Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - One For My Enemy

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake

18 reviews

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Lovers to enemies. Enemies to lovers.
A modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling complete with family drama and forbidden relationships, plus quite a few twists thrown into the mix. The story revolves around two powerful witch clans who have been rivals for over a decade: the Antonovas and the Fedorovs.

The characters felt realistic, multi-faceted, and thankfully, developed without being entirely predictable. Which was great, especially since I’m not a huge play-lover so the characters are ultimately what kept me tuned in. But I did enjoy being surprised multiple times for a retelling!

This is my third book by Blake and each time I’m reminded that I love how she writes—always so poetic.

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mrs_bastos's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOD. All I knew about this book was that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling and honestly, I think that's all you need to know. Reading this book was soooo much fun! I don't know if it's because it's an urban fantasy or what but I found this book to be easily comprehensible. Like I was able to understand at least 90% of what was going on in this book which says a lot because I feel like with a lot of fantasy books it can be really hard to grasp so I do recommend this book if someone is just starting fantasy.

I love the romance in this book!

The other romance. Dima and Masha literally own my heart! I LOVE them! Now THAT'S enemies to lovers. I will be chasing a romance like Dima and Masha's in every enemies-to-lovers book I read. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! I honestly wanted this whole book to be about them. Don't get me wrong, I did like Lev and Sasha but they weren't "epic" to me. And Sasha got on my nerves sometimes. The stakes didn't seem high for them to me, and I think that was purposefully done because it is made clear in many ways, especially with the ending which coupe was THE epic romance. Ughhhh! I just LOVE them so much! I feel teary-eyed even thinking about them! I'm still not over them!🤧❤️

This is my first Olvie Blake, but and I here her writing changes depending on the book, but I just have to say I really enjoyed the writing in this book. It's been a hot minute since I've read a book with flowery and lyrical writing and reading her book made me realize just how much I missed reading writing like that. Here are some quotes that I like:

"No. No. Masha, I am my own man."..........."Why didn't you let me choose you?"........."I would have gone to you, Masha, if you'd asked. You would've only had to ask, and I would have chosen you over everything." - Dima (pg 102)

"I love you,"........."I will always love you, I will love you until the day I die—and if you're the one to kill me, then by all means, you should know without a trace of doubt that you will not have turned me away. I will have spent the final beat of my heart loving you, just as I always have. Only you, Masha,".........."Only you, forever, I promise." - Dima (pg 102)😭💔(how do you not fall in love with them after this?!)

"I want you," he murmured, twinning her fingers with his, "and you have me so easily, without lifting a finger. But don't use me." - Lev (pg 147)😟

"Sashenka," Marya said, "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. " (pg 252)
Hate and love were really not so different, Ivan thought. He wondered if Koschei and Baba Yaga knew it just as well—that hate and love were so very similar. Both were intestinal, visceral. Both left scars, vestiges of pain. Hate could not be born from a place of difference. Hate was only born from the opposite sides of the same coin.

And the conversation that Bryn and his mother have about love (on page 400 is freaking hilarious😂

Now, the criticisms of this book are valid. I understand why someone wouldn't like this book. The magic system was not explained like at all. The political system isn't explained. The deaths

and the bringing people back to life isn't explained and just so many other things go underdeveloped.

Most of the characters in the original Romeo and Juliet story were flat and I think the author purposefully didn't flesh out the magic of the world because that wasn't the main focus of the book, but I can understand how that would still unnerve some people. You were just supposed to roll with it. And honestly, that's what I did. It would've made this book 10x and maybe even a 5-star if more things were fleshed out, but you know what I still enjoyed it regardless because I think that was the point. I definitely want to reread this book and annotate it! I just loved it so much!🥰

Spice Rating: 🌶️/5

Content Warnings

dani_reis's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

This felt like it could have been at least a third shorter. The drug war seemed unnecessary. The magic even seemed like a back burner since the world building was fairly mediocre.

Content Warnings

aysha_blake's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

bookboxbabe's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

5.0

i knew it was a romeo and juliet retelling and yet i didn’t think they would actually die

Content Warnings

ramunepocky's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“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.”

this review is not spoiler free

This was my first Olivie Blake book even though I own most of her books and it was a very strong place to start. Her writing style is absolutely gorgeous and she has a real way of pacing and describing drama that makes it so enthralling. I loved this book so much!

I would have liked to have see a bit more character development and development of the character dynamic before we really got thrown into the thick of the drama, I especially would have liked to have seen Lev and Sasha’s relationship develop a bit more because whilst I was rooting for them and it was devastating for Sasha to have to experience Lev die like that, I would have liked to have seen a stronger bond develop first. I guess it’s just me being cynical about how quickly people can fall in love that makes me want that. The drama did also help with the character developments tbf, especially where Dima, Masha, Sasha and Roma were concerned, I feel like all the events that unfolded gave us a real glimpse into their characters and we got to see them change and suffer and grow from what happened. I also think that that helped me grow more attached and sympathetic to characters that I had not been as impartial to before.

