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Below: part two of the Traces trilogy
Your hands are love.
Your hands are blinding fear.
Aiden has survived Chance’s vault. But back home in Kirkwood, new violence blurs the tenuous line between past and present, pressing Cole to hunt an enemy his wounded mind barely allows him to remember.
Meanwhile, Aiden chafes at the rules of the Agency’s underground fortress. Trapped, weak, and dependent on reluctant allies, she can’t afford to drown in the nightmares flash-flooding her mind. With a betrayal forcing her hand, Aiden can only save Cole if she finally learns to trust her own strength. As she faces Cole’s deepest fear, can she bear the cost of protecting him?
In this heart-searing sequel to TRACES, Aiden and Cole have to choose between their dearest keeping each other close — or keeping each other safe.
Your hands are blinding fear.
Aiden has survived Chance’s vault. But back home in Kirkwood, new violence blurs the tenuous line between past and present, pressing Cole to hunt an enemy his wounded mind barely allows him to remember.
Meanwhile, Aiden chafes at the rules of the Agency’s underground fortress. Trapped, weak, and dependent on reluctant allies, she can’t afford to drown in the nightmares flash-flooding her mind. With a betrayal forcing her hand, Aiden can only save Cole if she finally learns to trust her own strength. As she faces Cole’s deepest fear, can she bear the cost of protecting him?
In this heart-searing sequel to TRACES, Aiden and Cole have to choose between their dearest keeping each other close — or keeping each other safe.
654 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2022
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Sophie Johannis
5 books24 followersI write books for wounded weirdos who love poetry.
I also read nonstop (and keep forgetting to add my books to Goodreads...).
Review policy:
You might notice that the average number of stars I give books is pretty high. That's because I generally try to review a book according to what I think it's trying to be rather than what I think is cool. Example: I'm not going to give a bad rating to Pride and Prejudice because there aren't enough neurodivergent people with paranormal abilities in it, and I'm not going to give Romeo and Juliet a 1-star review just because I oppose child marriage. Similarly, I'm not going to deduct stars for a lack of political relevance from a book that's obviously meant to be purely light and entertaining, and I'm not going to deduct stars from a book focused on addressing current issues for prioritizing its message over its style. I also think that no book is (objectively) perfect -- you simply can't please everyone and think of everything at once. And that's perfectly okay.
Hence, I review...
- Self-published books / books by indie publishers: according to what I think the target audience would love about them, not necessarily according to my own personal preferences. As I read, I try to figure out what kind of person would love the book and why. If I don't have anything nice to say about an indie book, I don't publish a review at all because I don't want to make things more difficult for authors pouring their time, energy, and love into their books and don't get any corporate support whatsoever.
- Classics / canonical texts, particularly those written by old dead guys: absolutely 100 percent based on my own taste and perception of the book. This is where you might actually find negative reviews. I think that's fair because I'm only "punching up."
- Traditionally published books that aren't considered "classics": Somewhere in between, honestly, but it takes a lot for me to actually post a negative review rather than simply deciding not to review a book at all. I always want to appreciate the hard work that went into the book, but I also think that if a book is hyped like crazy, it's fair game.
Here's an incomplete list of things I actually do deduct stars for:
- Women "characterized" by boob size
- Bogus science, like "we only use 10 percent of our brains"
- Racism, homophobia, transphobia et cetera
- Inconsistencies, i.e. when it's obvious the author no longer remembers the plot of the first part when writing the second
- The glorification of toxic and straight-up abusive relationships
- Uncritical (or not sufficiently critical) portrayals of thinly veiled (or not-at-all-veiled) pedophilia
- Sub-par editing, particularly in professionally published books that are well-received
(and so on)
I also read nonstop (and keep forgetting to add my books to Goodreads...).
Review policy:
You might notice that the average number of stars I give books is pretty high. That's because I generally try to review a book according to what I think it's trying to be rather than what I think is cool. Example: I'm not going to give a bad rating to Pride and Prejudice because there aren't enough neurodivergent people with paranormal abilities in it, and I'm not going to give Romeo and Juliet a 1-star review just because I oppose child marriage. Similarly, I'm not going to deduct stars for a lack of political relevance from a book that's obviously meant to be purely light and entertaining, and I'm not going to deduct stars from a book focused on addressing current issues for prioritizing its message over its style. I also think that no book is (objectively) perfect -- you simply can't please everyone and think of everything at once. And that's perfectly okay.
