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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I know I'm giving this only four stars, but I can't stop thinking about it??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
frantically's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pretty writing does not a pretty book make.
This book has solid positives — rival families, Romeo & Juliet retelling without being too on the nose, fun family dynamics and pasts, and, of course, the pretty writing.
I especially enjoyed Mascha's character, who is just such a solid older sister: she makes wild choices for siblings, she's on the darker side of morally grey, would kill people for her mum but above all just loves her family, maybe a bit too much. We see a lot of her interactions with Sasha but I wish we would've seen more of the other sisters! There's seven of them and this book would've worked just as well with just Mascha and Sasha — a bit disappointing.
Sasha and Lev are the epitome of insta-love but this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, so I feel like I have to forgive Blake for that. They're both living and acting in the shadows of their parents and older siblings and while Dima and Mascha have the more fascinating plot, it still works out so well that Sasha and Lev are our protagonists.
It seems like the magic in this story is merely a side note, if it's not being used to bring everyone who dies back to life. Seriously. You thought SJM was bad? This is worse. I can't really feel sad for character deaths (of which there were many) when they all appear alive again in the next scene. But besides that? Some witch drugs and not much more witchy stuff.
Still, an engaging and fun story, which I wish would've been worked out a little bit more.
This book has solid positives — rival families, Romeo & Juliet retelling without being too on the nose, fun family dynamics and pasts, and, of course, the pretty writing.
I especially enjoyed Mascha's character, who is just such a solid older sister: she makes wild choices for siblings, she's on the darker side of morally grey, would kill people for her mum but above all just loves her family, maybe a bit too much. We see a lot of her interactions with Sasha but I wish we would've seen more of the other sisters! There's seven of them and this book would've worked just as well with just Mascha and Sasha — a bit disappointing.
Sasha and Lev are the epitome of insta-love but this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, so I feel like I have to forgive Blake for that. They're both living and acting in the shadows of their parents and older siblings and while Dima and Mascha have the more fascinating plot, it still works out so well that Sasha and Lev are our protagonists.
It seems like the magic in this story is merely a side note, if it's not being used to bring everyone who dies back to life. Seriously. You thought SJM was bad? This is worse. I can't really feel sad for character deaths (of which there were many) when they all appear alive again in the next scene. But besides that? Some witch drugs and not much more witchy stuff.
Still, an engaging and fun story, which I wish would've been worked out a little bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual harassment
takarakei's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I would burn down the world for this love
Romeo & Juliet modern retelling with rival witch families.
Olivie Blake certainly knows how to write characters with depth and how to rip your heart out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
midnightrose_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A magical contemporary fantasy set in New York City about witches caught up in a Romeo and Juliet-esque conflict. This is definitely a weird story (particularly towards the end), but I enjoyed the ride and Olivie’s beautiful writing. For fans of V.E Schwab’s books and Kat Howard’s The Unseen World duology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In true Shakespearean fashion, this was full of tragedy, star crossed lovers, murder, and fae. But! It is also filled with witty dialogue, magical crimes, family secrets and drama. I loved most of the characters and wish that we got more screen time with Lev and Sasha, versus the surrounding epic of their families, but overall it was a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Suicide and Sexual harassment
aliyachaudhry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
olivie blake you will always be famous
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, and Alcohol
aileron's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Grief
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual harassment
city_girl_writer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley & TorDotCom / Macmillan Audio for gifting me an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
I must say...I was genuinely surprised on how much I enjoyed this. It is very much a contemporary fantasy twist to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with betrayals, forbidden romance, and death. Olivie Blake did a good job in writing the rivalry between the two families and romance between their heirs. In a way, there were two sets of "Romeo & Juliet" equivalents. Although, I didn't like the second set as much. I didn't believe their initial attraction even though they grew on me as I continued to read. I think Blake had one of the rivaling families have so many kids so that Blake could conveniently explain away a very crucial moment in the book. It seemed like a convenience since it involved most of those kids and we, the reader, would hardly see or hear from them again. Nonetheless, the audiobook production was very well done. Ferdelle Capistrano did a great job balancing all of the voices and bringing life to these characters. I think reading Olivie Blake's books are best read via audio for me. I didn't enjoy The Atlas Six, so it was nice to see some improvement here.
