Scan barcode
asparagusisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
First, I want to say thank you to the author, the publisher, NetGalley, and the FierceReads for making an e-arc copy for me to read in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: finishing school used a cover for something else, love triangle, found family,
Representation Included: POTS, a lesbian character, an ac character, a demi bi character,
Content and Trigger Warnings: ableism, implied sexual assault, death of a parent, murder, violence, blood, gore
ONE FOR ALL by LILLIE LAINOFF is an Own-Voices feminist, gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers following a female main character with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). All Tania wants is to become a musketeer like her father but when he is found dead and the circumstances sound suspicious, she sets her sights on finding who killed him and why. The next thing she knows, she is sent to a finishing school (a place to teach women to be proper ladies and wives) as part of her father's will. At first, Tania is appalled by her father's choice of school but quickly learns why. The finishing school is secretly a cover for what is really taught: how to use a sword, hide weapons underneath skirts, and how to use them, to seduce men and get secrets. Tania starts to feel like she's found where she belongs, a place where she and her illness are accepted but she has to choose where her loyalties lie when she starts to fall in love with her first target... and he might have information on who killed her father.
Before I begin my review, I read this book mostly with an audiobook because the book has been released by the time I got around to reading it. Talia is about 16 years old and that is shown by how naive she can be. Some parts of the book were a little easy to guess based on books with similar tropes and plots, but I didn't mind it. The main twist towards the end I didn't catch onto because I fully believed the twist would've involved one of the musketeers. I do not have POTS so I can not speak on the accuracy of the representation from that perspective. However, I can speak on it from what I know through research and friends that have it. Based on what I know, I think the POTS representation was done well and explored more than just the fainting spells. I liked seeing Talia's growing connection with the musketeers and the small family she found from it, how they supported her and "wouldn't let her fall." Overall, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and anticipate reading the ebook or physical book will be even better.
My content featuring this book:
-August TBR https://youtu.be/nVPYzsM5Zfk
-September TBR https://youtu.be/GAqnZvCFdOw
Tropes: finishing school used a cover for something else, love triangle, found family,
Representation Included: POTS, a lesbian character, an ac character, a demi bi character,
Content and Trigger Warnings: ableism, implied sexual assault, death of a parent, murder, violence, blood, gore
ONE FOR ALL by LILLIE LAINOFF is an Own-Voices feminist, gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers following a female main character with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). All Tania wants is to become a musketeer like her father but when he is found dead and the circumstances sound suspicious, she sets her sights on finding who killed him and why. The next thing she knows, she is sent to a finishing school (a place to teach women to be proper ladies and wives) as part of her father's will. At first, Tania is appalled by her father's choice of school but quickly learns why. The finishing school is secretly a cover for what is really taught: how to use a sword, hide weapons underneath skirts, and how to use them, to seduce men and get secrets. Tania starts to feel like she's found where she belongs, a place where she and her illness are accepted but she has to choose where her loyalties lie when she starts to fall in love with her first target... and he might have information on who killed her father.
Before I begin my review, I read this book mostly with an audiobook because the book has been released by the time I got around to reading it. Talia is about 16 years old and that is shown by how naive she can be. Some parts of the book were a little easy to guess based on books with similar tropes and plots, but I didn't mind it. The main twist towards the end I didn't catch onto because I fully believed the twist would've involved one of the musketeers. I do not have POTS so I can not speak on the accuracy of the representation from that perspective. However, I can speak on it from what I know through research and friends that have it. Based on what I know, I think the POTS representation was done well and explored more than just the fainting spells. I liked seeing Talia's growing connection with the musketeers and the small family she found from it, how they supported her and "wouldn't let her fall." Overall, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and anticipate reading the ebook or physical book will be even better.
My content featuring this book:
-August TBR https://youtu.be/nVPYzsM5Zfk
-September TBR https://youtu.be/GAqnZvCFdOw
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Ableism, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Gore
vaniavela's review
adventurous
emotional
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? No
5.0
A feminist genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers where the chronically ill protagonist seeks the truth behind her father's murder.
The author is a fencing competitor and suffers from the same chronic health problem as Tania, which brings great authenticity and veracity to our protagonist's experiences, thoughts and emotions. Important issues such as disability and women's rights are discussed here, featuring highly in the story. One of the elements I enjoyed most was reading the message that her disability was not the problem, but society and the way she was perceived and treated. She was powerful just the way she was. We were not given a story where she was cured of her disability and saved the day, but rather showed that even with her disability she was a hero.
One for All is a beautiful and gripping story. Tania is a very strong character and I love her. The relationships she formed throughout the story were beautiful to me as she was able to grow as a person because of them. The feeling of sisterhood is very strong; seeing the girls united was incredible.
One of the things I like most about this book is that it recognizes more than one type of strength. Willpower, the drive to fight for what's right, and passion are great strength boosters.
Sometimes I have a hard time getting into historical fiction, but this book did not disappoint me at all. The writing in this book is beautiful and completely immerses you in the story.
I can't believe I don't have a copy of this novel in my hands, and I'm heartbroken that I don't have the money to buy it. If any of my acquaintances read this, it would make a great birthday present :)
I loved the concept of an adaptation of The Three Musketeers, and the characters being so well developed is one of the coolest aspects of the book.
Rep: white Russian-French cishet female MC with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), sapphic cis female side characters, aroace cis female side character.
CWs: Ableism, chronic illness, death of parent, death, murder. Moderate: Sexual assault (of side character), blood, gore, violence, emotional abuse, medical trauma.
