One for My Enemy: A Novel
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes an intricate web of love, magic, and rival witch families in New York City.
*This new hardcover edition will include illustrated endpapers from artist Lasq.Draws plus brand-new interior illustrations from Little Chmura* 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 ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan. After twelve years of tenuous co-existence, one family member brutally crosses the line. Bad blood reignites old grudges; at the same time, fate intervenes with a chance encounter between enemies. In the wake of love and vengeance, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, bloodshed in inevitable. The question is: Whose? "Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent."―Chloe Gong, author of New York Times bestselling These Violent Delights Also by Olivie BlakeAlone with You in the Ether
Masters of Death
Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal
The Atlas Six
The Atlas Paradox
The Atlas Complex
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Community Reviews
“Don’t forgive me if you can’t. And certainly don’t love me. You’ll only make fools of us both.”
Olive Blake has turned one of the most classic, if over-done, romance tropes into what may possible be my favourite read in years. Romeo and Juliet meet Harry Potter and take on modern day Manhattan. And to make it even more enticing there are layers of love stories melted into each other; it’s not just one relationship that you follow in this plot, it’s multiple spanned across generations.
The Russian folklore references were subtle but well-done. A quick Google of Baba Yaga, Koschei the Deathless, and Princess Marya can get you up to speed with the dynamics between certain characters. It helps that Blake added some context in the story, but you might not get it right away unless you’re familiar with it.
My favourite part of reading this novel was the writing. It wasn’t like the Atlas Six at all, where I felt like I needed to look up every other word in a dictionary to understand what was going on. Instead, her prose is more tamed, but it doesn’t make it any less beautiful. The monologues, both inner and spoken, will bring you to tears. The structure of the book was very clever, making it feel like a Shakespearean play divided up into acts with prologues for each. The characters themselves were multi-faceted; developed but not predictable.
Without spoiling the plot, I will only say this: I guarantee you will not expect anything that gets thrown your way. From the first page to the last, this story takes many twists and turns. Secrets, betrayal, and love are all fair in this world.
All in all, this is a 5 star for me. My favourite read of 2023 by far.
An interesting take on the Romeo and Juliet theme. I am a strong Shakespeare fan (I was an English teacher after all) and I do enjoy many witch stories. This one had some pretty far stretches but a bit of an unexpected ending.
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