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jowlsverne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
thebooknerdscorner's review against another edition
4.0
A feminist retelling of "The Three Musketeers" featuring a strong-willed protagonist who is much more than just her disability.
Tania de Batz has been told her whole life that she isn't good enough. She's not good enough to be a successful wife, she's not strong enough to fight for her kingdom with her blade, and society views her as nothing more than the "sick girl." But Tania knows that she is destined for more, and with her sword in hand, she feels as though she can do anything. That is, until her retired Musketeer father is murdered in cold blood and she is sent to L’Académie des Mariées to be whipped into a fine young lady. Luckily, the finishing school isn't as it first appears and Tania finds herself part of a secret organization that are charged with investigating a dangerous assassination plot involving the king of France and some suspicious noblemen.
We need more books like "One For All." It is one of the first books that I've ever read featuring a physical disability, and to see it done in a historical setting was really neat. I've never heard of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) myself, so I found this book to be very enlightening. The feminist messages were also powerful, and I hope that many young girls find themselves in this story, whether they have a physical disability, are queer, or have to fight for their place to belong.
I'm not usually the biggest fan of historical fiction, but I love the fast paced nature of this story and the intrigue surrounding the court and the mysterious nobles. Watching the girls train to become Musketeers was truly awesome, especially because no one expects how ready these girls are to kick butt. The fight scene at the end between Tania and the big baddie was really sick, and you can truly tell that the author has experience with fencing herself as well as with POTS.
The message of sisterhood in this story is so strong and so darn cute. Tania, Aria, Portia, and Théa have such a powerful bond, and I love seeing how they support one another. I think every girl needs a few women that they can trust with anything, so it was nice to see a little found family situation happen between these girls. I enjoyed learning about them individually, but they truly shine when they are working together.
Overall, I was very impressed by "One For All." It is rare that historical fiction enchants me as much as this one did, but the characters, the high societal settings, and Tania's unique circumstances as a woman fencer with a physical disability in the 1650s really kept me engaged. I would love to check out any of Lainoff's future works and will for sure be recommending this one to anyone with loves stories of sisterhood, historical France, or mysteries featuring high society. And of course, it will be at the top of my rec list for books featuring disabilities.
Tania de Batz has been told her whole life that she isn't good enough. She's not good enough to be a successful wife, she's not strong enough to fight for her kingdom with her blade, and society views her as nothing more than the "sick girl." But Tania knows that she is destined for more, and with her sword in hand, she feels as though she can do anything. That is, until her retired Musketeer father is murdered in cold blood and she is sent to L’Académie des Mariées to be whipped into a fine young lady. Luckily, the finishing school isn't as it first appears and Tania finds herself part of a secret organization that are charged with investigating a dangerous assassination plot involving the king of France and some suspicious noblemen.
We need more books like "One For All." It is one of the first books that I've ever read featuring a physical disability, and to see it done in a historical setting was really neat. I've never heard of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) myself, so I found this book to be very enlightening. The feminist messages were also powerful, and I hope that many young girls find themselves in this story, whether they have a physical disability, are queer, or have to fight for their place to belong.
I'm not usually the biggest fan of historical fiction, but I love the fast paced nature of this story and the intrigue surrounding the court and the mysterious nobles. Watching the girls train to become Musketeers was truly awesome, especially because no one expects how ready these girls are to kick butt. The fight scene at the end between Tania and the big baddie was really sick, and you can truly tell that the author has experience with fencing herself as well as with POTS.
The message of sisterhood in this story is so strong and so darn cute. Tania, Aria, Portia, and Théa have such a powerful bond, and I love seeing how they support one another. I think every girl needs a few women that they can trust with anything, so it was nice to see a little found family situation happen between these girls. I enjoyed learning about them individually, but they truly shine when they are working together.
Overall, I was very impressed by "One For All." It is rare that historical fiction enchants me as much as this one did, but the characters, the high societal settings, and Tania's unique circumstances as a woman fencer with a physical disability in the 1650s really kept me engaged. I would love to check out any of Lainoff's future works and will for sure be recommending this one to anyone with loves stories of sisterhood, historical France, or mysteries featuring high society. And of course, it will be at the top of my rec list for books featuring disabilities.
jillselwyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Going into this book, all I knew was that clearly, from just the title alone that at the very least it was inspired by the three musketeers. The only thing of note that I knew apart from this fact was that the main character (Tania) had a chronic illness of some sort that included fainting (Also, pretty cover, with pretty girl on cover, like come on). This was a debut novel, and Lillie Lainoff really made this book sing. The difference between Tania's parents was clear, but that did not mean she was loved any less by her mother, simply that she couldn't fully understand her child.
