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

Image courtesy of the model’s Instagram Profile

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

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

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

Image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB Profile

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!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: All For the Game Trilogy by Nora Sakavic

June 6, 2020September 27, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

A popular trilogy for fans of LGBT sports fiction, these books are definitely not like a lot of other stories you will read: there’s running from the mob, the found family aesthetic amongst a group of outcasts, drugs and alcohol, setting bodies on fire then burying them in the beach, there’s drugging without consent, queer romance, diverse cast, and possibly 1st degree murder! It’s truly a lot, and thats not even all of it! They may not be for everyone to read, but fans of extra-dramatic shows like Teen Wolf, Riverdale, Elite, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will really catch the appeal of this trilogy.

Here’s the official blurb:

Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He’s short, he’s fast, he’s got a ton of potential—and he’s the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.

Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn’t need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil’s not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil’s new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can’t walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he’s finally found someone and something worth fighting for.

To see my review of The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) – Click HERE

To see my review of The Raven King (All for the Game #2) – Click HERE

My third and final review is coming soon!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Neil Josten: Froy Gutierrez, Jake Cooper, or Ronen Rubenstein

Image courtesy of the model’s Facebook page

The first two names have been incredibly popular castings from other fans of the books, and so completely agree with them, so I included them on here, but Ronen is my personal choice to throw into the mix! He’s on ABC’s 9-1-1: Lone Star and his character TK in some instances give me heavy Neil vibes, so I know he’d be an excellent choice.

Andrew/ Aaron Minyard: Matthew Noszka, Austin Butler, or Michael Provost

Image courtesy of the model/actor’s Twitter account

I’m honestly not all that big of a fan of ANY castings for the Minyward twins…but to everyone’s credit, Andrew and Aaron have really specific details about them, so I don’t think there is actually any one person who’s a unanimous choice for them.

Kevin Day: Brant Daugherty, Laurence Coke, or Matthew Daddario

Brant was my first choice, but he may be too old by this point to be playing a college student. Laurence seems to be the popular choice around the board with other fancasters, and Matthew is another choice who I think would be able to play the part.

Riko Moriyama: Charles Melton, or Darren Barnet

Image courtesy of ourdailynewsonline.com

Charles plays Reggie Mantle on the CW’s Riverdale, and Darren is becoming more well known from being in Mindy Kaling’s Netflix comedy, Never Have I Ever!

Nicky Hemmick: Steven Krueger, or Drew Ray Tanner

Both actors were discovered by me on two separate CW shows: Steven was on The Originals and Drew is currently on Riverdale.

Coach David Wymack: Skeet Ulrich, Henry Ian Cusick, or Benjamin Bratt

Skeet Ulrich may not exactly look the part in terms of ethnicity, but he has been a name thrown in based solely off the vibes he gives off, which match the unorthodox ways of Coach Wymack. The other two have been mentioned that maybe follow the character’s background more accurately

Dan Wilds: Sierra Aylina McClain

As soon as I saw her in 9-1-1: Lonestar, I instantly got Dan vibes from her. She has a strong, subtle powerful presence that isn’t intimidating in her role on the hit show!

Renee Walker: Erika Bowes

So no joke, but Renee was another hard character to cast. No one really pops up when you look into what she’s described as looking like; the only person I could come up with initially was Dua Lipa, but she doesn’t have the “cute as a button” aesthetic that Renee is supposed to have. This model’s name came up, so I’m going with it!

Allison Reynolds: Gianna Jene Daddio, or Samara Weaving

Gianna is not as well known, I’m following my habit of having at least one WWE wrestler in my fancasts, and she’s a gorgeous blonde who goes under the name “Liv Morgan” when she steps foot inside the squared circle. Samara is a more well known name; the australian bombshell who could be Margot Robbie’s younger sister was just in the Netflix mini-series Hollywood, and has been in thrillers like The Babysitter and Ready or Not.

Abby Winfield: Candace Cameron Bure

I think this casting was because I was watching Fuller House on Netflix around the same time I was reading The Foxhole Court, so I put the two together like that.

Matt Boyd: Jacob Artist, or Michael Evans Behling

For some reason, I originally casted Robbie Amell for the role, but as soon as I started seing other fancasts that told me how off that was, I switched it to it being either of these two actors.

