Image courtesy of my #bookstagram: @goodyreads

In the start of a brand new ADULT fantasy series by one of my favorite authors, we are once again introduced to an astounding cast of characters in another richly detailed world created by one of the Queens of YA Fantasy. This book just released earlier in 2020, so of course I wanted to share my own personal fancast of this book that I’d devoured since I’d opened it’s pages.

Here’s the official blurb:

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

To see my review of book #1 – House of Earth and Blood – Click HERE

To see my review of book #2 – House of Sky and Breath – Click HERE

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Here is my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Danika Fendyr: Elle Evans

Elle is a model/actress that I came across during my search for some cute blondes; I guess she’s most notably from Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” music video.

Jesiba Roga: Evan Rachel Wood

Image courtesy of the actress’s IMDB profile

Evan Rachel Wood is an absolute show-stealer in HBO’s “Westworld,” and when I’d read Jesiba’s description in the book, Evan immediately came to mind, especially when I remembered her wearing this look to the Golden Globes in recent memory.

Connor Holstrom: Stephen Amell

Stephen Amell has the perfect look for the second in command of Danika’s pack. For any of you DC/Marvel fans, Stephen has recently finished his most notable role from the CW’s “Arrow.” Despite how the book plays out, I really did wish Bryce and Connor could’ve had a chance.

Ithan Holstrom: Robbie Amell

Ithan is Connor’s younger brother in this story, so why not get Stephen Amell’s cousin to play the role? I’ve been in love with Robbie ever since he played Max in Disney Channel’s Life With Derek, and he’s been in The Babysitter, The DUFF, and the CW’s The Flash.

Thorne: Steve Lund

Image courtesy of http://www.stevelund.net

Danika also had a chance at happiness with Thorne, who was a quieter member of their pack. He didn’t say much, but Steve came to mind of who I’d thought he’d looked like. Steve has been in the shows Bitten, Schitts Creek, and even had a brief appearance in Blue Mountain State.

Sabine Fendyr: Madchen Amick

Image courtesy of the actress’s Twitter profile

I absolutely adore her as Alice Cooper in the CW’s hit show, Riverdale, and thought of her when I’d gotten to meet Danika’s absolutely despicable mother.

Fury Axtar: Gemma Chan

Gemma has such striking features; she’s stuck with me ever since I’d seen her in Crazy Rich Asians. Looking at Sarah J. Maas’s Pinterest board for the book, I learned the mercenary/assassin was of Eastern Asian descent, so of course I’d think Gemma would be a great Fury!

Juniper Andromeda: Jessica Parker Kennedy

She’s in the TV Show Black Sails, and she has the exact look I’d think graceful and statuesque Juniper would appear as.

Isaiah Tiberian: Elliot Knight

Image courtesy of the actor’s Twitter profile

He played Merlin in ABC’s Once Upon a Time, and also briefly appeared in How To Get Away with Murder. Feel free to check him out on social media and see his bromance with bestselling LGBTQ YA author, Adam Silvera too!

Viktoria Vargos: Jenna Dewan

The former Mrs. Channing Tatum, who is an actress and dancer, has been around dance all her life and has been linked to several big names in the music industry before she starred in the 2006 dance flick, Step Up.

Ruhn Danaan: Stephen James

Ruhn was by far was the hardest to find someone to cast…he’s got such unique look to him! Odds are whoever would plays him will be spending A LOT of time in make-up to get the look of the Fae Prince. Stephen is a 31 year old British Model, and he defs rocks the blue eyed tattooed look, and with a long wig, he’d look quite like Ruhn in my opinion!

Naomi Borgeas: Tessa Thompson

Badass female character who’s a POC…it almost goes without saying that Tessa Thompson is made for that role!

Justinian: Harry Lloyd

This one is still kind of up in the air for me to be honest…

Lehabah: Lizzo

This is a match made in heaven…the famous music artist would make an amazing firesprite who’s all about the latest gossip and the hottest males who enter Bryce’s life. I just pictured this character being more curvy and similar to Lizzo’s figure.

The Autumn King: Viggo Mortensen

It’s hard to imagine Viggo playing such a prick of a character like the High Fae Autumn King, especially since he’s frickin’ Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings movies. I know he’s a terrific actor, and I’d want him to try this completely different role than the one I’m so used to seeing him as.

