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.
Garrison Girl by Rachel Aaron Series: Attack on Titan #1
Published by Quirk Books on August 7 2018
Genres: Young adult, Fantasy
Pages: 240
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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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.
Sounds fun! I had no idea what Attack of the Titans was either till you told me.
A lot of us appear to be Attack on Titan newbies, so I’m glad I’m not alone!
One of the things I love best about the Attack on Titan show is that anything can happen. There are always surprises and you never know who is going to make it through to the next episode. 🙂
Great review, I’ll probably pick this one up since I like both Rachel Aaron and AoT.
I’m glad to hear from someone who’s familiar with the show! I may have to watch it now that I’m a little familiar with what’s going on:-)
Sounds like a good book and I have to admit, I rarely read anime, However, this has me intrigued. What a great book to receive as a surprise. Glad you liked it!
I love the concept, there seems to be a lot you can do with it.
Looks like a good one!
Yes, it was a lot of fun:-)
This is an excellent review, Tammy! I’m delighted that you enjoyed this one as much as I did – and like me, you’re keen to keep following Rosalie and Jax on their next adventure.
Yes, I do hope the series continues, I’m on board:-)
I must live under a rock as well, because I didn’t know what Attack on Titan was either. Glad you enjoyed the book!
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Review: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Sounds like there are a bunch of us who don’t watch anime, so I feel better:-)
I have never heard of Attack on Titan prior to reading your review so thanks for filling me in. This sounds like quite a fun read. I bet the show is exciting too 🙂
Oh good, I’m not the only one:-)
I want to check this out so bad, but I know next to nothing about AoT. It’s just not something I ever really cared about. But anything Rachel Aaron writes, it’s gotta be good.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach
I didn’t know anything but I still had fun, I don’t really think you need to study up on the world ahead of time. In fact, it might be better because I have read some reviews by die hard Attack on Titan fans who didn’t think the book lived up to the series.
I must admit, I don’t know anything about AoT, but this makes me feel like I should — especially bc of your description of the Titans. They sound *very* cool, and I enjoy the idea of Rosalie kicking arse!
The Titans are so cool, although they are kind of gross and they eat people BUT other than that, I loved them:-)
Wonderful review, especially since you enjoyed the book having no knowledge of AoT! (Neither do I.) I may have to give this one a try.
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You should, it’s quick and fun:-)
To be honest I know of Attack on Titan but I haven’t seen the tv series (although I do want to because I love anime) so it’s not just you. Great review, though. It sounds fantastic!
I don’t feel so bad, because there are a fair amount of readers who don’t seem to know Attack on Titan, but I do recommend the book!
Ooh I find it interesting that this is marketed as YA! And I fell out of love with the anime/manga years ago, but I’m very curious about a western writer’s take on the series.
This book is definitely YA, but it sounds like the original anime/manga is pretty brutal, so not YA? Interesting.
This sounds great – plus amazing cover and ‘I came for the Titan action’ – sold.
Lynn 😀
The cover is really good, I didn’t talk about it, but it’s just the right blend of manga and fiction.
I hooked on the Attack on Titan manga and somehow I had no clue this was coming until you mentioned it. Definitely going to have to pick this up! Great review, Tammy!
I’d love to hear how it compares, if you end up reading it:-)
So, this was the book you were talking about when you said it was inspired by Attack on Titan! Glad to hear you enjoyed it though! I’ve been seeing a lot more books by Quirk Books nowadays. Seems like they’re getting their hands on some nice authors/stories lately!
Quirk didn’t used to do a lot of fiction, but I’m seeing more and more.
Wow looks like an interesting read! I LOVE attack on Titan the anime and this is the first novelization of the series I’ve heard. Such an eye opener! Thank you so much for the review 🙂
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Sounds like an exciting book to consider reading! Thanks for the honest review!