Hence, I review...
- Self-published books / books by indie publishers: according to what I think the target audience would love about them, not necessarily according to my own personal preferences. As I read, I try to figure out what kind of person would love the book and why. If I don't have anything nice to say about an indie book, I don't publish a review at all because I don't want to make things more difficult for authors pouring their time, energy, and love into their books and don't get any corporate support whatsoever.
- Classics / canonical texts, particularly those written by old dead guys: absolutely 100 percent based on my own taste and perception of the book. This is where you might actually find negative reviews. I think that's fair because I'm only "punching up."
- Traditionally published books that aren't considered "classics": Somewhere in between, honestly, but it takes a lot for me to actually post a negative review rather than simply deciding not to review a book at all. I always want to appreciate the hard work that went into the book, but I also think that if a book is hyped like crazy, it's fair game.
Here's an incomplete list of things I actually do deduct stars for:
- Women "characterized" by boob size
- Bogus science, like "we only use 10 percent of our brains"
- Racism, homophobia, transphobia et cetera
- Inconsistencies, i.e. when it's obvious the author no longer remembers the plot of the first part when writing the second
- The glorification of toxic and straight-up abusive relationships
- Uncritical (or not sufficiently critical) portrayals of thinly veiled (or not-at-all-veiled) pedophilia
- Sub-par editing, particularly in professionally published books that are well-received
(and so on)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 8, 2022
The Traces trilogy is a beautifully written series penned by a sensitive author who effectively intertwines a compelling story with important themes.
It hard to thing of where to start as I review book 2 in the series. Perhaps I should say that, as a reader, I care most about beautiful writing, followed by compelling characters, and finally about plot. I'll address each of these things as best as I can below:
Sophie Johannis is a poet. Read a couple lines of either of the first two books, and you'll know. Words matter to them. I flipped through the book looking for a line to quote here. Every page has poetic lines like the following description of a worndown Cole:
You can see the sensitivity in the lines. You can see the tender care with which each image is selected. Words matter to this author. If beautiful writing is something you care about, you need to do yourself a favor and read the series--if for nothing else than the music of the writing. There is actual poetry in this novel. There are literary references galore. This series sings.
As for characters, there is such a beautiful variety of them here. Quiet, introspective protagonists; brash but tender teachers; gentle and experienced mentors; rowdy teens; and blockheaded soldiers. There are complex characters about whom I was never sure how to feel. There are others that are just plain evil. The characters are also representative of the people around me. Black, white, straight, queer, neurotypical, neurodivergent, young, old. But mostly what I love about the characters in the series is I was able to watch those that I fell in love with in Traces struggle and grow and sometimes blossom. I love Cole and Aiden. Their lives are complicated, messy, full of pain and sparks of beauty. They are real.
The plot of this book is absolutely rollicking. Below travels the globe--from real scenes of war in the Middle East to fantastic underground military complexes in the US. The battles occur in the real world with real weapons and they occur inside the heads of special characters with minds for weapons. And the story kept me engaged on every page and surprised me dozens of times.
I am running out of superlatives. I can tell you that if you read this series, you'll be able to see that Sophie Johannis has poured themself into this story. It is truly a special kind of labor of love. And the reward for all that hard work is a beautiful series with gorgeous writing, compelling characters, and a story that will leave you breathless.
It hard to thing of where to start as I review book 2 in the series. Perhaps I should say that, as a reader, I care most about beautiful writing, followed by compelling characters, and finally about plot. I'll address each of these things as best as I can below:
Sophie Johannis is a poet. Read a couple lines of either of the first two books, and you'll know. Words matter to them. I flipped through the book looking for a line to quote here. Every page has poetic lines like the following description of a worndown Cole:
"The lamp on my nightstand makes silken light encircle his head, but his face is cast in shadows. They run too deep. It’s not just the persistent bruises, it’s the hollows under his cheekbones. He neither ate nor slept for as long as I wasn’t safe. All the things he still won’t speak about — his features articulate them unequivocally."
