It’s very rare, even now, to see books with disabled and chronically ill main characters written by authors with the same experience, so obviously, when it happens, I jump at the chance to read it. And I am so glad I found Lillie Lainoff’s debut novel, “One for All,” because it is an absolute delight.

Everybody in Tania’s town in 1600s France thinks she’s just a “sick girl” with no prospects. Her perpetual dizziness, which started in her youth, is all anyone can ever see in her. But Tania wants to be a fencer, and her dad is training her to do just that. However, when her father is murdered, Tania is whisked away to finishing school. Little does she know this school is actually a training ground for girls to become Musketeers.

Listen. I am a sucker for retellings of classic novels with badass girls at the helm, and “One for All” is exactly that. Granted, I’m not that familiar with “The Three Musketeers,” but I think a good retelling means you don’t have to be familiar with the source material in order to enjoy it. Tania is an amazing main character all on her own, without needing comparison to …

(Pause to Google.)

Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan.

God, that’s the main character of “The Three Musketeers?” Did all French people have such long names back then?

Okay, anyway, in my eyes, Tania needs no comparison to d’Artagnan.

Above all, this is a story of a girl finally gaining agency and recognizing her own importance amidst a society that doesn’t want her to do so. She learns how to take action and not hide from society. She might even experience a little romance (which I saw coming from a mile away, but I’m definitely okay with that).

I have not been diagnosed with POTS, or any other chronic illness, so I cannot speak for the accuracy of the portrayal of POTS in this novel, but OwnVoices reviews have had nothing but praise for the representation in this book. But from my viewpoint, Lainoff does a spectacular job at giving Tania a personality and aspirations beyond her chronic illness, the lack of which is a common pitfall of chronically ill and disabled protagonists written by abled authors.

This story is full of incredible action, a touch of mystery and an exploration of the meaning of found family. (The other Musketeers are adorable. Especially the two who have a background F/F enemies-to-lovers storyline.) I could not take my eyes off the page, nor should I have, since I read it the weekend before classes started, when I had nothing better to do with my time.

In conclusion: loved it, please read it, thank you.

“One for All” comes out on March 8, 2022. I received an early copy from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1655, One For All follows sixteen year old Tania de Batz as she sets out to solve her father’s murder, save France, and find herself — not entirely in that order. For most of Tania’s life, fencing has been a way for her to connect deeply with her father, and a source of strength. She feels most like herself when fencing, despite being labeled as a weak, “sick girl” by those in her community. While her mother is desperate to marry Tania off for security, Tania wants nothing less. She wants to be just like her father; a former Musketeer, strong, and brave. After her father is mysteriously murdered, Tania is told that her father’s dying wish was for her to attend L’Académie des Mariées, a finishing school. But once she’s there, Tania quickly realizes that L’Académie des Mariées isn’t just a finishing school. Rather, it’s a secret training ground for a new generation of Muskeeteers: women who appears to be socialites in order to gather information, and protect France from downfall. The L’Académie des Mariées presents two opportunities: a chance for Tania to follow in her father’s footsteps, and more importantly, to solve his murder. With her Muskeeteers by her side, Tania must learn how to lean on her friends, listen to her body, and decide where her loyalties are, before it’s too late.

One for All has been on my TBR forever. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it! The minute I heard that it was a The Three Musketeers retelling, I was already amped — after all, I’ve never read a retelling of The Three Musketeers. Add in swords, a strong sisterhood, and historical fiction — What more could a girl want?

From the very beginning, I already knew that I’d love Tania. Tania is so strong, and watching her grapple with her grief, settle into a world that’s unknown to her, and learn how to lean on other people made for such a lovely story. My heart broke for Tania and all the times she was called weak or a sick girl, and every time she was belittled and bullied. Tania feels so much, and I loved how she was anything but a weak girl. She was a fully fleshed out character, who was allowed to feel a range of emotions, and I just adored her.

One of my favorite things about One for All was the strong friendships, or as Lainoff as taken to calling it “The Sisterhood of the Stab Stab”. Watching Aria, Portia, and Thèa accept Tania into their little family, support and take care of her was simply heartwarming. Even more so, since I absolutely adored the three of them. Curious Thèa, who is what you’d get if you combined sunshine with a golden retriever puppy, witty and clever Portia, and Aria, who is guarded and fiercely loyal, all stole my heart, and I’d love to read sequels — or spinoffs — about them too. Each character had their own strengths and their own flaws, and they just felt so real.