The Viper Queen: Lourdes Faberes

I’d recently watched the mini-series Good Omens, and really enjoyed seeing her play one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Pollution, and think she’d also crush the role of the sketchy drug dealer in Crescent City.

Philip Briggs: Michael McElhatton

He played the slimy and deceptive Roose Bolton in Game of Thrones, so I’d think he’d play the human terrorist/rebel who has had unspeakable terrors happen to him behind bars.

Micah Domitus: Casper Van Dien

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

I know him best from the Starship Troopers movies that were so bad that they were actually good, but he’s got such a commanding look; he’d be able to nail the powerful role of the governor who hardly takes “no” for an answer.

Tristan Flynn: Theo James

To be honest, I don’t remember much that was said about his appearance, but if Tristan is such a big flirt, he’s got to have the looks to back it up, right? Theo James, without a question, can step up to the plate.

Declan Emmett: Finn Jones

Image courtesy of Entertainment Weekly Magazine

Another Game of Thrones alumni, Finn Jones went from playing a Tyrell to being Danny Rand on Iron Fist.

Sandriel: Evangeline Lilly

Image courtesy of http://www.99starimages.com

Evangeline is so beautiful, it’s intimidating…she can kick some serious ass as an elf in The Hobbit movies, and is also a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Ant-Man alongside Paul Rudd. I think the bombshell would have no problem playing the ruthless and powerful governess of the northern region of Pangera.

Tharion Ketos: Austin Zenere

Austin is a model, and Tharion is an extremely good looking mermaid…so it’s pretty much an easy set up there, right? I really hope we see more of Tharion and the other merpeople in the later books!

Ember Quinlan: Rose Byrne

Ember was the perfect combination of funny but protective whenever it came to her daughter, Byrce. I feel like Rose Byrne would be perfect to play her, I pretty much love every movie she’s in!

Randall Quinlan: Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle is extremely versatile as an actor; he can be serious in movies like Hotel Rwanda and Crash, but can show his comedy skills when he joined the MCU. Randall is the kind of father that can joke around one moment, but can become hardass, military dad with excessive intimidation in his arsenal the next.

Aidas: Lucas Bloms

Perhaps the most interesting character in the whole book, the 5th Demon Prince leaves quite an impression, and must be as striking as he is chilling. Lucas Bloms is a model who’s VERY easy on the eyes, so can he manage to cast the perfect amount of wickedness as his character? I’d like to watch to find out!

Pollux Antonius: Austin Jenkins

Image courtesy of the wrestler’s Instagram profile

Another WWE wrestler because…why not? It’s my fancast, and this guy who plays the ultra-cocky “Adam Cole” character every week definitely gives me vibes for Sandriel’s commander of the triarii, the Malleus, and master of torture.

Queen Hypaxia Enador: Shay Mitchell

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

Shay Mitchell is a favorite of mine ever since I’d first laid eyes on her in the hit TV show, Pretty Little Liars. She then completely switched up her character to play Peaches Salinger in the (now) Netflix show You. She has such a unique look, I’m a big fan, and I’d love to have her be a part of this casting!

Lidia Cervos “The Hind”: Ashley Roberts

The Hind is described as being one of the most beautiful women in this world, and Ashley Roberts came to mind as her being one of the former members of the chart topping group, The Pussycat Dolls. Even though she’s smiling in this pic, I bet she’d be able to pull off the cold, cruel beauty of this character!

Prince Cormac Donnall: Sam Corlett

Sam Corlett is a young Australian actor who already has quite a few notable titles to add to his acting resumé: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix and even now Vikings: Valhalla and now he’s also my fancast choice for Ruhn’s cousin (I Think?) and rival who becomes an important character in book 2: House of Sky and Breath!

Archangel Governess Celestina: Sanaa Lathan, or Gabrielle Union

Sanaa Lathan, Image courtesy of themoviedb.org

Gabrielle Union, image courtesy of shape.com

I could honestly see either of these actress’s play the new governess of Lunathion after the demise of the previous one! Celestina was an interesting character because even though she was kind and fair, I still couldn’t figure out if I could trust her…leave it to SJM to make me question an actually nice person of a character!

Baxian Argos “The Hellhound”: Keith Carlos

Yet another character who ends up being way more than their first impression fortells! I ended up really liking Baxian and am curious to see what else he does in the series! Keith Carlos is a former NFL wide receiver and now male model who was actually the first male winner of America’s Next Top Model!

