Garrison Girl

Attack on Titan #1

by Rachel Aaron

A novel of adventure, romance, and monsters...set in the dystopian world of Attack on Titan, the mega-hit manga and anime series.

An original novel, with all-new characters and a new story set in the world of Attack on Titan! Fans of the series and readers alike will enjoy this immersive and engaging experience of the pop culture phenomenon and manga mega-hit.
With the last vestige of the human race threatened by unstoppable carnivorous giants, a brave young woman decides to defy her wealthy family and join the military to fight against humanity's enemies. But Rosalie Dumarque soon finds out that bloody sword fights with monsters aren't the only dangers faced by the Wall Rose Garrison. Can she earn the trust of her fellow soldiers, stand up to a corrupt authority, navigate a forbidden romance...and cut her way out of a titan's throat?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Horror, Adventure

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write the Heartstriker books, a new Urban Fantasy series about misfit dragons, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last. I also wrote The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books about a wizard thief and the poor bastards who have to try and stop him. PLUS I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Science Fiction romance Fortune's Pawn under the name Rachel Bach.

I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher—Quirk Books—in exchange for an honest review

1.5/5 stars

As a fellow Attack on Titan fans speaking to the fans of the series, I suggest you lower your expectation for this book.

I’m a huge fan of Attack on Titan (AoT). It doesn’t matter whether it’s the manga or the anime, I loved the heck out of the series. I won’t go into full details on why I love the series but let me get a few points across so I can properly explain why this book was a huge disappointment to me. AoT has always been filled with fantastic plotlines. It was dark, bad things happen to good people, and it’s filled with unpredictable plots twist. The characters were engaging and highly memorable; it’s practically impossible for me to forget Eren, Mikasa, or Levi. The animation—especially during the action sequences—is still one of the best animations I’ve ever experienced in an anime TV show; I’ve watched hundreds of anime for me to say that. Since 2011, I’ve watched the anime from start to finish three times, I’ve read the manga from the start to the newest chapter four times; in fact, I just finished reading the newest chapter of the manga a few days ago. Garrison Girl contained none of the things that made Shingeki no Kyoji phenomenal.

The problems I had with this book came from my observation that the story that Aaron’s wrote here just don’t belong in the world of AoT. Garrison Girl is pretty much a YA romance novel full of clichés and tropes that are set in the world of AoT, it provides absolutely nothing new for the main series and should be treated as a filler; I despise fillers. The story centered on Rosalie, a rich girl who came from a rich family background. She’s trying her best to blend with commoners as she wanted to join the frontline to kill titans. Upon joining, she immediately met this jerk mentor who treated her harshly and—cue suspense music—seemed to have his own mysterious reason for the harsh treatment. Hearing this, you’re probably thinking “ah this is probably her love interest” well guess what? You’re absolutely right. This is just the first of many YA cliché in this book, and trust me that the main series is far from being cliché, to say the least.

It’s not all disappointing. Aaron’s prose—like always—was engaging and easy to read. Despite my criticism, you can rest assured that the quality of her prose to keep the audience engage didn’t change here. The action scenes—though very few—were good. I don’t doubt Aaron’s talent as an author. Her Hearstrikers series is still the most fun I’ve ever had in reading urban fantasy series. This is why I seriously think this book would’ve benefited so much more if Aaron tackled the background of one of the supporting characters from the main series instead of writing a brand new YA romance chick flick story with all new characters in this world. Shingeki no Kyojin is not a YA market book. It’s pretty much grimdark; there’s also absolutely no romance in it and the story is far from being predictable.

I may sound more critical and harsh than my usual reviews for this one, but I can’t help. I’m sorry, Aaron. If you want to hear me praising your works, just check out my reviews for Heartstrikers. AoT is one of my favorite manga/anime and I expected so much more in this book than just a simple YA romance full of cliché. I recommend this book only if you’re really interested in reading a YA romance book with AoT setting; Garrison Girl is almost like an AoT fan fiction targeted for YA if I may be brutally honest. As always, let me remind you once again that YA and romance books in general very rarely worked for me; I thought a novel written by Rachel Aaron in the world of my beloved series would actually change that notion. It didn’t.

P.S: I know I’m reading an ARC and typos are not strangers to ARC; I want to help a bit. Check the word “Solider”. Instead of "soldier", the word "solider" was used 20 times in the book.

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

[Holly Hearts Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a YA novel set in the Attack on Titan universe is exactly that. YA, with all of its cliches and romance. There’s nothing really wrong with that but reading about a brutal world originally created in manga format made the YA elements stick out like a sore thumb.

We have our main character Rosalie who comes from a very noble family. Lavishly rich with dresses, parties, a HUGE estate at the very center of Wall Sina. She has it all and this lifestyle has truly made Rosalie very stuck up on a high horse but I’ll get to that later...

All she wants is to leave and fight the titans atop the Wall Rose Garrison so she defies her fathers wishes, and sets out on this quest.

