Member Reviews
This book is a mostly-accessible YA gender-bent story inspired by The Three Musketeers. Tania is a heroine to admire, with plenty of tenacity and strength, but also is a heroine who shows vulnerability and a very realistic depiction of living with a disability. The plot is paced pretty well, but does seem a bit slow in the middle and rushed at the end. I'd recommend this book to readers looking for an inspirational story with female protagonists as long as they don't mind the spattering of French throughout (further details below).
One especially moving passage describes Tania's struggle on a bad day and her attempt to explain it to her friend Portia, who starts the passage with "But I thought... You were fine yesterday." [Note: I've whittled this exchange down a bit for clarity here; please forgive my editorializing!]. The passage continues with Tania's thoughts: "I wasn't fine yesterday. I was never fine. But even if I had been, it wouldn't have meant today would be the same. She didn't know, couldn't know what her words meant, how they felt." Tania explains to Portia, "There are good days and bad days. I've had more good ones lately ... but a bad day was bound to happen." The amount of empathy Portia responds with shows her to be a good friend who is trying to understand. "That must be hard: the uncertainty of going to sleep and not knowing what it'll be like when you wake up."
Passages like the one just described help to paint Tania's portrait and show one experience of disability, and it is a depiction I found to be highly resonant and true-to-life. Bravo to Lillie Lainoff for translating her own experiences in such a relatable way.
My biggest gripe with the book is the excessive use of French words and phrases mid-sentence; it took me out of the story trying to figure out what they meant (and that's even with two semesters of college French classes!). "Pauvre" Tania is mentioned five times, and I guess it's not the worst thing if you can't figure out from context clues that pauvre means poor. Here's another small excerpt: "Although his appearance has undergone a dramatic shift. As if he’s suddenly acquired beaucoup d’argent, n’est-ce pas?” While some snippets or words would have cemented the French setting and feel of the book, I just found it to be a bit too much. It reminded me a bit of sci-fi books that are too enamored of their own special vocabulary and require you to do mental gymnastics to get through a page.
That being said, I was happy to read "Un pour tous, tous pour un" and am happy to recommend One For All. I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.75 stars
One For All was such an amazing book. I saw someone raving about their arc on Instagram and I immediately requested it, and was more than thrilled when I was accepted. I think this is the happiest I've ever been to receive and arc, and though it took me longer to get to than I had expected, here we are.
I'm going to be honest I had written out a wonderful, long review for this book and my phone decided to shut off and it deleted the review, so this is likely going to be shorter than it originally was.
Do you want a historical fiction murder mystery set in Paris with hot women with swords, which has chronic illness and queer rep? Well then this is the book for you!!
Seeing POTS in a book was so cool to me. I personally do not have it, but it made me really happy to know that this representation will make people with POTS feel seen. The fact that I don't see more chronic illness and disability rep in books makes me angry, and this, I believe, did a great job at portraying it. Tania was a strong, independent woman with POTS and oh she is just the best.
Now though I love Tania, Portia is my favorite. I don't know why I just loved her so much. I also loved the whole found family they had with Aria and Thea too, it was so beautiful and made me so happy.
The whole vibes of this book were immaculate. I mean, a book set in Paris in the 1600s?? I couldn't be happier. Also can I just say that not expecting LGBTQ+ rep in a book and then getting it is the best thing in the world???
Please go read this book. Please.
i could physically feel the love in this book. it is such a powerful, rare book and i really hope it reaches it's audience, because this book deserves so much. usually i'm skeptical about retellings, but this one absolutely blew me away. i'm speechless, wow, wow wow.
5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
One for All is one of my most hyped books of the year, and I’m happy to say it did not disappoint. This is a fabulous, inclusive retelling of The Three Musketeers, not only genderbent, but featuring a lead with a chronic illness.
Tania is incredibly relatable, as while I don’t have POTS, I am disabled and have found myself limited in what I’m able to do, so the treatment she gets as the “sick girl” in her village really resonated. However, she’s not lacking in skills, having been taught fencing by her Musketeer father, and she is able to thrive despite her illness at the secret training school, with the help of her new friends.