Seth Gordon: Drew Roy

Honestly, this one was kind of a toss up…

Jean Moreau: Julian Haig, or Dominic Sherwood

Julian is Australian while Dom is English, but other castings have put actors with medium-toned skin, so I’m not sure about these choices too much…

Betsy Dodson: Rochelle Aytes

Does anyone remember the gorgeous reporter, Denise Porter, from the classic comedy, White Chicks? Now that you’re refreshed, Rochelle has that unnerving, welcoming face that anyone could unload and open up to, don’t you think?

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Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: Something Dark and Holy Trilogy by Emily A. Duncan

May 15, 2020September 27, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Image courtesy of Instagram profile @queenofthefaebaes

So I’ve started these books because it seems like they’ve gotten a lot of attention from the YA-Fantasy fandom since the first book, Wicked Saints, released in 2019. Heck, even the monthly subscription box, Owlcrate, has made their own exclusive editions (pictured above) for us readers to enjoy! It’s been said that this trilogy is perfect for those that shipped Alina Starkov and the Darkling from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy, and it was that comparison that had me sold to dig into these, and not just because of the gorgeous covers!

**Here’s the blurb of book #1, Wicked Saints:**

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself…

A prince in danger must decide who to trust…

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings…

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light.

My book reviews are coming soon!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Serefin Meleski: Christian Balic, or Tomas Skoloudik

In my honest opinion, both of these models have the look of the Tranavian Prince who attacks Nadya’s monastery in the very first chapter of Wicked Saints, but is just so tired of war. He’s an interesting character, plus he’s snarky with the dark hair/light eyes combo, so is anyone really surprised that I love him?

Ostyia: Marcella Tanaya

This model from Indonesia has been a top fancast name for Amren from author Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling series A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I think she also makes a great choice to play Serefin’s second in command. Her looks alone can kick some serious ass!

Kacper: Mena Massoud

The face of the live-action Disney favorite, Aladdin, this actor once mentioned how he hasn’t found much work since that film released, so maybe he’d find a role as Serefin’s buddy if they decided to make Wicked Saints into a movie?

Anna: Billie Lourd

Image courtesy of Ramona Rosales, for THR annual class photo

The daughter of the late Carrie Fischer, I’ve loved her ever since she’s joined the recurring cast of American Horror Story, plus she’s been in the show Scream Queens, and the recent film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Rashid: Flamur Ukshini

Flamur is a gorgeous Instagram model who was discovered because of his uncanny resemblance to former One Direction singer, Zayn Malik. To keep things not so mainstream, lets pick this model instead to play the Akolan who befriended Malachiasz.

Parijanham: Shiva Negar

She was most notably seen in the Vince Flynn novel-turned-movie American Assassin, and I think she’d be a great pick for the role of the strong and brave female Akolan in the series.

King Izak Meleski: Mark Strong

To be honest, I’m not too familiar with this actor or any movies he’s been in, but another book-blog (booksrealwhenshared) fancasted him as the King of Tranavia, and after I’d met the character in the book myself, I could definitely agree with their choice of actor! I also totally agree with their similar casting of Mena Massoud as Kacper!

Zaneta: Meaghan Rath

This actress has been in shows like the Hawaii 5-0 remake, Being Human, and she’s guest starred on two of my favorite shows: New Girl and Schitt’s Creek!

Nadya Lapteva: Elle Evans, Sophie Turner, or Jennifer Lawrence

I would be happy with any of these three gorgeous blondes being our MC of this gothic YA Fantasy trilogy. Elle is a model that just fits the physical descrption of Nadya, Sophie does too and was an amazing Sansa Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and maybe the odds are ever in Jennifer Lawrence’s favor if she wanted the role if this book was ever turned into a movie!

Malachiasz: Nicholas Hoult, or Arthur Gosse

Image courtesy of http://www.theplace2.ru

Image courtesy of the model’s Twitter profile

Malachiasz was easily the hardest character to cast for these books! I couldn’t find anyone who perfectly matched the physical description of my favorite character, so I’d be more than okay if either of these two men were to be casted as him; let’s just slap a long-haired wig on them and call it good! Nicholas Hoult is an extremely versatile actor who I adore; he’s been in movies like Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and Tolkien.

So, there you have it! Now this is a fancasting made only based off the first book, so I’m sure there will be other notable characters that appear later on that I haven’t personally met yet. Be sure to check back, as I will add more characters as I continue to read the series!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

April 6, 2020March 7, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Image from @goodyreads, my bookstagram account!

***Fair Warning: This post will contain spoilers on the book series, read on at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

The Fever series is one of my 2020 addictions as I’d discovered it thanks to the recommendation from a work friend, and I’ve devoured each book immediately after the next to see what happens with KMM’s masterful storytelling, and her ability to reveal valuable plot information at an achingly slow pace!

