Image courtesy of Raven Kennedy’s Facebook Page

Hello readers!

Nick here—duh—to present another fancast/dreamcast of another series that I know has been getting A LOT of attention on Instagram and Tiktok—I assume; I refuse to get on there myself—but the Plated Prisoner series is one that a lot of people in my reading circles have been recommending! While it’s certainly been a slow-burn of a story in almost all aspects, it’s also one that definitely takes you by surprise and makes you curious to keep reading on!

The story starts with the first book titled “Gild” and is about a realm called Orea, where there are six kingdoms and King Midas rules over the sixth kingdom, Highbell. In his Golden Castle is the caged woman, Auren, who the story actually revolves around. She is Midas’s favored, his prized possession, his ring to rule all rings, his pet, so you get the picture…

Somehow, she’s able to live in her fully golden body and even has her own silken ribbons that go down her spine that can move on their own and can feel things like pain and touch. She was the victim of child trafficking and was homeless until Midas rescued her, and for ten years she lived in a golden, gilded cage in his castle and shows her joy and gratitude of being his even though her “savior” keeps her in a golden-caged prison.

King Midas is coming up with a plan to take over the fourth kingdom, the most powerful of them all, which is also ruled by a figure known as King Ravinger, or King Rot. There’s also hints tossed in about how long ago there was a seventh kingdom ruled by the Fae, and how Orea was actually co-founded by humans and Fae, but the Fae betrayed them about 300 years ago and cut the bridge between their worlds and disappeared…but perhaps some of their magic was left behind?….who knows!

Like I said, the first book may leave a lot to be desired for some readers, but as I’ve gotten further in this darker romantic series, I can agree that it’s plenty entertaining and definitely worth giving a shot!

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

To see my review of book #2- Glint – Click HERE

Other Reviews coming soon!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Auren: Nicola Peltz, or Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid, image courtesy of shilpaashuja.com

Both of these blonde bombshells are who I could see playing the main character of this series; maybe Nicola a little more since I know out of the two she has more acting experience…I mean, I also only know her for when she was in one of the Transformers movies with Mark Wahlberg, but hey, I know they both fit the physical description and are both in their mid-twenties like Auren is described as!

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King Midas: Kerem Bürsin

At first I was like, “Oh, King Midas is definitely Gabriel Aubry,” who was the model who used to be married to Halle Berry, but then Midas is described as having golden hair with hints of him being a redhead, and then I saw this guy appear on some social media site like Pinterest or Tumblr or Twitter…and he has this smile that seems genuine, but I could also see him being a character with a darker edge beneath the surface, and this adaptation of Midas is worse than Tamlin in ACOTAR—seriously—so I don’t know if that helps explain it or makes any sense, but there you go!

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King Fulke: Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista is a cool guy, plain and simple, and I’ve been a fan of the guy ever since back the day he was in WWE and a multi-time world champion! I love that even after he left, he followed Dwayne Johnson’s footsteps and went to Hollywood and has found success in that too! He was Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, he was in Spectre and plenty of other movies too! Luckily, I also know he’s not like this character either, which is actually comforting…

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Rissa: Charlotte McKinney

Image courtesy of the model’s IMDB profile

I remembered this blonde model/actress because she was compared to Kate Upton quite a bit back in the day! I’m not sure how much stuff she’s actually been an actress in, but hey, she’s got an IMDB profile, so that right there tells me she can be considered an actress too! Rissa, who is one of the more notable saddles in Midas’s harem, is described as blonde and absolutely gorgeous, and I think Charlotte totally fits that description!

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Queen Malina: Natalie Dormer

Game of Thrones, The Tudors, Pillars of the Earth, hell even The Hunger Games…we should all know Natalie is top tier when it comes to these fantasy, sci-fi settings. This queen gives me some major Cersei Lannister vibes, and with how her character Margery Tyrell showed she has a dark side too, I know Natalie would rule as the Queen of Highbell if they made these books into a film or TV series!

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Sail: Nick Slater

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

I first noticed this actor when he was one the CW period drama Reign, and when I met the character Sail when he befriended Auren on their journey in book #1, and this guy instantly came to mind for me to play the young and friendly knight!

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Digby: Charlie Weber

I could totally be off on this choice, but I also don’t remember really any physical description that was given about Digby other than he gave me impressions that he was an honorable and stoic man. If there are any actual times in the books when he’s described, please let me know! I’m only two books in as I make this choice, so it may change…Charlie Weber was in How to Get Away With Murder!

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Captain Fane: Stephen Dorff

I thought Stephen kind of physically fit the description of the snow pirate captain, not that I think he’s anything like the character himself…The only things I’ve seen that he’s in was Zack Snyder’s Immortals which starred Henry Cavill, and he was the douchey boyfriend in Britney Spears’ music video “Everytime.”

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Commander Rip: Walter Savage, or Jay Ryan

Walter Savage, image credit to soulartistmanagement.com

Jay Ryan, image courtesy of gettyimages.com

Walter Savage is a model I’ve been following on Instagram for some time and he was the first guy I thought of when I met Commander Rip in the books! He’s definitely got the rugged looks of him and even a smoldering stare, but I also included the actor, Jay Ryan, who may be another good choice too! His sharp facial structure matches that as described as Rip too, and he’s most notably in the horror sequel IT: Chapter Two.

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Hojat: Andrew Garfield

This may totally just because I’ve been getting back into Spider Man with the recent movie that came out that also happens to be around the same time I started these books too, I just thought of Andrew Garfield playing the kind and cautious medic of Commander Rip’s army.

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Osrik: Tom Hopper

As soon as I was told Osrik is Commander Rip’s freakishly tall second-man-in-charge, My mind went to Tom, who has history in fantasy-genre TV shows! He’s been in Game of Thrones, Black Sails, and is currently in the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy.

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Talula Gallerin: Diamonté “Saweetie” Harper

Again, I could totally be off about this one, but upon looking around and trying to find someone who looks like what I imagine this character looking like, the rapper Saweetie just happens to be the closest person I could find! I don’t know if she actually has the acting chops to pull it off, but hey, it’s just a fancast for me and this book series, so I’m not going to spend too much time worrying about it for this particular instance…

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Judd: Travis Van Winkle

Judd is described as being kind of handsome but having mustard colored hair…either he got a really bad bleach job, or that’s just the author’s way of saying he’s really blonde, I’m not sure…Travis is an actor who’s actually been in quite a lot of stuff I’ve seen! He’s usually cast as the douchey boyfriend/rival of the main character, but has been in other roles too: some projects he’s been in are Accepted, 90210 (CW Reboot), Friday the 13th (2009), and most recently the third season of the Netflix show You, where from what I’ve seen just on Twitter, he leaves VERY little to the imagination!

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Keg: Mackenzie Cook

The glass-eyed comedic relief from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies was instantly who I thought of when I wondered what Keg looked like when you meet in the book series!

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King Slade Ravinger (“King Rot”): Dusan Susnjar

To be honest, I don’t really know who this guy is…I know he’s a french model and I follow him on Instagram and that he’s very attractive! He’s who I think King Rot looks like in person, BUT as I’m typing this I still haven’t read “Gleam” (book #3) and you will meet more of him in that installment, so this choice could very well change once I read more scenes with him! Consider this a possible filler choice for the time being, and enjoy the view while you can, because like I said…this guy is hot!

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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

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

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!