The feuds between the families and the reasons behind the hatred was very interesting to learn about it and it was so unsurprising to find that it all boiled down to points of pride more than anything else. Pride is many people’s downfalls.

My favourite character was absolutely Lev. Was it because I kept picturing him as Lev from Haikyuu?? Perhaps. But also, he had such complete and utter golden retriever energy. He made me laugh. He was loyal. He was loving. He was just the absolute sweetest character, and I really felt for him being torn between his loyalty to his family and his brothers, and his feelings for Sasha as the enemy. I was absolutely distraught when Stas killed him because wtf. No. You can’t do that to my boy. But thank every god that his “enemies” brought him back. It was really sad though that he thought that Sasha was still dead when she was the other half of Masha’s plan and I was so happy when they finally got to reunite again. I also loved the fact that Lev had faith and belief in Masha simply because she reminded him of Dima and the way that he thought and planned, and because he worked out that the two of them had been in love with one another.

I also loved Dima a lot. I wasn’t sure about him at first because ofc we don’t really see much of him before BAM he’s put in a magical coma. But reading about his history with Masha and the two of them being (briefly) united before Roma stabbed Masha made me really warm up to him. It was extremely clear just how much he loved her. How much he would have sacrificed for her. And I mean, tbh, bit far to cut out her heart when she was dead to keep it safe, bit of a literal interpretation of what she said to him all those years ago, and I cannot imagine how vile it must have been to have been going to bury her heart and seeing it beating right there out of her chest, but I’m glad it made it clear to him that she was alive and that he could stop hurting. Dima’s story is as tragic as Masha’s tbh, and the fact he would have chosen her above his family if she’d given him the choice all those years ago shows how much he loves to, and to be able to do what he did in the end, to stab both her heart and himself, to follow her into the afterlife, was devastating, but it was clear he could not live without her and he would have blindly followed her anywhere.

Masha was a very complicated character for me. I didn’t love or hate her. She was a very complex character to understand and very interesting as she always had motives on top of motives and kept her true intentions hidden at every turn. She was extremely smart and calculated in the risks she took and worked everything out to a tee. She was also very ruthless, even before Dima carried her heart and it wasn’t in her chest, she was always trying to swallow her emotions and refused to show a single one of them on her face despite being in constant pain. I do truly believe that she always acted with her sisters in mind though and her hope to find Dima again. It was literally heartbreaking when the two of them died together at the end, but getting to see them reunited and together on the other side made me sob so hard. The two of them had been in so much pain their entire lives due to their parents and I’m glad that they finally got their peace and to be together. It’s what they deserved.

I also had very mixed feelings on Roma, I wasn’t his biggest fan to begin with, but I started to feel bad for him as I imagine it would be hard to grow up in a household where eit is clear that you are not the favourite or cared for as much as your siblings and to always live in their shadows. I absolutely called him being the one behind what had been happening to aggravate the feud, especially as he was so pushy about Lev getting involved and it was pretty much confirmed for me the second that Dima refused to tell Masha who was actually behind it because “she would kill them” even though we didn’t get actual confirmation that it was Roma until a bit later. I also thought it was hilarious when Sasha was “haunting” him and gaslighting him into believing his father was responsible, it was pretty funny tbh and he did deserve it given that he killed Masha, killed Stas and was, by extension, responsible for Lev and Masha’s deaths too. I did end up feeling bad for him though as it was evident that his guilt about what happened was really weighing on him and driving him to insanity. It was nice in the epilogue too to learn that he’d worked with the faery whose name I can’t remember in his law firm, twas nice to know that he was beginning to turn things back around for himself.

I have more to say but my brain has officially left the building so yes.

Overall, I enjoyed this book; it had witches, it had interesting family and character dynamics, it had drama and suspense, and I could certainly see the Romeo and Juliet element. Was it my favourite retelling? No. Would I read it again?? Absolutely. And you can guarantee that if Fairyloot ever bring back their special edition of it, I’ll be buying it in a heartbeat bc the colour scheme has a chokehold on me.

