by Aimster (link)
Genre science fiction, suspense/thriller, mystery
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate
Length 5 chapters
Status Completed (part of the Kindred series)
Although the main plot of The Kindred ended–for now?–with the twelfth fic, I was intrigued when I saw that Aimster had posted this new addition to the series. With so many characters to juggle, it only makes sense to include a prequel that shows even more of the characters’ pasts.
Although some of their backstories are hinted at in the main series, we get to see here that Carey, Mark and Keandre had it even worse than I imagined, and Colin was even worse than I imagined. Alex’s life is surprisingly normal by comparison, although he experiences the same sort of bullying as the twins. It’s interesting to see how the different characters handle strangely parallel circumstances, as well as how they take the knowledge that Taylor Hanson is out there, wearing a face freakishly similar to their own.
What’s also interesting in this fic is the theme of family. Each of the clones has a different family, most not so great, and there seems to be a running theme of their families not quite knowing how to deal with them. Of course, some of their parents know at least some of the truth. How they deal with that truth varies, but it’s a subtle thread running through each chapter. I like that it all ends on Jesse, who has the most normal life of them all. Seeing him before all the trauma that changed him just shows how much he is still the same person deep down.
Review by Bethany (website)