bryonyindecisivereader's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
“Portia, Théa, and Aria weren't the Musketeers who populated my childhood stories. They weren't Papa's Musketeers…
But they were better, because they were mine.”
I absolutely adored One for All. From the first page, I could have sat there and read it all in one go. An all-female Three Musketeers reimagining (or continuation), with disability rep? I’ll be talking about this one for a while.
Tania was such an inspiring main character. With her chronic disability (POTS), she’s struggled to just live all her life. She battles dizziness when she stands, and fencing is the only thing that makes her feel like she’s got control over her life - no wonder she won’t give it up to just be a wife. Her chronic illness is constantly there, but it doesn’t define her.
The other characters were also a delight. I loved the female camaraderie and sisterhood that was developed through the story. The other musketeers taught Tania that her dizziness isn’t a sign of weakness, that actually she’s strong to live with it, and they provided her with friendship she so desperately needed before.
I loved the story. There was always a sense of forward progress with a sense of mystery and the need for justice.
And, I mean, how could you go wrong with sword fighting in beautiful dresses?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Ableism, and Bullying
azrah786's review
3.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC of the book by Titan Books for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, ableism, chronic illness, bullying, grief, sexism/misogyny, sexual assault
--
Daughter of a former Musketeer, Tania De Batz has grown up with a love for fencing and adventure. However, as a young woman with a chronic illness living within a society the openly scorns any form of disability she faces more difficulties than most. Thus her mother wants nothing more than for her to conceal who she is and to conform to societies expectations of her.
When her father is mysteriously killed on a business trip Tania is convinced foul play is involved and wants to investigate but her mother wants to hear none of it. Instead she is to be sent off to L’Academie des Mariess, a finishing school that her father secured her a place in. What she soon finds though is that what she expected to be a finishing school is actually a covert training institute for women Musketeers who are on a mission to uncover a plot that threatens the monarchy of France. Not only does this give Tanya a chance to put herself towards a higher purpose but also an opportunity to get to the bottom of her father’s murder.
**I was provided with an ARC of the book by Titan Books for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, ableism, chronic illness, bullying, grief, sexism/misogyny, sexual assault
--
Daughter of a former Musketeer, Tania De Batz has grown up with a love for fencing and adventure. However, as a young woman with a chronic illness living within a society the openly scorns any form of disability she faces more difficulties than most. Thus her mother wants nothing more than for her to conceal who she is and to conform to societies expectations of her.
When her father is mysteriously killed on a business trip Tania is convinced foul play is involved and wants to investigate but her mother wants to hear none of it. Instead she is to be sent off to L’Academie des Mariess, a finishing school that her father secured her a place in. What she soon finds though is that what she expected to be a finishing school is actually a covert training institute for women Musketeers who are on a mission to uncover a plot that threatens the monarchy of France. Not only does this give Tanya a chance to put herself towards a higher purpose but also an opportunity to get to the bottom of her father’s murder.
“We are not the ones who are written into history. We are the ones who ensure history exists to be written.”
Now this is where I admit that my knowledge of the Musketeers comes from the Barbie version so of course I was going to come running for a book featuring sword fighting girls. The beginning of the book is a little slow but everything really gets going when Tania arrives at the L’Academie des Mariess and despite the plot being a little predictable at times, I found myself easily drawn in by all the mystery and espionage.
Tania has POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and she is one of the most empowering characters that I have ever read. Though quite stubborn as many YA protagonists tend to be, she doesn’t shy away from her emotions. She very much wears her heart on her sleeve and though this made her quite naïve it was such a refreshing trait to see on page. I really enjoyed following her on her journey of coming into her own, of not letting other people’s sentiments stop her from getting to where she wanted to be and finding a support system that accepts her for who she is.
“There are other ways to fight for someone, Mademoiselle, than merely picking up a sword.”
Which leads me on to mention the sisterhood that is the heart of this book! Found family is one of my absolute favourite tropes and the bonds that formed between Tania and her fellow Musketeers – Aria, Portia and Théa – was so heart-warming. I do find myself wishing that we could have had longer scenes from the times when they were initially bonding but their little missions and the moments of humour and camaraderie that they brought about were so fun.
Fencing is a sport that I have always wanted to try and it was so cool to learn that Lainoff herself is a fencer. I always find it so wholesome when authors are able to inform and enrich their stories with their other passions and honestly all the practice and fight scenes were so good!
A highly enjoyable and admirable spin on a well-loved classic, I can’t recommend One For All enough!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Chronic illness, Bullying, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault
seyfert's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Bullying and Sexual assault
josb's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Re-imagining of The Three Musketeers but with women and a disabled lead.
Overall the book was well written but as a debut there were some bumps that kept it from really standing out. I loved the disabled lead written from an ownvoices perspective. Tania's tenacity really shined as she described her POTS symptoms throughout the day-to-day activities. However, Tania was just so naive that it felt like her understanding was held back to keep the pace of the plot.
For a book that is based around Parisian court politics and subterfuge (female musketeer spies essentially) there were not a lot of high courts navigating which was nice. I did wish we spent more time having Tania decode some of the communication of the nobles at parties since the few times it happened felt interesting.
There were sapphic side characters and they stole the show in my opinion. In order to justify their relationship in the end their scenes together had to be quite strong, there were lots of subtextual hints and longing glances. They only had a few scenes and they were the biggest reason for me to keep reading.
Certainly worth a try if you are interested in a reimagining of an old tale or would like to try something different with disability rep.