You can see the sensitivity in the lines. You can see the tender care with which each image is selected. Words matter to this author. If beautiful writing is something you care about, you need to do yourself a favor and read the series--if for nothing else than the music of the writing. There is actual poetry in this novel. There are literary references galore. This series sings.
As for characters, there is such a beautiful variety of them here. Quiet, introspective protagonists; brash but tender teachers; gentle and experienced mentors; rowdy teens; and blockheaded soldiers. There are complex characters about whom I was never sure how to feel. There are others that are just plain evil. The characters are also representative of the people around me. Black, white, straight, queer, neurotypical, neurodivergent, young, old. But mostly what I love about the characters in the series is I was able to watch those that I fell in love with in Traces struggle and grow and sometimes blossom. I love Cole and Aiden. Their lives are complicated, messy, full of pain and sparks of beauty. They are real.
The plot of this book is absolutely rollicking. Below travels the globe--from real scenes of war in the Middle East to fantastic underground military complexes in the US. The battles occur in the real world with real weapons and they occur inside the heads of special characters with minds for weapons. And the story kept me engaged on every page and surprised me dozens of times.
I am running out of superlatives. I can tell you that if you read this series, you'll be able to see that Sophie Johannis has poured themself into this story. It is truly a special kind of labor of love. And the reward for all that hard work is a beautiful series with gorgeous writing, compelling characters, and a story that will leave you breathless.
March 22, 2022
Sophie is brilliant at connecting the reader to her characters as irreplaceable family members. You can see yourself or someone you love in a little piece of every one. Your heart will belong to this story.
January 13, 2022
How do you write a review about a book so important to you that it takes your breath away? How do you express your love and feelings for something that you quite literally can't explain? I will try my best to share my utter love for this book; however, I'm not sure if I'll get everything across within this review, as what I feel for this book and these characters runs deeper than any word could express.
Book two has left me with many lingering emotions, so where do I begin?
Let's talk about the beauty of Sophie's writing - the way she expresses her characters and their minds (incredible.) The way she writes words and creates a book that reads like poetry blows my mind; her talent for words is fantastic and something I envy!
There are a large variety of characters that are easy to fall in love with, and also characters that balance out that love and make you hate. I loved how real the characters in TRACES felt, and that feeling carried across to BELOW. Every character throughout the novel felt real, they all come with their own lives and problems, and it flows through the book beautifully. Of course, my favourite characters, Aiden and Cole, were once more written incredibly. I love how this book once more portrayed their love, pain, and struggles, and I can't wait to see them grow and adapt in the series's final instalment.
TRACES plot was unpredictable and thrilling, and it was the same for BELOW! I can't tell what direction the final book is going in, and it's both irritating and exciting. The book never bored me; I was constantly sucked in and could not put the book down.
I genuinely love TRACES and BELOW and can't praise them enough. You can feel Sophie's love for the story and characters as you read through both Novels. You can feel her love and care for her characters and their story in every word, and I love that about the series the most.
If you haven't, I highly recommend picking up the first two instalments!
Book two has left me with many lingering emotions, so where do I begin?
Let's talk about the beauty of Sophie's writing - the way she expresses her characters and their minds (incredible.) The way she writes words and creates a book that reads like poetry blows my mind; her talent for words is fantastic and something I envy!
There are a large variety of characters that are easy to fall in love with, and also characters that balance out that love and make you hate. I loved how real the characters in TRACES felt, and that feeling carried across to BELOW. Every character throughout the novel felt real, they all come with their own lives and problems, and it flows through the book beautifully. Of course, my favourite characters, Aiden and Cole, were once more written incredibly. I love how this book once more portrayed their love, pain, and struggles, and I can't wait to see them grow and adapt in the series's final instalment.
TRACES plot was unpredictable and thrilling, and it was the same for BELOW! I can't tell what direction the final book is going in, and it's both irritating and exciting. The book never bored me; I was constantly sucked in and could not put the book down.
I genuinely love TRACES and BELOW and can't praise them enough. You can feel Sophie's love for the story and characters as you read through both Novels. You can feel her love and care for her characters and their story in every word, and I love that about the series the most.
If you haven't, I highly recommend picking up the first two instalments!
February 7, 2022
Below was such a striking, heartbreaking, beautiful follow-up to Traces.
