2023/043: One for my Enemy — Olivie Blake

2023/043: One for my Enemy — Olivie Blake

"I thought you both hated each other."
Dimitri and Marya exchanged a glance.
"'Hate' is a strong word," Dimitri said to her. "Don't you think, Masha?"
"Oh, of course, Dima," Marya agreed, "though 'vengeance' is somewhat stronger."
They smiled at each other. [loc. 4365]

New York's magical underworld is dominated by two families. Lazar Federov, known as Koschei the Deathless, runs his shadowy empire with his sons Dimitri, Roman and Lev. More wholesome is Marya Antonova, known as Baba Yaga, and her seven daughters -- the eldest is Marya (Masha), the youngest is Sasha, the others are less distinctive -- and their trade in magical intoxicants. For over a decade an uneasy detente has been in place, but one family has broken the pact, and this means ... well, if not actually war, at least a bloody feud. Except that Koschei's sons and Baba Yaga's daughters are entangled in ill-starred ways...

One for my Enemy riffs off Romeo and Juliet (the chapter headings are quotations from the play) as well as Russian folklore and American mafia tales. Add magic, and everything becomes a great deal more complex. ( Read more... )