WHY ROSALIE IS NOT A ROSE:
•I know she wants to live out her dream of becoming a solider to fight titans, but I was immediately put off by the way she yells and whines to get her way and when she meets her fellow soldiers for the first time, she says she can’t wait to teach these people how it’s really done and I’m just like, girl, you haven’t even seen a titan before. Calm yourself.

•She wanted to report a veteran solider for yelling at her, she’s even offended by people who want to give her a handshake. A freaking handshake?! You kidding?!

•There are many sentences of her putting on her “best fake smile”.

And I understand the notion that this character is supposed to be out of touch with reality BUT MY HUFFLEPUFF SENSES WERE TRIGGERED!

I think having watched the show. I know the dangers and consequences of fighting titans and seeing a newbie character acting all nonchalant about it ruffled my feathers BUT THANKFULLY.... she hardens up and started to prove her worth to me and she begins to be a better character as the plot moves forward. She becomes likeable.

Unfortunately there’s really never a point in this novel when there isn’t a character you hate around. There’s always someone super obnoxious in the conversation. First it’s Rosalie, then it’s Jax, then it’s Ferdinand (her fiancé) then it’s her father. We just aren’t given a break.

I was very happy and satisfied with the Titan action. It’s very fast paced and the author knows exactly what she’s talking about explaining how to dispose of them, how Titan blood effects humans and how they regenerate limbs. So I do believe in the statement that you can go into this not having read or watched the original Attack on Titan. You’re just going to be saddened and confused not knowing the why’s of this world which is why this whole book feels like a short side story.

All in all my main problem with this is the characters. Even though the author did a fantastic job writing about this world, it was already established by another author so the new characters is what really should have sold it for me but they fell short.

[rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

i guess this is the big case of it-is-not-you-it-is-me. i didn't hate this book but i also didn't love it.

what i did enjoy is the setting. i mean it's set in the snk world, it covers the events after fall of shiganshina arc and the battle of trost district arc (the story itself is about trost district's garrison). i enjoyed references, character's little cameo and the whole POV outsider thing. i can't say how people who are not into snk will find it though, it is a little infodumpy at times, but i think it might make ppl more confused than understanding.

anyway, as i said, that was the only thing that i enjoyed. i felt really indifferent towards everything else. the plot is a very big cliche. a noble girl in arranged engagement with the wedding coming soon wants to join the army for 6 months before the wedding, her father doesn't let her but she's too stubborn, so he sends her to the front line, where the training would be the hardest, so she runs back home, except she doesnt. she arrives there and there's this dude who's the sergeant of their squad and he's surprisingly almost the same age as her and of course he hates her bc she's a noble. she starts her service there and realizes that it's not what she expected. the dude hates her even more now. blablabla. she asks the dude to train her blablabla. blablabla. they fall in love blablabbla. her father tries to bring her home in any ways possible blablabla. her fiance is the worst blablabla. and blablabla and blablabla. not disclosing the whole plot here. listen, it's just. so tropy. so cliche. it's so basic. of course, some people might enjoy it, but i did not. i have nothing against cliches, there are a lot of classic ones, but i like when authors put some creativity into them. here it's some basic plot wrapped up in the snk universe. it's not bad, it's not good, it's just mediocre for me.

honestly, i didn't really care for the characters. they're, too, very basic and mediocre for me, there's nothing outstanding, nothing i would remember about them. i liked them, but i absolutely didnt care what happens to them. i didn't like the romance too, it felt so unnesessary and out of place, i wish this novel was romanceless.

so, what can i say. if you like snk, you might like this book or at least enjoy the snk related part (there's some fun titan fighting scenes). if you don't know anything about snk, you also might enjoy it, but it also might be very confusing.

my final rating is 5 out of 10 because it's neither here nor there.

I've received the arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

p.s. damn though, i want to reread the manga now bc i dropped it somewhere in the middle but im so lazy ://

[Fiona Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrison Girl is the first novel set in the world of Attack on Titan - and judging from the reviews, I was fortunate in being a newcomer to the series. While I've seen one of the movies, I basically had enough knowledge to know that giant, human-shaped titans have attacked humanity, driving them back to live behind huge stone walls, desperately defending their last refuge. Definitely there was no recognition of places or people.

I thought this novel was great - it's entertaining, and fast-paced. There's enough information for newbies like me, while not overwhelming the reader with infodumps. I did feel like some of the - for lack of a better word - wierdness of the series was probably missing. The vacant stares and just-subtly-wrong-humanity of the titans was much subdued in text from what the movie managed to portray. It's still, overall, a very promising start to what could be a very entertaining series.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing a free copy in return for an honest review.

[Mary Neverland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

So I was super into this story in the beginning and specially cause it was set in my fav world.

Now I did went into this book knowing it was not gonna be like aot or even similar. I knew it would be more about the romance than anything else... And I was right.

I did enjoy it but that was it. It was a good time and some stuff where questionable for me cause I don't know they didn't make much sense and I did want something more in the end

But still an enjoyable book and a great time

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who doesn’t like AOT, this light novel was pretty refreshing. I mean, the MC was insufferable at times. However, the AOT story flows so much better in book form and feels less repetitive than the anime/manga. So props for that.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to know anything about the Attack on Titan series (I didn't) to enjoy racing through this book. It's been a while since I felt compelled to read a book this quickly. I felt the same way with Rachel Bach's (a pen name of Aaron's) Paradox series ("Fortune's Pawn" etc).

