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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
a genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers following a girl with chronic illness? SIGN. ME. UP.
rep: chronically ill mc (POTS), lesbian side character, demi bi sc, ace sc
Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours for gifting me an eARC of this book and having me on their book tour! This did not affect my opinion of this book and all my thoughts + views are my own. Now, for my review:
This book is brilliant and if it doesn't become an internet sensation, I'm suing the internet. One For All is a whirlwind of a story full of adventure, camaraderie, and secrets. It follows Tania, who after losing her father, a former musketeer, is sent off to an academy to teach her how to be a proper wife (something she's never wanted). But when she gets there, she learns its not an academy for wives at all: but a secret female musketeer group that work for the king. The girls are taught how to draw secrets from unsuspecting men through the power of flirtation and uncovering dangerous plots, as well as learning how to fence and wield swords (lucky for her, her father raised her to be an excellent fencer). She joins three other girls as they work to uncover an assassination plot against the king, as well as maybe discover the truth behind her father's murder, and hope they can save the day before its too late.
The writing in this book was beautifully done and fully immerses you into the story!! It really set the mood for the 1600s setting but was so easy to breeze through and I binged majority of this book because it was just THAT good. The whole plot was really intriguing and I was not bored once (and I mean that wholeheartedly). The different twists and turns were super exciting and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This book really makes me want to go put on a ballgown, strap a sword to my thigh, and sneak into a ball!
Tania was such a wonderful main character to read from, her inner struggles and conflict made the book feel so much more real and I was delighted to see how her character grew over the course of the book. You rarely see chronic illness representation in historical-type books/settings and, while I can't speak for the representation, it was really enlightening to see the struggles people with chronic illness can go through, not just in modern day but in a time period where real medical help was even harder to find than it is now. As for Portia, Aria, and Thea (the other three girls), they were all such loveable characters and complete each other so well. The four of them have such a strong bond and I just loved how supportive they all were no matter what (nothing I love more than seeing strong female friendships!! We need more of those in books). Henri was also one of my favorite characters, he was such a sweetheart and I adore him!
Anyway, this book is incredible!! It’s probably one of my new favorite books of all time and I’m definitely going to buy a physical copy of it when it is released!
Side note: If Barbie and the Three Musketeers was your favorite Barbie movie, it's a requirement that you read this book because it will bring you so much nostalgia, trust me
rep: chronically ill mc (POTS), lesbian side character, demi bi sc, ace sc
Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours for gifting me an eARC of this book and having me on their book tour! This did not affect my opinion of this book and all my thoughts + views are my own. Now, for my review:
This book is brilliant and if it doesn't become an internet sensation, I'm suing the internet. One For All is a whirlwind of a story full of adventure, camaraderie, and secrets. It follows Tania, who after losing her father, a former musketeer, is sent off to an academy to teach her how to be a proper wife (something she's never wanted). But when she gets there, she learns its not an academy for wives at all: but a secret female musketeer group that work for the king. The girls are taught how to draw secrets from unsuspecting men through the power of flirtation and uncovering dangerous plots, as well as learning how to fence and wield swords (lucky for her, her father raised her to be an excellent fencer). She joins three other girls as they work to uncover an assassination plot against the king, as well as maybe discover the truth behind her father's murder, and hope they can save the day before its too late.
The writing in this book was beautifully done and fully immerses you into the story!! It really set the mood for the 1600s setting but was so easy to breeze through and I binged majority of this book because it was just THAT good. The whole plot was really intriguing and I was not bored once (and I mean that wholeheartedly). The different twists and turns were super exciting and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This book really makes me want to go put on a ballgown, strap a sword to my thigh, and sneak into a ball!
Tania was such a wonderful main character to read from, her inner struggles and conflict made the book feel so much more real and I was delighted to see how her character grew over the course of the book. You rarely see chronic illness representation in historical-type books/settings and, while I can't speak for the representation, it was really enlightening to see the struggles people with chronic illness can go through, not just in modern day but in a time period where real medical help was even harder to find than it is now. As for Portia, Aria, and Thea (the other three girls), they were all such loveable characters and complete each other so well. The four of them have such a strong bond and I just loved how supportive they all were no matter what (nothing I love more than seeing strong female friendships!! We need more of those in books). Henri was also one of my favorite characters, he was such a sweetheart and I adore him!
Anyway, this book is incredible!! It’s probably one of my new favorite books of all time and I’m definitely going to buy a physical copy of it when it is released!
Side note: If Barbie and the Three Musketeers was your favorite Barbie movie, it's a requirement that you read this book because it will bring you so much nostalgia, trust me
adventurous
funny
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:
Complicated
adventurous
i listened to the bridgerton soundtrack while reading and i must say the vibes were immaculate
I am so glad this book was recommended to me - a strong, female MC with POTS is exactly what I needed!