For those that don’t know already, this story revolves around a young, blonde party girl from Georgia named MacKayla Lane, and how she’s devastated when she discovers her older sister, Alina, was mysteriously murdered while studying at Trinity University over in Dublin, Ireland. Vengeful and seeking answers—along with retribution against her killer—Mac sets off for Dublin and discovers some even more shocking news…it turns out that she is a Sidhe-Seer: a person who can see past the glamours and illusions of the otherworldly race of creatures of the Fae, who have been living in the shadows of our world for longer than we’d ever realized.

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, she meets many different and mysterious characters along the way; two in particular are the rare and collectible bookstore owner, Jericho Barrons, along with the vicious and conniving Fae prince, V’lane. It turns out, they and a slew of other dangerous players are all searching for a dark, ancient, and powerful Fae artifact: the Sinsar Dubh. It’s an evil book that holds the power to create and destroy entire worlds, and Mac needs to find it before it gets into the wrong hands…

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

To see my review of book #2 – Bloodfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #3 – Faefever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #4 – Dreamfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #5 – Shadowfever – Click HERE

To see my review of book #6 – Iced – Click HERE

To see my review of book #7 – Burned – Click HERE

To see my review of book #8 – Feverborn – Click HERE

To see my review of book #9 – Feversong – Click HERE

To see my review of book #10 – High Voltage – Click HERE

To see my review of book #11 – A Kingdom of Shadow and Light – Click HERE

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Here is my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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V’lane: Gabriel Aubry, or Jacey Elthalion

Gabriel Aubry, Image courtesy of gettyimages.com

Jacey Elthalion, Image courtesy of listal.com

V’lane is the Seelie Prince of the high court, and is the Queen’s consort, and apparently was so good looking that a human woman can reach climax just by being in his presence. He’s described as having long golden hair and hypnotic golden eyes that aren’t of this world, and these two male models came to mind when I had begun casting.

Alina Lane: Katheryn Winnick

Katheryn is most well known for her role in the hit TV show, Vikings, and has been seen in plenty of other fancastings of books/series I’ve read where there’s a blonde badass female lead. The role of Mac’s dead older sister isn’t a leading role, but I think she’d look the part, especially side by side with who I selected to play Mac.

Fiona Asheton: Lana Parilla

You may or may not have seen her play Regina, aka The Evil Queen in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, and I’ve loved her ever since those days. She has shown that she can play an incredibly complex role, and while that’s not really the case with Fiona’s role, I’d still think she’d play the irksome character just as well!

Inspector O’Duffy: Sean Bean

Image courtesy of bean-daily.livejournal.com

Sean Bean is known for many, many, many roles…For me, the most memorable are his times with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. While I doubt he’d ever do a role like this for the Fever series if it were ever to get the green light, I’d still think he’d be an excellent choice! It would be…fitting.

Mallucé: Cody Fern

I’d been introduced to Cody Fern when he’d been the Antichrist on American Horror Story, and I was blown away by his skill as an actor with that! He had the long, red hair and shortly after, I’d started reading the Fever series and got introduced to this interesting character who may or may not have been a vampire.

Roark “Rocky” O’Bannion: Manu Bennett

Image courtesy of the actor’s section on the CW’s *Arrow* wikia page

I know he may not exactly fit the physical description of the former boxer-turned-mob boss, but Manu has the physical presence in the roles he plays that match the intimidation the character gives off. If you don’t recognize this guy, he was in Spartacus, Arrow, and was the White orc in The Hobbit movies.

Derek O’Bannion: DJ Cotrona

He’s an actor I like to look at, plain and simple. Despite the character, Mac did describe him as being pretty good looking, plus I’d believe it if he was casted as Manu Bennett’s on-screen younger brother. He was in the second GI Joe Movie, along with DC’s Shazam.

Dani O’Malley: Abigail Cowen

Image courtesy of chrislabadiephotography.com

This gorgeous actress is seen on Netflix shows like Stranger Things and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and has the perfect look for our younger cast member of the world of the Fever series!

Christian Mackeltar: Emilio Alcarez, Taylor Kitsch, or Andrew Biernat

Emilio, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Andrew Biernat, image courtesy of the model/actor’s IMDB profile

Emilio is a model I’d found on Instagram, and I know he’s not technically from the same background as the member of the Druid’s that have helped the Seelie since ancient times, but I think he does fit the physical description pretty well. Another option is Taylor Kitsch, especially if he’d grow out his hair again like during his Friday Night Lights TV show days. Andrew is a model I found on Instagram who’s been on countless romance novel book covers, and is a more recent choice that would be a sexy male fae prince!

