Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 350+
Published: 2022 (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Potential Triggers: Sword Fighting, Death (Murder), Seduction Attempts, Mention of Undergarments,
Mental Health Topics: Chronic Dizziness,
This book left me absolutely breathless and now, as I'm writing this, I'm remembering how breathtaking it was as I went through it. But I can't really start there, now can I?
One For All is the debut novel of Lillie Lainoff, written as a fantasy with a chronically ill girl named Tania. Tania's passion is sword-fighting, supported by her ex-Musketeer father, but her mom is insistent on her working on more feminine skills. But after one event that changed her life, what if Tania has to do both?
Written in a vivid, descriptive style with rather elegant phrasings, One For All is a novel full of courage, pushing boundaries, and defying the odds. It's very feminist-forward (basically all the strong characters in the book are females) and all the characters are dynamic and real-seeming despite their fantastical struggles.
This is a rather new book, but it's such a big debut that author Marissa Meyer had an interview with Lillie Lainoff on it (link at the end of review) and that was so fun to listen to, both going over Lillie's own experiences with "chronic dizziness." The condition that Lillie and Tania share is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS.
While this is a physical illness and not a mental illness, I thought it really meaningful to include this book because Tania absolutely defies the odds despite her physical disabilities and as someone who doesn't have any physical disabilities, it still spoke to me. Tania is such a dynamic character that drew me in almost instantly. I loved her spark of life that is missing from so many characters and most of all, I love how she changed as a character through the course of this book.
One For All is a brilliant debut book and you can bet I'll be keeping an eye out for more wonderful books by Lillie Lainoff.
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