“One For My Enemy”, Olivie Blake
Published January 30, 2019
In modern-day Manhattan where we lay our scene, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their respective criminal ventures.
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 community extortion ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan.
After twelve years of tenuous co-existence, a change in one family’s interests causes a rift in the existing stalemate. When bad blood brings both families to the precipice of disaster, fate intervenes with a chance encounter, and in the aftershocks of a resurrected conflict, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, fraying loyalties threaten to rot each side from the inside out.
If, that is, the enmity between empires doesn’t destroy them first.
“Write me a litany of sins. Write me a plague of devastation. Write me lonely, write me wanting, write me shattered and fearful and lost. Then write me finding myself in your arms, if only for a night, and then write it again. Write it over and over, Lev, until we both know the pages by heart. Isn’t that a story, too?”
Move over, other Romeo & Juliet retelling. This one wins.
Olivie wrote a rich, lyrical modern urban fantasy that is a magical blend of rivalry and romance. This reimagined R&J is layered and deliberate, moody and elegant, with a cast of complex characters who navigate ancient grudges and fragile allegiances in the heart of Manhattan.
The story revolves around two powerful witch families—the Antonovas and the Federovs—whose long-standing feud shapes every decision, every relationship, and every act of rebellion. There is a dreamlike quality that makes the tragic moments feel beautiful still. Olivie wrote a story that shows how love, no matter how ill-fated, can still cut through the chaos of holding onto power, legacy, and the weight of expectation.
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
death • suicide • murder • grief
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Owned: self-published Kindle edition; thrifted hardcover