Ryodan: Ryan Paevey

What made this casting easy for me was Ryan’s eyes. They’re utterly mesmerizing and hypnotic, so this casting for me was almost instant once I’d finally met the Night Club owner in the books.

Jack Lane: Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid, who doesn’t need any sort of reminder of who he is or what he’s been in, has been a favorite for fancasting Mac’s father, and I am completely on board with it!

Rainey Lane: Christie Brinkley

I’d watched Christie make a surprise appearance on Parks and Recreation as Jerry’s wife, and have known her since her Bowflex commercials with Chuck Norris. She’s a classic hollywood name, kind of up there with Pamela Anderson. She’d make a perfect casting for the Georgian southern belle of a mother, Rainey Lane.

Dreamy Eyed Guy: Nick Ayler

Lord Master/Darroc: Sam Heughan

Watch Outlander and know why everyone loves the TV version of Jamie Fraser, but I would be curious to see how he’d play a villain like the Lord Master in the Fever Series. He’s a terrific actor, and I’d know he’d absolutely crush it.

Inspector Jayne: Richard Armitage

Inspector Duffy needs to look like a hero, like a Liam Neeson coming to find his daughter in Europe and somehow make more than one sequel on that…Well, At least KMM described him as a Liam Neeson type of character. Richard Armitage was Thorin in The Hobbit movies, and I think he’d be an excellent choice for Jayne!

Rowena O’Reilly: Miranda Otto

I’ve loved her ever since her days as Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings, but seeing her play aunt Zelda on the Netflix hit show, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has made me think she’d be an amazing choice to play the role of the leader of the Sidhe Seers in the Fever Series!

Kat McLaughlin: Alexandra Daddario

Like a few guys on this casting, Alexandra’s eyes are truly magnificent! They’re utterly bewitching, and Kat’s eyes have been described as having a similar effect even though hers are gray instead of the light blue this actress’s are.

Jo Brennan: Hayley Marie Norman, or Jerrika Hinton

Image courtesy of hollywoodsblackrenaissance.com

Jo is described as being in her mid-twenties with dark, short & spiky hair, so these two actresses came to mind. Hayley was in the cheerleader movie, Fired Up, and was in the pilot episode of New Girl, while Jerrika was on Grey’s Anatomy for quite some time!

Isla O’Connor: Emily Blunt

A lot of people are fancasting Charlize Theron as Isla O’Connor, and while I love Charlize and usually have her as a favorite for powerful blondes, I pictured Emily Blunt more as Mac’s biological mother because she’s also a beautiful woman, but in a different way than Charlize that I feel captures the essence of the character better.

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Updated: Here’s Part 2 of my Fancast/Dreamcast after reading past book #7: Burned

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Dancer: Ronen Rubinstein, David Corenswet, or Jonah Hauer-King

Ronen Rubinstein, image courtesy of notedames.com

David Corenswet, image courtesy of popbuzz.com

Jonah Hauer-King, image courtesy of 1883magazine.com

Dancer is quickly a favorite of mine, despite how he’s the character trope of being the cute & nerdy best friend who’s hopelessly in love with the protagonist, who was Dani when we met him in Book #6: Iced. Any of these actors could play our boy genius, they’re actually only 25 or 26, so they fit the age better than my other choice, who was Nicholas Hoult.

Lor: Kaman Sheldon, Philippe Leblond, or Steven Christensen

Kaman Sheldon, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Philippe Leblond, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Steven Christensen, image courtesy of the model’s Facebook page

I would go for Chris Hemsworth, who plays the lovable blond himbo role perfectly, I feel like he’s too easy of a choice, plus he’s way too big an actor to play him. Any of these models could be my pick, especially when we see sooooo much of Lor in Burned 😉

Fade: Joe Manganiello, or Casey Christopher

Joe Manganiello, image courtesy of thefashionisto.com

Casey Christopher, image courtesy of newzopedia.com

Both of these men have the Italian features of tan skin with dark hair and eyes, and both could be good choices to play the member of the pack of 9.

Jada: Miguelle Landry

So she was originally my Dani O’Malley, and without giving much away except that I’ve read Burned by now, I had to make a switch on my casting!

