Hello Readers!

Welcome back, and can I say it’s always such a great feeling when you discover your next literary obsession while waiting for your other book obsessions to release the next book, and this series has been one on my radar for quite some time now. It’s been recommended over the last couple months in a couple Facebook groups I’m in, and even my Bookstagram friend (@Kaythebooklover, the photo above!) has started these and loves them too, so that was the final straw and I had to join the bandwagon myself!

The story revolves around twins Tori and Darcy Vega, orphans and struggling to make rent for their single bedroom apartment, but a mysterious man chases them and informs them that they’re the lost heirs to the Fae throne of his homeland and must come with them to learn how to use their magical abilities to (possibly) earn their place on the throne and prove any naysayers wrong.

Of course, things don’t go easy and they both have to face the four current heirs and their obvious disdain for having the twins swoop in and take what they believe is rightfully theirs, which leads to the main draw of this story: a bully romance.

Tension rises with all the drama and cryptic threats and sexual attraction that goes hand in hand with the hatred these characters develop as pranks take them to their limit and their will is tested, BUT there’s not even just that! There’s some dark shadow swooping over the campus, and the enemy of the Fae is back and causing a potential war down the road, and they’re getting bigger and stronger faster than we all hope to see!

I’ve only just started this book series, but it really drew me in with the dynamics of the characters and their interactions and banter and sexual tension. The first book is pretty tame, but as I read on, I can tell things are going to get spicy!

To see my review of book #1 – The Awakening – Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – Ruthless Fae – Click HERE

To see my review of book #3 – The Reckoning – Click HERE

More reviews coming soon!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast of the Zodiac Academy series:

Tori & Darcy Vega: Sara Sampaio

Sara is a Victoria’s Secret model who I thought matched the physical description of the twins in these books. I’m honestly not sure what her acting chops actually look like, but I can certainly say she looks the part. It’s fun to imagine her tearing those boys to shreds with the epic lines that Tory gets throughout!

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Caleb Altair: Michael Dean Johnson

Caleb is one of the characters I’m really drawn to, he’s showing more depth than most of the characters, and I’m very curious to see what he does later on! Michael Dean is a model and fitness influencer on Instagram and I think he was even on an MTV dating show at some point, which is no surprise, I mean….look at him!

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Seth Capella: Elias Black

Seth is a very back and forth character for me….he’s outwardly the most friendly of the four heirs, but he’s also the biggest d-bag of them, at least in my opinion! He’s especially cruel to Darcy and has a weird way of showing his affection to others…but read it for yourself to see what you think. Elias is a model on Instagram and was also a contestant on a season of popular dating show, Love Island.

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Darius Acrux: Alex Badia

Darius is probably my favorite of the four heirs, he’s such an asshole, but man is he hot! He’s got a temper, and he’s Mr. cool guy, big man on campus and I am such a sucker for it all, ugh……….Alex is yet again another model on Instagram, and just who I thought of when I got the physical description of this fire starter.

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Max Rigel: Brandon Bell

Max is the one of the four I’ve seen the least of, but he’s part of the Sirens order, who all leech off people’s emotions and manipulate them to feeling those strong emotions in order to exploit it and use it for their own power, it all sounds like those toxic people in your life that you just need to cut off already….Brandon is quite a handsome actor whom I first discovered as Troy Fairbanks on the social satire Netflix show, Dear White People.

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Professor Lance Orion: Luke Bracey

I’m not sure how I feel about Orion yet…it’s obvious he’s got a soft spot for Darcy, but he’s such a jerk to literally everyone else, it’s hard to like him a lot of the time, and he gets away with a lot of abuse despite being a teacher…Luke Bracey was in the Nicholas Sparks movie, The Best of Me, and more recently the Holidays Rom Com, Holidate.

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Kylie Major: Saxon Sharbino

Image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB profile

Saxon’s looks just scream gorgeous blonde mean girl, which pretty much sums up the character anyways, so it’s kind of perfect then! She was in an episode of Lucifer, one of the favorite shows, but she also was in the more recent release of Poltergeist too!

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Sofia Cygnus: Dre Davis

Sofia is kind of the Hermione Granger of this series; she’s a total brainiac except Sofia totally undervalues herself and prefers to be a wallflower type, at least for now! Dre was in one of the later seasons of Pretty Little Liars, and someone who I think looks the part to play the BFF of the twins!

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Diego Polaris: Christian Lee Navarro

Diego is a kind soul who’s like the one male friend in the friend group of most sitcoms. He doesn’t do much for me for now, but hopefully he does more as the series goes on! Christian is probably best known for being a part of the Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why.

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Geraldine Grus: Meg Stalter, or Miranda May

Meg Stalter, image courtesy of forbes.com

Miranda May, image courtesy of dellaterrawellness.com

I don’t know how well this matching actually fits, I get the impression sometimes that Geraldine is actually really tall and buff, but I follow Meg Stalter on Instagram and she’s hilarious–I recommend following her too–and I feel like she’d nail the strange exclamations that this character says whenever she’s super happy, excited, or shocked (which is most of the time anyway). Miranda May is an actress who I recently discovered who I think may physically match Geraldine’s description better!

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Marguerite Helebor: Abigail Cowen

Abigail is just becoming a go-to casting choice for fiery redhead characters, because yes I totally admit I’ve casted her before on other series, but whatever, it works for me! Based off her character in “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” on Netflix, I know she’s capable of playing the “mean girl” role, so that’s my justification!

Principal Nova: Glenn Close

I’m not sure how accurate this choice for me is, and for the life of me I don’t even remember if there’s anything really said about Nova’s physical description, but I could totally see Glenn Close being in the Head Mistress role for a fantasy setting like Solaria!

Milton Hubert: Will Poulter

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

Anyone remember that awkward kid in “We’re the Millers?” Well, I totally see him being this minor character who enjoyed tormenting the twins when they first got to Zodiac Academy. Sure, he doesn’t have an actual unibrow…but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have a fake one put on in the makeup chair if this was to be turned into an actual show or movie series.