Immersing myself into the world of One for All was like second nature. Lainoff’s worldbuilding made me feel like I had transported to 1655 France myself, and I could easily picture myself following along Tania and her fellow Musketeers, sneaking around, and eavesdropping at balls. Lainoff does a delightful job of providing the reader with historical context as well, so those that might not be as familiar with the time period won’t miss out.

One for All is a stunningly written debut novel. Lainoff’s writing style was so easy to read, and I flew through the novel. I’m so excited to go back and reread it upon its release, as I’m sure I missed out on several hints. I sat there with my mouth open every time a new twist was revealed, and went “Well, in hindsight, that makes perfect sense. I wonder why I didn’t notice that before.” I enjoyed figuring out everything with Tania, and everything really just worked so well.

If you’re looking for a book with strong sisterhood, an intriguing mystery, and an immersive worldbuilding, I couldn’t recommend One for All more highly!

I'm not usually one to go for historical fiction, but a genderbent retelling of The Three Musketeers? Uh yeah, I'm in! We follow Tania, a young woman who's a swordswoman in her own right, but suffers from a chronic illness (i.e. Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)) that keeps her from living a "normal" life. This book is all about female friendships, the life and times of Victorian Paris, and coping with chronic illness. Plus it had enough pizazz with swordplay and espionage to keep me intrigued throughout! There are twists and turns and an overarching mystery, not to mention the fashion. Overall, this is a great book for fantasy and historical fiction lovers alike.

*Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good! As a kid, I was obsessed with Barbie and the Three Musketeers and this book just brought back all those memories for me. Tania de Batz and her three Musketeers are strong, their story is riveting, and the writing is meaningful. This book makes me want to be a Musketeer again. Tous pour un, un pour tous!

This was a good debut. I'm not chronically ill, myself, but I really enjoyed how Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POST, was portrayed and how it severely affected Tania not only in her day-to-day but in combat, too. It was really cool to read the details of how it put Tania at a disadvantage but she was still able to kick ass despite it all.

I also really liked her relationships with her parents. The first chunk of the novel is dedicated to Tania interacting with her parents and how they react to her condition. Her dad, of course, is really cool and teaches everything about fencing because he believes in her skills and her strength, and, in turn, his death is really effective when it hits. Her mom, though, is more complicated, as she doesn't approve of Tania fencing and believes that her daughter won't be able to live a good life on her own without a partner who would tolerate her illness. Despite how cruel the mom can be towards Tania, she isn't made to be a complete villain, for it's shown that she cares and just Tania to be secure; she just goes about it in the wrong way.

But then things kinda fell off for me after her dad died and goes to the finishing school. The secret Musketeer women's' society was intriguing, but some of the characters weren't. Although they had different personalities, they were also one-note and didn't really offer much depth. Aria was probably the most interesting one; I liked her. Plus, there would be scenes where the girls would be chatting and they sounded too modern for women living in 17th century France. I think Lainoff was going for more adventure than historical-accuracy, but I don't know if that would necessary excuse my criticism.

The mystery was the most weakest element for me. There were so many names and events that were twisting together that didn't make me care, whatsoever. I kinda gave up on following along too closely and just let it drag me through. But I still managed to figure out the twist, which wasn't hard, and the cartoony monologue that followed had me rolling my eyes.

Overall, this was a good debut. I would definitely recommend this to people who would want to read about a character with a chronic illness in a non-contemporary setting.

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 ;)

This was wonderful! The story was captivating. I liked the characters and the plot.

The beginning was a bit slow, but the pace really picked up around 20% and I liked the way everything developed. More than anything, I adored the representation of POTS. I know people affected by POTS, and seeing the way Tania adapted and overcame obstacles was lovely. I adored her relationships with the other characters and the way she was supported by her friends.

I enjoyed the way that women were represented in this. The commentary around gender and the way the girls learned to use their womanhood to their advantage really made this book shine.