Fairly predictable but a nonetheless delightful take on the Three Musketeers with intrigue, snarky dialogue, and a strong representation of the type of undiagnosed but overwhelming difficulties of chronic illness. A bit hindered by a lack of character communication and a slightly underwhelming villain but still delightful!
the characters and character development were good, the plot was entertaining and I really liked the plot twist
but one thing that really bothered me was Tania complaining about corsets. first of all, corsets didn't even exist in the 1650s, what they had back then were stays which were the predecessors to corsets. they do look similar but they have shoulder straps and create a different kind of silhouette. it wasn't until the Victorian era (1820 - 1900) that they became the overbust whalebone corsets that we typically think of when we hear the word 'corset'. Also, the actual purpose of both stays and corsets is to essentially do the same thing a bra does. Also please remember that working women wore stays and corsets, and were able to move in them, tightlacing was dangerous but it was also uncommon.
I initially saw Tania not having worn stays before as not making sense, but after doing a bit of research I'm not as sure. I couldn't find any exact information about the 1600s, but apparently in the 1700s, while stays were common among the peasants and the aristocracy, a woman could be excused from wearing one for health reasons (source at the bottom of this review). I don't really see how wearing stays could make Tania's POTS worse, but I do acknowledge that this is a period of fashion history that I don't know a lot about, nor is this a disability that I know a lot about, so if anyone has more accurate sources or just knows more in general, please let me know.
sorry to go off on a tangent there, but other than that i did really enjoy this book. it was a lot of fun and i'd definitely read it again!
sources (the first one has its own sources at the end):
https://thedreamstress.com/2013/08/terminology-whats-the-difference-between-stays-jumps-a-corsets/#:~:text=Despite%20their%20heavy%20boning%2C%20and,as%20the%20robe%20de%20cour.&text=Stays%20were%20more%20commonly%20worn%20in%20England%20than%20in%20France.
https://fabricforcosplayers.com/diff-foundations/
but one thing that really bothered me was Tania complaining about corsets. first of all, corsets didn't even exist in the 1650s, what they had back then were stays which were the predecessors to corsets. they do look similar but they have shoulder straps and create a different kind of silhouette. it wasn't until the Victorian era (1820 - 1900) that they became the overbust whalebone corsets that we typically think of when we hear the word 'corset'. Also, the actual purpose of both stays and corsets is to essentially do the same thing a bra does. Also please remember that working women wore stays and corsets, and were able to move in them, tightlacing was dangerous but it was also uncommon.
I initially saw Tania not having worn stays before as not making sense, but after doing a bit of research I'm not as sure. I couldn't find any exact information about the 1600s, but apparently in the 1700s, while stays were common among the peasants and the aristocracy, a woman could be excused from wearing one for health reasons (source at the bottom of this review). I don't really see how wearing stays could make Tania's POTS worse, but I do acknowledge that this is a period of fashion history that I don't know a lot about, nor is this a disability that I know a lot about, so if anyone has more accurate sources or just knows more in general, please let me know.
sorry to go off on a tangent there, but other than that i did really enjoy this book. it was a lot of fun and i'd definitely read it again!
sources (the first one has its own sources at the end):
https://thedreamstress.com/2013/08/terminology-whats-the-difference-between-stays-jumps-a-corsets/#:~:text=Despite%20their%20heavy%20boning%2C%20and,as%20the%20robe%20de%20cour.&text=Stays%20were%20more%20commonly%20worn%20in%20England%20than%20in%20France.
https://fabricforcosplayers.com/diff-foundations/
So this is supposed to be a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers with disability rep (specifically invisible illness) which means it should have been AMAZING!
It was like pulling teeth and I had to force myself to finish it. I don't want to detail all the reasons I didn't like it but I'm incredibly disappointed.
It was like pulling teeth and I had to force myself to finish it. I don't want to detail all the reasons I didn't like it but I'm incredibly disappointed.
Never underestimate the power of representation, of being able to see some like yourself worthy of being the main character, of being able to save the day. One for all is a retelling of Dumas famous The Three Musketeers and it truly does live up to the original, whilst still making the plot it’s own. I have POTs, which is the condition that Tania - the main character also has. Lainoff has captured so well the frustration and helpless that comes in waves. The fear of simple tasks where dizzying blackness can take you any time, as well as the frustration at being assumed useless. Tanias POTs is never fixed, there’s so magic to take it away, no hidden cure. She struggles with it whilst she duels masked men and saving the country - and that’s what I love the most, what’s so real, chronic disabilities don’t just go away. You have good days and bad days.
Don’t mistake my rambling about POTs as a show that this book is only about a disability, and it’s own voice representation is the only thing holding it up. This book combines a morally grey found family with regency balls, beautiful gowns with knives, heists and mystery. I was in the midst of this book when I received some scary health news and having the strength of Tania and the Mousquetaires de la Lune at my fingertips gave me so much strength. I have saved so many quotes as well so I’ll be sharing those soon ✨
Don’t mistake my rambling about POTs as a show that this book is only about a disability, and it’s own voice representation is the only thing holding it up. This book combines a morally grey found family with regency balls, beautiful gowns with knives, heists and mystery. I was in the midst of this book when I received some scary health news and having the strength of Tania and the Mousquetaires de la Lune at my fingertips gave me so much strength. I have saved so many quotes as well so I’ll be sharing those soon ✨