Professor Washer: Timothy Olyphant

Before I typed out my little explanations for my choices, a “lovely” person by the name of Bri gave me a rude response as to how bad of a choice this person thought this was…yeah, I’m being petty and I’m calling her out…but I’ve watched the “Scream” movies quite a lot over the years as I’m a fan of that horror franchise, and as I’ve watched “Scream 2” to be exact, and without giving too much away, that’s partially why I think he’d be a good choice for Professor Washer! He’s described as being an attractive guy despite how creepy he is, so thats the reasoning behind this, NOT THAT I NEED TO DEFEND MYSELF ON MY OWN BLOG…

Professor Astrum: Conrad Ricamora

Again, I don’t know how accurate this choice is, as I don’t remember exactly how Professor Astrum is described, but Conrad is 42 years old, he’s on “How to Get Away With Murder,” and he’s kind of just who I pictured playing this character!

Francesca: Emily VanCamp

Francesca is a badass female who’s in Solaria’s version of the FBI, and is able to really kick major butt when she needs to! After seeing Emily in the “Captain America” movies, I could definitely see her being a good choice in playing this character if this series was made into a show/movie, and thats what a fancast is supposed to be!

Lionel Acrux: Patrick Wilson

Patrick Wilson is an attractive dude, he could get it and is actually closer to “daddy goals” than a good of the men who get that recognition in my opinion! In “Aquaman” starring Jason Mamoa, he had his hair dyed blonde and wore this darker armor throughout, and for some reason that just made me think of him as Lionel when the author’s told us that Darius’s father was handsome and had blonde hair!

Gabriel Nox: Tyler Hoechlin

Obviously Tyler Hoechlin would need a wig for this role, so yeah…I do know Gabriel is described as having longer hair, I didn’t forget that…but lets remember Orlando Bloom and how he was Legolas in “Lord of the Rings” ….I’m pretty sure his hair wasn’t naturally that blonde or that long, so there you have it! The power of Hollywood makeup, and Tyler is a pretty decent actor to top it off, so there’s my justification for this choice.

Xavier Acrux: Matthew Daddario, or Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi, image courtesy of wonderlandmagazine.com

I personally see Matthew Daddario more as Xavier, but I could see Jacob Elordi also playing the character too! I can’t remember if Xavier is described as being tall like Jacob is, but I feel like age-wise he fits the bill and not taking his height into consideration, he kind of matches the physical description….I think?

Clara Orion: Violett Beane

I’ll be honest, I was having a hard time picturing anyone for this character, and I saw someone suggest this actress somewhere either on the mycast website or Tumblr, but I think she looks the part! I totally agree with this choice and am adding it to mine.

Mildred Canopus: Billie Lourd

Now since “Bri” also called me out on this one, I’m going to continue to be petty and explain this one. I am by no means calling Billie Lourd ugly for fancasting her as Mildred. I’m pretty sure no actor/actress/model/etc. actually looks like how Mildred is described in the books, but lets go back to that Hollywood makeup idea and how these physical qualities can be added on in the makeup chair before shooting! Ralph Fiennes doesn’t look like Voldemort in real life, right? Did Jason Isaacs really have long blonde hair as Lucious Malfoy, again NO! Seeing Billie’s characters in “Scream Queens” and the Cult season of “American Horror Story” are what made me think she’d be a good choice to be this character!

Rosalie Oscura: Tristin Mays

I made a choice for this character because while I haven’t read them yet, I do know this character makes appearances in other books that take place in Solaria. Tristin Mays has been seen in “The Vampire Diaries” for a short while, and is even in the “McGyver” reboot that’s come out in recent years too!

Professor Highspell: Constance Wu

She’s the star of “Crazy, Rich Asians,” but I’ve heard Constance has been known to have a big head and be a total diva on sets, so that made this a quick choice for me when Professor Highspell shows up later in the book series!

Tyler: Chris Wood

I honestly couldn’t remember what exactly Tyler’s physical features are, like he could have blonde hair for all I know, but that doesn’t mean Chris couldn’t get highlights if that true anyways…I actually loved him as Kai in “The Vampire Diaries,” so thats where I got the idea for this fancasting choice!

Hamisch Grus: John C. Reilly

John C. Reilly totally has that big guy who’s a total goofball style of humor–I mean, have you watched “Step Brothers” or “Talladega Nights?”–but I could totally see him playing the role of Geraldine’s father!

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That’s all for now! As I read on in the series, I plan to add more characters and my fancasts for them as I meet them in the books and get a sense of who they could be. Be sure to come back to this page as time moves forward and I finish more of the books! I’m currently up to finishing book 6, and haven’t finished book 7 quite yet! If anything, I’ll probably wait until Book 8 to update all at once to see if any more characters really need to be added.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: The “Check, Please!” Duology by Ngozi Ukazu

June 9, 2021March 7, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Image from @goodyreads, my bookstagram account!

Hello readers!

Welcome back to another one of my fancasting posts that seem to be my most popular content on here, which is more than okay with me considering it’s something I really enjoy doing for myself as well as for those who keep returning to this little passion project of mine that is having a book blog running for over two years now.

Recently, I’ve had someone comment on one of my posts saying how they disagree with my choices for a particular fancast on here, and while I’m totally okay with not having everyone agree with me on everything, they lost all credibility with me when they decided to be rude, disrespectful, and just downright unpleasant for absolutely no reason…there’s nothing wrong with just saying you don’t agree with someone and simply leaving it at that but the negativity and overall just plain nastiness is just so unnecessary…

….So this is just a reminder to everyone who sees this and reads it to be nice and be respectful on not only on here, but anywhere else on the web or even on social media! You may forget it sometimes, but there’s still another human being on the other side of the keyboard, and some people seem to just get an unwarranted sense of confidence and overall bitchiness when they type something behind a keyboard and not say it to someone’s face…those people deserve a good smack upside the head!

BE NICE, it’s not that hard to do…

Okay rant over…..glad I got that off my chest, now back to bigger and more important things worth my time and energy.

I’ve been posting LGBT book reviews so far this month (for obvious reasons, and all M/M since that’s my preference), and have plenty more on the way, but I wanted to do at least one fancast too so I can switch it up a little bit! It was no question that I put together a fancasting for these particular books, and I did it for multiple reasons: they’re the first LGBT graphic novels I’ve ever read, and they’re by far one of my favorite queer romance stories I’ve ever gotten my hands on too. Everything about these just speak to me; from the artwork to the storyline, the characters, the banter, the humor, the themes of friendship & first love & and self acceptance & college, and the author herself and the story behind this whole project!

