“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. 💙