The way Sophie Johannis writes is so captivating, unique, and brilliant. She writes with so much emotion and so much attention to detail. Every word, every space, every punctuation mark holds meaning. Her stream-of-consciousness style is like nothing I’ve ever read. (If I had to compare it, I’d say think Tahereh Mafi and Maggie Stiefvater, but like, more different and poetic?)
Anyways, Below sucked me in and held my attention all the way through. Like Traces, it wasn’t a light read (though there were plenty of happy moments), but it’s so worth diving into and such a powerful thing to experience.
In this book, we dive deeper into Aiden and Cole’s relationship, their pasts, and their struggles. We’re also introduced to plenty of new characters and we get a deeper look into their lives. Johannis weaves stories within stories, carefully crafting a narrative that feels so real that you almost believe the story is actually happening and unfolding before your eyes.
I’m so grateful to have discovered this series, and I’m so excited to read the final installment and anything else that Sophie writes in the future.
The way Sophie Johannis writes is so captivating, unique, and brilliant. She writes with so much emotion and so much attention to detail. Every word, every space, every punctuation mark holds meaning. Her stream-of-consciousness style is like nothing I’ve ever read. (If I had to compare it, I’d say think Tahereh Mafi and Maggie Stiefvater, but like, more different and poetic?)
Anyways, Below sucked me in and held my attention all the way through. Like Traces, it wasn’t a light read (though there were plenty of happy moments), but it’s so worth diving into and such a powerful thing to experience.
In this book, we dive deeper into Aiden and Cole’s relationship, their pasts, and their struggles. We’re also introduced to plenty of new characters and we get a deeper look into their lives. Johannis weaves stories within stories, carefully crafting a narrative that feels so real that you almost believe the story is actually happening and unfolding before your eyes.
I’m so grateful to have discovered this series, and I’m so excited to read the final installment and anything else that Sophie writes in the future.
January 3, 2022
I had the privilege to be an advance reader for Below—and fans of Traces are in for a treat. Johannis’ artistry and mastery of pace and mood are showcased by alternating periods of feverish action, captured in expressionistic dashes and sketches, and lulls in which every tiny detail is articulated and laid bare. The world she built in Traces, which seemed to center solely on Aiden and Cole and their little world, explodes outward like a supernova, shedding light on activities at a global scale. As Aiden herself might say with characteristic understatement, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
August 15, 2023
“We all have a choice. Our hands might be bound, but not our minds.”, Donovan Hayes
I still think rereading Traces was a good decision before reading Below. So my point of view is pretty much of someone who has basically not left Kirkwood.
Well, until things happen.
I really love this straight connection from one story to another and that you can basically jump from Traces over to Below without getting grazes due to a giant time skip of the story. I think I cannot get enough of this writing style. Honestly, I love how it’s poetry and yet a novel with a story. It’s such an amazingly colourful patchwork blanket of art. And that only of the fabric of words, signs, punctuation— It beautiful.
I love how much more depth (and yes! This is possible) the characters get with this book. There are new lovely faces and there are— well, certainly people who aren’t. I still think that one person will fall on his butt and burn himself for his wrongdoings. I don’t really hope but there is a bit hidden deep in my heart that Ozelot-Lady is understanding that what she is doing is not okay. Also– Certain characters won’t be forgotten. They’ve burned themselves too deeply into my soul now.
Even though there are moments when I really disliked minor characters for the way they treat the others, I appreciate and love the realness of Sophie’s writing. The unfair treatment of people just for the way they are. Even though we like to wrap ourselves into cotton candy to hide from the truth, the reality is sadly more like the bitter aftertaste of taking aspirin without water. I’m glad that Sophie is not drawing a utopian world with their words. Thank you for the reality. 💙
Content Warnings (Ps: Sophie has a summary of those on their website):
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Grief
I love this series and the content warnings apply only to the moments when it happens. Other than that you should be fine. However, prepare a lot of tissues for tears. Be it of joy or sadness
I still think rereading Traces was a good decision before reading Below. So my point of view is pretty much of someone who has basically not left Kirkwood.
Well, until things happen.
I really love this straight connection from one story to another and that you can basically jump from Traces over to Below without getting grazes due to a giant time skip of the story. I think I cannot get enough of this writing style. Honestly, I love how it’s poetry and yet a novel with a story. It’s such an amazingly colourful patchwork blanket of art. And that only of the fabric of words, signs, punctuation— It beautiful.