I rather enjoyed the pacing of the chapters, and the story as a whole. The "inciting incident"didn't feel rushed like many debuts tend to feel, which was honestly wonderful. I felt that I'd seen just the right amount of Tania and her parents' everyday lives before launching into the story. This part of the story - like all the others, never overstayed its welcome, and, instead, smoothly transitioned into the next arc of the plot.
When Tania's father has her sent to a "finishing school" upon his untimely (and brutal) death, I was shocked. Of course, I hadn't read a single word of the synopsis (a quite common decision of mine, though it doesn't usually end in a good experience like this one), so I had not seen what the "finishing school" really was until I read the book. I had no clue that the school was a cover for a secret training academy for a select few girls to become socialite musketeers.
Rather quickly, I caught a number of similarities to this book, and, well, Barbie and the Three Musketeers (in fact, I reached out to the author, and she told me that, while she indeed gets that comment a lot, she has never actually seen that particular Barbie installment). Of course, One For All did things that an animated, 2009 film made for children, was able - and willing - to do (despite the notoriously queer coded Diamond Castle which actually came out a year prior but you're not here for a history of Barbie movies).
The main element that certainly stood out to me, is the sapphic hints in the background between two of the four girls, subtle at first, until, if you are a hopeless sapphic like myself, you're screaming for the reveal. Yes, a reveal of information that you clearly already know, but sometimes you just want or need the confirmation and validation of someone coming out "publicly" on the page.
Aria was probably the character that fascinated and intrigued me the most, while getting strong ADHD vibes from Théa (example, I was nearly put off by the exclamations used in her dialogue, but then the more time we spent with her the more I started to wonder if there was some neurodivergency - specifically ADHD, but that's also coming from someone who does have ADHD among other things). Throughout it all, I was a serious sucker for the gown descriptions, the way the girls soon got along as a chosen family bantering, teasing, looking after each other, the atmosphere.
As far as the twist or reveal, the author did a wonderful job of reverse red herring the reader as far as the culprit, to the point that upon looking over my reading notes to write this review, I almost laughed at myself and some of the things I had jotted down about this. While this beauty of a novel wraps up neatly, there is so much potential for more books in this world that has been masterfully created. There is one more thing I'd like to mention before I list my favorite quotes.
The author's note at the end. Roughly two pages, and the only post book author's note I believe I've ever read. Explaining the diagnosis and the personal experience and point of view of the author, I believe made this book much more concrete and applicable to the real world. That's what did me in. It was enough to personally connect via my own very different chronic illness.
Remembering the struggle with finding doctors willing to do tests, to diagnose (luckily third time was the charm), as well as trying to hide the pain I was in - at school, with previous romantic partners, etc. (my diagnosis is Adenomyosis)
This novel is amazing on its own, but that last bit was truly the cherry on top.
Quotes:
"We will not let you fall."
"Everything was too much: the sound, the sight, the world one caliginous golden pool."
"I don't think of things in terms of such labels."
"...how certain twists and turns in a left or right hand could mean flirtation, rejection, a warning to a paramour of being watched..."
"Étienne was thoughtful, but he was still a man."
I rather enjoyed the pacing of the chapters, and the story as a whole. The "inciting incident"didn't feel rushed like many debuts tend to feel, which was honestly wonderful. I felt that I'd seen just the right amount of Tania and her parents' everyday lives before launching into the story. This part of the story - like all the others, never overstayed its welcome, and, instead, smoothly transitioned into the next arc of the plot.
When Tania's father has her sent to a "finishing school" upon his untimely (and brutal) death, I was shocked. Of course, I hadn't read a single word of the synopsis (a quite common decision of mine, though it doesn't usually end in a good experience like this one), so I had not seen what the "finishing school" really was until I read the book. I had no clue that the school was a cover for a secret training academy for a select few girls to become socialite musketeers.
Rather quickly, I caught a number of similarities to this book, and, well, Barbie and the Three Musketeers (in fact, I reached out to the author, and she told me that, while she indeed gets that comment a lot, she has never actually seen that particular Barbie installment). Of course, One For All did things that an animated, 2009 film made for children, was able - and willing - to do (despite the notoriously queer coded Diamond Castle which actually came out a year prior but you're not here for a history of Barbie movies).
The main element that certainly stood out to me, is the sapphic hints in the background between two of the four girls, subtle at first, until, if you are a hopeless sapphic like myself, you're screaming for the reveal. Yes, a reveal of information that you clearly already know, but sometimes you just want or need the confirmation and validation of someone coming out "publicly" on the page.
Aria was probably the character that fascinated and intrigued me the most, while getting strong ADHD vibes from Théa (example, I was nearly put off by the exclamations used in her dialogue, but then the more time we spent with her the more I started to wonder if there was some neurodivergency - specifically ADHD, but that's also coming from someone who does have ADHD among other things). Throughout it all, I was a serious sucker for the gown descriptions, the way the girls soon got along as a chosen family bantering, teasing, looking after each other, the atmosphere.