Mordoc: Dolph Lundgren

Dolph Lundgren is a famous actor who was in quite a bit of action movies in the 80’s, but even was in The Expendables with a notable list of other action movie stars from different generations! He’s also been in Creed II, Rocky IV, and I believe he would be an excellent choice for this terrifying character in book 2!

“The Harpy”: Riley Keough

For some reason I pictured the granddaughter of Elvis Presley playing this minor character who’s temper is about a sharp as an actual harpy eagle’s talons!

Archangel Ephraim: Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac is who I imagined this character being, the Star Wars actor has this presence and authority vibe that I picked up from this character!

Asteri Bright Hand, Rigelus: Timothée Chalamet

The Bright Hand (and unofficial leader) of the Asteri is described as being a lanky teenager with a chilling smile….Timothée instantly came to mind. It’s hard to think of anyone who doesn’t know this young actor’s name or face by now, his star power has certainly risen to astronomical heights with him starring in Dune–what may have been the most anticipated film I can remember in a long time!

Hunt Athalar: Colby Lopez

Colby Lopez is a WWE Superstar who goes by the name “Seth Rollins” when he get’s inside the ring, so besides the looks, he’d obviously be able to perform the more physically demanding stunts with playing the infamous fallen angel nicknamed the Umbra Mortis.

Bryce Quinlan: Natalie Marie Nelson

Image courtesy of the actress’s Twitter account

Natalie is a gorgeous actress/reality tv star who is most well known for when she was in the WWE and E!’s reality show “Total Divas”, under the ring name “Eva Marie.” Her hair is no longer red, but look her up and see for yourself how amazing she’d look the part!

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:: More Characters to be added as the series goes on! ::

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fancasts/Dreamcasts

My Fancast/Dreamcast: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

December 7, 2019March 7, 2023 nicholasjgoodsell

Image from @goodyreads, my bookstagram account!

When his mom became the President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was casted as the American equivalent of a young prince. He’s handsome, charismatic, genius, but there’s one problem: Alex has major beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond.

When the tabloids get ahold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation with a wedding cake, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of both families devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagram-worthy friendship grows much deeper, and soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret, romantic, sexy affair with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry.

Unfortunately, life ain’t easy like a Disney movie like they make us want to believe, and everything that weighs against the two of them begins to threaten their relationship. It raises the questions: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

See my full book review of Red, White, and Royal Blue HERE!

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Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

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Alex Claremont-Diaz: Alfonso Herrero, Tyler Posey, or Diego Boneta

Alfonso Herrero is an Instagram model I’d discovered, and I thought he definitely looked the part. Go follow him and see all the sweet, romantic photos of him and his (real) boyfriend, and tell me you don’t get Alex-vibes from him!

Tyler Posey is a young actor who’s best known for starring in the reboot of Teen Wolf on MTV, and I got to say, I feel like he’d absolutely nail the mischievous smirk Alex gets before he says something to absolutely piss someone off!

Diego Boneta is an actor with a wide variety of roles he’s played: he’s been in the musical Rock of Ages, MTV show Scream Queens, and even played Aaron Samuels 2.0 in Mean Girls 2 (Yes, such a thing exists, and I’m sorry to those that had managed to forget about it).

June Claremont-Diaz: Clara Alonso, Ana de Armas, or Nathalie Kelley

Clara Alonso is a Victoria’s Secret model with some Spanish flair, and is absolutely gorgeous, so I could see her playing Alex’s older sister, June!

Ana de Armas did an amazing job in the film Knives Out amongst the more well known names included, so I think it’d be interesting to see her play a different kind of role like June if they make this book into a movie!

She was in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, she played a siren on The Vampire Diaries, and is on another CW Show, Dynasty; Nathalie has the confidence in any of her roles to nail the part of June.

Henry, Prince of Wales: Wyatt Nash, Jeremy Irvine, or William Moseley

Wyatt Nash is on a lot of shows I’m watching right now! He’s guest starring on Riverdale, GLOW, and can be seen on the show, Dear White People (All these shows can be found on Netflix). He’s not British, so I hope he could imitate the accent if he got casted!

This gorgeous specimen starred in the movie Warhorse, but most recently was seen in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Jeremy is in fact British, and is incredibly good looking, so I’d personally love to see him play Prince Henry of Wales!