Rosalie's world is surrounded by walls. She's part of the noble class, so she lives in the innermost wall, most protected from the titans that live outside the walls and eat people. Rosalie is engaged to marry a rich man she barely knows, an advantageous match for both families. While she's waiting for her wedding, she he begs her father, high up in the military himself, to let her use her military academy training to make a difference by fighting the titans at the outermost wall. There she's assigned to Squad 13, an unlucky squad that needs replacing because its members so often end up dead. The leader of Squad 13, Jax, has a lot of attitude and doesn't appreciate a rich girl coming in like she knows everything. He quickly shows her just how little she knows.

This was a fun, action packed book set in an interesting world. I had to suspend disbelief a bit at times during the last third of the book, when the pacing got a little ridiculous, but the ending left me excited for the sequel.

[Thiago d'Evecque · Rating 2 out of 5]

Não funcionou pra mim. O formato da história não se justifica no mundo de AoT. Romance bobinho e personagens desinteressantes com titãs no pano de fundo. Uma pena, porque a Rachel Aaron consegue escrever fantasias incríveis.

[Ari ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks for granting my wish!

3.5 Stars

This is just gonna be a short quick review.
Garrison Girl follows Rosalie, a rich girl with noble blood, into the wall Garrison.
She faces hardships of being accepted because of her money. The Garrison is full of commoners.

This takes place during the event of the anime actually.
It takes place after the first time the colossal titan appeared and during his second attack. The book was very will written and the romance was actually quite believable. It was just a little boring. Nothing about it really kept it going. But even though it was quite slow, it was a nice read.

The end was the only fast part, it was full of emotion, something I think the start of the book was lacking. I also LOVED when it brought up characters from the actual manga/anime. I was freakinngg out. And Eren made an appearance! He was a titan, but he was still there!

Overall. Nice read, would recommend if you loved Attack on Titan and are looking for a different look at the world.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I LOVE Attack on Titan and was surprised to see a media tie-in. Even though I didn't particularly enjoy the main character, it's really hard for me not to be in love with the universe of AoT. I wouldn't recommend this unless you love the anime and are just craving more.

[soph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I nearly DNF this book so many times but the end was worth it. For the first two-thirds of the book, I absolutely despise Rosalie, our main character (rich girl realizes she's privileged), thinking she was so much better than everyone else just because she was noble, had a better background. I still didn't like her at the end, but she grew up a little for me to accept her. But it is hard to like a book when you don't like the protagonist.

I was glad to be back in the SNK universe (even with different characters) but except for that, it was nothing like the manga. It felt too much like a typical YA romance book, which isn't at all the SNK vibe. I mean, right when we met the dude we know he's gonna be her love interest and that's just a big no for me.

But the end connected with some parts of the manga which was nice to read about.

I also think there may be some parts of the universe a little confusing for those who have not read/watch SNK.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I haven't read the manga, but enjoyed this story and the world. Might have to try the original stuff at some point.
The base of this story is one you have read before, but it is well told, and the world is insane. I liked the characters and was a bit upset by a few things, I must say. Anyway, good stuff, hope there is another one!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new story set in the world of Attack on Titan. Never played the game but I could sure read a few more stories by Ms. Aaron with these characters! Loved it!

[nabila · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is my guilty pleasure idc

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost I would like to thank NetGalley, Rachel Aaron, and Quirk Books for the opportunity to read this splendid novel in advance for an honest review.

Garrison Girl, by Rachel Aaron, is a fast-paced, action-packed young adult novel set in the world of the popular anime and manga series, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin).

This book is about a (pretty spoiled) rich girl, Rosalie Dumarque, who has lived inside Wall Sina her entire life. She’s engaged to a man with lots of money, her father is a military man, and her life is dresses and parties. After her experience in the Royal Military Academy, she knows she wants more. After making a deal with her father, Rosalie is permitted to temporarily join the garrison at Wall Rose. Manning the wall and keeping titans at bay is their job.

Rosalie’s Squad 13 members include little medic Willow, engineer Emmett, and crude, ruthless Sergeant Jackson Cunningham (Jax for short). Squads are meant to be made of five people, so it doesn’t help that Rosalie’s squad is a man short, but Jax is a ruthless leader with strange rumors for baggage. Numerous times, Jax has lost squad-mates on top of the wall. Mysteriously. Rumors of a titan he calls the Gobbler are heavy among the Garrison, and Rosalie and her squad get to learn about this terror first hand.

Rosalie consistently has to balance her life at the Garrison with her past and current strains of being a Dumarque, all while trying to save the world, and perhaps even push out to make the world of humanity bigger again.

Something I disliked: There were a few inconsistencies in very minor plot points that had me questioning the writing. For example, one of the higher up said that Jax wanted to keep Rosalie in the squad as punishment (after a little slip-up), and when Rosalie addresses this to Jax, it’s saying Brigitte kept her in the squad, and not Jax. And there’s no questioning it. So that was odd.

Another I had a slight qualm with is the Gobbler. I think this titan is unique and interesting. It’s an aberrant type (abnormal, deviating from the usual titan way of moving or acting). This titan has very long arms and legs and seems to only come out in blizzard-type weather. And with its long legs, it can actually jump up to the top of the wall. I like this idea, but it also seems a bit unrealistic. Then it has me wondering, what would make it only come out in harsh winter weather? And if it can jump onto the wall and off safely, why not go into the city? I loved the idea of the Gobbler, but wish it was explored just a bit more. Maybe it will have its own story one day…

For the most part, this novel was fantastically written and moved quickly. It was hard to put down, for sure! It ties into the world of Attack on Titan perfectly. While reading, I felt like I was watching a full-length feature. Being familiar with the anime, it was easy to picture, but there was great detail on the cities, walls, titans, Corps, gear, uniforms–everything to make the picture clear, and even descriptive enough that a person who hasn’t seen the show or read the manga can enjoy this cook too.

I also liked the romance aspect of it. It’s decently subtle and sprinkled in just right, but it’s not something I was expecting from an Attack on Titan novel. It was a pleasant surprise! Of course, it’s not Attack on Titan without a few casualties too…

All in all, a fantastic edition to the universe of Attack on Titan and a highly recommended young adult read!

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Don't read this review. Lots of sobbing and emotional feelings are contained.*

I am little bit lightheaded from how good this book was, so please excuse my stupid attempt to express my mad desirable love for it.

SPUTTERS- THIS IS A LISTORIA SHIP. I AM OVERWHELMED. WE NEVER GET THIS. EVER.

--

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

--

Can we just stop and acknowledge how lately all of the fan fiction I've been reading (so far) has been so freaking GOOD?

By GOD I will break DOWN if there is no sequel to this. Which, looking at the publication date of it, seems to be none... ☠️

But still, I'm gonna' message the author anyways. L.O.L.

--

Going into this read, I thought that it would be some dumb-knock-off book, based on one of the best ultimate fictional universes of all time, and be a complete FAILURE.

However, given how little time I spent gulping each flippantly-good page down (it only took me four days because of my finals, otherwise I would have finished it in one night, and yes, I do read emotional heart-wrenching books during finals), I think that this one REALLY scored the board.

The author's writing was extremely dry and boring at first, but once you hit the second chapter, everything started to change.

Like, everything.

"The Black Cat Of The Walls Strikes Again." OH MY GOD. MY GOD. MY GOD. MY GOD.

My heart is pounding SO hard here.

From the quotes. The INSANE rush into action. To the ACTUAL feeling that this is LITERALLY a product from Isayama's imagination, but written down by another fellow author-pen-god, that fits so unacceptably PERFECT into the bloody world of Attack On Titan. Is unbelievable.

Guys- I have not been this obsessed or flabbergasted over a book since LORD OF THE RINGS & THE MAZE RUNNER. And that says a LOT.

The characters were REALLY well-written!!! Rosalie takes some getting used to, but I just fell in love with her throughout the story.

And her pals. 🥲 WHY?! WHY?!?!?!?! THAT WAS SO CRUEL. SO UNFAIR. SO NEFARIOUS. I was crying, guys. I was BAWLING. I was in T E A R S.

It feels like a real dip within the extremeness of A.O.T.'s world. L.O.L.

And can we please, all agree, that this Listoria ship is the BOMB?!

I have had some theories while reading this book, that the author actually combined Eren's character with that of Levi's and made them the product of Jax, and that Rosalie is the product of Historia.

1) With Jax, you have Eren's uproar spirit and energy and determination, that MASSIVE hatred towards royals/nobles/those above him and anyone else who isn't poor/a victim of Titan wrath (not to mention how much he HATES Titans in the first place- BOTH Eren and Jax), you also have his hair length/color and his height, as well as his AGE (which is still pretty undetermined, but I'm assuming that in this story he's sixteen, I guess if she were to be more mangaka-styled, she would have made him fifteen, and to be fair, I wish that she made him Levi's age instead 😭).

2) With Jax, you have Levi's 'little interest in you' (bats eyelashes), extreme pull towards rules and regulations, strictness in time, major effort within brutal training/being the best at literally everything, looks, eye color, hair style/color, placid personality, pale skin, head/leader of some squadron, moodiness about how he is done with life and either living or dying is fine with him as long as he gets to kill Titans, and PERSONALITY.

That personality guys- it's on FIRE. 🔥🔥🔥

I personally, envisioned more of Levi during the story through Jax's character than Eren, but that's only because Jax acted EXACTLY as of how I would have imagined Levi to act when he was a teenager.

Of course, Jax being a product of two freakingly awesome and famous A.O.T. characters, does not take away from Jax himself- if anything, I felt as though it added on even MORE.

1) With Rosalie, we have Historia's ANCESTRY, that noble/royal lineage line/link, we have her BEAUTY, her hair color/style (I prefer the beautiful braid of Rosalie over that of Historia's let-down hair), her blue eyes, her body type, and her insane determination to do something good and make a name for herself in this world to help OTHERS and not just hide away like the rest of us would do (given the situation).