As far as the twist or reveal, the author did a wonderful job of reverse red herring the reader as far as the culprit, to the point that upon looking over my reading notes to write this review, I almost laughed at myself and some of the things I had jotted down about this. While this beauty of a novel wraps up neatly, there is so much potential for more books in this world that has been masterfully created. There is one more thing I'd like to mention before I list my favorite quotes.
The author's note at the end. Roughly two pages, and the only post book author's note I believe I've ever read. Explaining the diagnosis and the personal experience and point of view of the author, I believe made this book much more concrete and applicable to the real world. That's what did me in. It was enough to personally connect via my own very different chronic illness.
Remembering the struggle with finding doctors willing to do tests, to diagnose (luckily third time was the charm), as well as trying to hide the pain I was in - at school, with previous romantic partners, etc. (my diagnosis is Adenomyosis)
This novel is amazing on its own, but that last bit was truly the cherry on top.
Quotes:
"We will not let you fall."
"Everything was too much: the sound, the sight, the world one caliginous golden pool."
"I don't think of things in terms of such labels."
"...how certain twists and turns in a left or right hand could mean flirtation, rejection, a warning to a paramour of being watched..."
"Étienne was thoughtful, but he was still a man."
boutofbibliophilia's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
dahana10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
3.75
manglitter's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 Stars.
I liked the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and to read a retelling with girls as Musketeers, I felt that it might be interesting, add to this the main female character has a disability which I found this to be a pretty amazing change from the usual perfect, sexy, badass FMC. This was the second main point that attracted me to this retelling.
Now, this audiobook took me some days to be able to finish and this for a lot of reasons; first, I hated the narrator's French with some horrible accent like when she said Les Mousquetaires de la lune. then, the plot was a bit rediculous for my taste, then, at the end, that fight with the real villain , my god that was funny. It was so obvious to the point that I wanted to be wrong and I made myself doubt, hoping it could be better. The dialogues were a bit silly.
To be more honest, I didn't care at all about the other characters, I got interested a bit in Etienne but then he became a lame character. I got sick from her hearing her father calling her name Tania, Tania,Tania, until the end, it was so dramatic, we used to see this in some movies or whatever.
2.5 Stars.
I liked the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and to read a retelling with girls as Musketeers, I felt that it might be interesting, add to this the main female character has a disability which I found this to be a pretty amazing change from the usual perfect, sexy, badass FMC. This was the second main point that attracted me to this retelling.
Now, this audiobook took me some days to be able to finish and this for a lot of reasons; first, I hated the narrator's French with some horrible accent like when she said Les Mousquetaires de la lune. then, the plot was a bit rediculous for my taste, then, at the end, that fight with the real villain , my god that was funny. It was so obvious to the point that I wanted to be wrong and I made myself doubt, hoping it could be better. The dialogues were a bit silly.
To be more honest, I didn't care at all about the other characters, I got interested a bit in Etienne but then he became a lame character. I got sick from her hearing her father calling her name Tania, Tania,Tania, until the end, it was so dramatic, we used to see this in some movies or whatever.
annineamundsen's review against another edition
4.0
Diversity challenge: mc with chronic illness (pots)
I enjoyed this a lot! Secret sisterhood of musketeers, chronic illness rep, girls with swords, sapphic side characters, undercover missions.
I felt like a lot of time was devoted to the build-up and then very little to the actual reveal and climax. I also would have liked to see more exploring of the class differences in France - it's talked about but not fully examined.
CW: ableism, death of parent, murder, mentioned sexual assault
I enjoyed this a lot! Secret sisterhood of musketeers, chronic illness rep, girls with swords, sapphic side characters, undercover missions.
I felt like a lot of time was devoted to the build-up and then very little to the actual reveal and climax. I also would have liked to see more exploring of the class differences in France - it's talked about but not fully examined.
CW: ableism, death of parent, murder, mentioned sexual assault
thelilbookwitch's review against another edition
2.0
Made it about 20 pages in before I had to give up. Mobility devices, such as canes, were extant for the time period this was set in and yet her father built her a fence to lean on... instead of getting her a cane? And one with a pop out rapier would have been *perfect* too, given the premise.
Shaky groundwork, characterization inconsistencies (especially this early on), with additional "not like other girl" tendencies turned me off from continuing further.
Shaky groundwork, characterization inconsistencies (especially this early on), with additional "not like other girl" tendencies turned me off from continuing further.
theloveshot_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
thechroniclesofmedora's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
4.75
this book was actually so good, full review coming soon!