This was a solid read. A little cheesy, a little predictable, but incredibly fun. I will definitely reread this!

I loved this book. I mean, I went into it knowing I would because, genderbent Musketeers? Everything I ever wanted. And I did love it for that, but mostly for Tania. She is *such* a great MC, not least of which because she lives with debilitating chronic illness AND IS ALSO a great fencer and a Musketeer.

This book does an absolutely amazing job driving home the point that yes, you can be disabled AND competent -- AND that competence *does not make you any less disabled.* This is maybe the only book I've read that makes such a clear point of this. Disability does not equal incompetence. Competence does not equal a lack of disability. They can both be true.

Tania's illness is never far from her. She never takes a breath free of the dizziness, and we never lose sight of her struggles or her determination. Her illness is threaded through every scene, every moment of the story -- but it does not define the story, and it does not define her. It does not truly limit her, not in any way that matters or that she and her sisters in arms cannot find a way to overcome.

Aside from that, I love the way Tania and her sisters in arms grow closer and come to trust and rely on one another. I love that they are trained and trusted to go on missions to protect the king, even if they are denied official entry into the Musketeers. I love that they use every means at their disposal to complete their missions -- and are also relatable teen girls.

Another thing I absolutely love is that the four girls' names are clearly related to the original Three Musketeers (and D'artagnan), and that they also share some of the same personality traits as their namesakes. It's such a clever and subtle nod to the original.

I love how Tania's father steadfastly believes in her and teaches her to fence despite her mother's worries and despite her illness. And that his lessons give her tools to combat the dizziness she feels.

I also love the musing about others like her, reduced to begging and being disbelieved. About how there are so many words for disbelief that a girl can be having the physical symptoms she complains of. About how it's the poor who suffer during a regime change. This book has a lot of really powerful passages that hit hard and don't shy away from ugly truths. And yet it still manages to be fun and empowering.

Empowering is actually a great word to describe how I feel about this book. As someone with chronic illnesses myself, I really deeply felt Tania's frustrations and rage at being disbelieved, mocked, treated like a delicate object, not seen. Her journey is uplifting and empowering and I am so glad that I read it. And even more, I'm so glad Lillie Lainoff wrote it, that it will be available to future "sick girls" who secretly yearn to be Musketeers and save themselves for a change.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Colored Pages Blog Tours, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an e-arc for review.

If you loved Barbie and the Three Musketeers as a child, you will adore this book. It's a delicious, feminist retelling with duels and masquerades and twists that will leave you in a tizzy. I really loved the portrayal of chronic illness in this book--how it didn't glorify the illness but kept it restricted to a raw reality, and how the heroine was still allowed to be a baddie with depth to her character and save everyone despite her struggles. It was refreshing and insightful, and I'd be interested to see more of the sort in the future. The story was a tad boring and predictable at the beginning, I will admit, but it's worth sticking through for. Overall, I'd recommend!!

A strong, feminist take on the Three Musketeers! The protagonist is disabled, but attempts to work through this in order to solve her father's murder. Along the way she finds sisterhood as well as a assassination attempt on the king, but I found the mystery and the character development to be a little lacking. I'm still not sure if Tania as the main character grew along the way as her motivation always stayed the same throughout. The villain reveal was pretty obvious, but the climax was quite intense. While I didn't find the author's writing to be difficult to read, I lost interest when Tania left for Paris. I do think this is a strong debut from the author, but this particular story was a little lackluster for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

So this is a story based on the three musketeers (but kind of loosely) with four teenage girls. They’re training in secret because of course they can’t be musketeers as women but France needs them to get men to hand over info, so they learn how to fight.

Our main character Tania has some sort of sickness which makes her dizzy and faint. But her father was a renowned musketeer so he trained her and then he gets brutally murdered. She goes to this training school on behalf of her father’s last wishes, which is disguised as a school to match young women to eligible bachelors.

Tania trains and soon is part of the pack, making friends and trying to discover the plot to assassinate the King. Her target is a handsome young man who seems to know how to help her in her dizzy spells and gets her to open up and he opens up to her. You’re led to believe his father is leading this would be coup and the young man Henri seems to be acting shady.

