A retelling of The Three Musketeers that focused on sisterhood and that had a chronically ill protagonist at the center of it sounded fantastic. However, despite it being an enjoyable enough read, it didn’t blow me away as I hoped it would.

One for All started very slow, which is not necessarily bad, but I felt it took a long time to get to the main part of the story. We first get introduced to Tania, her love of fencing, and also, very importantly, her disability and how that affects all aspects of her life. Although this is all fine, it dragged on a bit too long, which made me lose focus a few times while reading.

Once we actually got to the main plot, however, the same problem persisted. I just felt the pacing was off throughout the novel which led me to consider whether it was because the narration of the audiobook was indeed quite slow—which is not necessarily a problem for others, but I personally had to listen to it on 1.75x or 2x speed.

Despite my many issues with the pacing, I really loved Tania’s character development and her interactions with the other characters. Her scenes with Étienne were hands down my favourite part of the novel as you could truly sense their chemistry and it was gripping to read about. Additionally, while I did enjoy her character dynamics with the other Musketeers, I felt they lacked depth. I unfortunately couldn’t really feel that bond we were constantly referring to as strongly as it was intended. I know the author has mentioned she would like to write a sequel, and in the event that happens, I wish she’ll be able to develop these connections more deeply.

In terms of plot, although the stakes were high, it didn’t feel as such. This reverts back to the pacing issue. I felt that the book was repetitive in structure: training, going to a ball, conversation with Étienne, sharing information, and back to square one. All of this isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy reading about these things, only that sometimes it could get a bit monotonous.

All in all, despite One for All not meeting all of my expectations, I didn’t think this was bad by any means. I’m sure this is a book that many people will thoroughly enjoy. Furthermore, this was an important story to tell, and I’m certain it will resonate with many people. I’ll definitely look forward to Lillie Lainoff’s future works.

In a Nutshell: Attention, tout le monde! Just remember that this is a YA book and you will enjoy it far more. If you are an adult reader who wants a deeper experience, that may or may not happen, depending on your bookish requirements.

Story:
France, 1655. Sixteen year old Tania de Batz, the daughter of an erstwhile royal musketeer, loves her sword. However, with her constant dizzy spells, she is considered a “sick” girl and hence weak. Her mother is desperate to get her daughter married off before her health problem becomes too known, though all Tania dreams of is being a musketeer like her father. When her dad is found mysteriously murdered, Tania loses all hope. Imagine her surprise that her dad’s final wish was for her to enroll into a finishing school, L’Académie des Mariées. Once there, Tania realises that this is no ordinary place but a secret training academy for women spies-cum-musketeers. Tania’s life changes and she begins to relish her new tasks at the academy. Will she be able to do well as a spy despite her health issues? Will she ever discover what happened to her father? How will her colleagues react when they learn that their new peer is not in the best of physical conditions?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Tania.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 The biggest advantage the book has is that it is an OwnVoices book. The author is a competitive fencer, AND she suffers from the same chronic health problem as Tania does. This brings a great deal of authenticity to the writing of Tania’s experiences.
😍 The second biggest plus point of the book is its representation. Disability and women’s rights get a pride of place in the story, and it also has great LGBTQ representation. (but… without any issues or conflicts related to these characters. I liked that decision – it was as if everyone was perfectly okay with others’ sexual preferences.)
😍 The story is based on Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 work, “The Three Musketeers”. But instead of making this a scene-by-scene copy of the classic, the author chooses to take the essence of the old work and put it into a very different bottle. Thus it is not a faithful retelling but a spin on the original, which works wonderfully for the story.
😍 There is a minor underlying arc of romance but it neither overshadows nor overpowers the main story. There are two potential suitors in Tania’s life and you'll keep seesawing between the two of them in your loyalty. Of course, the mystery is quite obvious to avid readers but for a YA book, it does its job pretty well.
😍 Porthos, Aramis and Athos of the original book become Portia, Théa and Aria in this modern spinoff. Each of these fab female musketeers has one dominant trait, and that shows itself consistently throughout the story. I liked their camaraderie and the way all of them embodied the idea of “Tous pour un, un pour tous.” (All for one, one for all.) Tania suffers from imposter syndrome during her initial days at the academy but it is due to these girls that she develops her skills and her confidence.
😍 Most historical fictions you read won’t contain details of swashbuckling swordswomen and secret missions during balls. These novel additions provide a refreshing change to the experience.
😍 All the characters act their age. This has become a novelty in YA fiction.
😍 I loved the addition of French dialogues to the story. It doffs a hat at the original book, and at the same time, adds a wonderful authenticity to the experience. But….. (to be continued in the next section)

