Funny, thought provoking and evocative Here, and Only Here is a spell binding and deeply insightful read which captures the readers sense of intrigue very early on.

I am always down for a "weird" book - even a confusing book.. but it has to feel like it has a point and it has to give me some semblance of organisation so I know I'm on the right path.
From the get go, this made me feel like I was trying to catch up with something a million miles away from me. I always felt on the outside and I frankly didn't give a damn about what was going on because it just felt like the book didn't want me to, as though it was better than I for not knowing, so I didn't try.

I found Here, and Only Here to be a very difficult book to finish, despite how short it was in length. The plot itself seemed two dimensional and the whole narrative timescale seemed very rushed through.

I enjoyed the novelty of this novel but I'm not sure who I could recommend it too.

The characters and their "labels" was an interesting way to talk about school and the need to fit in.

My first book by this author. I know she has written a fantasy quartet, which I've been meaning to get to, but this shows how good her writing is.

Elite society and mystery converge in this book that takes classic school first day anxiety and angst and turns it into something very entertaining. I had a fun time with this book. From the. characters to the pacing, this made for an intriguing read and I love that cover!

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc!

Was expecting something completely different? Yes. Was I disappointed? Not really. In truth, I quite enjoyed this, loved the fact that I basically didn’t understand what was happening until half of the book? Still have questions but was throughout loving it. The fantasy element was not really there but I get it, feels like Dabos wanted something different from the mirror visitor BUT you can still find the paranormal/scientific element she included in the first series as well. Not my top read but found it very wholesome in some way.

School angst, horror of the first day and everyday, all types of lost soul from the catty elite to the unseen and the supply teacher, the bullied, the hopeful, the supportive, the couldn’t care and the cares too much, the rules and the rules you are never told about. You would think from that list this book would be the last thing you want to read. But Christelle Dabos has taken all this and produce a book that is darkly funny and surprisingly thought provoking. Thank you to Europa Editions and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

The book is beautifully written yet hard to follow. The story is told from the perspective of different characters, so it feels a bit like putting the different pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. I am not sure which age group is this book supposed to be for, but I suspect that not all of my students will be able to get the story.

Following on from the Mirror Visitor Quartet could never be an easy path for Christelle Dabos- a fantasy world that was so fully structured and hypnotic that it gained a huge following . Here, and Only Here certainly brings us to the here and now and the life of students making the transition from primary and beyond.
The challenges, tribulations, rituals, clans, humiliations are all found in this tale focused around a group,of teenagers from different year groups- each with their own tale to tell whilst also observed by a group of “onlookers” intent on causing moments of chaos.
This is a curiously abstract read- as it’s some times not fully clear how’s to distinguish the intent ,the emotions, the intentions of characters or is that just an indication of adolescence in all its abstract pain and beauty .
From the start it is clear that this is not going to be an easy journey- in fact it’s painful to read - the inner turmoil is palpable - in fact at certain points the book feels bleak but then the story tightens and pulls us forward .. will lessons be learned, will the traditions and myths of rules and tribes continue or collapse , will the key characters survive the year? Christelle Dabos has created another world- one that we all encounter or for many readers will be living through . This is a book that needs a dialogue as each reader is sure to feel different emotions reading it based upon their own secondary education experiences.
Dark, thought - provoking , beguiling .

First of all I want to thanks Netgalley and the Publishing House for this ARC in exchange of an honest review! Thank you so much!

Let's talk about the book!
Here, and Only Here is the new book of Christelle Dabos. She's a french author and i read and loved The Winter Promise, her first fantasy series!
Reading Christelle Dabos is like diving into distant worlds and in Here, and Only here, all this happens, as in his other books. From The Winter Promise's pole we move to another setting: we are in a French school. Here themes and characters come alive around this building which seems both to come to life and to be a being in its own right, living in the ecosystem of the school. School problems, new generations, bullying and many other themes are present in this book accompanied by a very special slang, which I'm sure that in the original language, in french, makes it much more! Certainly the style of Christelle Dabos doesn't go unnoticed. The strongest point in this narrative is no longer an articulated plot as it could have been that of her first work, full of court intrigues, twists and turns, but her style and her enigmatic writing. Even without knowing who the author is, reading you feel like saying "it's her!". In her first work it was her world that spoke, here the protagonists are definitely the boys, with their change of generation, the change of perspectives and often the insertion into a new world system that can get tight.
I didn't like the book 100%, I'm honest, but in my opinion there are some good points of reflection both on the writing style and on some elements that have been included in the plot. In fact, the narrative deals with the classroom environment, the hierarchies that exist within it and the reactions of many different students. In fact, she decided to write the book considering many points of view, and this can be a strong point as well as not, given that being so many, it is not possible to become deeply attached to a few of them.
Overall it is a book that makes you read, very smooth and those who liked it may like it, but, personally, I prefer it in its completely fantasy mode.