Honestly I really thought it was this guy’s father! But it was him. He had her father murdered because he knew there was a coming coup. He befriended her, stole her father’s letters, learned who she was and how to help her and then pursued her. She had fallen for him but challenges him to a sword fight and foils him and he gets taken by authorities.

Henri was not shady and liked Tania. This book is a little silly, but really charming and fun. Highly recommend, especially if you love a feminist retelling.

One for All was phenomenal! This book will definitely be one of my favorite books of 2022. I could not put this book down. Each chapter left me wanting more, to know what happens next. This book features a well-rounded cast of characters who band together to attempt to save the King in 17th century France.

These female Musketeers each had their own story, their own problems and their own strengths. I liked how Tania, Aria, Thea, and Portia all developed and grew throughout the book. I really appreciated the pearls of POTS references sprinkled throughout the book. People who do not live with POTS or know a lot about it may not understand these snippets, but they sure made me feel seen. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sisterhood, historical fiction, action scenes, spys, lover to emeny troupe or has POTS/chronic illness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an ARC of this book.

I enjoy retellings, and knowing that this one contained a character with POTS (something I, along with the author, live with) made me even more interested in reading it ... and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style, and I found the characters to be well-developed and realistic. Tania is easy to root for and like. She's extremely determined and doesn't let anything hold her back, including POTS, the disability she's lived with for years. As the author also lives with POTS, the portrayal is spot-on! There is a romance angle, but it's minimal, which I appreciated.

Be sure to read the Author's Note and details on POTS. So informative!

Reader's Notes:
- there are two ladies that kiss and like one another (one kiss; it is fairly obvious after a bit that one likes the other and the other possibly likes her back)
- there is one mention of a character sleeping with someone to get a 'height of fashion' fan (we do not meet this character, they are just mentioned by one of the main characters in passing)
- a main character had her space invaded without her consent in the past as well as during the book (past event not really described but definitely had an impact on her; current event not described past hands on her)
- Tania (our narrator) has POTS which makes it difficult for her to do things at times (but she powers through with the right support!)
- this occurs in 1655 France
Review:
I absolutely loved this book! With spying, a mysterious death, kick butt ladies, and sword fights this was an awesome and enjoyable read! And that twist towards the end was shocking for me! I didn't see it coming!
I also liked how the author showed the reader how POTS affected a main character and what was a good way to stand by her and support her. And then she included her own experience with POTS at the end of the book. Not everyone knows what POTS is or what it can do to a person so it was nice to see that insight given to readers as well as having a strong character to represent those who live with it. (I do not live with it, but two people I know do.)
This story follows Tania de Batz, daughter to a former Musketeer who encourages her to fence and tells her stories of his days of protecting France. While her mother wants her to stop, be a lady, and do things like embroidery, which Tania has absolutely no interest in. She'd rather be as strong as she sees her Papa, instead of a sick girl.
But when her father is murdered, Tania appears to be on her way to do as her mother wanted...by her father's own last request. She is sent off to finishing school to be taught how to be a proper lady in society. Though when she arrives, Tania discovers that all is not as it seems. He father knew what she wanted and provided a way for her to do it. For Tania to be a Musketeer, and this finishing school would teach her how to use her feminine attributes to spy and protect France from another avenue that the men could not.
When Tania is assigned a target to spy and glean information from, she stumbles but is held up by her sisters and it strengthens her bond with them. But as time and targets go on, she begins to feel something for her new target. And she questions where her loyalties lie. If she can take down her father's killer. If she can have all that she wants without betraying her newfound sisters.

One For All is heartbreaking and empowering all at once. Tania is a character that will be sticking with me for a while. Her love for her father, her desperate desire to do what she loves, and the support group she finds along the way. It’s all so wonderful. One For All is full of fencing, found-family, emotional relationship building, and care. I found myself captivated by Tania, fencing, intrigue, and romance. This book truly has everything a fantastical historical fiction could ask for and I’m so delighted to have read it.