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😕 But…. (continued from above) in a few instances, there was a needless translation of simple French phrases right next to the original. For instance, there are dialogues that go “C'est vrai, that’s right” or “Je suis désolée, I am sorry”. This sounds very silly, especially to those who know both the languages. There are better ways of putting across the meaning without being so literal about it.
😕 Tania was naive till the end. I would have preferred her to mature more as the story progressed, but right till the end, she remains almost as ignorant as at the start, though she does grow in confidence and courage. I would have loved to see her grow in common sense too.
😕 Tania’s dizzy attacks seem to come up exactly when the plot needs a delay. It seemed too convenient at times.
😕 The dialogues seem a bit too contemporary in some cases.
😕 The middle part of the story felt a bit slow and repetitive. (At least in the audiobook.)


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook clocks at 12.5 hours and is narrated by Mara Wilson (whom you might remember as the little girl who played the titular role in the movie “Matilda”.) Mara puts her acting chops to great use here and delivers an outstanding performance. Her rendering of both the French and the English lines is impeccable. She elevated the experience for me even further.
I hate the fact that audio ALCs rarely contain the author’s note. I kept waiting to understand what disability Tania suffers from but it never came up. It is only by reading other reviews that I discovered that she suffers from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is a chronic illness hardly anyone knows about. Reading up more on this syndrome helped me understand Tania’s situation better. Of course, if you get the published copy of the audiobook, you’ll not face the same issue as I did and will probably hear from the author herself about this health issue.

Despite the issues I had with the writing, this is still one of the better YA books I've read. Its concept makes it unique, and the author’s personal experiences shine throughout the story. Overall, it’s a really impressive debut with only minor flaws that will be ironed out with more writing experience.
4.25 stars from this YA work. (If it were a book for adults, I might have rated it a 3.75.)

Definitely recommended to Young Adults (and Adults who are Young at Heart) who want to read a different kind of YA book with some clever and courageous women leading the story.

My thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC of “One For All”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

1.5 stars

This was a major disappointment. I rounded up to 2 stars because of the disability rep, I think that is truly the only thing this book as going for it. A three musketeers retelling, gender bent, with chronic illness rep. The main character gets dizzy and passes out often. I thought the way this was handled and the other characters just made adjustments (like an easier way for her to get up the stairs) and supported her, but never made her feel 'lesser than' or like something was wrong with her was well done.

Beyond that, this was just bad. I honestly couldn't tell you what happened because it was so hard to pay attention. I didn't care about the characters, what they were doing, the plot to kill the king, the main characters fathers murder. None of it was written to make me care. I really just wanted it to be over.

I love the disability rep - seeing Tanya coming into her own, finding her true friends, and being a badass AND being disabled was awesome and I definitely want more books with those themes because this is one of the first I've read with such well done disability rep.

However... The rest of the book was kind of... Bland. With a cover literally riddled with swords, there is only one stabbing and two serious duels in the entire book. The rest of it was very predictable court drama YA. When I say I rolled my eyes at the final twist (because it was so obvious, even though I held out hope that it would go in another direction, ANY other direction). It was kinda slow and without enough action to justify the time commitment

There's some queer rep, but it's just a paragraph 85% in and not really relevant to the plot or anything that comes before or after. So other than the stellar disability rep, there's not much else to speak of in terms of diversity.

I would probably read another book by the author, but it wouldn't be a priority.