I loved the prevalent theme of sisterhood/friendship among the girls in Madame Treville’s school. They support each other, both in combat and through more personal issues.
This is a wonderful book, with disability rep that is central to the narrative, but yet not dominated by doom-and-gloom and/or “inspiration porn.” I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical adventures, especially with leads who aren’t often centered in these types of narratives.
“‘We are not the ones who are written into history. We are the ones who ensure history exists to be written.’”
Most people in 1655 France believe that women should be proper, quiet, and above all, never lay hands on a weapon. But for Tania de Batz, she’s happiest with a sword in her hand. Despite her near-constant dizziness, she’s worked with her father—a former Musketeer and fabulous fencer—to make sure she can best anyone in a duel. But when her father is mysteriously murdered, Tania’s carefully constructed world comes crashing down. Amidst the pain and grief, Tania decides to follow her father’s dying wish and attend the prestigious finishing school L’Académie des Mariées. Except when Tania arrives in Paris, she realizes the school is nothing like what she imagined. Instead of learning how to become proper wives, Tania and the other three girls are training to become Musketeers and protect France with their smiles and their swords. With her newfound sisters by her side, Tania finally feels like she has a purpose in life. But then she begins to fall for her target who may have information on both her father’s death and a possible plot to assassinate the king. With everything on the line, Tania has to decide where her loyalties lie or risk losing the family and the role she’s spent her life dreaming about.
Lillie Lainoff’s debut novel is fantastically full of adventure, romance, and sisterhood. Tania is a brilliant protagonist who felt like she could leap straight off the page, sword in hand. When I was little, I dreamt about becoming a Musketeer, and this story is everything little Wendy would have loved. The four Mousquetaires de la Lune are all so cleverly developed that I wished I could join their Order. Lainoff also masterfully writes Tania’s chronic illness in a way that leads to understanding and empathy. The representation is just superb. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery elements as the characters try to figure out the assassination plot, and the nail-biting climax had me on the edge of my seat. One for All is perfect for anyone who’s ever wished they could add a sword and a side of adventure to their everyday life.
Content Warnings: Fire, death of a parent, bullying, emotional abuse from a parent, moderately strong language, murder, implied sexual harassment, blood, some graphic descriptions of violence, emotional manipulation
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
This breathless adventure of a book truly has it all: swords and sisterhood, revenge and romance, found family and fancy dresses. I was instantly swept away by Lillie’s fierce prose and characters, and loved every single page.
This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Tania de Batz' life changed when she developed a constant dizziness which impacted her every action. Only working with her former Musketeer father on fencing helped to alleviate the pain, but she knows that the rest of her village pity her, and her mother. Her father believes in her though, but when he is brutally murdered, and Tania is sent to Paris to a finishing school, she feels betrayed. However, when she arrives and meets her fellow 'students', Aria, Théa and Portia, she soon learns that the school is more of a academy, and that she will join the girls into becoming a new era of Musketeers, protecting the king from the threats of the nobles, but potentially opening themselves up to risk.
I'm going to hold my hands up first, and say I know barely nothing about the Three Musketeers, so I was going into One for All pretty blindly. I also don't know much about POTS, the disability which Tania has, but the author has POTS herself, and from what I've seen from other reviews, Tania was the perfect portrayal. Tania as a character was someone who had the whole world against her, and she really had to fight, but literally and figuratively, to prove her worth. She's someone who had a lot of self doubt, partially because of her mother (really don't like her), but also because of her own feelings over her dizziness. Meeting the other girls, and becoming part of a team as this, really was a case of found family, and she flourished so much over the course of the book. She was always a fantastic swordswoman, but her development as a fighter, and becoming comfortable in herself, was done expertly. There's a hint of romance, and even of a love triangle (sort of), but neither were large parts to the story, and didn't take away from the sisterhood element. A really great debut, I'm looking forward to Lillie's next one!
One for All is a book that I breezed through. Fencing is one of those things I highly admire, but know I could never do well. I was expecting to fall in love with the action. The spying, the betrayals, and subterfuge was something I was expecting. Because I loved the idea of girls who are not only trying to be Muskateers, but also using their wiles. And it's true. I definitely adored the action, hiding swords beneath petticoats and slinking around in the dark. But what I loved the most was Tania.
