Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - One for All

Overall, I rlly enjoyed this book, it definitely had the vibe of the musketeers that I love sm and a strong sense of found family !!! It was a good mix of plot and character too and i enjoyed the character growth and watching Tania discover her strength !!! I rlly loved all the characters, esp Aria, tho I feel like she didnt have a real part until the last third of the book, tho I loved her from her first interaction !!! the only thing that spoiled it for me was the mix of French and English as I found it very jarring, even if there was often context to help you figure out wgat the French meant or a direct translation, it still took me out of the stpry and made me question if it was necessary for it to be there at all!! However, I still rlly enjoyed this book and it was rlly refreshing to have good Chronic Illness rep in an action packed book !!!

Content Warnings

azrah786's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC of the book by Titan Books for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, ableism, chronic illness, bullying, grief, sexism/misogyny, sexual assault
--

Daughter of a former Musketeer, Tania De Batz has grown up with a love for fencing and adventure. However, as a young woman with a chronic illness living within a society the openly scorns any form of disability she faces more difficulties than most. Thus her mother wants nothing more than for her to conceal who she is and to conform to societies expectations of her.

When her father is mysteriously killed on a business trip Tania is convinced foul play is involved and wants to investigate but her mother wants to hear none of it. Instead she is to be sent off to L’Academie des Mariess, a finishing school that her father secured her a place in. What she soon finds though is that what she expected to be a finishing school is actually a covert training institute for women Musketeers who are on a mission to uncover a plot that threatens the monarchy of France. Not only does this give Tanya a chance to put herself towards a higher purpose but also an opportunity to get to the bottom of her father’s murder.

“We are not the ones who are written into history. We are the ones who ensure history exists to be written.”

Now this is where I admit that my knowledge of the Musketeers comes from the Barbie version so of course I was going to come running for a book featuring sword fighting girls. The beginning of the book is a little slow but everything really gets going when Tania arrives at the L’Academie des Mariess and despite the plot being a little predictable at times, I found myself easily drawn in by all the mystery and espionage.

Tania has POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and she is one of the most empowering characters that I have ever read. Though quite stubborn as many YA protagonists tend to be, she doesn’t shy away from her emotions. She very much wears her heart on her sleeve and though this made her quite naïve it was such a refreshing trait to see on page. I really enjoyed following her on her journey of coming into her own, of not letting other people’s sentiments stop her from getting to where she wanted to be and finding a support system that accepts her for who she is.

“There are other ways to fight for someone, Mademoiselle, than merely picking up a sword.”

Which leads me on to mention the sisterhood that is the heart of this book! Found family is one of my absolute favourite tropes and the bonds that formed between Tania and her fellow Musketeers – Aria, Portia and Théa – was so heart-warming. I do find myself wishing that we could have had longer scenes from the times when they were initially bonding but their little missions and the moments of humour and camaraderie that they brought about were so fun.

Fencing is a sport that I have always wanted to try and it was so cool to learn that Lainoff herself is a fencer. I always find it so wholesome when authors are able to inform and enrich their stories with their other passions and honestly all the practice and fight scenes were so good!

A highly enjoyable and admirable spin on a well-loved classic, I can’t recommend One For All enough!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars

Content Warnings

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

An exceptionally written and action-packed, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers that thoroughly ensnared me with it’s whirlwind plot and utterly endearing protagonist readers are going absolutely love!

Set against the backdrop of 17th C France, One For All follows Tania (a girl with a chronic illness) who gets the chance to train as a musketeer in a training facility posing as an elite ladies’ finishing school. There, Tania hones her skills for sword fighting and seduction, in order to help uncover a treasonous plot that threatens both king and country. And with those new skills, Tania may even be able to find the people responsible for her father’s death.

This was an exceptionally well written and enjoyable read with an endearing sisterhood of swashbuckling, espionage-seeking Musketeers that I was equal parts envious and in awe of!

Now, I should probably mention that I’m not that familiar with Alexandre Dumas’ original. In fact, most of what I know stems solely from childhood recollections of the 1993 movie, so I can’t really tell if there’s any tidbits or nods to the original story and characters.

What I do know however, is that Dumas’ Musketeers weren’t women using society’s gender based stereotypes to benefit their own covert operations —which I thought was actually GENIUS! Lets face it, the best spies—be it in real life, in books or on screen, are always the most unsuspecting of people. And you can’t get more unsuspecting than a debutante.

Tania, our protagonist (who we first meet confronting thuggish burglars) was a really well developed and complex character who doesn’t let her disability define her, nor stop her from achieving her dreams (of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a Musketeer.)

This an own voices novel, so Tania’s experiences with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) are based on the author’s own POTS diagnosis and experiences. Which I felt did add an extra layer of poignancy to some of the book’s earlier scenes (where Tania’s chronic illness leads to ridicule, aversion or outright dismissal.)

I did, however, love that she finds such a supportive, found family-style sisterhood at the L’Acaémie des Mariées, who respect Tania and push her to be the best she can be.

Likewise, I really enjoyed the romance aspects which were phenomenal (the tension and slow-burn chemistry was absolutely delicious) with not one but TWO handsome love interests (Henri and Étienne) to swoon over. Though personally, my heart belonged solely to Henri, whose (super relatable) lack of coordination and constant tendency to blush instantly won me over—I just wish we got to see more of him.

So, if you’re looking an empowering, female led (and feminist) historical fantasy full of sword fights, espionage and tons of adventure or love gender-bent retelling then you definitely have to check this out, it’s MARVELLOUS!

Also, a massive thank you to Titan books for this incredible proof and including me on the UK blog tour.

Content Warnings

seyfert's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful 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

4.0

Rep: disability, asexuality, sapphic side characters, POTS and PTSD

Content Warnings

madamenovelist's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Never read The Three Musketeers, so I had no idea what to expect for a retelling. The theme of sisterhood, honor, and proving yourself worthy to yourself were strong in this novel. Tania, Théa, Aria, and Porticia were great characters. Loved how this book has a female protagonist with a chronic illness and is explicitly explored throughout. I cannot give it 5 stars because the audiobook narrator gave so many weird pauses in between sentences to the point that it was annoying and the true villain was kinda predictable. Nonetheless, this was a really strong book. Definitely recommend this for anyone who loves strong female protagonists and retellings!!

Content Warnings

libraryghost's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

More...