A retelling of the three musketeers with women and a main character with a heart condition? Sign me up!
This book was absolutely fantastic. I loved every page of this book. The main character was amazing and as someone with a chronic illness (a heart related one as well) I found her to be not just relatable but also inspirational. Know exactly what she wanted and fighting tooth and nail to achieve that. She learned to work not around her illness but with it.
The friendships in this book as well were and amazing. There is very few things I love more than women supporting women and this book was full of that. The girls in this book stood together, fought together, and supported each other in every way that mattered. Even when they they messed up they came together and learned. It was a breath or fresh air to read a book to full of female power.
Everything about this book was amazing and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone but especially those who enjoy books with female friendships and strong characters.

This book is being sold as a gender-bent Three Musketeers with a chronically ill heroine, and when I heard about it last year I was IMMEDIATELY on board. I watched the 90s movie way too many times, and I was excited to see a character with POTS take center stage. Yes but Ellen did it deliver — YES IT DID! It is YA, so listening to Tania doubt herself over and over is tough, but I did that when I was a teenager and I didn’t have a chronic illness to fight through, so it feels accurate as hell. Things started off a bit slowly but once we meet the other musketeers and join their sisterhood, it is ON! I loved how Tania’s personal vendetta is woven into their larger mission, and watching her form friendships is so rewarding. Plus I learned a lot about fencing. Highly recommend if you’re looking for some feminist fun! The audiobook absolutely helped bring the characters to life and added to my experience!

Thank you so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I loved having an own voices book for POTS as well as an own voices narrator! The audiobook was absolutely fantastic!!

I really appreciated reading about a chronically ill character. I also have a chronic illness and really related to reflections from the author/character throughout the novel.. I loved the development of both the plot and the characters and look forward to reading more from this author!

*will update with link once posted

ONE FOR ALL is the gender-bent Three Musketeers retelling I knew I would love from the moment I heard about it. Not only is it impeccably researched, passionately written, brimming with incredible characters, and entertaining as hell, Tania de Batz—our fierce, disabled protagonist—is one of the most unforgettable YA heroines in recent memory.

As she suffers through the loss of her father, battles society’s expectations of what a disabled girl should be, and fights to find her place in a group of female musketeers, Tania leads us through a romantic, diverse, thrilling, and swashbuckling adventure that is going to mean so much to so many people, especially those suffering from disabilities like POTS, which effect both Tania and her author Lillie Lainoff.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and if you’re a fan of audiobooks, this one is narrated by the one and only Mara Wilson, who fits this story and its heart like a glove. I can’t wait to see what Lillie Lainoff writes next and with ONE FOR ALL, she’s made herself one of the most exciting new writers to watch.

This is the best book I’ve read this year!
One for All by Lillie Lainoff is an amazing gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers. Not only is the main character of Tanya trying to saving the king and find out who killed her father, but she is consistently dealing with “dizzy spells”. The main character in this novel is chronically ill, and honestly, that is one of the main reasons why I wanted to read One for All.
As I imagined, I quickly made a strong connection with Tanya! Lillie brilliantly describes what it’s like to be chronically I’ll and to live with an invisible illness. I hurt for Tanya each time anyone told her that she looked well. Yet, Tanya felt far from well. I too understand that struggle.
The narrator is absolutely amazing in portraying Tanya! I fell right into the story.
I’m so incredibly impressed by Lillie Lainoff! I can’t wait to read her next book.
I highly, highly recommend this audiobook. One for All took my breath away!

The moment I saw that this story was an OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer I immediately was intrigued. Everyone in town views Tania as some weak and sick girl, but that isn't who she is. She had strength within her even if it's not the kind most people can easily outwardly see.

All she wants is to be strong, independent, and a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion. If anything she has him.on her side...that is until he is brutally murdered. His dying wish is veiled in such a way that not even Tania realizes the truth in the finishing school he wished for her to attend until she arrives.

L’Académie des Mariées is a secret training ground for a new kind of Musketeer: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a swordfight.

With her newfound sisters at her side, she finally feels for the first time like she has a purpose, like she belongs. But then she meets Étienne, her first target in uncovering a potential assassination plot. He’s kind, charming, and breathlessly attractive—and he might have information about what really happened to her father. She is torn between duty and dizzying emotion, and will have to lean on her new friends, listen to her own body, and decide where her loyalties lie…or risk losing everything she’s ever wanted.