I love how much more depth (and yes! This is possible) the characters get with this book. There are new lovely faces and there are— well, certainly people who aren’t. I still think that one person will fall on his butt and burn himself for his wrongdoings. I don’t really hope but there is a bit hidden deep in my heart that Ozelot-Lady is understanding that what she is doing is not okay. Also– Certain characters won’t be forgotten. They’ve burned themselves too deeply into my soul now.
Even though there are moments when I really disliked minor characters for the way they treat the others, I appreciate and love the realness of Sophie’s writing. The unfair treatment of people just for the way they are. Even though we like to wrap ourselves into cotton candy to hide from the truth, the reality is sadly more like the bitter aftertaste of taking aspirin without water. I’m glad that Sophie is not drawing a utopian world with their words. Thank you for the reality. 💙
Content Warnings (Ps: Sophie has a summary of those on their website):
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Grief
I love this series and the content warnings apply only to the moments when it happens. Other than that you should be fine. However, prepare a lot of tissues for tears. Be it of joy or sadness
June 3, 2022
𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖: Below (Book 2 of the Traces trilogy)
𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣: Sophie Johannis
ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 599 pages
ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
Likes
🫧As always Sophie delivered a heart wrenching story that made me bawl my eyes out at some point
🫧She wonderfully linked book 1 to book 2 through some scenes and dreams that really brought the emotions back to the surface
🫧Addition of some young characters alongside some light scenes added some humor to break the tension of the story
🫧THAT PLOT TWIST at the end!!! I expected part of it but the rest still really shook me!
Dislikes:
🫧Aiden appeared to have been a little bit childish at times when she acted without thinking
🫧I personally don’t like the come together separated again trope but I think it was mandatory to how the story was going. It completed the story line pretty well
✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨
I will most definitely wait as patiently as I possibly can to see where the third book takes aiden and cole!
Ps!!! Look out for trigger warnings before reading the series!
Want a look into Traces? Check the next slide for a short review from when I read it!!
Alsooooo I’m too proud not to mention it!! But you can look for me in the story and the acknowledgments!!!
𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣: Sophie Johannis
ℙ𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 599 pages
ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
Likes
🫧As always Sophie delivered a heart wrenching story that made me bawl my eyes out at some point
🫧She wonderfully linked book 1 to book 2 through some scenes and dreams that really brought the emotions back to the surface
🫧Addition of some young characters alongside some light scenes added some humor to break the tension of the story
🫧THAT PLOT TWIST at the end!!! I expected part of it but the rest still really shook me!
Dislikes:
🫧Aiden appeared to have been a little bit childish at times when she acted without thinking
🫧I personally don’t like the come together separated again trope but I think it was mandatory to how the story was going. It completed the story line pretty well
✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨🫧✨
I will most definitely wait as patiently as I possibly can to see where the third book takes aiden and cole!
Ps!!! Look out for trigger warnings before reading the series!
Want a look into Traces? Check the next slide for a short review from when I read it!!
Alsooooo I’m too proud not to mention it!! But you can look for me in the story and the acknowledgments!!!
October 24, 2023
I'm halfway through this book but I couldn't be patient enough to wait to finish it to review it, and I don't doubt that my review once I've finished reading will be double the pain and love (if that makes sense at all).
Once again I've fallen head over heels with how Johannis writes her characters; a simple few sentences, a short description of how they talk, what they eat, what they wear--and I'm in love (or I absolutely despise them...) which is just as fantastic.
I cannot WAIT to finish reading this book. I inhaled the first half on a plane ride and am desperate to have time to get to the end, before her third installment is completed.
Well done, always, and I just want to bundle all these beautiful characters up in blankets and the kindness they deserve (Except for a couple. They know who they are...)
Once again I've fallen head over heels with how Johannis writes her characters; a simple few sentences, a short description of how they talk, what they eat, what they wear--and I'm in love (or I absolutely despise them...) which is just as fantastic.
I cannot WAIT to finish reading this book. I inhaled the first half on a plane ride and am desperate to have time to get to the end, before her third installment is completed.
Well done, always, and I just want to bundle all these beautiful characters up in blankets and the kindness they deserve (Except for a couple. They know who they are...)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews