Scan barcode
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and RB media for an ALC of this book.
In this feminist and genderbent Three Musketeeers retelling, Tania joins a secret band of female musketeers and finds sisterhood and love in the midst of struggling with her father's murder and her chronic illness.
I LOVE the chronic illness rep in this book. I don't have the same type of chronic illness as Tania, but the way others treated her like she was fragile or lazy or faking it--I just related so hard to so much of it. I love the character development with this and how Tania learns that the way others treat her isn't because of her but them, and the explanations about what her body can and can't do and that isn't her fault and AH! It's so good.
I also really like the mystery and secrecy in this! And the BA group of female musketeers is also great!
There is some side queer rep in this book. I believe the author has said that there is a lesbian girl and a demi-bi girl, as well as an Ace adult. After having read the book, I can tell which character is which, but none of that rep is explicit. There is some coding in there, but nothing is very obvious except that two of the characters are sapphic.
Anyway, this is a really good one, and I definitely recommend the audio!
In this feminist and genderbent Three Musketeeers retelling, Tania joins a secret band of female musketeers and finds sisterhood and love in the midst of struggling with her father's murder and her chronic illness.
I LOVE the chronic illness rep in this book. I don't have the same type of chronic illness as Tania, but the way others treated her like she was fragile or lazy or faking it--I just related so hard to so much of it. I love the character development with this and how Tania learns that the way others treat her isn't because of her but them, and the explanations about what her body can and can't do and that isn't her fault and AH! It's so good.
I also really like the mystery and secrecy in this! And the BA group of female musketeers is also great!
There is some side queer rep in this book. I believe the author has said that there is a lesbian girl and a demi-bi girl, as well as an Ace adult. After having read the book, I can tell which character is which, but none of that rep is explicit. There is some coding in there, but nothing is very obvious except that two of the characters are sapphic.
Anyway, this is a really good one, and I definitely recommend the audio!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, and Death
Minor: Blood
chronicallybookish's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 12+
Over All: 5 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Disability Rep: 10/5
Special thanks to FierceReads and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
TW: blood, gore (minor), death of a parent, murder, sexual assault (off page), attempted sexual assault
None of these are graphically depicted, but they are present in the book.
I finished this book months ago, and I have sat down to write this review countless times since then. I still don’t know what to say. How to I put into words what this book meant to me? How do I convince you to read it?
One For All is a historical fiction/fantasy novel, following Tania, a teenage girl with POTS as she attends a finishing school in Paris that is secretly training its students to become Musketeers. There is female friendship, romance, mystery, action, and sword fighting in ball gowns. The author herself is a fencer, so there is an accuracy to the fight scenes that YA fantasies often lack.
I was about Tania’s age when I was diagnosed with POTS, a few years ago. 1% of teenagers—which may not seem like a lot, but for a chronic illness, 1% is quite a lot—have POTS, and yet this is the first traditionally published YA book to feature the illness. Never before have I seen myself in a character in the way I see myself in Tania. Lillie Lainoff’s #ownvoices portrayal of POTS put into words emotions and experiences I’ve never been able to express. From page one I was crying. I don’t think I managed to go more than a few chapters without crying because of how much it meant for me to read a book where I was so fully represented, written by an author who truly understands what it is like to be in my shoes.
One for All is a promising debut, though on the technical side it does suffer from a common issue that I see in debut novels—especially fantasy ones. There were more than a couple instances, especially in the middle of the novel, where the pacing was lacking, and I found myself having a hard time engaging in the plot. It was predictable at times, as well.
However, the rest of the book: the relationships, the fight scenes, and the majority of the plot were thoroughly enjoyable. And the representation was, as I’ve already expressed, life changing.
I think One for All will especially appeal to younger YA readers, those aged 11-14, but I definitely encourage older readers to pick up the book as well. Just expect a younger writing style and characters that will appeal more to pre- and early teens.
This was (and remains) my most anticipated release of 2022, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait for its official release, when I can hold a copy in my hands and annotate it and take pictures of it and stare at it. I’m going to end up with way too many copies of this book. I’m obsessed. Prepare for my Instagram feed to be nothing but pictures of One for All.
Anyway! Pre-order One for All right now! You won’t regret it! Plus it has an incredible preorder campaign sooooooooo ;)
Age Rating: 12+
Over All: 5 stars
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Disability Rep: 10/5
Special thanks to FierceReads and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
TW: blood, gore (minor), death of a parent, murder, sexual assault (off page), attempted sexual assault
None of these are graphically depicted, but they are present in the book.
