Cover Image: One for All

One for All

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Member Reviews

This was lovely. It's an empowering story and I could feel the author's sincere enthusiasm to write a book where girls will feel seen and she succeeds very sweetly. It reads more like a middle-grade story in terms of vocabulary and thematic depth--not a criticism--and I would love to see it find a place in middle grade libraries as well as high schools.

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I loved the disability representation in this! It was a big hit with me and the rest of the disabled community of readers I know. Clever retelling. Definitely a recommended read.

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I loved the premise when I read it and especially loved that there would be a disabled character in this story. The world of this book is not one that is kind to disabled women, so it was cool to get to see the main character form friendships and begin to thrive and see that she was worthy of love and had plenty to offer. The main character and the other girls she befriends in the academy were all so much fun to follow along in this story. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

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I love retellings and was really eager to read this Three Muskateers version. I appreciated that the author decided to do a gender bent retelling. I also really enjoyed the disability aspect. Unfortunately, the story just fell flat for me. I had a tough time staying connected with the characters. The story line just did not keep me engaged. Overall I liked the book, but didn't live it.

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The Three Musketeers, but OwnVoices, LGBTQ+, gender-bent, and with a leading lady that deals in chronic illness? Where do I sign up?!? One For All, written by Lillie Lainoff, makes a lot of big promises – and it nails every single one of them.

Tania de Batz sees herself differently than the rest of the world. The world looks at her and sees a sick little girl. When she looks at herself, she sees a sword fighter who occasionally has to deal with dizzy spells.

Her father's death changes Tania's life, but not how she expected. Shepherded off to a finishing school, she expected nothing but misery. What did she find? It was a secret training ground – and the school of her dreams.

“Yes, I was just a girl. A sick girl. One who, when the time came, was helpless. Because that was what being a sick girl meant.”

Word cannot express how much of a delight it was to find (and read) One For All. I have always been a fan of retellings, but One For All will always stand out in my mind. Best of all? This is a gender-bent retelling full of representation, following the main story of The Three Musketeers. What's not to love?

It's so easy to fall in love with Tania de Batz and her story. From page one, I just wanted to follow her story, watch her grow up, and have her dreams come true. Trust me – I never doubted that she had what it takes to make that happen (I know, I know: retellings make it easier since we know the ending, but I still felt that way!).

One For All is a brilliant and powerful read. One that it is clear to all readers that one can be many things – especially if they have the heart to back it up. I'm trying to say that Tania de Batz clarifies that her disability is not something that holds her back, and the world should stop looking at her like it will.

Naturally, I adored every other character in this book and truly felt like everyone could find a reflection of themselves within this book. We need more like this – seriously. Can we have more? It isn't every day that a world of characters hits me this hard – or makes me feel so seen and inspired.
One For All is absolutely a must-read, especially if you enjoy retellings as much as I do. So please take a minute to give it a try.

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Rating: 3.25/5 Swords under your skirts

Format: e-book/audiobook. I’d like to thank the author and FierceReads for sending me an e-arc of this book to review! I switched to an audiobook format from the library since I’ve been reading faster with audio these days.

To sum up:
This is a gender-bent retelling of the Three Musketeers with queer and chronic illness rep! Tania De Batz is the daughter of a retired Musketeer who has trained her in the art of sword fighting despite her chronic illness which causes severe waves of dizziness (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)). Her town may see her as “the sick girl” but she knows that she could be destined for something great just like her father. However, when tragedy falls on her father, she vows to uncover the truth of his murder. She is sent to a school for ladies that trains female Musketeers in secret, and her undercover training begins, as well as her hunt for information about her father’s killer. The story is fast-paced and full of political intrigue, set in France in 1655, Tania learns about sisterhood, first love, and what it takes to be a Musketeer.

What I enjoyed:
Overall, this was a pretty quick and entertaining read! I loved the queer and chronic illness rep, and the bonds formed between girls acting as Three Musketeers were fantastic. I liked that the main character was committed to finding out what happened to her father and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end.