I will be honest with you, Rosalie's upbringing was FAR more different than that of Historia's (I'm not going to get into this much, because you would have to read both stories to fully understand), however, they both share way too much in common to just be thrown aside. I was honestly pretty disappointed with Historia's character at times (in A.O.T.), so seeing the world through Rosalie's lens made me appreciate her more and fall in love with this new character!

Once again, NONE of the above takes away from Rosalie being different/independent, I just think that the fan fiction of the character was super cool and helped add on more of a personality.

The only thing that irritated me a lot during this book, was how Rosalie's father was made into such a villain. Like, look: He is bad. He's mean, evil, greedy, and only thinking about the next child he gets to sell off to some rich noble to add money to his collection. But, he's also her FATHER. And MANY times within the story he proved to care about his daughter WAY more than he did about the wealth situation of his family or her marriage alignment (which was in it's own way pretty funny, no offense). He risked himself out on the frontlines to go and make sure she was safe, and at the end? He realized just how proud he was of her making a name for herself in the military world and raising the status and pride of the Dumarque's once again! So I'm pretty ticked off that the author put him down so much in this book and how Rosalie was pretty mean to him for no reason at times.

As for the ACTUAL ship and romance itself? By God- I am on FIRE.

My lips are ZIPPED. The only thing that I will say, is chapter twelve. Please read chapter twelve!

It has everything. Everything you need to be satisfied with life. Everything you need to be happy with who you are. Everything you need to know that your path has been fulfilled and you may finally die peacefully.

The chapter says it ALL.

I'm just so happy that I found someone else who appreciates the Listoria ship!!! 💕🤩💕

I find it so interesting how the author managed to make the Wall Garrison such an exciting task-force of a job. It felt so nice to get a taste of it and how life would have been within the Trost district.

And that foreshadowing scene during the new recruits part?! SPECTACULAR. I am in L O V E.

This book built up SO perfectly with that of the actual story and it fit everything in so well, that I feel like tearing myself to pieces because of how happy I am with it.

How is it possible that this book made me so satisfied? How is it possible that this book is just beyond perfection? HOW IS IT THIS GOOD? WHY. 😭😭😭

ALSO, a note: Please ignore all of the foul and rotten reviews given for this book! They are not cool and not accurate, since this is a NOVEL not part of the actual Attack On Titan story, so obviously it is going to be different. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. If ANYTHING, this novel made me LIKE the Attack On Titan world BETTER, because of how detailed and beautifully written it was in describing everything, and the amount of events that happened within it. (so sorry; just a rant)

F.Y.I. I was not paid by the author to say any of this, I'm just saying it all deep down from the bottom of my heart, because it's TRUE.

I need to own this, I need to own this, I need to own this... (book hunger starting up again)

*UPDATE* I recently just bought it from Barnes & Nobles. It now sits on my shelf where I can worship it right next to my invisible Levi shrine that WILL exist at some point (I promise you, I still just need to make it).

Now watch me go and look at fan art of this book right now. 🤣

Eek, what a long review!

(the fact that this doesn't count as an essay and can't even get me credit, is so sad, and the fact that I have a whole load of English homework to do and it's due tomorrow and I haven't even finished it yet, is also sad)

Also - SQUEALLLLLLL - This is the first review that I use fancy HTML for!!! YAY. O.M.G. So happy today (and sad - but I don't know why for that last part)!!! 🥲

Guys, where are all of my review likes?

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrison Girl, by Rachel Aaron, is a fast-paced, action-packed young adult tie-in novel set in the world of the popular anime and manga series, “Attack on Titan”

In the dystopian post-apocalyptic world of Attack on Titan, humanity hides behind the safety of high impenetrable walls to keep out the enemies outside. Known as titans, these enemies are impossibly tall humanoid like creatures, with sharp hungry teeth and regenerative powers. Difficult to kill and innumerable they roam the Earth looking for prey, and whilst the walls have always kept them out, that has begun to change…

Within this universe the novel centres around Rosalie Dumarque, a young noble girl at the top of her training academy class who is looking for any escape from the high class nobility life she will soon be forced to lead. Defying her family and postponing her marriage, she travels to the front lines at the Wall Rose Garrison, to join their desperate fight to save humanity. There she finds death at every corner and a new world she has never encountered before. But she is determined to do her part, to make a change and make her family proud. And she is also determined to make herself proud before a lifetime deeply inside the walls traps her in a pretty cage. Through courage and intelligence, Rosalie will have to outmanoeuvre corrupt officers, lead distrusting soldiers and dig deep inside herself to find the strength to battle titans for her life and for the lives of those close to her.

Garrison Girl is a really entertaining read. First off, it has a brilliant protagonist who is likeable and relatable. The novel shows a big growth in Rosalie's character from the sheltered life among the high class nobility behind the walls to the stark contrasting life at the front lines and of those serving in the military. Not to mention that the other central characters Willow, Emmett and Jax – serving in the same division at the Garrison were also well developed. Each brought different personalities to the story and it was interesting to discover their different harsh pasts as the story unfolded. These brought connections to the main Attack on Titan story and as I love the world, I was exciting to read past histories of different regions.