The story is about Eric Bittle: a young little figure skater who loves to bake and post on his vlog about his life who winds up getting a scholarship to a fictional Ivy League University, but with a hockey scholarship! You can imagine how well that would possibly go over for everyone…but along the way he meets some incredibly interesting people, learns a heck of a lot about himself and those around him, and of course while dealing all the regular stress of a college freshman! Let’s not also forget how he may or may not be hardcore crushing on his team captain too…

To see my review of book #1 – #Hockey – Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – Sticks & Scones – Click HERE

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Here is my official Fancast/Dreamcast for the “Check, Please!” Graphic Novel Duology!

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P. “Shitty” Knight: Gaspard Ulliel, or Glen Powell

Gaspard Ulliel, image courtesy of fred.fm

Glen Powell, image courtesy of justjared.com

P. Shitty Knight is probably my favorite character because of how lax and out there he is about literally everything. He’s THE character of this whole story, and I have two people who are on the exact opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to casting him. Gaspard is a french actor best known for playing Hannibal Lecter in “Hannibal Rising,” and he more just fits the role with his looks. Glen Powell might be a much better choice, as he can look the part AND he has the personality to play the part. I became a fan of his when I saw him in “Scream Queens” and even more so for Shitty for his character—who also has a mustache—in the movie “Everybody Wants Some.” For anyone who doesn’t know what I mean, GO WATCH THAT MOVIE, and then try and tell me you can’t see him playing Shitty for that movie alone!

Adam “Holster” Birkholtz: Nick Milone, or Wyatt Nash

Nick Milone, image courtesy of the model’s Twitter profile

Wyatt Nash, image courtesy of justjared.com

The first half of the “Holster and Ransom” dynamic duo, I’ve picked Wyatt Nash for a few other characters on my blog already, but since he’s in the Netflix show “Dear White People,” I just picture him being pretty comfortable in this role and setting too. Nick Milone is a model I found on Instagram who physically fits the look of Adam—at least in my opinion—and to add a new face to my fancasts!

Justin “Ransom” Oluransi: Remi Alade-Chester

Remi, image courtesy of beauty-around.com

The other half of the bromance that is “Holster and Ransom,” Remi is actually a Nigerian male model who may or may not actually look the part! Justin is a cutey and so is Remi, so I’m happy with this pairing!

Larissa “Lardo” Duan: Lana Condor, or Malese Jow

Lana Condor, image courtesy of refinery29.com

Malese Jow, image courtesy of wisdominbeauty.com

I’ve been a fan of Lana since I first seen her in the Netflix film adaptations of the “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” series, but I know Lardo is a completely different character than Laura Jean. Lardo has a lot of spunk wrapped up in such a petite little body, Lana Condor is just the only actor I can think of who’d play the part well. Malese has been in shows like “The Vampire Diaries,” “Unfabulous,” and “The Flash,” and is another choice I could see as the manager of the Samwell hockey team.

Kent “Parse” Parson: Alex Pettyfer, or Alex Wennberg

Alex Pettyfer, image courtesy of wallpapercave.com

Alex Wennberg, images (from left to right) courtesy of the athlete’s Twitter profile and gettyimages.com

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Kent Parson is an interesting character who causes a lot of drama where he goes, and he just so happens to be incredibly handsome and good looking and that’s probably why he gets away with it all most of the time. For this, it kind of reminded me of the actor Alex Pettyfer, both in his golden-boy looks and in his hollywood reputation being less than stellar. I also wanted to include Wennberg because he’s not only a pro hockey player just like Parson, but also has the similar aesthetic and even a mischievous smile that I’m sure could get him into (or out of) trouble.

Derek “Nursey” Nurse: Jordan Matheson

Image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

I found this model on Instagram and think he’s absolutely gorgeous with his hazel eyes that I think perfectly match Nursey’s in the graphic novels when we meet him. He looks like he’d have that laid back, chill mood that Nursey is known for!

William “Dex” Poindexter: Ken Bek

Dex is actually one of the harder characters to cast, as there’s not a whole lot of actors or models who are redheads with golden eyes like him. Believe it or not, but a lot of them have dreamy blue eyes instead—darn it—so my choices were limited! I feel like KJ Apa was the only other choice since he plays Archie in the CW’s “Riverdale.”

Chris “Chowder” Chow: John Harlan Kim

I can’t say I’ve ever watched this Australian actor in anything, but I feel like just looking at pictures of him on his IMDB profile that he gave me vibes he could totally play Chowder if they ever decided to make a live-action adaptation of these graphic novels. He’s got the eyebrows and the facial expressions that I think this is a really good match!

Suzanne Bittle: Julie Bowen

She may not fully fit the character in a physical sense to some, but Julie Bowen screams mom ever since she starred in “Modern Family”! She’s got the blonde hair, brown eyes combo that technically fits Bitty’s mom’s look, so I’d be happy to see her play the character if this ever got turned into a show or movie.

Richard “Coach” Bittle: Sam Jaeger

This was by far the hardest casting choice to make! No one was popping up in my sources for quite some time, but then I ran into Sam Jaeger and thought to myself “You know…give him a mustache and he could work!” I found this image of him, and I think I’m convinced, hopefully others are too! Sam has been in film/shows like “Lucky Number Slevin,” “The Politician,” and “Friday Night Lights.”

Bob Zimmermann: James Patrick Stewart

Jack’s father and living hockey legend himself, I pictured this actor playing this character! He’s been in films/shows like “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Supernatural,” “Las Vegas,” “Gettysburg,” and even “All My Children.”

Alicia Zimmerman: Cameron Diaz

As soon as I first glimpsed Jack’s mom and her large, bright blue eyes, I immediately was reminded of Cameron Diaz! She may not quite be old enough to actually be the character, but since she was the first face to come to mind, I decided “why not?” and put her down as my Alicia Zimmerman.

Georgia “George” Martin: Eiza Gonzalez

Georgia is the assistant general manager to the Providence Falconers, and I got the vibe that she was possibly of latin or spanish descent based on the color of her skin and the way her hair is drawn in the story—I could be totally off base with this, but it’s just the impression I got. Eiza Gonzalez is a mexican actress and singer who’s been in films like “Baby Driver,” “Hobbs & Shaw,” and “Godzilla vs. King Kong.”