The author is a fencing competitor and suffers from the same chronic health problem as Tania, which brings great authenticity and veracity to our protagonist's experiences, thoughts and emotions. Important issues such as disability and women's rights are discussed here, featuring highly in the story. One of the elements I enjoyed most was reading the message that her disability was not the problem, but society and the way she was perceived and treated. She was powerful just the way she was. We were not given a story where she was cured of her disability and saved the day, but rather showed that even with her disability she was a hero.
One for All is a beautiful and gripping story. Tania is a very strong character and I love her. The relationships she formed throughout the story were beautiful to me as she was able to grow as a person because of them. The feeling of sisterhood is very strong; seeing the girls united was incredible.
One of the things I like most about this book is that it recognizes more than one type of strength. Willpower, the drive to fight for what's right, and passion are great strength boosters.
Sometimes I have a hard time getting into historical fiction, but this book did not disappoint me at all. The writing in this book is beautiful and completely immerses you in the story.
I can't believe I don't have a copy of this novel in my hands, and I'm heartbroken that I don't have the money to buy it. If any of my acquaintances read this, it would make a great birthday present :)
I loved the concept of an adaptation of The Three Musketeers, and the characters being so well developed is one of the coolest aspects of the book.
Rep: white Russian-French cishet female MC with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), sapphic cis female side characters, aroace cis female side character.
CWs: Ableism, chronic illness, death of parent, death, murder. Moderate: Sexual assault (of side character), blood, gore, violence, emotional abuse, medical trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, Violence, and Medical trauma
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
There's so much to love about this book! Not only does it have great disability rep in terms of POTS, but the characters and the action are both great, too. I loved Tania and her musketeers. They worked so well together, in a time period where a lot of people underestimated women. Though let's be honest, people still underestimate women.
Anyway, some of the plot elements felt a bit predictable to me, but I didn't mind. The pacing was pretty spot on, and the action sequences with the fencing were fun to read. Or listen to, in my case! The audiobook is well done, really helping to bring the story to life.
Anyway, some of the plot elements felt a bit predictable to me, but I didn't mind. The pacing was pretty spot on, and the action sequences with the fencing were fun to read. Or listen to, in my case! The audiobook is well done, really helping to bring the story to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Gore, and Sexual violence
electroclan17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you love the movie Barbie and the Three Musketeers you'll love this book. There are some differences (including stuff that wouldn't be mentioned in a barbie movie) but it is still fun to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual assault and Gore
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book and I want to see more disabled stories like this one!!
One for All is a genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers. It follows Tania de Batz, the daughter of a former Musketeer and her greatest champion. Tania has chronic dizziness (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), but regardless of what everyone else thinks, Tania knows she's might to become a Musketeer. When her father is brutally murdered she thinks her dreams will fade to nothing. But when she arrives at L’Académie des Mariées, she finds something unexpected.
This was such a fun book. I can't speak much to the retelling aspect, because I know basically nothing about the Three Musketeers, but I really loved the sisterhood of the Academie! I came to love the other girls of the Academie so quickly. It was just the best girl gang I've read about in a while! I loved how the other girls gave Tania accommodations when she needed them, but refused to let her believe she's weak or a burden.
Tania was such a strong character and I really loved her. She's spent a lot of her life isolated and seeing her befriend the other girls and begin to make a home for herself was such an empowering storyline. I loved all of the fencing practice, and I definitely could've used more of it. More duels too! More swords are always a good idea.
Both Tania and I have invisible disabilities. Seeing how that impacts every part of your life is so validating. Tania's hesitancy around doctors and strangers is something all too familiar. It's so easy to believe what people tell you about being lazy or faking it or not actually in that amount of pain. And it just hurts. No matter how "well meaning" some of these comments can be.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and I hope we see more MC's with chronic illnesses and disabilities take center stage across all genres and age categories.
Rep: white Russian-French cishet female MC with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), sapphic cis female side characters, aroace cis female side character.
CWs: Ableism, chronic illness, death of parent, death, murder. Moderate: Sexual assault (of side character), blood, gore, violence, emotional abuse, medical trauma.
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this book and I want to see more disabled stories like this one!!
One for All is a genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers. It follows Tania de Batz, the daughter of a former Musketeer and her greatest champion. Tania has chronic dizziness (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), but regardless of what everyone else thinks, Tania knows she's might to become a Musketeer. When her father is brutally murdered she thinks her dreams will fade to nothing. But when she arrives at L’Académie des Mariées, she finds something unexpected.
This was such a fun book. I can't speak much to the retelling aspect, because I know basically nothing about the Three Musketeers, but I really loved the sisterhood of the Academie! I came to love the other girls of the Academie so quickly. It was just the best girl gang I've read about in a while! I loved how the other girls gave Tania accommodations when she needed them, but refused to let her believe she's weak or a burden.
Tania was such a strong character and I really loved her. She's spent a lot of her life isolated and seeing her befriend the other girls and begin to make a home for herself was such an empowering storyline. I loved all of the fencing practice, and I definitely could've used more of it. More duels too! More swords are always a good idea.
Both Tania and I have invisible disabilities. Seeing how that impacts every part of your life is so validating. Tania's hesitancy around doctors and strangers is something all too familiar. It's so easy to believe what people tell you about being lazy or faking it or not actually in that amount of pain. And it just hurts. No matter how "well meaning" some of these comments can be.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this book and I hope we see more MC's with chronic illnesses and disabilities take center stage across all genres and age categories.
Rep: white Russian-French cishet female MC with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), sapphic cis female side characters, aroace cis female side character.
CWs: Ableism, chronic illness, death of parent, death, murder. Moderate: Sexual assault (of side character), blood, gore, violence, emotional abuse, medical trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Gore
melaniereadsbooks's review
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
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
More...