Yes, who wouldn’t want Peter Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia movies to play another prince all these years later?! William, who I swear was a gay-awakening for me even when I had no idea what that even was, also already plays as Prince Liam on the TV show, The Royals, so why not continue his royal streak?

Nora Holleran: Hailee Steinfeld, Brenda Song, or Janel Parrish

Hailee Steinfeld has been a popular choice for mathematician Nora, and I can kind of see it; Hailee can definitely nail Nora’s quirkiness based off how she was in the Pitch Perfect sequels!

Anyone who is a millennial and grew up watching Disney Channel knows who Brenda Song is… London Tipton anyone? She has more recently been in The Social Network, guest starred on New Girl, and even starred in some thriller on Netflix. I don’t remember the title, but they pretty much spoiled the whole thing in the trailer…

Janel Parrish played Mona Vanderwall in Pretty Little Liars, and was in the romantic Netflix movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Zahra: Lesley Ann Brandt, Zoe Saldana, or Tessa Thompson

I’ve been watching Lucifer on Netflix, and my girl Lesley here plays a demon who is a master in the art of torture, so I know she’d be amazing at the role of hardass secret service agent, Zahra!

Zoe Saldana is so great at playing sexy, badass female characters! Maybe she can step away from her Marvel movies as Gamora and play the role of Zahra in the (hopefully) upcoming release of a movie!

Another Marvel lady, Tessa Thompson also nails the role of a badass, tough-as-nails woman in so many of her roles.

President Ellen Claremont: Connie Britton

Connie is an American Sweetheart ever since she was in the Friday Night Lights TV show, and everyone wants her to be their mom, or just get close to her luxurious, iconic hair…don’t pretend like you haven’t thought about it!

Rafael Luna: Oscar Isaac, Joey Gonzalez, or Adam Rodriguez

Perhaps my favorite aspect to have come out the new Star Wars Movies–other than Daisy Ridley–Oscar Isaac is a popular choice I’ve seen to play the role of Rafael Luna.

A gorgeous man I discovered on Instagram, he’s also the CEO of mega workout program, Barry’s Bootcamp, so I guess he’s kind of big deal? I honestly don’t know, I’m not big into fitness, but look at his face!

Adam Rodriguez melted hearts in CSI: Miami, the Magic Mike movies, and even played a lustful literary professor in Jane The Virgin; Adam would be an excellent choice!

Senator Oscar Diaz: Jaime Camil

I loved this man’s extra-ness as Rogelio De La Vega in Jane the Virgin, plus he’s an incredibly handsome Mexican actor, perfect for the role of the Senator, who is also Alex and June’s father!

Mary, Queen of England: Judi Dench, or Helen Mirren

No explanation needed.

She doesn’t need one either.

Percy “Pez” Okonjo: Ncuti Gatwa

I haven’t personally seen this actor in anything, but I looked at some images of him, and he can pull off the flamboyant and fabulous style of Fez, who is Prince Henry’s best friend back across the pond.

Shaan Srivastava: Marwan Kenzari, or Rahul Kohli

Both men’s names came up on who would be an excellent fancast option for Shaan, so I couldn’t decide between the two and let them both have the spotlight!

Philip, Prince of Wales: Freddie Stroma, Harris Dickinson, or Josh Dylan

Freddie Stroma is the most recognizable guy in this bunch for me, he played Cormac McClaggen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but Harris Dickinson is in the newest Maleficent movie!

Catherine, Princess of Wales: Emma Thompson

I haven’t seen Emma Thompson in anything for quite some time besides playing the kooky Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies, I think she’d be an excellent choice for Henry’s mother!

Beatrice, Princess of Wales: Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, or Lily James

Catch Florence in the movie, Fighting with my Family, where she plays the young but talented WWE Superstar Paige! She had an edginess to her, and we see the same thing every so often in Beatrice throughout the book, so it’d be interesting to see her in this role.

I absolutely adore Emma Watson! I’d love to see her take on this role thats so different than what she usually plays, much like Lily James, but I think she’d do amazing at it either way!

I loved Lily in Baby Driver and the live-action Cinderella movie! She’s cute as a button, but I’d be interested to see how she’d play Beatrice, who has a lot of heavy issues with royal fame and substance abuse that weigh her down.

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