What was meh:
I found some of the training in the middle to be a little oddly paced and there was a bit too much clichéd/expected language and tropes in the plot, but I'm glad more spoonie rep is out there! I think at times, this story didn’t really read like it was set in 1655, but I can understand that the author probably made some changes to reflect more modern viewpoints (such as feminism, yay! haha).

Overall, I thought this was a pretty fun retelling/reimagining, although I wish the writing were a bit more unique.

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one for all is a gender-bent, feminist retelling of the three musketeers centered around the chronically ill daughter of a musketeer. when her beloved father is murdered, tania is sent away to a secret training ground for female musketeers masquerading as a parisian finishing school.

i am a sucker for found family, and this novel is an example of found family done right. tania was a delight, as were her fellow musketeers, and i loved watching their sisterhood evolve. those relationships were the highlight of the novel for me, along with the #ownvoices depiction of a chronic illness.

what i struggled with were the irregular chapter lengths (they dragged at the plot’s momentum sometimes) and some common ya themes that i don’t particularly care for (hints of “not like other girls” and the apparently required bad/absent mother).

but this was still a fantastic debut and a really fun read!

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I often forget to say this, but thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I’m honestly pretty disappointed because I want to love this more than I did. Tania is such a cool character and I love the strength that she displays. I just wish that there would not have been a romance plot. Ordinarily, you would NEVER hear me say that, but boy was that rushed. The novel would have been better without it. Also, I lowkey saw the big plot twist coming several miles away.

That said, there were merits to this book. Besides the character of Tania just being all around awesome, the plot was pretty good. It had its slow moments, but I was entertained overall.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an exciting YA book full of adventure, and a wonderfully fleshed out and strong female protagonist. I really commend the author for writing such a great protagonist in Tania, who has a disability in this historical setting, but doesn’t let it stop her.

The writing felt very debut-like, hence the four star rating. But I recommend this book to everyone, it was such an enjoyable read!

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Everyone should read this book. It's a all female retelling/take on The Three Musketeers with #ownvoices disability representation. The cover blurb is from Tamora Pierce so I knew I would love it, I just wasn't prepared for how much.

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A gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers featuring a girl with chronic illness. A finishing school that is actually a training ground for lady spies. An assassination plot. A found sisterhood. Truly one for all and all for one. When I heard about One For All by Lillie Lainoff, I was quite eager to read it.

The debut novel just grabs you from the word go. And NEVER do you feel sorry for Tania. In fact, you root for her and her sisterhood. Her resolve to find her father’s killers alongside saving the crown.

The characters are all well fleshed out. Sixteen-year-old Tania. Her father, a retired musketeer. Madame de Treville who takes her under her wings. The found family in Portia, Aria, and Théa (based on Porthos, Aramis, and Athos). The trio who look out for her but are never her crutches.

An ownvoice novel (the author battles POTS too), Tania’s experiences growing up are very real. From the constant jabs to being singled out to being considered too delicate. Rejection because her invisible illness is not physical and readily evident. Trust issues and her cynicism that all the support she receives is just in passing.

I loved the book and cannot recommend it enough. It is definitely among my favorite reads of the year. If you enjoy feminist retellings, historical fiction, fantasy fiction, or otherwise, do pick up the book. You will not be disappointed.

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Fun, adventurous, and a bold genderbent retelling of the Three Musketeers featuring disability representation, young readers will love being along for a wild ride in One for All. Highly recommended.

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DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

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I can't say enough about this book! I'm not sure that there wasn't anything that I didn't like about this story. There's a strong female main character, representation of chronic illness, LGBTQ representation, and girls being powerful and amazing! I can't think of anything else I would want in a YA book. Tania is such a fantastic character, and I think that she makes for a character that most girls can identify with, no matter if they have chronic illnesses or not. It's also just the emotions and thoughts that she has that make her so easy to identify with. The feeling of not belonging, being on the outside, always afraid of how others see them, is something that I think most people can resonate with. I did really enjoy the characters of all four girls, they each added a different dynamic to the story, and I loved that. They didn't seem to be the standard token group of girls whose only character traits are their physical appearance or one basic character trait. I adored the fact that the romance in the story was not the main focus for Tania, that the story was more of her journey of growth. I loved seeing the girls going around breaking down gender stereotypes by doing things considered traditionally "male." As a female myself, I felt that this story was so uplifting and empowering. I really hope that the author will write more stories like this one in the future because it was such a needed breath of fresh air.