Alexei “Tater” Mashkov: Andrew Biernat

Image courtesy of the model/actor’s Instagram page

I’m not sure if Andrew actually has any Russian in his heritage, but I follow the guy on Instagram and he has a goofball attitude in his videos that kind of reminds me of Alexei, Jack’s (most likely) favorite teammate when he goes to the NHL!

Denice Ford: Courtney Sauls

Denice—Who thanks to Key & Peele I pronounce it like D-Nice—becomes the new team manager in volume 2 when Lardo graduates, and she luckily seems to be able to handle the pressure of keeping all those players in line! Courtney plays the strange and quirky reporter named Brooke on the Netflix show, “Dear White People,” and she just gives me somewhat-similar vibes to Denice in the second volume of these graphic novels.

Connor “Whiskey” Whisk: James Maslow

This fancasting is funny to me only because I know James all the way back from 2009-11 from a guilty pleasure called “Big Time Rush” on Nickelodeon—of all places! He was way more animated and expressive on there than Whiskey is in the whole second book. This may not be the perfect choice for the character, but I know James over a ton of other actors so this is purely subjective to who I follow!

Tony “Tango” Tangredi: Brandon Larracuente

I know at this point for some of these minor characters it can really get vague and a lot of other actors could play them, but it’s still fun to kind of put a face to the drawing, so don’t think some of these are final selections! Brandon played Jeff Atkins in “13 Reasons Why” on Netflix, and he played a jock on there too, and he’s also kind of adorable, so I’d be happy to see him on my screen again!

River “Bully” Bullard: David Bodas

Image courtesy of the model’s Twitter profile

The first thing that you notice about Bully is HAIR. He has got some gorgeous flow that he absolutely rocks as a newly incoming freshman during Eric Bittle’s senior year. David Bodas is a model I discovered on Instagram, and he’s one of the few guys that I feel like is actually really rockin’ the long haired look like this nowadays!

Jonathan “Hops” Hopper: Rome Flynn

Rome, image courtesy of the actor/model’s Instagram profile

Rome Flynn has a smile that could get him out of trouble, and Hops is a total sweetheart so I could totally see this being a thing if they actually make “Check Please” into a film or tv show! For those of you not familiar, Rome Flynn can be seen in “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Lukas “Louis” Landmann: Benjamin Eidem

I’m trying to keep it ethnically accurate with this choice, but Benjamin is actually a swedish model so it fits! He’s actually done some high end fashion brands like Prada, Michael Kors, and Burberry just to name a few, NOT that that has any reasoning behind why I picked him!

Jack Laurent Zimmermann: Robbie Amell, or Ryan Kennedy

Robbie Amell, image courtesy of robbie-amell.com

Ryan Kennedy, image courtesy of models.com

Robbie Amell is one of my favorite male actors, i’ve had heart eyes for him ever since he was first seen in the Disney Channel Original series, “Life With Derek.” He’s also been in “American Pie: Beta House,” “The DUFF,” “The Babysitter,” and has been cast in the future film “The Hating Game.” Ryan is a model who someone on Tumblr posted as their choice, and I looked and looked and couldn’t find the post to give credit where it’s due, but if someone knows who I’m talking about, PLEASE send the profile my way so I can credit them!

Eric “Bitty” Bittle: Tom Holland, Troye Sivan, or Michael Provost

Tom Holland, image courtesy of stanfordartsreview.com

Troye Sivan, image courtesy of popbuzz.com

Michael Provost, image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

I picture Tom Holland playing an adorable, gay little figure skater-turned-hockey player, and my heart just gets so warm, full, and excited at the idea. All these guys are as cute as a button, and I could picture any of these guys being the main character of these graphic novels! Troye Sivan is a singer and actor who actually is queer himself, so that’d be great representation for him to play this role, and Michael is an adorable actor I found on one of Netflix’s cancelled shows, “Insatiable.”

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So there you have it!

These are my choices for who I picture the characters looking like in real life, it’s interesting to do a fancast for a graphic novel just because there’s actually more of a limit on who to pick since you have a visual of the actual character. It’s not so up-in-the-air and vague with their physical descriptions, but either way it was fun to do another one of these!

Don’t agree with my picks, or do you have your own choices as to who you could see playing these characters? Feel free to comment or message me what your thoughts are, just don’t be a dick about it (referring back to my rant earlier)! Either have respect and be friendly, or I’ll just report and block. I have no time or interest in dealing with toxic internet trolls, so lets have a mature and friendly conversation instead.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

September 19, 2020March 7, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Hello Readers!

It’s been a joy to make yet another fancast for my blog for others to enjoy, and after I got caught up on this series in particular, it was a huge goal of mine to complete ASAP! The From and Ash series has very quickly become a huge favorite of mine this year, and has become almost like a beacon of light and hope over what has to be the crappiest year EVER with 2020!

Who knew I’d become absolutely obsessed with a book series about Vampires and Werewolves in 2020, but with how this year has been going, it feels like nothing can surprise me some days…

For those that aren’t aware, this is a book series that somehow got two books published this year from Jennifer L. Armentrout, who must be a writing machine because these books are thicccccccc! We’re talking 600+ pages for both of them, and it’s also 600+ pages of pure wicked entertainment!

If I had to describe this series in a couple words, they’d be the following: Enchanting, Dangerous, Ominous, Sultry, Seductive, Enthralling, hair-raising, spine-tingling, dangerous, and utterly romantic. Fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and Laura Thalassa just to name a few will absolutely devour these books and become as obsessed as pretty much every other reader who’s gotten their hands on them.

It’s a story of a young woman named Penellaphe Balfour, or “Poppy” as her friends call her, who’s raised as the maiden, who’s a holy figure amongst her people and is the chosen who will one day become Ascended. With that, she must live a life of solitude; no eye contact, no spoken words, and to keep her head down unless ordered otherwise. It’s a sad life, but others would kill for the position, so she should be thankful…

All that is called into question as Hawke Flynn comes into her life and becomes her new knight/bodyguard. Duty and passion become twisted together as he helps her question everything she’s ever known, but also finally gives her the push to hope for more…

There’s whispers of an ancient Kingdom back on the rise, plus creatures of the night growing more and more restless. Lines are blurred as to what is right and wrong, and Poppy will do whatever it takes in order to protect not only those she cares about but also herself and her heart…

To see my review of book #1 – From Blood and Ash – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #2 – A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #3 – The Crown of Gilded Bones – Click HERE!

