A review by savvyrosereads
One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Set in present day Manhattan, One for My Enemy is a Romeo and Juliet retelling featuring two rival witch clans and the bloody tension between them.
This is my first Olivie Blake novel, but it absolutely will not be my last! I LOVED the writing of this one, which is absolutely gorgeous and filled with so many incredible and whip-smart lines. I also loved the characters—especially Marya and Sasha—and thought their story unwound with so much care and precision it left me in awe and wishing I could one day write something anywhere close to this good.
In terms of the plot itself, I thought this was a super unique and entertaining take on Romeo and Juliet (which, admittedly, is not a story I’m a huge fan of in the original but is certainly a classic framework). I did find the middle part of this one a tiny bit slow, but in the end the payoff was very worth it!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: classic retellings; forbidden love; witchy stories
CW: Blood/death/violence, suicide/self-harm
Set in present day Manhattan, One for My Enemy is a Romeo and Juliet retelling featuring two rival witch clans and the bloody tension between them.
This is my first Olivie Blake novel, but it absolutely will not be my last! I LOVED the writing of this one, which is absolutely gorgeous and filled with so many incredible and whip-smart lines. I also loved the characters—especially Marya and Sasha—and thought their story unwound with so much care and precision it left me in awe and wishing I could one day write something anywhere close to this good.
In terms of the plot itself, I thought this was a super unique and entertaining take on Romeo and Juliet (which, admittedly, is not a story I’m a huge fan of in the original but is certainly a classic framework). I did find the middle part of this one a tiny bit slow, but in the end the payoff was very worth it!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: classic retellings; forbidden love; witchy stories
CW: Blood/death/violence, suicide/self-harm
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, and Drug use