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First off: One of these stars is fully meant for applauding Lillie Lainoff for not only attempting, but truly succeeding in writing a fully-developed female protagonist with a visible disability that reads as authentic and as close as possible to the experiences a disabled female would surely have faced in 18th century France. This novel not only had to consider the illness Tania was born with, including all of its symptoms, but also integrate the ableist and monstrous sentiments disabled people prior to the medical revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries faced en masse. Not only did Lainoff account for the attitudes and prejudice toward the disabled (especially females) in such times, but she also managed to do a great job at reminding us how these awful biases have only continued over time.

The writing of this book was solid and the plot interesting. Sadly, I couldn’t get into it. It moved entirely too slow for me in the beginning and felt entirely too predictable in the end. I absolutely loved the fact this novel was so female-centric, especially concerning friendships. If you are looking for a book to pass the literary equivalent of the Bechdel Test, this one certainly fits the bill.

I wish I could feel better about how I am reviewing this book, but the best I can say is I am here for all the books trying something new and trying to put disabled characters in primary roles. I only wish it could’ve been a more entertaining read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Children’s, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. As per personal policy, this review will not appear in social media or on any bookseller websites due to the 3 star or lower rating.

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As soon as I saw this cover I knew this was my kind of book, and after reading that it had good chronic illness rep I was sold. When growing up I think we all wanting to be a musketeer( maybe it's just me) but there were no female musketeers and now there is, I hope a girl or woman sees this cover on a shelf and knows that they can be whatever they want.

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I thoroughly enjoyed One for All. I had a base knowledge of the story of The Three Musketeers prior to going into One for All, so it was fun seeing all the references and callbacks and spins on the original story. Overall, I adored the gender-bending. Female Musketeers? Heck yes.

I also loved the chronic illness representation in this book. It's something you don't see very often in YA fiction, so I loved that representation, especially of a main character. I'm not incredibly familiar with POTS, but I know this is an #ownvoices story, so I do think I've learned a good deal about it that I wouldn't have known otherwise.

Speaking of our main character, I loved Tania. It was fun feeling like I was right there alongside her as she was introduced to this entirely knew world. She's such a strong young woman and I loved that her story regarding her chronic illness wasn't about "fixing" her, but managing it and living with it.

The only thing that threw me off just a bit was the French. This story is set in France, so there's lots of it sprinkled throughout. I don't even have a base understanding/knowledge of French aside from "bonjour," so in the beginning of the book, it was a bit difficult to get a grasp on. But once you do get into the groove of the story, it's less distracting for sure.

Overall, I loved One For All. It's a special story and great retelling of a classic.

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𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑨𝒍𝒍 is a historical fiction novel following Tania, a young woman who suffers from chronic dizziness known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) today. After her father was mysteriously murdered, she ended up attending a finishing school in Paris that is secretly training its students to become Musketeers. This book is jammed packed with mystery, lots of action also a lovely female friendship.

⬦𝕞𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤⬦
This book featured lots of things that we don't usually find in novels and for me, that's the main reason why it's such a standout read.
• It's a rare retelling of The Three Musketeers and plus it's a gender-bent one. It made me realize how I'm craving for more rare retelling!
• The main character suffers from a chronic illness that I just learned from this book. And being part of minority groups, I completely understand how great it feels when you can "see" yourself in a book. When you are represented in a story that you just read.
• As an #ownvoices novel, this book is such an incredible disability representation.

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4.5 STARS

Tania de Batz and her sword come as one.

She is most herself with a blade in hand, even if it's considered improper for a girl to fence. Doubly so even if it's improper for a sick girl to fence. Day in and day out, she applies herself to her father's beloved art, even when her constant dizziness heightens the challenge.

