing really really shone in this story, it was beautiful and heartbreaking, and I loved it.
The cast of characters were all interesting and captivating, their relationships with one another dynamic-swinging between love and tension, trust and betrayal. I loved the through line of the women being more powerful-and widely known for their power-yet somehow still underestimated by the men. The women then using this to their advantage and toying with the men? Brilliant. (Sasha's little side quest with Roma in particular brought me great joy)
This book has all the high stakes romance and heartbreak you expect from a Romeo and Juliet retelling with the added suspense of not truly knowing how it would end as we're introduced to two couples who may fall down that tragic path-even more heartbreaking somehow. And witches! Powerful, vengeful witches, you love to see it.

I've had my issues with Olivie's writing in the past, but I truly think this story was perfectly suited to her lyrical prose that can often wax poetic. It worked for the characters and with the world they inhabit and so it didn't take me out of the narrative, but rather added to the experience. Would definitely recommend for anyone looking to have their heart broken.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and Tor for my e-arc and advanced final copy of this title, received in exchange an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Tor for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: drugs, violence, gore, injury, character death, violence

"One For My Enemy" is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in New York as two warring witch families tear each other apart for the sins of the past. One of the families is the Fedrovs, three sons following their father who names himself after Koschei the Deathless, who dominates Manhattan with his empire of secrets and favours. The other is the Antonovas, seven sisters following the lead of their mother, Baba Yaga, as she grows their fortune with premium intoxicants and drugs. Twelve years ago the eldest Antonova, Marya, abandoned the love of her life, the eldest Fedrov brother Dimitri, and chose her family over everything. Now, after finding out that there's a leak in her family, she makes a terrible decision that sends the two families reeling. Forced to step up in the aftermath of an attack on his brother, Lev Fedrov is sent to spy on the youngest witch, Sasha, but after the two fall in love things become deeply complicated. Caught between warring families and past sins that are too deep to forget, the battle between the Antonovas and the Fedrovs spills into every life, from that of a fairy lawyer to the extended families and friends.

I really enjoyed this book and I found the writing to be gorgeous. I'm not usually a fan of instant love stories but I liked how Lev and Sasha were written. Dimitri and Marya were my absolute favourites, I think some of the most intriguing parts of this book revolved around them and the sense of pining and loss in their scenes was incredible. I wish we'd seen more of the Antonova sisters, especially the ones who commune with the dead, but with everything that was happening in this book I didn't entirely mind them being glossed over. The ongoing feud was so powerfully written and the romance perfectly echoed that of 'Romeo and Juliet', tragic and painful all the way through. I never expected a 'Romeo and Juliet' retelling to focus on so many different kinds of love story, which is part of why I ended up enjoying this book so much.

In a modern day retelling of Romeo & Juliet, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their criminal ventures. The Antonova sister - beautiful and ruthless and The Fedorov brothers who serve their father. After twelve years of coexistence, a disaster brings the families together, but fate has other plans.

I really enjoyed reading this books and finding more about the families. I can’t wait to read more of Olivie’s books in the future.

To say One for My Enemy is just a Romeo and Juliet retelling would be doing the book a huge disservice. Not only was it Shakespearean it had the delightful bonus of Russian/Slavic folktales with the inclusion of the Baba Yaga and Koschei. I am a sucker for any book containing Baba Yaga.

I liked the Shakespearean aspect, Two households both alike in dignity oops sorry wrong book. Two rival witch families vie for power in New York City Sasha and Lev must fight for their love. I loved how this captivating story about power, loyalty, family ties, and sacrifice unveiled before my eyes. This book has everything from magical drugs, death that may or may not last, star-crossed lovers, and wonderfully vicious women like what’s not to like. I know numerous books have used similar fantasy element to this story, but I really love magic set within the real world.

This was the first book I've read by Olivie, and I can’t wait to start Master of Death. Any author who makes me almost reread Romeo and Juliet deserves the credit and is a commendation to their writing. Olivie’s writing is just incredibly beautiful not only does the dialogue flow and seem realistic; she has created a believable secret of witches in a modern world. This book contains so many twists and turns it was unpredictable, I was miles off from where I thought the book would end, I was past Pluto. The depth of characterisation that Olivie has given each of her characters makes you question your own morals as you have the internal debate on who to root for.

I feel as though I have been hearing nothing but great things about Blake's other novel, The Atlas Six, all over TikTok, and so I was excited to read this earlier novel of hers when I got the chance to. The concept intrigued me, as I love stories about magic, and the mafia-esque warring families is a trope I normally enjoy. There were a lot of aspects of One For My Enemy that I really enjoyed - the subtleties of magic, no casting of spells, and how the Antonova family used theirs in the form of goods sold at their apothecary. I also really warmed to Sasha and Lev as the younger couple between the two families shown in the book, but I couldn't warm to Dima and Marya or the problems their love for one another caused. I found the writing to be slightly cliched at times, with great declarations of love cropping up in casual conversations, and my interest in the story waned towards the end, but this was a solid read that I enjoyed!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for letting me have an e-arc of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.
I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️ I have a love/hate relationship with Olivie Blake’s style of writing, but I can easily say that this was the best book I have read from her so far. It’s not as easy to fall into her writing as I’ve found with some other authors, but when you get do eventually get sucked in you cannot stop reading!