I must say...I was genuinely surprised on how much I enjoyed this. It is very much a contemporary fantasy twist to Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with betrayals, forbidden romance, and death. Olivie Blake did a good job in writing the rivalry between the two families and romance between their heirs. In a way, there were two sets of "Romeo & Juliet" equivalents. Although, I didn't like the second set as much. I didn't believe their initial attraction even though they grew on me as I continued to read. I think Blake had one of the rivaling families have so many kids so that Blake could conveniently explain away a very crucial moment in the book. It seemed like a convenience since it involved most of those kids and we, the reader, would hardly see or hear from them again. Nonetheless, the audiobook production was very well done. Ferdelle Capistrano did a great job balancing all of the voices and bringing life to these characters. I think reading Olivie Blake's books are best read via audio for me. I didn't enjoy The Atlas Six, so it was nice to see some improvement here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment
audacity's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
One for My Enemy is chaotic and its only saving grace is the authors skill with prose. I really hope that an editor goes over this again before they publish it because there is so much potential, but it's buried under nonsensical sentences, inconsistent characters/ pacing, lack of a set magic system or vital background information that would give us context for the current setting. While the author has some very quotable lines scattered throughout the book, the foundations of the story are lackluster at best.
Inconsistent Characters
-Baba Yaga/ Koschei: These two are the reason the families are pitted against each other and we don't get any information about them as characters until we're over a third of the way into the story. I can't buy into the animosity between these families with no emotion from these two or any context. Koschei literally hid in the shadows in a basement and was only pulled out to be slightly developed for plot convenience half-way through. Considering how much of the flimsy excuse of a plot is centered on them you would expect more effort would go into creating these characters.
-Sasha: Youngest daughter, sole child who went to school which seems important to her. Is only part of the public portion of her mother's underground business. She's protected from the negative aspects by her eldest sister Masha. You get this sense of innocence/ sweetness being portrayed and then suddenly she's breaking a guy's face and then jumps right into the nitty grittiness of the dark side of the business, abandoning school, with no preamble? Where is the growth? The emotional aspect of abandoning post-secondary for your family whims and vendetta's? We jumped from point A to point B with no tangible development, and it irked me. *Sidenote: Sasha had to remind herself not to tuck her thumb into her fist while throwing a punch but "The bones of his face splintered beneath her knuckles" is ridiculous. If it's a broken nose it should be the crunch of cartilage, otherwise I think she broke his jaw or cheek bone which is, once again, ridiculous.
Pacing:
-The first 25% of this book was a mess. While it should have been utilized to set the foundations of the story it felt like we were just witnessing the author decide on where she wanted to go with it. There was little consistency.
-Many of the characters didn't start developing until almost halfway through the story. Koschei was just a shadow in the basement. All of Sasha's other sister's were ignored until they become a key point for the plot to go forward. Roman was the spark of this disaster to take off but we didn't get to see it unfold, we were simply told that it happened off page and we don't actually get to see him develop. He was flat until he was tossed in fully formed into the story like Athena jumping out of Zeus's head trying to claim credit for things that didn't naturally align with what we're reading.
Lack of a Magic System:
-This story centres around witches and their power which comes from their magic. So, it stands to reason we should have a basic idea of how it works, right? Apparently not. Magical creatures and items are mentioned but never given any history. We have shadow creatures that are mentioned at the beginning of the story that aren't utilized until the very end. There's mention of other realms but once again that isn't actually shown until the last few chapters.
-What is the source of their magic? We're told that Baba Yaga has a bunch of herbs hanging in the kitchen and uses them in bath bombs and stuff so I'm thinking potions. However, later you see them use innate magic saying that it's all in the blood so organs like kidneys are a strong source of it? Then the sisters have specific powers that no one else seem to have, why? Just to make them more conveniently powerful?
-We are granted a little paragraph that goes like:
"That's an Old World law"....
"It is... my daughters...know their history, their origins, what makes them witches"
Okay, that's nice that they hold this information off-page, but would you mind sharing it with us?! Considering these laws are what trigger the main tragedy and the ruination of the families you think we would have a little more insight of the gravity of them. Yet, they don't seem to be magically enforced, or have any notable significance aside from tradition? It makes all that unfolds after seem pitifully asinine.