Secondly, I loved the story; it was action packed, surprisingly funny, heart-warming and unfortunately heart-breaking, which is a testament to Aaron's wonderfully imagined characters. The romance was also excellently structured, without the dreaded insta-love and without it overbearing on the plot. The action was also very well done with tension oozing off the page which will leave readers biting their nails and flicking through the pages. But I cannot stress enough, that this book is about Rosalie's character and the reality of what lies beyond the wall. The trials she faces, the decisions she makes, the journey she undergoes to discover who she truly is and who she wants to be. In short, it's a brilliant focus and I really enjoyed reading Aaron's novel.

I’d say my only gripe with this novel is it’s short length at only 230 pages. It left me wanting more AoT adventures focused Rosalie.

Overall, Rich in great characters and rife with tantalising action, Garrison Girl is a entertaining coming of age story set in the world of Attack on Titan. I would definitely Recommend it for fans of action fantasy with plenty of fighting and a side-order of romance.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron is accomplished at dropping us into a situation and giving us all the necessary details as we go along, so that rather tedious opening info-dump is out of character. I’m guessing it was a stipulation by the publishers, it certainly feels that way… Once that is out of the way, this one picks up the pace. We are largely in the viewpoint of Rosalie, who has been raised to honour the military tradition of her noble family and is determined to do more than marry and continue the bloodline.

I love the setting of the wall and the steampunk feel to the gizmos that assists the soldiers in the insanely dangerous business of killing the titans. Any other wound the monsters suffer from, they can regenerate – doubtless fuelled by all the human flesh they keep gobbling at any available opportunity.

Rosalie has first to surmount the hurdle of being accepted by her fellow soldiers as she appears in an immaculate dress uniform and far too much luggage, whereas most of her comrades in arms are desperate refugees who watched their friends and family eaten. It makes for a rocky start… I like her idealism and determination to do her duty. It would have been all too easy to make her some heroic, adrenaline-fuelled protagonist who excelled when alongside her poor, commoner companions – and I’m very glad Aaron resisted the urge to do so.

The action scenes are well written, with plenty going on. While I realised early on there would be a romantic thread, it doesn’t impact too much on the gritted struggle to keep the titans at bay. I like Jax, but my favourite supporting characters are Willow and Emmet, who are part of Rosalie’s team. They are a lovely pair of warm-hearted characters with a tragic backstory, who I really cared about.

I had sort of guessed how the climax and denouement would pan out – and I was utterly wrong. It was far more gritty and shocking. The story was wrapped up satisfactorily, but I was left with a lot of questions about the titans, which the book raises but doesn’t remotely answer. I guess that’s okay – it is, after all, the first in the series. Will I be interested in reading more of this world? Absolutely. The world ravaged by ravenous giants makes for page-turning adventures. Recommended for fans of action fantasy with plenty of fighting and a side-order of romance.
8/10

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is a little like The Cinder Spires Series from Jim Butcher: Steam Punk-esque. It is based on a famous Manga story, and maybe Japanese sensibilities are ok with not knowing some basic parts of world building, but I wasn't. I want the story to give clues to what Titans are, where they came from, what happened to the rest of humanity around the world, is this a localized threat, etc. I wanted someone to realize that if the colossus titan was the only thing in a field one moment, then the next moment there were tons of smaller titans, that maybe the colossus was what happened when the smaller titans merged together. I liked the action of this book, and the spunky heroine, but I wanted more mystery-solving. I think that might be coming up in the book after this one, though.

[ivanareadsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this read! I am a huge fan of Attack on Titan and I found this story very enjoyable. It's light and fun and written with a younger audience in mind as it is a light novel. But it satisfies, and is a great little read while waiting for Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story within the AoT universe, I very much enjoyed it! I can't wait to read any future offerings within this storyline, should there be any! If anyone reading this is an Attack on Titan fan, I highly recommend reading this!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having not knowing anything about the series this was inspired by, I have to say I did enjoyed this book with all the action and humour.. I would rate this 3.5 stars out of 5.. a great fantasy story that is fast paced and very easy to read..

[Z-squared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-crafted YA romp, if predictable. Tone-wise, this really doesn't match the Titan universe at all, but it's signature Rachel Aaron. This will tickle the fancy of any Titan fan, though, because we're all so in love with the universe that we'll take any scrap of content we can get.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway and this is my first book by the author and the first book in the Attack On Titan series.

I'll start by saying I am not a fan of the anime series Attack On Titan. I'll admit to never giving the series a chance because of the art. If the series is as well written as this book was I need to reconsider watching the series.


This book had everything I love in a book:

1) Good Flow - This is an easy read that I had a problem putting down.

2) Good Story - A simple tale of someone that wants to make a difference in the world and trys to be better.

3) Great Characters - I liked all of the characters you are supposed to like and loathed the ones you're not supposed to like.

4) Action - Great battles! I walked around the house reading because I couldn't put it down in some spots.