I love a heroine who is determined and one who is out for revenge. Call me predictable. So Tania was a heroine I knew I'd love. Besides her quest for revenge, I loved how Tania - as a character - blooms in front of our eyes. Throughout One for All not only does Tania have to train, but she has to (re)evaluate how she sees herself and who she trusts. The greatest weapon can be self-doubt and in One for All Tania navigates her journey to see her capabilities, strengths, and alliances.
A gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers? Besides loving this idea, I’ve always enjoyed novels set during this time period.
Tania is raised hearing her father tell adventurous stories about his time as Musketeer. He also teaches her fencing and techniques to accommodate for her undiagnosed bouts of dizziness. She dreams of being a Musketeer, while her mother is more concerned about marrying her off to someone who can care for Tania once her parents are gone. After her father is brutally murdered, it seems as if his final wish parallels her mother’s when Tania is sent to a finishing school. She’s thrilled to discover that what appears to be a finishing school on the surface is actually a training ground for a new type of Musketeer. She may achieve her dream yet.
Tania’s arc is just incredible. She goes from being the target of mean girl bullying by former friends in her village and borderline pity from her mother to a young woman with agency and ride or die sisters who will stand with her no matter what. I always love a good found family story. As a side note, I thought the author’s choices of character names, variations of Dumas’s characters’ names, was clever. Tania – D’Artagnan, Portia – Porthos, Thea – Athos, and Aria – Aramis.
The life of King Louis XIV is threatened, and it’s up to the Musketeers to figure out who’s behind it and when the assassination attempt will occur. The mystery is set against a backdrop of the King’s ostentatious court, lavish clothing, and excess of nearly every kind. With secretive plotting, riveting action scenes, a charming, attractive target, and an intriguing mystery, this story moves along at a brisk pace and didn’t feel like four hundred pages. It’s a stunning debut, and I’ll certainly keep an eye on this author.
The author’s note at the end of the book addresses POTS, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, the cause of Tania’s dizziness. It’s something I hadn’t heard of, but many people live with, including the author. I loved how Tania didn’t let it define her or prevent her from achieving her dream of becoming a Musketeer. All For One is a delightful, exciting novel from beginning to end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I seem to be the only reader thus far who wasn't totally enthralled by this gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, and that's fine - I certainly didn't dislike One for All enough to think less of those who adored it. Despite wanting badly to be among their number, though, I found myself struggling to slog through what felt like clunky, amateurish writing (the haphazardly dropped in bits of French were just obnoxious) and a somewhat generic storyline with a lackluster mystery plot. Tania's experience with chronic illness (POTS) is both the most richly and realistically drawn element of the story (as I would expect, given that it's one the author shares), and the one that makes it stand out beyond the pretty basic history-lite, feminism-lite, sort of forgettable novel it otherwise is.
I sincerely hope that this book continues to find an audience who loves it, but it didn't gel for me, and as a lifelong Musketeers fan who was so excited for this new spin on the classic, that's pretty disappointing.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The author’s YA debut story, a feminist version of the Three Musketeers, was quite interesting. It was told from the point of view of the main character, Tania. She lived a rather sheltered life after she became sick with a chronic illness (POTS). This sickness often resulted in her having bouts of dizziness and fatigue. Her once close friend shunned her and at times bullied her. She was quite lonely, but her father, once a courageous Musketeer, taught her his fencing skills. By helping her learn these skills, he also helped her to work through the dizziness as best as possible. After her father was viciously murdered, Tania was sent to live in Paris under the tutelage of Madam de Treville. On the surface it was known as a finishing school but behind closed doors those socialites were secreting training as Musketeers- with all the danger that entailed in order to keep France safe.
This was a very fast moving story with plenty of action and adventure and some romance. There was a lot going in this story from the almost causal and fun ways the girls practiced dance and social skills in order to seduce their targeted men to the more intense fighting scenes, especially those involving Tania. She not only had to battle her enemy but her dizziness as well.
I enjoyed the interaction and camaraderie of the characters.Tania and the other three Musketeers always had each other’s back whether fighting others or in a personal way. They were strangers who became a family and along the way empowered each other to be their best possible self.