To see my review of Flesh and Fire Book #1 – A Shadow in the Ember – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #4 – The War of Two Queens – Click HERE!

Quick Disclaimer!*** I do not own any of these images even as I try to credit all who are known, and I will promptly remove if asked to do so by any of the owners.

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Kieran Contou: Isha Blaaker

Kieran is a huge fan favorite for the series, so I had to come up with someone who’d look like he deserved to have a large following! I originally casted Kendrick Sampson as the role, but I honestly fancast him for a ton of parts where it’s a character who’s POC with lighter colored eyes. I wanted to switch it up, plus I’d say I do the same thing with Jesse Williams (who’s too old for the part anyways), so Isha definitely looks the part!

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Vikter Wardwell: Graham McTavish

Image courtesy of the actor’s Twitter account

Love this Scottish actor in both Outlander and even his smaller role in the fourth season of Lucifer, but he has that older, more protective fatherly figure vibe which is right up Vikter’s alley, so I think Graham would nail this role if they were to actually make From Blood and Ash into a movie/TV series.

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Rylan Keal: Garrett Hedlund

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Guerin/Contour @ Getty Images & GQ Italia

I’m not too familiar with this actor, but a few movies he’s pretty noteworthy of was the rebooted Disney’s TRON: Legacy film from about ten years ago, plus he was in Country Strong. I don’t know, he just has those unassuming blond looks that I really pictured for Poppy’s original bodyguard.

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Tawny Lyon: Caris Shelton

Tawny was actually a hard choice, and part of me feels like I still may switch out this choice at some point or another if another face comes along that I think would fill the role better. Until that happens, I think this gorgeous model I found on Instagram has the look I imagined for Tawny.

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Lord Brandole Mazeen: Craig Parker

Some of you may or may not recognize this actor, but he’s actually been in a couple widely popular films and TV shows! He was the Elven general in Lord of the Rings, he was also in TV shows like Reign and Spartacus, which if you’ve watched them, will totally make you agree with how I casted him for such a cruel character in these books!

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Duke Dorian Teerman: Peter Facinelli

I mean, why not cast at least one character from the Twilight movies in this? Part of me still can’t believe I’m so obsessed with a Vampire-esque Paranormal Romance quite like From Blood and Ash, and it’s freakin’ 2020! The Duke is cold, menacing, and vicious behind closed doors, so I thought it’d be an interesting switch from Peter playing Dr. Carlisle.

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Duchess Jacinda Teerman: Inbar Lavi

She played the first ever woman in the world, Eve, in the Netflix hit, Lucifer, and for some reason I totally pictured her playing the role of the Duchess as well…it totally could just be because I was watching the show and reading the first book around the same time. Kind of like Peter Facinelli above, the roles are so opposite of each other, I’m curious to see if the actress could pull it off!

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Jericho: Tom Felton

Jericho was a smaller role for the first book, sure, but why not have a bigger name actor to play the role itself? For some reason, Jericho was giving me some major Draco Malfoy vibes, so I thought it’d be fun to have Tom Felton play the role, why not?

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Elijah: Travis Van Winkle, or Nathan Parsons

Image courtesy of Twitter account @SpoilerTV

Elijah was a toss-up since not much was actually told about his looks other than his beard and warm eyes. I mean, that could be taken in so many directions, right? Travis Van Winkl;e fulfills the more wholesome, all-american guy next door vibe I could see Elijah having, but Nathan Parsons, who’s been on The Originals (Spin-off of The Vampire Diaries), so it wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for him either!

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Delano: Drew Van Acker

Drew Van Acker is a personal favorite of mine! He was the tortured and gorgeous Jason Dilaurentis in the tv adaptation of Pretty Little Liars, and his sad, soulful eyes along with the rest of his good looks have always stuck with me over the years, and I love to fancast him for other blond male roles if I see fit.

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Naill: Rome Flynn

The other half of the Wolven dynamic duo along with Delano, Rome Flynn is who I pictured for this particular character, who’s only been described thus far as having dark skin. I picture all the Wolven being stunningly gorgeous, I mean why not?…so I pictured this young actor from the Shonda Rhimes courtroom drama, How to Get Away with Murder, to add up some even more sex appeal onto this fancast of mine.

You’re welcome.

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Alastir Davenwell: Brett Tucker

Alastir was described as being rather good looking even with it being obvious he’s getting a little older in age, and this Australian has been on my radar ever since I first saw him in the TV Show, Spartacus. Alastir may be a total drama loving instigator, and I could go on about all that, but at least he’s pretty easy on the eyes, amiright ladies, gents, and non-binaries?

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Emil Da’Lahr: Ken Bek

I feel like Ken Bek is just the basic-bitch go to casting for EVERYONE who needs an attractive male redhead for some character (him and Sam Heughan), but I can’t help it with this one! Ken just has that mischievous smirk in almost all his modeling photos that really just remind me of this character, who I still don’t know whether I like them or not quite yet!

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Lord Chaney: Finn Wittrock

Finn is an incredible actor, probably one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood right now! He’s incredibly versatile, and I can say that even just from watching him perform a wide variety of characters in a couple seasons of American Horror Story. Plus, Lord Chaney is an Ascended, and I just picture them being beautiful beings.

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Vonetta Contou: Logan Browning

Logan Browning has become a favorite of mine since I’ve seen her star as the powerful roll of Sam in the Netflix show, Dear White People, I also picture her as Kieran’s sister in this series. Her acting chops are definitely up to par, I know she’d do nothing but add even more greatness to the cast!

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Jasper Contou: Luke Evans

Jasper was one of those characters you just fall in love with the moment you meet them, and I could say the same about Cinna from Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, The Hunger Games. At first, I was like a ton of the fandom who’d fancasted Idris Elba and/or Lenny Kravitz, but Jennifer Armentrout actually confirmed that Jasper is white (It makes sense if Kieran and Vonetta are lighter in skin tone), so I had to reimagine the character and who could play him. Luke Evans, whose been in The Hobbit trilogy and even Gaston in the live-action remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, would be my new Jasper!