Of course all of these things only happen because the writer is good. I would not hesitate in picking up another book by this author and I may consider watching the anime series to see if it's as good as this book.

[AJ (the.booknerd.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly, it's pretty predictable, but it was so enjoyable that I'm rating it 4 stars

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I hate how much I wound up loving this.

I've been on an Attack on Titan kick lately because, apparently, the pandemic has made me regress back into my 2011-2014 self. I actually vaguely remember when news that this book was being written dropped a few years ago and being passively interested; fast forward to the year two thousand and twenty-one of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a deadly pandemic continues to ravage the world and my tired, traumatized brain has latched onto an old Special Interest with the desperation of a drowning woman.

And if there is one thing I love to use as a coping mechanism, it's prose stories set in my favorite fictional universes filled with original characters in that setting—especially when the main original character is a girl.

The basic gist of this book is: Rosalie Dumarque is a noble girl from the interior—Wall Sina, to be exact. She attended the Royal Military Academy and got it in her head that she wanted to see more of the world than her small corner of it within the innermost Walls. But the problem is that she is engaged to be married, having signed an arranged marriage contract when she was 11 that promised her to a fellow noble as of her 17th birthday. She strikes a bargain with her Military Police general father: allow her to join the Garrison Regiment for the next six months, until her marriage contract states she must marry this noble. Let her last six months of freedom be truly hers to do with as she pleases, and she wants to join the Garrison and attempt to turn the tide in the war against humanity.

She wins out in this little bargain and gets to join the section of the Garrison that guards the Trost gate, where she meets her four man squad, comprising of Medic Willow, Engineer Emmet, and her rude and rather cold sergeant Jackson "Jax" Cunningham.

And the story proceeds from there, where I got to finally get a glimpse of everyday military life within this perilous universe.

To all of the reviews loudly complaining about how basically the YA elements didn't fit in with the brutality of the universe the story is set in, first I would like to say: even in the most brutal of worlds, day-to-day life still occurs. Regular people have regular problems even in the midst of death and catastrophe. My reference to the global and ongoing pandemic is appropriate here. Despite the fact that thousands continue to get sick and die every day, our lives still chug on. We still have to go to work and talk to our friends and argue with our family and have our feelings hurt and fall in love. So, I'm gonna be honest, the "YA elements" they talked about here didn't really stick out all that badly for me speaking from my experiences of the last year and a half. Humanity is a weird breed, and what I've always loved about Attack on Titan is the human element. The good the bad and the very ugly.

This book just happened to show the more mundane, day-to-day life of people living and serving in a time of crisis. It happens, it is happening as I type this. So not only did none of this bother me, but I enjoyed it. I loved getting to see the Garrison soldiers just be people. This is a job, they are not "Shinzou wo Sasageyo"ing their way in this world. They are refugees, they are poor, they are starving. They took the job because it pays better than most and they basically just have to sit on a wall and make sure the monsters stay on the other side of it. It's human and I love it.

Secondly, I would like to say to all of the reviewers who complained: who cares? I guess if you came here looking for the same nonstop action and brutality as is in the manga and anime, you'd be sorely disappointed. But I got exactly what I came for: a soldier girl, at odds with her handsome yet crude superior who she winds up falling in love with.

And if that ain't my shit right there!!

Ironically, I enjoyed this book far more than I am enjoying my foray into the manga, which I actually am having a hard time getting through, but whatever. It's probably the art's fault. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, and is for a separate review entirely.

Bottom line: this book gave me everything I love. A girl with the makings of a fantastic soldier who doesn't exactly get along with her superior officer. Said superior officer doesn't like her much either, but they wind up developing a grudging respect for each other, which buds into friendship, which grows into fondness, which blooms into feelings. And then we get to throw in class differences and arranged marriages and nobility vs. common folk and [chef's kiss]. It's everything I love.

I am genuinely upset this book was a one-off, as I absolutely could have continued to read about Rosalie continuing to try to survive in this world, but I guess I was lucky I got this.

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

its goodish just think a little bit more of action would be good but the characters and how they developed and there backstory is wow *chef kiss* also scramed when pixixs and eren appared

[Nina DuBois · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of AoT. I love the anime tv show and the manga. The thing that makes AoT great is the the fantastic plotline and the dark, gritty, and gruesome story. It has a dark ominous feel to it. The characters are ones I really love, both the ones that get to live for a little while and the ones who end up dying at the hands of the Titans. The action is some of the best I have ever seen because who doesn't want to have Vertical Maneuvering Equipment using dual swords to kill giant Titans. This girl, that's who.

With that being said, I can firmly say that I think Garrison Girl will be more enjoyable for people who are not familiar with AoT. I was expecting a really dark read that is reminiscent of the actual AoT storyline. But really this reads more like a YA novel with all the typical cliches that come with it. Don't get me wrong, I love my YA, and often times am in the mood for the cliche storyline, but not for Attack on Titan. If I didn't know anything about AoT, I probably would have really liked this book. The writing is really good and it was very easy to fall into the story. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

While I didn't dislike Garrison Girl necessarily, I think it was hard for me to love it because I am such a fan of the manga and tv show.