Overall, this was a very engaging story with the added bonus of bringing awareness to a very real chronic illness in which the author also suffers from, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
I finished ONE FOR ALL by @lillielainoff yesterday and 😍Give Hamilton's Schuyler sisters swords and you'll start to scratch the surface of how fierce these girls are. The female friendships and ballgowns and swords are a brilliant and fun combination. The amount of intrigue and romance is perfect! Tania is so well balanced. Her bravery, dreams, and skill matched with the reality of the physical and emotional pain her chronic illness causes her are so real. I could gush more, but it would be too spoilery and you have to read it for yourself! Sending my application for the #sisterhoodofthestabstab now!
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC of 'All for One' by Lillie Lainoff.
I can't wait to add this book to my library, and classroom library as well for those students reluctant to read the 700 page classic.
I was so excited when I looked at the description and saw that it was a gender switch retelling of 'The Three Musketeers'.
Growing up, 'Les Trois Mousquetaires' was one of my favorite books to have read to me, and eventually read on my own. For a few years when I was really little I even ran around with a stick, pretending it was a rapier.
Seeing the inner strength, and relationship between the sisters in arms Tania, Portia, Théa, and Aria made me so happy.
Théa said it best: "We don't let each other fall, and we never will."
So if women with rapiers fighting for justice, and espionage are your thing: this is the book to read.
"Tous pour un, un pour tous"
I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
<i>One for All</i> is a gender-bent retelling of <i>The Three Musketeers</i>, with Tania de Batz playing the part of D'Artagnan. The power in this story emerges through the OwnVoices aspect that the author brings from her own personal experience with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a debilitating condition that causes people--young women especially--to experience vertigo, light-headedness, and other debilitating symptoms. Tania endures this same condition and struggles to do many day-to-day activities--even as she yearns to swordfight and be a musketeer like the father she adores. Her reality is that she's a teenage girl; her mother despairs that anyone will ever marry a girl such as her, and most everyone else in town pities and scorns her. When Tania's father is murdered, she's sent off to a finishing school that he had recommended--and is stunned to find it's truly a place for honing girls in the ways of the musketeers, to fight for the sake of France through subterfuge and swordfighting. But as she finds a sisterhood for the first time, she also finds love that threatens to derail her desire to find out who killed her father.
The book is fantastic, an incredibly strong debut for the author. There is no magic in this book, and certainly no cure for Tania. She endures and adapts, and is supported by her new friends. Her condition feels grounded in reality and also plausible within this time period; really, the only thing that threw me off was that tomatoes were mentioned several times, and I'm uncertain if they were so available in France in that period. There are betrayals, grand parties, and swordfights aplenty. The book is strong on its own, but I could also see it as a fun start to a new series.
Loved seeing a main character deal with what it means to have a chronic illness. It brings a realness and humanity to the story. She has dreams and goals like everyone else but hers just look a little different.
oh my god. oH mY gOd. OHMYGOD x10
As a child, one of my favorite movies was Barbie and the Three Musketeers. There was something about the themes of friendship & sisterhood that spoke to me. It's what I saw reflected in Lillie Lainoff's solid and powerful debut, One for All, which essentially elevated everything I loved about that movie, while also adding in elements that made it unique and even more special.
This book really does have everything, from being a feminist retelling of the Three Musketeers, to having a heroine that suffers from disability due to POTS. Oh, and you can't forget the secret sisterhood of badass ladies that are very skilled with a sword. There may also be sword fighting scenes in ballgowns. Pro tip: stay on their good side. And all of this while trying to uncover a secret assassination plot against the king? phEw. Do I have your attention yet?
This book is emotional, exciting and it also has a few different romances going on in the background (THERE'S A SAPPHIC SHIP, I REPEAT THERE'S A SAPPHIC SHIP), even though it's more of a subplot. It mainly spotlights Tania's character growth ---which was massive by the way, I have to commend the author on how beautifully it was done--- and how she learns to accept her disability and manage her symptoms, with the help of her new stabby sisters/friends, who play a major role in her character growth as well. I also just love their characters in general. The found family aspect was a highlight for me. Tania's journey throughout the book was so emotional, especially considering the time period the book is set in (16th century France) and how difficult it was for her, with how she was constantly being ridiculed by her peers, who didn't fully understand the extent of her pain and what she was going through, and made to be an outsider because of her disability. I love how realistic it was in terms of the representation. Then later she has to deal with the death of her father who was essentially the only person who believed in her and her ambition to become a female musketeer (bestie went through A LOT in this book). Kind of poetic that Tania and her skills with the sword are what saves everyone asses in the end.