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Hawke Flynn/ Casteel Da’Neer: Danilo D’Agostino

Danilo D’Agostino, image credits to owners

Of course, like almost every other fandom with a wickedly devastating male love interest like this character, there’s a huge debate of who would be perfect to play him. EVERYONE has their own preference of who they feel is attractive enough and skilled enough to play the part, which is totally fine! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have to say I can agree with just about every choice I saw come up: Stephen Amell, Jesse Metcalfe, Theo James, Matthew Daddario (who was my original choice), but after much deliberation on my part, this is the guy I’ve narrowed it down to!

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Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour: Peyton Gastel, or Laura Gwyneth Butler

Peyton Gastel, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Laura Gwyneth Butler, image courtesy of listal.com

Poppy is the vampire para-romance heroine we really need; she’s the exact opposite of Bella Swan, and I am fully behind her on her journey, and these two are my final choices of who’d portray her in a cinematic format! The first is a model I found on Instagram who has the red hair, green eyes combo that is Poppy! My other choice is a model who Facebook user Tiffany R. on the Facebook group I’m a member introduced us to, and I fully support this choice as well!

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Queen Eloana Da’Neer: Gal Gadot

She’s used to playing a powerful, regal figure like Diana (aka: Wonderwoman) in the DC Superhero movies, but I also imagined her playing the role of the Queen of Atlantia, and also Casteel’s mother. She’s actually a very complex character as you read on in The Crown of Gilded Bone, and I know Gal would do an amazing job!

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King Valyn Da’Neer: Chris Pine

We all know King Valyn was going to be blond daddy goals, and at first I was picturing Brad Pitt playing this role, but I know with how word of mouth is he was miserable on the set of Interview With a Vampire back in the 90’s, so I think he’d avoid another vampire franchise like this one. As for Chris Pine, why not? He’s got the looks, the acting ability, and we know he has chemistry with Gal Gadot in the Wonderwoman movies too!

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Commander Jansen: Simon Merrellis

He was a character that I—and I’m sure most of the fandom is guilty too—totally overlooked and didn’t think would become a bigger character than where he was already at. But reading the third book, he practically shoves his way to the forefront and became worthy of my consideration to add him on here. I only know this actor from the STARZ hit show, Spartacus.

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Hisa Fa’Mar: Lesley-Anne Brandt

LOOOOOVE her in Lucifer, and even though the characters are incredibly different from one another, I know that Lesley can play badass, powerful females. She’d have no problem being the General of the Atlantian Army.

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Kirha Contou: Danai Gurira, or Angela Bassett

Danai Gurira, image courtesy of latimes.com

Angela Bassett, image courtesy of amomama.com

Two totally iconic POC woman in Hollywood, I would be happy with either choice to play the mother of Kieran and Vonetta as well as wife to Jasper. This is a softer role—at least so far of where we’re at in the series—but I imagine Kirha is a glorious fighter on the battlefield when she needs to be! Danai was in Black Panther and The Walking Dead, and Angela Bassett I know from American Horror Story, Black Panther, and 9-1-1 on Fox.

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Perry: Nathan Owens

Image courtesy of the actor/model’s IMDB profile

So as soon as I found out this Wolven is actually Delano’s on-and-off lover, I had to include him in my fancast! This gorgeous model would add some serious eye candy to the screen, and the total hotness that is the friendship with Casteel and Kieran as they’ve all known each other since childhood.

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Miss Wilhelmina Colyns: Nia Long

I’m so happy we get to meet the illustrious, infamous being that is Miss Willa Colyns in this series. She’s more than just an author of a smutty diary that is—not so secretly—Poppy’s favourite book, but is also an elder of the Atlantian kingdom! Nia Long is a stunning pop culture icon whose been acting for quite some time now, I totally remember her all the way back when she was in Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but she’s also been in Big Momma’s House, Third Watch, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

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Ian Balfour: Ben Barnes, or Nathaniel Buzolic

Ben Barnes, image courtesy of seventeenmag.com

Nathaniel Buzolic, image courtesy of bookingagentinfo.com

So yes, I’ve totally already binged Shadow and Bone on Netflix as I type this, so meeting Ian shortly after that probably has made me have Ben Barnes on the brain, and can you blame me? He was a magnificent Darkling, and I’d love to see him apart of this series if it ever came onto our screens too someday! If SaB took about eight years or so to make it happen, it could very well happen for Blood and Ash too! Nathaniel has a background in vampire filmology as well, he was Kol Mikaelson in both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals!

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Nyktos: Henry Cavill

A lot of the fandom has put Henry’s name out there as possible fancast choices for Hawke/Casteel, and while I’d never be so douchey and rude as to tell anyone who they can and can’t choose for their own personal casting, I also couldn’t say I agreed with that either. Henry needed to play an older character, and why not play the King of the Gods? This way we’re all happy that Henry can be a part of the series after all, and get lost in either his dreamy eyes or his impressive jawline!

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The Consort, Sera Mierel: Katheryn Winnick

Image courtesy of unitedagents.co.uk

I wanted to fancast this role ASAP since it appears that were also getting some prequel books in the Blood and Ash world that stars Nyktos, and spoilers in the third book also reveal more about this character. Katheryn Winnick was in the popular show Vikings, and I keep telling myself that I need to watch it someday!

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Nektas: Martin Sensmeier

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ray Tamarra/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock (12886528bo) Martin Sensmeier Prime Video’s ‘Outer Range’ premiere, The Harmony Gold Theater, Los Angeles, California, USA – 07 Apr 2022

Here is a Native American Actor who is a much better option for Nektas than who I had before! Before it was Tom Ellis, but that was before I was fully aware that Nektas was POC, and I had Tom Ellis, who is a terrific actor, but wasn’t russet skinned like this character is described as! So here is me with a quick apology for whitewashing a character, I ignorance on that so no cancelling me please and offer this new choice as a solution!

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The Handmaiden/Revenant: Megan Fox

This was an interesting new concept added to the series in The Crown of GIlded Bone, and as soon as this character was introduced into the story, I got some major Kate Beckinsale in Underworld vibes. I also instantly thought of this image of Megan Fox I picked, and thought she’d play the role incredibly well. I can already tell this character will be one to watch out for in several ways, and Megan Fox honestly doesn’t get enough credit for her acting abilities. I believe she has more to offer than just how Hollywood perceived her and marketed her as back in the day when Michael Bay pretty much almost completely blacklisted her.