Sean O’Bannion: Flamur Ukshini

The O’Bannion family tree has a truly unique ethnic background: I believe they’re Black Irish with Arabian/Middle Eastern features as well… okay, well someone guide me to models/actors that fit that bill, but while I’m waiting, this Zayn Malik-lookalike model is my choice to play the last O’Bannion member who is betrothed to our Sidhe-Seer Empath, Kat.

Unseelie Prince Rath: Jay Byars

Unseelie Prince Kiall: Alex Sewell

Seelie Prince/King R’Jan: Rick Cosnett

You may or may not remember this guy making a short appearance in the fifth season of The Vampire Diaries where he played that professor that was much more than a pretentious jerk? I thought he’d play this part wonderfully!

Kasteo: Kenta Sakurai

I made Kasteo a POC, why not? Not much is known about this silent member of the pack of 9, except that he is incredibly justified in exacting revenge on Barrons and Ryodan at some point! This Mexican/Japanese model has such a beautiful face, he gives me major vibes of Kasteo!

Dageus Mackeltar: Colin O’Donoghue

Drustan Mackeltar: Sean Maguire

Margery Bean-McLaughlin: Katharine McPhee, Camilla Luddington, or Odette Annable

Katharine Mcphee, image courtesy of last.fm

Camilla Luddington, image courtesy of 9gag.com

Odette Annable, image courtesy of theplace2.ru

Any three of these credible actress’s could play the conniving and backstabbing Sidhe-Seer who’s looking to take over from Kat’s position past Shadowfever! They all give me vibes of what I pictured Margery appearing as.

Seelie Queen Aoibheal: Rachel McAdams

That’s right, Ms. Regina George herself is my queen of the fae because she’s been my real life queen ever since she’s been Regina George in my favorite quotable movie of all time: Mean Girls. I’m making it happen, it’s GONNA happen!

Unseelie King: Gerard Butler

Gerard is such a terrific actor who has such variety and range in whatever roles he takes on. He also has such a powerful and commanding presence on the big screen, I know he’d make an excellent king now that we’re starting to see him in his actual form!

Unseelie Princess: Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana is no stranger to playing these kinds of roles, from Avatar to Guardians of the Galaxy, I know she’d be absolutely wonderful at playing this character too!

Cruce: Sahib Faber

That’s right, Cruce gets his own casting because V’lane was merely a glamour that he’d placed upon himself for so many years to fool us all! This male model is a perfect choice to play our first and most powerful Unseelie Prince who’s not entirely out of the picture quite yet.

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And without further ado… here are the two fancastings I’m sure everyone has been waiting for…

Jericho Barrons and MacKayla Lane!

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Jericho Barrons: Marco Dapper, or Michele Morrone

Marco Dapper, image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

He’s not a very well known actor, I can admit that. Not everyone has heard of him, but I’d discovered him many years ago because I’d casted him in another role from another book. Yeah…I’ve been fancasting for awhile! He may not have the shoulder length hair, but I do believe Marco could look the part of one of my preferred alphaholes. Here are some examples:

Exhibit A: He’s pretty much got that heated, smoldering gaze down pat that we all know Jericho is almost famous for. I can already see the mix of disapproval and barely contained lust like he was staring at Mac in their Bookstore now!

Exhibit B: He looks hella good with his shirt off…He’s even got that longer hair to resemble Barrons even further (for any doubters that may still be out there).

Michele Morrone, image courtesy of marieclaire.com

After watching the… interesting film 365 Days on Netflix, I discovered this beautiful 29 year old Italian man who starred in it, and the entire time I was thinking to myself how this man was giving off some HEAVY Jericho Barrons vibes… I definitely wouldn’t be disappointed with running into him at the bookstore!

MacKayla “Mac” Lane: Barbara Blank

Image courtesy of the actress’s Instagram profile

She’s a reality tv star/actress, but I know her more as a former WWE female wrestler who went under the stage name “Kelly Kelly.” She had a name so nice, they’d named her twice and she sometimes had the characterization as a sexy, playful, flirty, stereotypical blonde that seemed VERY similar to our star of the whole book series. If you have any other doubts, she’s even had a similar hair changing moment like Mac too:

Image courtesy of http://www.thegeekgeneration.com

She’s had a time when she’d gone brunette after being blonde her whole life, so I think that is what sold me to personally fancast her as MacKayla Lane. Plus, being a former WWE competitor, you know she’d be able to do the more physically demanding stunts involved like when she needs to kick some serious Unseelie ass!