Content Warnings

lilly_reads98's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“We can’t curse all the men in the world, can we?” “Not in a single day, at least.” I felt like this book would be epic and it was. It made me read the words as fast as my eyes could consume them, I didn’t want to do anything else but devour the story. I actually think I ended up reading it too fast because now I wish I was still reading it but I just couldn’t put it down! This book is so good, I haven’t read anything really like this. It definitely stands out a lot from anything I’ve read recently, I enjoyed it so much and want to re read it. I really enjoyed seeing the deep love between the love interests and the way it’s written when they’re talking about their love for each other is just so deep mad heart wrenching. It’s so nice to read characters that are just so in love 😭 I don’t think a lot of books actually show that or have dialogue like this book, the dialogue in here is so powerful. It was cringey at times, specifically I think with Sasha. But one of my favorite quotes is, “When you spend enough time with someone, as I have, you begin to learn them like a muscle. You learn their little ticks, their eccentricities, their thoughts. You learn the signs and read them like stars, like lines in a book.” (P. 255) all of the quotes with Masha and Dima are just so good 😭 I wish we could have read more of their backstory. I like Sasha and Lev, I like their dynamic. I think the story was going good but the author ruined it for me by making Sasha and Levi’s relationship purely about lust and not love. They aren’t in love, (until around the middle of the book) but if they were falling in love sooner everything would be way more impactful. Like I expected them to fall in love not just try and have sex every time they see each other. Epic love stories are about love not just that? That’s literally shown in Masha and Dima, they were in love and I was way more invested in their storyline and so confused why the author would not write Lev and Sasha to be falling in love. I think the plot of this is so good but there’s other things that also just kind of ruin it for me, like the cursing and the repetitive dialogue of constantly saying peoples names like 7 times on one page. These things just take me out of the story.. if they weren’t in it I feel like this would be a 5 star amazing epic read. Spoilers ahead:

It does get better once Lev and Sasha do say they love each other, but I wish we got to see them falling in love, we didn’t really get to see that so it just takes so much of the heart wrenching away. I hate Roman oh my god. I don’t like how much we have to read about Roman even after he ruins everything he won’t go away. I am annoyed by now the author uses the same plot point of when Marya comes back to life I expect her to immediately go to Dima but she doesn’t, which is so confusing to me. And the same thing when Lev and Sasha come alive again they don’t immediately go to each other? (When I found out Lev just doesn’t know, but still that brings my issue of why does he show no grief, none of the characters show grief when the other dies and then the next day they’re just talking casually about things as if the love of their life didn’t just get ripped away from them?) it makes no sense why a book like this wouldn’t allow their characters to show more sadness.

I realize I talked about my negative points a lot but I really was so immersed in the story and I loved it so much. It’s just that those things did bother me a lot and did bring down my enjoyment. I loved this part/ “When had Dimitri Fedorov known he loved Marya Antonova? He had known it like the voice of his soul, the sanctity of every prayer. With certainty equal to the changing of the seasons, borne on devotion as relentless as the tide. He had known he loved her like he knew he would rise each day, like knowing his lungs would fill with each breath, like knowing he could bleed with every puncture. With motions as practiced as each step he took. He had loved her with the whole of his being, as if he'd been made to do it; as if he'd been crafted that way by some divine hand. She was in his blood, beating in his chest, racing against it. He felt the ache of her now, pressed flat against the bone of his sternum. With each moment since he'd begun racing to reach her, a fraction of her heart had shattered more, each sliver of shrapnel as much his doing as hers. As much his pain as it was hers.” (P. 384) 😭

“I choose you. I will always choose you.” Dima is literally the most romantic and the best character. He shows his love and speaks it unlike Masha, why did she confess she still loves him but then after she dies and comes back she won’t be loving towards him?? This book is so confusing!!! She finally does and her quotes get to me so much on page 330, but like why when she first came back to life did that not happen??it’s not even explained why she acts like that and only way later do they resume how they were right before she died. Tell me why Bryn makes me think of the guy in that 70’s show that sells jewelry 😂 oh my goodness when lev and Sasha finally know about each other 😭😭😭 it’s so good. It’s so sos o good. But why is it only a few pages and then they start talking about reality again. Why do authors have to torture me 😭😭😭😭 I want to read about them being in love, being happy. But the author keeps switching to so many other characters it’s getting annoying like seriously it was getting so good that I have the 5 star feeling but then it gets ruined again😭 tell me why like seriously we do not want to read about Stas in the middle of Lev and Sasha finally seeing each other after waiting for that for so many pages. “LEV: this is my favorite book” 😭😭😭 I’m happy they got a happy ending but it would be so much better and more impactful if we actually got to see it for more than just a few pages. I hate how so many books just barely show you the happy ending like I read this whole thing and then the ending is just so short. I really enjoyed this book so much, I don’t know why I wrote most of my thoughts as my negative thoughts I’m so sorry 😭 I will leave this off with more quotes that I absolutely loved: “The ground was mossy, covered in leaves and vines. It looked like a fold between universes; like a page in a book of worlds. It couldn't belong in this one, not here, but couldn't belong to another, either. It was foreign and still, a place that had never felt an echo.” (P. 255)

"The past is nothing. We are everything… Give me all of you, take everything of me, and let's see who stands against us then." (P. 330)

Content Warnings

carla20's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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4.0

I know I'm giving this only four stars, but I can't stop thinking about it??

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