At first I was thinking it could be a Romeo and Juliet retelling, but the more you read you see this is not the case (although I definitely still feel a bit of R+J love in here) With this book in particular, I loved the build up and it's core storyline but it also adds the bonus of Russian/Slavic folktales with the inclusion of the Baba Yaga and Koschei. And then it adds a little bit of witchiness in there.
The love stories were beautiful, both for the main and background characters and you see multiple POV’s from these characters. It just felt a big more dragged out and longer than it needed to be at times, especially with the dialogue.
Towards the end of the book it was more and more of a struggle to get through. The story took a different turn, and for me it just felt a bit boring and anticlimactic. You kinda of forget the motivation of Baba Yaga and Koschei also at this point, and it just gets a bit harder to understand why all this even started in the first place. It did make me think I was going to DNF at this point, but fortunately my urge to find out where the story was going in the end prevailed.
I did like this story overall though, especially the bittersweet ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it!

★.·´¯`·.·★ A R C Review ★·.·`¯´·.★

Title: One For My Enemy
Author: Olivie Blake
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publish Date: April 20, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Source: Netgalley

Happy publication day to this beautiful retelling of Romeo and Juliet! ⚔️🌺

I want to express my gratitude to #NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and Olivia Blake for granting me an advanced reader’s copy of #OneForMyEnemy.
Although I had never read an Olivia Blake novel before, I was intrigued by the great reviews of Atlas Six and immediately requested this book on NetGalley. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed.

Initially, I was a bit confused about the timeline, but Blake skillfully clarified it as the story progressed. Her writing style was mind-blowing, and she expertly intertwined each character's storyline, leaving a lasting impression.

The book is a story of two rival families battling for supremacy: the beautiful Antonova sisters versus the influential Fedorov brothers, both led by ruthless leaders known as Baba Yaga and Koschei the deathless. From the start, these two leaders were at each other's throats and would stop at nothing until the other was defeated. They were indifferent to who got hurt in the process.

The illustrations included in the book were a nice touch. However, while reading this ARC, I found it annoying that I couldn't read it on my Kindle (which is where I read all my Netgalley ARCs) due to the formatting. I could only read it correctly on the Netgalley reader, which was not user-friendly for me.

In my opinion, the magical elements in the book could have been better explained. Additionally, several plot points were unnecessarily prolonged, which affected the pacing of the story. Many things happened without a clear explanation, leaving me feeling disconnected from the plot and the family feud.

The book heavily emphasized romance, which may have been the reason why the plot was underdeveloped. However, even the romantic relationships felt contrived and forced upon the reader.

The plot was promising, but there were parts where it became too confusing and predictable. But, then again, isn't that typical of Shakespeare's writing? The book felt longer than necessary, and it took me several attempts before I could immerse myself in it properly. Nevertheless, Blake's writing felt lyrical and raw, which was a significant plus.

Overall, I found myself mesmerized by the world that Olivia Blake has created. If you're a fan of star-crossed lovers mixed with urban fantasy, then this book is for you. I highly recommend this epic read.

What I loved most about the book is the amount of research that Olivie made into Russian names, folklore and language. There was none of that Shadow and Bone nonsense, every name and every version of the name was so very well thought out and that added so much flavour!
I also absolutely loved how she has woven the details from Baba Yaga and Koschei folktales into the story.
That being said, Olivia’s writing style is not my cup of tea. There was a lot of “all vibes no plot” and it felt like it took us twice as long to get to the point.
But I loved the characters and the story, so 3.7 out of 5.

One word: LOVE. if it’s one thing olivie blake can do it’s enemies to lovers. From fanfics to the Atlas six that woman has never missed

Olivie Blake’s writing is always lovely, and this book is no exception. It’s lyrical and rich without straying into the territory of being flowery.
The characters were stronger than the plot for me personally. I found the pacing a little slow, though that did improve towards the latter half.
As we don’t have too many characters, I appreciated being able to get to know the cast well, their stories and how the fit into the plot.

All in all, a solid read. If you are usually a fan of Olivie Blake, you are sure to enjoy this.

Olivie Blake’s writing is just urgh *chef kisses* It’s such a unique style and I just get lost in it. I have not read the self published version so I can’t say if there are any drastic changes but this book was a wild ride with twists and turns

The idea of another Romeo and Juliet retelling doesn’t usually fill me with much excitement, because it is an overused story, which is often done badly, however this was Olivie Blake doing the retelling, how could I not be excited, it would be fabulous and exciting and beautiful, I was not wrong ! Everything I loved, the execution, the characters , of course the writing as Olivie has a beautiful style so lyrical. And it sweeps you along. I loved her twists, that Baba Yaga and Koschei the Deathless as a mafia boss type family/business was just brilliant and the idea of our Romeo and Juliet taking fate in their own hands. Just brilliant, if you can’t tell I really liked this and definitely recommend this.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.