Overall the book was well written but as a debut there were some bumps that kept it from really standing out. I loved the disabled lead written from an ownvoices perspective. Tania's tenacity really shined as she described her POTS symptoms throughout the day-to-day activities. However, Tania was just so naive that it felt like her understanding was held back to keep the pace of the plot.
For a book that is based around Parisian court politics and subterfuge (female musketeer spies essentially) there were not a lot of high courts navigating which was nice. I did wish we spent more time having Tania decode some of the communication of the nobles at parties since the few times it happened felt interesting.
There were sapphic side characters and they stole the show in my opinion. In order to justify their relationship in the end their scenes together had to be quite strong, there were lots of subtextual hints and longing glances. They only had a few scenes and they were the biggest reason for me to keep reading.
Certainly worth a try if you are interested in a reimagining of an old tale or would like to try something different with disability rep.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
libraryghost's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Bullying, Chronic illness, Murder, Death, Grief, Injury/injury detail, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Cancer
thelowlysloth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Ableism, Bullying, and Medical trauma
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
There are rare occasions when you read a book at the perfect time and feel as though the author has peered into your soul and written a book just for you. This is one of those books for me.
As a chronically ill ex-fencer with the same symptoms as Tania (if less extreme), this book means so much to me. Seeing Tania struggle, fight, make friends, be loved and exist was incredibly validating: to be able to know I’m not alone or exaggerating, that other people relate, that I could just be. This was one of my most anticipated books of this year and it didn’t disappoint.
The political intrigue, balls and ball gowns, women supporting women, musketeers, and women with swords and razor sharp wit was the icing on the cake. Please go support this book and author! ❤️🥄
As a chronically ill ex-fencer with the same symptoms as Tania (if less extreme), this book means so much to me. Seeing Tania struggle, fight, make friends, be loved and exist was incredibly validating: to be able to know I’m not alone or exaggerating, that other people relate, that I could just be. This was one of my most anticipated books of this year and it didn’t disappoint.
The political intrigue, balls and ball gowns, women supporting women, musketeers, and women with swords and razor sharp wit was the icing on the cake. Please go support this book and author! ❤️🥄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Death, Bullying, Sexism, and Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Classism
Minor: Blood and Medical trauma
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
4.0
I really enjoyed this debut! I saw girl with sword on the cover and had to read it. 😂
It's an ownvoices (author has POTS) reimagining of The Three Musketeers. I thought it a cool nod to the original that the girls' names were similar. I loved seeing the sisterhood build between Tania and the others and the way they supported and accepted her.
Minor spoiler:
Major spoiler:
It's an ownvoices (author has POTS) reimagining of The Three Musketeers. I thought it a cool nod to the original that the girls' names were similar. I loved seeing the sisterhood build between Tania and the others and the way they supported and accepted her.
Minor spoiler:
Spoiler
when Tania arrived and they already had a pulley elevator, I wanted to cryMajor spoiler:
Spoiler
maybe I'm just oblivious but I didn't see the villain reveal coming until right before it happened 😢
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Bullying, Ableism, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Medical trauma and Sexual assault
bronsonmh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, this book was AMAZING! I was hooked from the beginning. I love the idea of a gender bent retelling of The Three Musketeers. This story is about a young girl Tania whose father was a musketeer and was teaching her fencing to help her forget and to help her out with the mysterious illness that causes her to faint or pass out (In later years the illness is called POTS) Tania is tired of being labeled the "sick girl" someone who probably will never marry. One day her father is murdered and she is sent off to L’Académie des Mariées, thinking she going to a finishing school, but she soon finds out that this place is more than it seems. While she is there she finds out this school is a place where they train a new kind of musketeers. They are trained in fencing along with learning how to flirt and being a lady to obtain information from men that they need for their mission. I love how this book is centered around sisterhood. I love all the girls befriends at the school. Even though all have their flaws they all work together as a team and has each other backs no matter what. I also like how this book talks about how even though sometimes we can not control are bodies or what happens, but we can work to overcome it and live the life you want to.
Wow, this book was AMAZING! I was hooked from the beginning. I love the idea of a gender bent retelling of The Three Musketeers. This story is about a young girl Tania whose father was a musketeer and was teaching her fencing to help her forget and to help her out with the mysterious illness that causes her to faint or pass out (In later years the illness is called POTS) Tania is tired of being labeled the "sick girl" someone who probably will never marry. One day her father is murdered and she is sent off to L’Académie des Mariées, thinking she going to a finishing school, but she soon finds out that this place is more than it seems. While she is there she finds out this school is a place where they train a new kind of musketeers. They are trained in fencing along with learning how to flirt and being a lady to obtain information from men that they need for their mission. I love how this book is centered around sisterhood. I love all the girls befriends at the school. Even though all have their flaws they all work together as a team and has each other backs no matter what. I also like how this book talks about how even though sometimes we can not control are bodies or what happens, but we can work to overcome it and live the life you want to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Bullying and Blood
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Thanks to FSG Books for the free copy of this book.
- ONE FOR ALL is a gender bent Three Musketeers retelling, with swashbuckling girls, fancy parties and mysterious machinations.
- Tania's chronic illness is central to her life, and I loved that this wasn't a story about "fixing" her, but learning how to both manage it herself and ask for help when she needs it.
- ONE FOR ALL is a gender bent Three Musketeers retelling, with swashbuckling girls, fancy parties and mysterious machinations.
- Tania's chronic illness is central to her life, and I loved that this wasn't a story about "fixing" her, but learning how to both manage it herself and ask for help when she needs it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Murder, Bullying, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
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