This debut novel is an incredibly fierce, whirlwind adventure about the depth of found family, the strength that goes beyond the body, uncovers secrets, sisterhood, self-love, and the determination it takes to fight for what you love. I couldn't get enough of this book, I'm so glad I was able to listen to the audiobook format. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this audiobook.

I truly loved this book so so much.

I'm not normally one for historical fiction, but a gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers with disability/chronic illness rep? Sign me up.

This story was very fast-paced and every scene felt deliberate and intentional; there were no filler scenes and nothing that needed to be cut or trimmed out. I also enjoyed the constant mention of Tania's dizziness (which, I understand might get repetitive to some), but it was such a good reminder that chronic illness doesn't go away if you have a good day, and that even despite Tania's dizziness, she could still do things that the other Musketeers could do.

The fact that the audiobook was narrated by Mara Wilson, who also has POTS, just made me love this book that much more. I cannot wait to recommend this to all of my friends.

Trigger/content warning: death of a father, blood mentions, ableism, murder, mention/recount of sexual assault

One for all is a YA retelling of the Three Musketeers with 4 women as the main characters, two of who are sapphic, one of whom is demisexual and our main character Tania has POTS

This book is absolutely DELIGHTFUL!!! It's so fun and filled with adventure, I absolutely FLEW through it. This book is a fast paced swashbuckling feminist adventure through and through.

The main things that drew me to this book were the Three Musketeers inspiration and the disabled MC and it delivered on both of those in spades.

I loved our 4 musketeers and I thought the elements taken from the original story carried over fantastically. The characterisation of the musketeers was fantastic and their individual personalities really shined.

Something I absolutely adored was that even though this is a historical setting (1600s France) a lot of care and detail is given to discussing Tania's access needs and how to make her world more accessible for her. It has my FAVOURITE way of writing disabled character where they aren't overcoming their disability, instead they're realising that the only thing holding them back is ableism.

This book was utterly fantastic and if you're looking for your next YA adventure, look no further.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook ARC of this book

This book is wonderfully unique in it's representation of the chronically ill. The main character has a good voice and the overall plot was fun. However, I found some of the writing to be a bit flat, especially for older readers. However, I think it would be wonderful for middle school or younger high school students.

It was such a pleasure to read an own voice story about a powerful, inspiring disabled/chronically ill woman! The world needs more books just like this - full of adventure and finding acceptance in a world that underestimates and shames those with different physical abilities.

Whilst the story started off a little slow for me, it wasn’t long before I was hooked and trying to pick apart the mystery before all was revealed (I’m very competitive about these things!). It was heartwarming to see Tania find a home amongst people who respected and appreciated her, and gave her the emotional and physical support she needed to flourish. Tania is such an inspirational heroine, using her wits and fencing abilities to help unravel the plot against the king alongside her sisters in arms. This was the book I didn’t know I needed - and outside my usual genres too!

This was an intricately crafted story full of action, mystery and intrigue that had me guessing the whole way through. A little difficult to follow at times, with so many different characters, a complex collection of tasks and targets, and so much going on, but I wasn’t too deterred as I got used to it. The French was a nice touch to help immerse the reader in France - although perhaps only because I understood the majority of it. It was also a little confusing keeping up with the narrative in the audiobook because scenes seemed to jump (presumably, less so in the written versions) and voices of different characters weren’t distinguishable. That being said, I’m still very much hopeful there will be a sequel to this book that I can devour just as quickly - I’m desperate to see if there are more adventures for Tania and her friends, and if there’s romance on the cards!

My favorite rendition of Three Musketeers was the Disney live action film with Chris O'Donnell and Oliver Platt (I know their were so many other big actors in the film). What I loved most was the camaraderie and the brotherhood made between the characters. One For All gave us all of that, but with an all female maincast and disability rep (POTS).

The twist was a bit predictable, but I didn't really care because I was completly invested in Tania's journey. I was wearing headphones while listening to the audibook and I'm pretty sure my brother thought I was crazy with how giddy I became during the last few chapters especially when Tania comes face to face with father's murderer.