Quick Summary: Tania is strong and determined to become an expert fencer just like her father, former Musketeer, but it seems her entire world is adamant that she is simply a “sick girl” because of her near-constant dizziness. When Papa is brutally and mysteriously murdered, his dying wish is to send Tania to a finishing school for girls. Torn between the feeling of betrayal and wanting to fulfill her father’s dying wish, Tania reluctantly sets off for finishing school. Luckily, the school isn’t what it appears to be. Tania soon finds out that the school is actually a secret training school for women to become fierce socialite spies.

Tania is a strong and powerful main character. She is an incredible fencer who lives with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), a condition that causes near-constant dizziness. The way that she is able to earn the respect of everyone around her is heartwarming and beautiful. She is able to prove herself an asset to the Musketeers and is not held back by her illness at all. It is a part of her and she knows herself and she believes in herself. There is so much joy in seeing the people in Tania’s life learn her needs in the same way any friend will learn each others’ needs. It’s respectful, honest, and touching.

One For All is a fierce gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers. Lainoff crafts a stunning tale full of adventure and found family that will be sticking with me. It’s heartwarming, strong, and empowering. Highly recommend!

Absolutely thrilling. I couldn’t put it down. The disabled, gender bending retelling of Dumas’ classic that you didn’t know you needed. Writing and characterization are excellent. MC Tania de Batz brings all the fire and shading of authentic chronic illness representation. Clever twists and turns. It’s a stunning debut. Recommended for all teen readers. A must have for library collection. A gamechanger for YA Lit.

CW: this book contains several references to sexual assault and resulting trauma.

While I think the pacing of One for All is a little off at times, I was immediately drawn in by the story of a girl struggling with chronic illness (POTS) who wants nothing more than to fence and follow in her Musketeer father’s footsteps.

This book has so many fun aspects of a good YA novel, from romance to espionage to spy school to an assassination plot, I would have liked to see the relationships with the love interests a little more developed so that they are a little more believable. However, I have almost no complaints about this book, at the end of the day. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would highly recommend it to readers young and old.

This took me a while to finish, largely because of factors having nothing to do with the book itself, but I read the second half basically in one sitting and it kept getting better and better! While I found a couple of things predictable, seeing the way they played out was satisfying and exciting.

Seeing POTS represented so well in this book meant the absolute world to me. Not just how Tania manages her condition, but how her new friends learn the best ways to help and support her - every instance of that really warmed my heart. It's acknowledged throughout that Tania's capacities are limited, but she learns to play to her strengths in such a way that she still gets to shine as an incredibly skilled fencer.

In all, a really great read, and I'd love to se a sequel!

CW: ableism, sexism, parental death (murder), injuries, referenced sexual assault

This was my most anticipated book of 2022, and it certainly lived up to my expectations, and then some.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the chronic illness rep, and I loved that it was so present throughout the story. Tania's dizziness was woven throughout the pages in a way that meant the reader was aware of it all the time, even when it wasn't the focus of the scene, which meant a lot to me as someone who is constantly impacted by my own chronic illness, even on days where it is much more mild. Even though I don't have POTS specifically, I could see parts of my own struggle with illness reflected in Tania's story, and made me feel seen in a way that shows just how much we need more disability stories.

Another aspect I absolutely ADORED was the four musketeers at the heart of this story, and the bonds between them. Tania, who is discovering her own strength while trying to avenge her father; Théa, the ball of sunshine who is skilled with a needle as well as with a sword; Portia, who wants to pave the way for more girls to follow in their footsteps; and Aria, the quietest of the group but perhaps the most determined to make a change. Each of these girls were a joy to read about, and I was almost sad to finish the book because I didn't want to leave them behind. One of the best friendships I've ever read, I loved how they were always there to make sure none of them fell, both literally and metaphorically.

Even though this was a historical book driven by political intrigue, it didn't feel dense or slow as some books with those elements tend to do. This book was relatively fast paced, fun and action-packed, and perfect for getting me out of my reading slump. I can't wait until March to finally hold a physical copy in my hands, and am already excited to pick up any future books from Lillie Lainoff.

I struggled a bit with this one at first. It took some time for the story to get going but once it did the twists kept coming. It was definitely well written and I liked gradually learning about each of the characters as time went on. It had a good amount of action and explained the story well enough that I didn’t feel anything was left out. I’d say it was an exciting read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story with some adventure or likes the Musketeers.