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Prince Malik Da’Neer: Reeve Carney

We finally meet the older brother to Casteel, the firstborn Da’Neer son who was set to take the throne. I loved the twist with him, I can say I didn’t see it coming and all he had to offer the game of thrones we’re now playing in this series. This actor was in Penny Dreadful, and instantly who I thought could play Malik as soon as we met him!

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Queen Ileana: Christina Hendricks

I am honestly doing a chef’s kiss at how perfect I think this casting choice would be if they made the Blood and Ash books into the show or film series. Christina Hendricks has been in Mad Men, and she’s also currently in the Netflix show Good Girls, and she has a unique look to her, a sultry vibe who I think is the ONLY choice who’d perfectly capture the Blood Queen and leader of the Ascended.

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King Jalara: Jude Law

Jude Law was actually very close to becoming my choice for King Valyn, but then I remembered how well he played the villain in King Arthur, and he does have a sexier, almost devilish appeal to him, so I wanted him to stay on the dark side and play this role as well too!

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Reaver: Ewan Mitchell

So for the sake of not using Jamie Campbell Bower AGAIN on another fancast, even though you look up Reaver’s physical description on his wiki page and it literally reads like him….I’m going to toss out this actor’s name instead to switch things up and get some variety! He’s only 25, from Derby, England, and isn’t as recognizable unless you’re a fan of a certain new HBO show about a certain line of dragon ridings rulers…yes, this is the guy who plays Aemond Targaryen!

So there you have it for now!

With many more books on the way—including a least one told from Casteel’s perspective—I know there will be even more characters to add, so wait for those next books to release and I’ll add more names and faces ASAP!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

July 27, 2020March 15, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Leigh Bardugo is one of the my favorite authors around even from just reading her Six of Crows duology, but once I’d learned that they were actually a spin-off from this trilogy that she’d written before, I of course HAD to check them out too because let’s be honest: there are a few instances where there was obviously information referenced that I missed by not reading them prior. Whether it was because of a certain character’s surprise appearance, a past event mentioned, or more background information on the Grisha in general, I could tell I was missing some vital information.

While I enjoyed Six of Crows much more than this trilogy for multiple reasons, I can still say that the Shadow and Bone trilogy is not to be skipped over! There are some very memorable characters and plenty of twists and turns that you’d expect from Leigh Bardugo’s mind even if you’re like me and read these books out of order!

Even though there’s a Netflix show out with official castings, I still had my own version of the cast list of who I thought would play these characters in my head. Some of my choices below are my own, but I can also admit there’s a few selections from the actual show I agreed with that were mixed in with the bunch to add a little variety. See for yourself what you think!

Here’s a link below to my official Fancast/Dreamcast of the Six of Crows duology for those interested:

Click HERE to see my Six of Crows Fancast/Dreamcast

**The Blurb of Shadow and Bone:**

Soldier.

Summoner.

Saint.

Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite—and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems…

To see my review of book #1 – Shadow and Bone – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #2 – Siege and Storm – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #3 – Ruin and Rising – Click HERE!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Zoya Nazyalensky: Shay Mitchell

My first choice for this character was Megan Fox, which I had no problem with except for when I later learned that Zoya is actually a person of color. I mean, she was the token “mean girl” in the first book, and Leigh described her pretty much as being stupid hot, so c’mon, Megan Fox is an obvious choice for me! Shay is also such a beautiful woman! Her Filipino, Scottish, and Irish descent makes her a much more accurate choice.

Genya Safin: Miguelle Landry

This Instagram model is like my go to face for whenever a book calls for a gorgeous redhead, so sorry not sorry, but you’re gonna see her on a few of my fancasts *shrugs*.

David Kostyk: Luke Pasqualino

I don’t know much about him as an actor; he was on Skins not that I ever watched it, but he’s an actual casting for the part on the Netflix show, so I can roll with this casting choice!

Baghra Morozova: Zoë Wanamaker

She is another actual casting from the Netflix show, but most of you may or may not recognize her from another popular YA Fantasy series? No? Here’s a hint: she was the broom flying instructor at a certain school for young witches and wizards!

Nikolai Lantsov: Lucas Bloms

A gorgeous male-model to play a gorgeous prince? Need I say more?

Botkin Yul-Erdene: Daniel Dae-Kim

Daniel may seem like a cliché go to character for these types of roles, but I can’t help but keep that way of thinking with him playing the role of Alina’s combat instructor at the small palace. I just think he’d make an excellent tutor!

Ivan: Simon Sears

He’s another actual casting choice for the Netflix show, and he’s not really described as well as I’d hoped in the books, so I’m happy to give my blessing for this choice! He looks rugged and rough around the edges, just like I’d imagined what one of the Darkling’s closest soldier’s would look like.

Fedyor Kaminksy: Julian Kostov

Image courtesy of the actor’s Instagram profile

Julian is actually casted to play this character for the show, so I thought I’d share him too and say I support this choice! I remember I liked Fedyor whenever he made an appearance in the books, sure he wasn’t afraid to viciously kill anyone who stood against him, but at least he killed a Fjerdan in order to protect Alina, right? Right…

Harshaw: Andrew Garfield

Harshaw is described as being tall and gangly with red hair, so for some reason I thought of Andrew Garfield. Not sure why; Harshaw’s a wackjob who talks to his cat too much and probably an arsonist who just also happens to be an inferni…so yeah…Most of you would recognize Andrew from The Amazing Spider-Man movies with Emma Stone, and The Social Network.

Marie: Nathalie Kelley

Marie was a conflicting character throughout the books…Sure, she tried to befriend Alina right away when the Sun Summoner first appeared at the small palace, but she was totally two-faced to Zoya and elitist with Genya, and flipped sides when her boyfriend, Sergei, spoke out against Alina in Siege and Storm. I just found her really catty, so I thought Nathalie, who’s been in The Vampire Diaries, and Dynasty (both CW shows), I thought she’d play the part well!

Nadia Zhabin: Gabrielle Brooks

Nadia is pretty much the same as Marie up above, but doesn’t really stick up for herself. Gabrielle is another actual casting choice for the show, which I just want to point out is great that they switched up her look because the books described her as kind of a mousy little blonde, so I’m happy with how Leigh wanted to make it a point to try and add more diversity amongst the cast!