I received a copy of this book as part of a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: A compelling story, exciting action and TITANS make this YA novel a whole lot of fun!

I had so much fun with this book, and I have to thank Quirk Books for bringing it to my attention, because I had never heard of it until it was pitched to me. And this review might be a little strange, because you will get the perspective of someone who had no idea what Attack on Titan was until I started reading! I know, hiding under a rock and all that. I'm not a follower of anime or a reader of manga so the story—about a small group of humans surviving inside a walled city while man-eating giants wander around outside the walls, trying to find a way in—was completely new to me. Garrison Girl is clearly geared toward the young adult crowd, not only because of the ages of the characters, but because you'll be able to check off a bunch of YA tropes as you read. But despite some predictable beats in the story, I was completely taken with Rachel Aaron's accessible writing style, her relatable characters, and an exciting, action-packed adventure that almost seemed a little too short.

Sixteen-year-old Rosalie Dumarque is the pampered daughter of the noble Dumarque family, who are fortunate enough to live in the inner sanctum behind Wall Sina, the safest place to be after the Titans took over most of the world, leaving only a small, walled area that the giants have not yet breached. Rosalie is facing an arranged marriage when she turns seventeen, but until then, her greatest wish is to leave home and join the Wall Rose Garrison, fighters who protect the outer-most wall, Wall Rose, from the Titans who continue to try to break into the humans' sanctuary. She's just graduated with honors from the Royal Military Academy, and she knows she's ready to fight Titans and do something meaningful with the scant time she has left before she marries and becomes nothing more than a pretty object for the rest of her life.

Her father vehemently opposes her decision to join the Garrison, but in the end, Rosalie gets her way and heads off to join the other recruits. When she arrives, she's met with derision from her fellow soldiers. Her gleaming white Military Academy uniform and haughty attitude don't win her any points with the scruffy bunch of teens who have also been assigned to the Trost Gate Garrison, and when she meets Sergeant Jackson "Jax" Cunningham, the man she'll be serving under, she immediately gets off on the wrong foot. But little by little, Rosalie gets to know her fellow soldiers and they realize that they must work together and learn to trust each other in order to survive. Because life on the Wall is dangerous, and the Titans are just waiting for them to make a mistake. . .

In the front of the book are two very handy graphics: first, a size comparison chart that shows the different types of Titans standing next to a human, with the 50 meter high Wall Rose used as a measuring stick. If the average human is 1.7 meters tall, and the smallest Titan is 7 meters tall (the giant Colossus Titan is 60!!), you can begin to image how much trouble the poor humans are in. On the next page is a layout of the human territory, which is woefully small compared to the ground that the Titans now claim. There is a brief introduction to the Titan universe—smoothly woven into the story, by the way—that explains how the outermost wall, Wall Maria, was breached and destroyed by the Titans, and how all the refugees that weren't killed and eaten by the enemy have fled to the inner walls of Wall Rose.

Because of the length of the book, we don't get a lot of time to get to know the characters on a really deep level, but honestly, I came for the Titan action and that's what I got! From the moment that Rosalie sees her first, in-the-flesh Titan, we're thrown into a world full of danger. The Garrison soldiers are trained to use "vertical maneuvering gear," a complicated set of ropes, hooks and pulleys that allows soldiers to scale the tall walls and even make their way up the bodies of the Titans in order to fight them. Rosalie and her friends must learn to use their equipment really well or they could easily die while trying to kill or escape a Titan. The fact that the Garrison equipment is old and falling apart simply makes the stakes even higher, and the job more dangerous.

The Titans themselves are pretty terrifying. Even the short ones loom above the humans, and although they're described as being stupid creatures who can't really reason or think beyond their appetite for human flesh, Aaron gives them some cool touches like having carrion breath (which announces their presence) and their creepy ability to regenerate body parts, even their heads. There's only one real way to kill a Titan and she describes it in delightfully gory detail. And despite the YA classification, the author doesn't pull any punches when it comes to putting her characters in grave danger. Not everyone gets out alive, that's all I'm saying.

There are some sweet human moments interspersed with the violence, which I appreciated. And yes, there is a romance (I did warn you that this was YA!) of the "hate to love" variety, but it ended up being more of a friendship-to-lovers romance that I found completely satisfying. The ending opens up the story to even more possibilities, as Rosalie and Jax are given a new mission. Clearly there's plenty of source material to use in future installments, and I for one will be waiting eagerly for Rosalie's next adventure.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy

[iread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look a book that doesn’t have much to do with the plot of Attack on Titan!
I thought it was great. Rich girlie goes out there and joins the military. If I hadn’t seen the anime, I would probably be confused about everything. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this if you haven’t seen the first season.

Rosalie wasn’t an annoying character. Yeah she’s rich, but she did the work too. Jax was also a pretty interesting character. He seemed pretty bad and hateful at first. Attachment issues? Also I’m pretty confused what his age is. The plot was a bit predictable, but I had fun.

We definitely had some action and even a bit of EREN JAEGER near the end. A lot actually happened near the end. Yeah…

Tatakae… Tatakae…