However what I loved most about the story was when she started to love herself and accept that her disability was only one part of her and those that truly loved her didn't see her as burdened. Since it was brought up a few times I would actually love a book two where Tania goes to the Court of Miracles and fights for the voiceless.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

One For All is a feminist retelling of the Three Musketeers. Our main character Tania has a disability and I thought it was really well done, I haven’t read many books with POTS so I really liked that. I also enjoyed the lqbtq representation. Another thing I liked was the close sisterhood within the girls, I liked that they had each others backs and looked out for each other. That being said, this was a pretty cool premise but it was a little boring. I thought I would really enjoy this at first but once I got past 20% I enjoyed it a lot less.

I was having a hard time figuring out why I didn’t love this as much as I thought but I thought Tania would be a bad ass but honestly she was naive and dumb. I also hated the romance that was thrown in because it was so unnecessary and the “plot twist” was a little obvious. I still think this is a very important book but I guess I had higher expectations. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was such a fun read! I loved the disability representation--POTS is a big part of Tania's life and it informs her orientation to the world, without subsuming her identity. I really, really appreciate this book simply for existing as a book with chronically ill representation. And Tania's group of musketeers is so cute!! They are so wholesome and I loved their sisterhood! Also the sapphics <33 The plot was really fun as well and as someone who has no knowledge of the three musketeers story, I found it really intriguing. Overall, it was so much fun and it's hard to believe this is a debut! I can't wait to see what Lainoff writes next!

The audiobook was pretty standard--there were not any special effects, which is kind of a missed opportunity in my opinion, but still an enjoyable time. I really appreciated the audio for the auditory experience of the French and french names--personally, I think that would have taken me out of the story if I had read this in print. I will say that one the ARC copy that I listened to, the narrator at 2x speed almost seemed echo-ey at times, but that may be different in the final copy, so check out a sample from your audiobook vendor!

One For All is a breath of fresh air. The POTS representation is absolutely incredible. As someone with many friends with POTS but no person experience with it, I feel like I really got to see what life is like with POTS.

The story itself was well paced. Just when I felt a lag coming on, there was a new twist to keep me hooked. The writing was strong and the immersion into classic french culture was really fun.

Tane made a phenomenal main character. There were times I found her anxiety about potential friends to be a little repetitive and tedious. But honestly it was still really relatable. Her disability wasn’t something she needed to overcome. She is strong and she is disabled. Tane could teach us all a lesson.

My main complaint really came down to the narrator. Her French pronunciations were great, as where her character voices, but the pauses drove me up the wall. She took commas and periods a little too seriously.

I will be recommending One for All to everyone because every TBR needs more incredible disability rep.

Tania loves her father. He is, or was, a musketeer and had to give it up when he married Tania's mother due to their difference in social standing. They moved away from France and had Tania. When she was about 8 or 10 she started having dizzy spells and they didn't go away but got worse. Her mother saw this as a flaw but her father saw it as a learning opportunity and taught her fencing as a way to steady herself. Somehow it worked. Tania still gets dizzy but she loves fencing. Her mother thinks it's important to secure her future by marrying but they're having trouble finding someone that will accept her due to her chronic illness. One day Tania's father does not come back from his venture to a school to inquire about teaching fencing and it is discovered that he has died. Tania and her mother know something bad happened but the police refuse to investigate. Tania is sure her life is over and will have to marry she doesn't love arranged by her mother but they discover a letter written by her father saying his final wish is for Tania to go to a boarding school or ladies in France. She is afraid the fate her mother has planned for her will still come to fruition at this school but once she arrives she sees that it is a façade and that the ladies are secretly training to be just like musketeers. There are only three other ladies attending the school and the mistress was once a friend of Tania's father. They work together to spoil a plot to kill the king of France and along the way Tania learns to love herself through her faults. Throughout the story Tania's point of view is very loud and she is very head strong but this just makes her more real and identifiable. I guessed the ending a chapter before it came but it was still fun.

Do I want female musketeers ? Of course I do !
It feels good to see disabled/chronically ill people in a book, especially when they aren't written as a person everyone should pity.

The only small problem I had was the accent of the narrator regarding french words.

Thank you netgalley for providing an audio ARC of this book in exchange for a review