The basic foundations of One for My Enemy were terribly neglected. Having someone in the editing process make a timeline of the plot and see how everything actually unfolds, without the prose in the way, might solidify the events in a more intelligible manner. Please put the effort in to give us context! Without it a large portion of what happens is just done out of plot convenience creating a disconnect with the reader. The concept of the "Old World" holds immense potential and it's a shame to see it go to waste. While the prose itself was good it wasn't enough for me to salvage One for My Enemy. As it currently stands, I wouldn't be recommending it to anyone.
Inconsistent Characters
-Baba Yaga/ Koschei: These two are the reason the families are pitted against each other and we don't get any information about them as characters until we're over a third of the way into the story. I can't buy into the animosity between these families with no emotion from these two or any context. Koschei literally hid in the shadows in a basement and was only pulled out to be slightly developed for plot convenience half-way through. Considering how much of the flimsy excuse of a plot is centered on them you would expect more effort would go into creating these characters.
-Sasha: Youngest daughter, sole child who went to school which seems important to her. Is only part of the public portion of her mother's underground business. She's protected from the negative aspects by her eldest sister Masha. You get this sense of innocence/ sweetness being portrayed and then suddenly she's breaking a guy's face and then jumps right into the nitty grittiness of the dark side of the business, abandoning school, with no preamble? Where is the growth? The emotional aspect of abandoning post-secondary for your family whims and vendetta's? We jumped from point A to point B with no tangible development, and it irked me. *Sidenote: Sasha had to remind herself not to tuck her thumb into her fist while throwing a punch but "The bones of his face splintered beneath her knuckles" is ridiculous. If it's a broken nose it should be the crunch of cartilage, otherwise I think she broke his jaw or cheek bone which is, once again, ridiculous.
Pacing:
-The first 25% of this book was a mess. While it should have been utilized to set the foundations of the story it felt like we were just witnessing the author decide on where she wanted to go with it. There was little consistency.
-Many of the characters didn't start developing until almost halfway through the story. Koschei was just a shadow in the basement. All of Sasha's other sister's were ignored until they become a key point for the plot to go forward. Roman was the spark of this disaster to take off but we didn't get to see it unfold, we were simply told that it happened off page and we don't actually get to see him develop. He was flat until he was tossed in fully formed into the story like Athena jumping out of Zeus's head trying to claim credit for things that didn't naturally align with what we're reading.
Lack of a Magic System:
-This story centres around witches and their power which comes from their magic. So, it stands to reason we should have a basic idea of how it works, right? Apparently not. Magical creatures and items are mentioned but never given any history. We have shadow creatures that are mentioned at the beginning of the story that aren't utilized until the very end. There's mention of other realms but once again that isn't actually shown until the last few chapters.
-What is the source of their magic? We're told that Baba Yaga has a bunch of herbs hanging in the kitchen and uses them in bath bombs and stuff so I'm thinking potions. However, later you see them use innate magic saying that it's all in the blood so organs like kidneys are a strong source of it? Then the sisters have specific powers that no one else seem to have, why? Just to make them more conveniently powerful?
-We are granted a little paragraph that goes like:
"That's an Old World law"....
"It is... my daughters...know their history, their origins, what makes them witches"
Okay, that's nice that they hold this information off-page, but would you mind sharing it with us?! Considering these laws are what trigger the main tragedy and the ruination of the families you think we would have a little more insight of the gravity of them. Yet, they don't seem to be magically enforced, or have any notable significance aside from tradition? It makes all that unfolds after seem pitifully asinine.
The basic foundations of One for My Enemy were terribly neglected. Having someone in the editing process make a timeline of the plot and see how everything actually unfolds, without the prose in the way, might solidify the events in a more intelligible manner. Please put the effort in to give us context! Without it a large portion of what happens is just done out of plot convenience creating a disconnect with the reader. The concept of the "Old World" holds immense potential and it's a shame to see it go to waste. While the prose itself was good it wasn't enough for me to salvage One for My Enemy. As it currently stands, I wouldn't be recommending it to anyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Sexual harassment
lauramparis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content