by Jandy (link)
Genre drama/angst, supernatural
Pairings Zac/OFC
Length 16 chapters
Status Completed (with sequel)
I expected We Live Like Kings and Paupers to be nothing but an angstfest, but the first chapter reveals an interesting premise–the main character, Alanis, is a student at a school for female psychics and she’s just had a vision of Isaac and Taylor’s deaths. When she literally bumps into Zac, they both quickly realize he has some latent psychic abilities as well.
That setup is perfect for any young adult novel, let alone a hanfic, but the story takes a quick diversion into teenage pranks and a rapidly developing relationship between Zac and Alanis. With Jandy’s short, choppy chapters it’s hard to even realize how much time has passed in between their meeting and Alanis’s departure, saved from her father’s abuse by her mother’s sudden and unexplained return.
After that, the initial plot returns, with no more mention of Zac’s developing psychic abilities. Instead, Alanis saves the day thanks to intervention from a random, angelic character. The dramatic conclusion leaves a lot of questions–why did Taylor chase after Alanis? How did he cross the country so quickly? Why can’t Zac and Alanis ever see each other again? Some of these, I assume, will be answered in the sequel, but I’m not so sure they will provide much satisfaction if the writing is as sloppy and choppy as in We Live Like Kings and Paupers.
Review by Bethany (website)