Attack on Titan: Garrison Girl by Rachel Aaron was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

The file formatting made the book illegible. Since this is no fault of the book's contents, I'll rate a neutral 3 stars.

I really like the anime and manga this book is based and I thought that I would love this because of it. i did not unfortunately like this and had to stop reading it as I stopped caring about the characters and the situation. If you like Attack on Titan, stick to anime or manga.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved that there was a strong character. I would definitely recommend this story to any fans of the show or the main storyline.

I perhaps shouldn't have picked this as my first attempt into this style of story. I struggled from the beginning and it took much longer than expected to read.

I haven't seen or read the original Attack on Titan, but I knew a little bit about it and thought that this book might be a fun afternoon read.

I quit this book so fast it was kind of sad. But honestly I couldn't stand how cliche it was! The writing started off with far too much exposition, I was bored by page 10. And in general I felt like all of the writing needed another set of edits.

On top of that you have cliche after cliche after troupe and I only made it about 40ish pages in! You have the rebellious daughter whose father is a mean man who just wants to marry her off. You have her going off to fight but not fitting in, and of course a handsome but also mean man whom she works with. Like really? We've all read how this story goes a hundred times and can predict exactly where it's going to end.

So I stopped reading and gave the book 1 star.

The book was overall good, it captured the spirit of the original work, the Titans, while working better in a visual format, were described well here. Rachel Aaron managed to capture the horror of the scenes themselves. However, the romance in it was just eye roll worthy high unnecessary. You just didn't care about it. Or at least I as a reader didn't. I wanted to know more about how the Garrison worked, I wanted to know about this area of the military that was viewed heavily from the eyes of those who wanted to join the Survey Core and I didn't think as though we got that fully here. Or at least we got a rather watered down version of it. Overall it was good as supplementary material, it really gets 3.5 stars but I'm not letting prior knowledge get in the way of the rating. The prose was good enough to warrant 4 out of 5.

I have to confess that I downloaded this for my 18-year old daughter to read, who is a big fan, to the extent of dressing up for ComiCon. She considered it a bit like top-end fan-fiction as it so well written, a bit different to the anime/manga. The fact that the main character was a privileged girl who decides to embark on an adventure before settling down, against her father's wishes appealed to my daughter, as did the fast pace of the action. Unusually (as she's a teenage girl), she didn't feel the romance necessary to the plot, but otherwise really enjoyed the book's fast-paced action and different writing style.

I'm a huge anime fan, but... I'm not crazy about Attack on Titan (I prefer じょせい and 魔法少女). I've only watched a couple episodes, to get the gist... and it's just not for me. I picked this up to preview for students and to see if it worked for me as a novel... and honestly it didn't. I felt like I was out of the loop the entire time. I think it's going to be an amazing read for Attack on Titan fans. I would not recommend it for anyone else, because I truly think it would be confusing.

I adored this introduction to new characters within the Attack on Titan universe! I was highly anticipating this release and certainly was not disappointed.

Sadly, this one was a miss for me.

I LOVE Attack on Titan (although the 3rd season of the anime is going in a weird direction, but thats an aside), so I thought I would love this. Sadly, none of the magic of the anime or the manga made it into the novel. It was generic and lacking in pace. I certainly didn't feel the same visceral horror and awe that I do when watching the show. Its a shame, because I was delighted to have been accepted for this on netgalley - thanks to them and the publisher for an ARC!

When I read this book, I went into it having seen every current season of the Attack on Titan anime and understanding the world and what was going on, but I honestly am unsure that the casual reader will really understand what is going on in some parts.

The world is gruesome, but the normal YA cliches regarding romance really take away from the world and the giant humanoid titans that are threatening humanity. I did enjoy this book, but I really wish it would have been a little more serious given the circumstance of having the titans surrounding the humans inside of the giant concrete walls that protect them from titan attack,

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.

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

I love Attack on Titan. I love the concept and the world, so I was eager to pick this up. I can’t really begin to describe the plot because basic knowledge of the series is needed to understand the world-building. I guess the beginning sets up the world enough, though.

I have never read the manga, only watched the anime, so my view on AoT is very limited. At the opening of the story, I chuckled because as a fan, I knew that Rosalie was getting in over her head already by demanding to join the fight against the titans.

I feel like this book was written for people who have big ideas as to how they would fight the titans in that world. It’s hilarious to me.

The one thing I didn't like was the romantic tones between Rosalie and Jax, though to be fair I really don't think AoT should have romance at all. I am completely for this world being all about action. I also kinda predicted what would happen to her teammates. Still non of that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I was glad to read about other people in this world.

Who can defeat the titans?

Rosalie Dumarque is driven to protect her home and to keep the protective walls standing. She’s been training hard and thinks she has what it takes to turn the battle for humanity’s survival around. She wants to not just keep the walls that protect the land from falling, but to regain those walls and areas that were lost. She defies her father and pushes him to allow her to serve for the months leading up to her arranged marriage. Assigned to Trost Gate Garrison, Rosalie soon learns that her wealth and arrogance are hindrances, some who were born in poverty were born soldiers, and not all soldiers serve with honor and protect the wall and their comrades. In fact, the corruption at the Garrison threatens those she admires and loves. It might not be the Titans that are her downfall after all. And the titans are horrific, ravaging, hungering humanoids who have only one goal: to devour all humans.

Can Rosalie serve with integrity, preserve her honor, and protect those brave soldiers who serve with her? Can they hold the wall?

I’m glad I didn’t know anything about Attack on Titan before I read Garrison Girl, because it’s not the type of manga or anime that I find appealing. I do, however, love all things Rachel Aaron, so I took a chance and grabbed the ARC on NetGalley. I’m glad I did, because this book stands on its own merits and was a blast to read.

There is a lot to love about Garrison Girl, a strong heroine, a slowly developed and reasoned romance, strong friendships, a love of honor and justice, stand-alone world-building, and, at the end, a touch of hope. Luckily the horrific elements are somewhat played down in the book; most descriptions of the mayhem and predation are thankfully brief and not nearly as graphic as they could be. This book stands alone quite easily; you don’t need any familiarity with the world of Attack on Titan. If you enjoy Rachel Aaron’s books, Attack on Titan, or steampunk/fantasy and can handle a bit of horror, you will enjoy Garrison Girl. Recommended with caveats for those triggered by cannibalistic-type activity or who are squeamish.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

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.

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!

Okay, here's the thing - Garrison Girl was by no mean perfect but, at the same time, it was exactly the fast-paced, quick, light read I've been so desperately needing lately, so I'm taking some liberties with the rating. It had all of my favourite tropes - boarding-school-esque setting, slow burn (well, as slow burn as it can be in a 240-page book) love-hate relationship, spoiled rich girl coming to her senses, fighting monsters and all. It was pretty cool if I say so myself. I've never seen the anime and therefore I knew next to nothing about the Attack on Titan world when going into this book and it didn't really make a difference in the general enjoyment of the novel. Maybe having seen the anime would have actually risen my expectations into an insatiable level. The world dynamics are explained well..

I liked this book! Even if I never read "Attack on the Titan" it was not hard to get into the story and understand the characters, their relationship and the type of society.
It's fast paced action packed book that keep you hooked since the first pages.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Quirk Books and Netgalley for this ARC