I finished this book months ago, and I have sat down to write this review countless times since then. I still don’t know what to say. How to I put into words what this book meant to me? How do I convince you to read it?
One For All is a historical fiction/fantasy novel, following Tania, a teenage girl with POTS as she attends a finishing school in Paris that is secretly training its students to become Musketeers. There is female friendship, romance, mystery, action, and sword fighting in ball gowns. The author herself is a fencer, so there is an accuracy to the fight scenes that YA fantasies often lack.
I was about Tania’s age when I was diagnosed with POTS, a few years ago. 1% of teenagers—which may not seem like a lot, but for a chronic illness, 1% is quite a lot—have POTS, and yet this is the first traditionally published YA book to feature the illness. Never before have I seen myself in a character in the way I see myself in Tania. Lillie Lainoff’s #ownvoices portrayal of POTS put into words emotions and experiences I’ve never been able to express. From page one I was crying. I don’t think I managed to go more than a few chapters without crying because of how much it meant for me to read a book where I was so fully represented, written by an author who truly understands what it is like to be in my shoes.
One for All is a promising debut, though on the technical side it does suffer from a common issue that I see in debut novels—especially fantasy ones. There were more than a couple instances, especially in the middle of the novel, where the pacing was lacking, and I found myself having a hard time engaging in the plot. It was predictable at times, as well.
However, the rest of the book: the relationships, the fight scenes, and the majority of the plot were thoroughly enjoyable. And the representation was, as I’ve already expressed, life changing.
I think One for All will especially appeal to younger YA readers, those aged 11-14, but I definitely encourage older readers to pick up the book as well. Just expect a younger writing style and characters that will appeal more to pre- and early teens.
This was (and remains) my most anticipated release of 2022, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait for its official release, when I can hold a copy in my hands and annotate it and take pictures of it and stare at it. I’m going to end up with way too many copies of this book. I’m obsessed. Prepare for my Instagram feed to be nothing but pictures of One for All.
Anyway! Pre-order One for All right now! You won’t regret it! Plus it has an incredible preorder campaign sooooooooo ;)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Minor: Gore and Blood
bananakin's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Thanks to netgalley for sending me an arc of this book.
One for All achieves what all great retellings do. It keeps the heart of the story while making it accessible and enjoyable for those who may not have read the source material.
Tania de Batz has been treated by the world as many disabled and chronically ill people are, as nothing more than a sick girl. Her father, a retired musketeer, has always encouraged her love of fencing and taught her how to work with her illness. When he dies tragically, in what Tania knows to be more than reported, she travels to Paris to find his killer under the guise of his dying wish: that she attend a renowned finishing school. Upon her arrival she finds that the school she'd been loathe to attend is actually a secret training facility for a new generation of female musketeers. All Tania has ever wanted was to have her own version of musketeer family that she grew up hearing stories about and she will fight for it, for her father, and for the king of France.
Being able to see Tania embraced by her sisters in arms, les mousquetaires de la lune, so immediately filled my heart. Seeing both her struggle to deal with how she'd always been treated and to accept that her new family was not like that and would support her and never think her a burden was so amazing. Until today I'd never seen POTS represented in literature and I am so glad that this incredible book is where I get to see that piece of myself. I couldn't put this book down, it was captivating from start to finish. I cannot wait to have this gorgeous book in my hands.
One for All achieves what all great retellings do. It keeps the heart of the story while making it accessible and enjoyable for those who may not have read the source material.
Tania de Batz has been treated by the world as many disabled and chronically ill people are, as nothing more than a sick girl. Her father, a retired musketeer, has always encouraged her love of fencing and taught her how to work with her illness. When he dies tragically, in what Tania knows to be more than reported, she travels to Paris to find his killer under the guise of his dying wish: that she attend a renowned finishing school. Upon her arrival she finds that the school she'd been loathe to attend is actually a secret training facility for a new generation of female musketeers. All Tania has ever wanted was to have her own version of musketeer family that she grew up hearing stories about and she will fight for it, for her father, and for the king of France.
Being able to see Tania embraced by her sisters in arms, les mousquetaires de la lune, so immediately filled my heart. Seeing both her struggle to deal with how she'd always been treated and to accept that her new family was not like that and would support her and never think her a burden was so amazing. Until today I'd never seen POTS represented in literature and I am so glad that this incredible book is where I get to see that piece of myself. I couldn't put this book down, it was captivating from start to finish. I cannot wait to have this gorgeous book in my hands.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent
More...