And when her father is murdered, she refuses to sit idly by and hope someone delivers justice.

What begins as an opportunity to get close to the Musketeers and plead her case becomes something out of Tania's wildest dreams: as a student of L’Académie des Mariées, she practices flirting and fencing alike, becoming her own kind of Musketeer alongside three other girls, even as the world believes her to be attending finishing school in hopes of securing a husband. Here, she may become something she has always wanted to be: a Musketeer in her own right.

But her missions for L’Académie des Mariées are not simple, and when Tania starts to follow the trail of one conspiracy, her father's murder looms ever larger. Will searching for the truth bring her the peace and justice she craves, or will it destroy her life as she's finally come to love it?


Tania de Batz is every ounce a Musketeer, and I love her for it.

Despite any and every obstacle in her way, she commits herself in full to whatever she focuses on. Her fencing skills, lovingly passed down by her father, are at her very heart, an art she will never allow to fade. Solving her father's murder soon occupies the same corner of her heart, even if it means traveling all the way to Paris on the threads of a plan. And once she meets the other girls "studying" at L’Académie des Mariées, she tucks them into this special place of devotion too.

As much as I love a good reluctant hero, or a hero who doesn't quite know what they're doing, there's something refreshing in the way Tania leans in. She knows what she wants, and even if she doesn't have all the details, she has at least half a plan on how to get it. Her drive and dedication is remarkably steady, and it makes her reliable in a way that's impossible to resist. She's one of those characters I feel like most people would feel immensely glad to have as a friend, a character many readers will root for without a second thought.

Especially delightful is the way she builds her friendships with the other girls of L’Académie. Though she begins her arc wary of them, she learns how to best communicate with each, and how deeply she can rely on them. I'm especially fond of the scenes between her and Théa; when they're working together, there's an intensity to their interactions, and a bright one at that. Sure, all of the girls are capable of great focus, but when Tania and Théa share the limelight, everything feels more enthusiastic. More hopeful, even. And you all should know by now that I'm a sucker for hope.


"When a king is overthrown, he is never the first to die."

I would be remiss not to mention Tania's dizziness. Though not named as such directly in the story, she has POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). This condition affects blood flow, and presents itself through symptoms like dizziness or even fainting, often when standing up or leaning too far over. Throughout One For All, POTS shapes Tania's life, her approach to fencing, and her relationships with the people around her. There is absolutely no separating it from her lived experiences, and though it isn't helpful to her, it's nonetheless an integral part of her existence.

It's also the reason Tania is so true to her mission to prevent an uprising. An assassination attempt will not only affect the king. Instead, it will ripple out onto those without the means to defend themselves, like the people living in the Cour des Miracles, a Paris slum mostly inhabited by the poor and disabled. Tania understands better than most of the others at L’Académie what it's like to be cast aside and mistreated for her disability. Keeping the king alive is not just about solving her father's murder, or proving her own capabilities despite the disadvantages POTS presents. It's about protecting other vulnerable people from greater harm, and finding an avenue that might give them more power to protect themselves in the future.


I hope you read One For All as soon as you possibly can.

It has action and court intrigue all bundled up in a rich, multi-faceted Parisian setting. The dresses are immaculate, the blades never far from being drawn, and the characters brimming with life and drive in ways that are difficult to articulate without detailing every inch of their arcs.

Do yourself a favor, and read One For All. Tania de Batz is everything a Musketeer should be and more, and her story deserves to be in as many hands as possible! ⚔️


CW: ableism, loss of a loved one, gore, violence, implied sexual assault, child death mention

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 8pm EST on 3/23/22.]

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I loved the concept of this book, and the fact that it was officially released on Women’s Day (also my birthday) was a great choice! I loved the character development and how we started with a character lacking self worth, and grew through that. However, I did find it hard to get into in the beginning, and it wasn’t always super clear what was going on. For this I gave it four stars. I loved the concept but felt like there was a lot of unnecessary scenes.

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