Tamar Kir-Bataar: Lana Condor

I’m surprised it doesn’t seem like Tamar and her twin brother are going to be in the Netflix show! Like, they’re not even listed on the Netflix show’s IMDB page (check it out HERE)…Whatever I guess, their loss because she’s a badass! Lana may look small and fragile like she kind of is in the All the Boy’s I’ve Met Before Netflix movies, but check out other films she’s been in, and it’s obvious she can hold her own in more action-packed flicks.

Tolya Kir-Bataar: Ross Butler

Ross is on Netflix’s adaptation of 13 Reasons Why and DC’s “Shazam,” and he’s a tall guy who can also pull off the stoic, “tough guy” persona that I pictured Tolya constantly showed whenever he made an appearance. I’m still upset that him and his sister didn’t make it into the Netflix show apparently…

Ana Kuya: Amanda Donohue

Amanda just gives me more of how I pictured the owner of the orphanage where Alina and Mal grew up than who they casted for the show! I’m sure the actual actress will still do a great job though!

The Apparat: David Bradley

David Bradley is just so good at playing creepy, despicable old men in Fantasy settings! He was Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films and Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, and the Apparat gave me some weird vibes, so I immediately thought of David Bradley to play him.

Sergei Beznikov: Jack Falahee

Sergei was another one of those really conflicting characters in the books; I didn’t really have the greatest opinion of him, especially when he tries to oppose Alina in trying to take charge of the second army, but I felt for him at the end of Siege of Storm and what happened to him…there’s more to it, but I won’t spoil it! I loved Jack in How to Get Away with Murder, and thought he’d be a great choice!

Alina Starkov: Jessica Mei Li

Here’s another actual casting off the Netflix show, and I for one am happy with how Leigh made it more of a point to make the cast more diverse with more POC actors! She felt bad about how whitewashed she made the books, apologized, and has been making it a point to not do that ever again. Kudos to her, and I can’t wait to see how Jessica portrays our main protagonist of the Shadow and Bone trilogy!

Mal Oretsev: Christian Hogue

So, Mal gives me the whole “Golden Boy, Big Man on Campus, Star Quarterback, Homecoming King” kind of guy that we see all over YA fiction, but of course, this particular time in a Fantasy setting. Christian is an Instagram model I’ve known about for some time, and he’s just who came to mind for me when I pictured Alina’s childhood friend-turn-lover.

The Darkling: Nick Ayler

I’d also casted Nick Ayler as my Magnus Damora in the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes, and I will admit him and the Darkling have some similarities in their aesthetics…they’re both the broody, dark haired bad boy who the golden, innocent protagonist has mixed feelings for…so why not have Nick play my favorite character in the whole trilogy. Besides being my favorite character, you’ve outta admit he’s got the coolest nicknames!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: The Aurora Cycle Trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

June 25, 2020September 27, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Image courtesy of artist Instagram profile: @kiranight_art

Hello readers, and welcome to another Fancast/Dreamcast that I’m excited to share! I’ve read “Aurora Rising” by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and I found myself really enjoying the story of 6 young space warriors who get paired up as an unorthodox team, but find themselves on the run from the authorities when a young girl who’s been cryogenically frozen for hundreds of years becomes a stowaway, and holds the key to uncovering an evil plot thats been around for almost a millennium!

What truly made me enjoy the story was the group’s dynamic, their humorous banter, and the development as they grow and bond as the story moves forward. I really wanted to make a Fancast ASAP when I looked all over the internet and saw that there’s not a whole lot of other Fancasts out there to help me out! My plan is to attack this unknown territory, and maybe help some other readers out and give them a good visual of the characters.

Here’s the Blurb for the First Book:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They’re not the heroes we deserve. They’re just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

To see my review of book #1 – Aurora Rising – Click HERE!

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Here’s my Official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Tyler Jones: Justin Deeley

I’ve been in love with this handsome actor ever since I saw him in the 4th season of the CW’s 90210 reboot in recent years. The show itself was absolutely ridiculous, but Justin Deeley made for some amazing eye-candy. He was also in the LGBT flick, Geography Club, and was an instant face that came up for the Captain of the team in this book!

Scarlett Jones: Abbey Cowen

This beautiful, young redhead has been in VERY popular Netflix shows like Stranger Things and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I believe that she’d do an amazing job of capturing Scarlett Jones’s flirty and sarcastic demeanor!

Cat Brannock: Ruby Rose, or Halsey

Image courtesy of Elle Australia Magazine

Cat Brannon has a look that says, “I’m a badass, so don’t mess with this bitch.” She has a fauxhawk and tattoos all over her body, so these two chicks were two names that I thought could perfectly match the intensity this character brings to the team!

Fin de Kerran de Seel: Ryan Potter, Colton Haynes, or Nico Tortorella

Fin is the one character with the snarky remarks, the smartass comments, and was the overall comedic relief of the team. He also has some unexpected depth to him as you read on in the story, and I’d be happy with either of these three actors being casted as him!

Kal Gilwraeth: Christopher Mason

Kal was by far the hardest character to cast for this post, and part of me is still not 100% with my choice, but it is the best I could find with who else I’ve casted. Kal reminds of some particular character’s I also adore in the Throne of Glass series (Spoiler alert: Rowan Whitethorn), so looking into other fancasts of him helped me come up with some possible names for Kal.

Zila Madran: Anna Diop

Anna Diop plays Starfire in the CW’s show Titans which is obviously about the DC Comics Teen Titans franchise. Personally, I love that they made the character a POC (why not?), and Anna has a look that reminded me of the the young scientist who I don’t think is a sociopath, but rather just has Aspergers or some version of Autism (not confirmed, just speculation on my part! Correct me if I’m wrong!)

Auri O’Malley: Ellen Wong, or Liza Soberano

Ellen Wong is a small woman full of big spirit! At least, that’s the impression I got when I’ve seen her in the Netflix show, GLOW. Liza is also a name I’m throwing out there, just because I think she also looks like the character!

Megellan: Taika Waititi

Okay, I know Magellan is actually just a smartphone that has Artificial Intelligence, but I totally heard Taika’s voice/personality whenever the gadget spoke up in the story!

That’s All for Now!

This Fancast is made based off just reading the first book in the trilogy, so expect more names and faces to be added to this post as I read on in the story and meet more characters, but I also plan to post about it whenever I have any updates. Feel free to tell me what you think on my casting ideas!