To say I'm obsessed with Tania and her story would be an understatement. I haven't been able to stop talking about this book since I read it nearly 3 months ago. I would give this all the stars if I could. without blinking actually. I can't wait to read more of the author's work.
Rating: 3.5-4 stars
"'Fight me!' I shouted. 'I am not the fragile, breakable thing you'd have me be. I am a Musketeer.'"
I put One for All on my TBR as soon as I heard it was an ownvoices retelling with chronic illness rep. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so when I got an eARC, I left it untouched for months because I was worried it wouldn't live up to its hype, but now I'm wondering why I waited so long.
I'll confess, I don't know anything about The Three Musketeers, but I do know a whole lot about being chronically ill and I can't get over the chronic illness rep. I don't have POTS and Lainoff was careful to note that Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is not one-size-fits-all, but some experiences are universal and One For All does a great job of touching on some of the things a lot of spoonies deal with. I've read a handful of contemporary books with chronic illness rep but this was the first fantasy featuring a chronically ill protagonist and I didn't think it would be as big of a deal as it was until I read One for All. The depiction life with POTS didn't dominate or overshadow the story by any means but neither was it relegated to the background. I really appreciated the fact that it never felt forced or out-of-place but was incorporated into the story pretty naturally.
In terms of the actual story, the pacing was a bit slow for my tastes, especially in the beginning, and it was hard for me to really get into all the political intrigue. I love me some found family but wish the sisters had been developed a bit more. I honestly couldn't keep track of who was who for a majority of the book because my brain wasn't invested enough to keep them all straight. The musketeers did slowly endear themselves to me toward the end but it almost felt too little too late. I'm usually not one for unnecessarily dragging out standalones into series, but in this case, I almost want a continuation so we can spend more time with the characters. One of my biggest issues which, admittedly, is also one of my bookish pet peeves, was the unnecessary and overuse of French in the story. Ostensibly all the dialogue is in French since they live in, you know, France, so I don't understand the thought process behind randomly interjecting French sentences. There wasn't anything particularly special about the times when French was used and it was almost always immediately followed by a direct English translation which seemed to defeat the purpose of adding the French in in the first place. It made the dialogue feel clunky and awkward and broke up the flow of the story.
Despite being a somewhat predictable story, One for All is a solid debut. I, personally, found the chronic illness rep was more interesting than the actual story but am totally down if the The Sisterhood of the Stab Stab is taking sign ups.
A three musketeers reimagining featuring strong feminist themes and disability representation. As a fan of classics retellings, I'm thrilled to recommend this book. The main character is a daughter of a former musketeer with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and ambitions that exceed her parents' (and society's) expectations. But when her father is murdered, she finds her own place among a sisterhood of her own musketeers. It's well written, has strong messaging, and empowering representation. It's well-paced with relatable characters and has a strong element of action with some romance to appeal to a wide audience. Highly recommend.
In general, I am not a reader of historical fiction unless it is also fantasy. But as a librarian for middle and high schoolers, I often read a wide variety of materials. When I heard about this book, from a variety of online sources, I thought it sounded interesting. But, I was especially excited for it because of its inclusion and portrayal of chronic illness. It is sometimes hard to find books that portray this and even harder to find ones that are exciting and well rounded. One for All managed to do this successfully.
The book is a gender bent retelling of the three musketeers. The friendship of the musketeers was so wonderful and supportive. There was some romance, but it was limited and the focus was on the story. I thought the storyline was well done. At times the tropes made it easy to expect what would happen next. But, it did not take away from the story
I definitely plan to recommend this book to students. I am sure there will be one who can relate to the main character Tania and her struggle with chronic illness. Though, any reader would enjoy the well paced story and adventure.