One for Myself

the dopamine hit of finding the right book at the right time

The rush of blood to the cheeks, the slight trembling of the fingers, the intense lip biting, the eyes going wide and teary with joy. The total sum of these elements is excitement. At least, how I experience excitement when cracking open a book I have longed to read.

The most recent such experience was on Tuesday. Wednesday, really, since midnight had already struck. A few days ago I wrapped up my first book from my Autumn TBR and I was ready to move on to the second novel. I did not have the time during the day, so I decided to read a few pages before going to bed.

I opened the cover and I got an instant ‘I can’t believe it’s finally happening’ feeling. The culprit: One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake. I read 28 pages before I had to stop because I was on the verge of playing dream-football with my eyeballs. But those 28 pages sunk their claws into me. I set the alarm early for the morning so I could get a little reading time before taking on work tasks.

At the time of writing this on Thursday, I made it through 35% of the book. When I realized I by-passed the 1/4 milestone, I began wondering What if the beginning of this novel grips me so only for the latter part of the book to disappoint me? since I saw the rating of One for My Enemy on Goodreads (3.75).

Normally, I select my books based on who recommends them and what rating they have on Goodreads + reviews from other sources that I randomly find without stumbling onto spoilers. One for My Enemy ended up on my TBR because a former ‘booktuber’ I used to love marked it as worthy on their Instagram. I completely skipped over the check rating & reviews phase.

I definitely do not regret it and I came to accept that what I love does not have to be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s alright if my opinion changes as I read along. It definitely happened other times, when a book started out bland and boring only for the pace, characters and/or plot to get more interesting as the story progressed. I do not think there has ever been a book that triggered the opposite feeling - full of promise only to go down hill and leave me disappointed. Or if there was, it was not memorable. (Note to self: Check my reviews for such an instance)

Hence why I have high hopes for One for My Enemy. I did not know anything of the plot prior to jumping into it. From the first pages, though, I was intrigued by the center piece of the novel - family bonds. Two powerful families of witches are put in antithesis - one matriarchal thriving, the other patriarchal crumbling, and the differences and similarities between them make for a scrumptious setting of the scene. Soon, the trope star-crossed lovers captured my attention, too. I enjoy my books with some romance from time to time and it’s been a while since I saw said trope in action. The plot focuses on betrayal and the lengths families will go to for protecting… or betraying their own.

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Update after finishing One for My Enemy.

It’s done. The book has ended and took me with it. The novel did not disappoint me at all, it was what I thought it would be and what I wanted it to be. Had I read it at a different time, there is no telling what I would have thought.

For one to fall in love with a book, the prose does not have to be stellar, the plot does not need to be the freshest on the shelf, the tropes do not have to be turned onto their heads and made anew. The book simply needs to be in the reader’s hands when the time is right.