Can't Wait Wednesday - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Time for another episode of Can't Wait Wednesday, sponsored by Wishful Endings!

Last time I talked about how I can't wait for Daughter of the Pirate Queen, and guess what came in the mail yesterday!!

Now the book I'm really excited for and CANNOT WAIT for is Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

Summary: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.

But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.
(from Goodreads)

I loved Naomi Novik's Uprooted so much, and I'm excited for another fantasy in this style by her! Too bad the expected publication isn't until July 10th of this year. That's so far awayyyyy!

I do have the first few books in her Temeraire series, so I suppose I could read those while I wait, haha. What about you? Have you read anything by Naomi Novik? Is there a book you're just dying for?

Book Review: Scorpio Hates Virgo (Signs of Love #2) by Anyta Sunday

(rating)

 

Published August 30th 2017 by Anyta Sunday (first published December 5th 2014)
Review: This year is all about healing the heart, Scorpio. It’s time to leave negative attitudes and stoic facades at the door and let others see the real, more vulnerable you.

Percy Freedman is not grieving. Absolutely not, take that back at once. No, he’s entirely sure that selling his dead aunt’s home and leaving the neighbors he’s known for years is the sane thing to do. Who in their right mind would keep the house that smells like all the hugs he’ll never have again?

Nobody, that’s who.

Well, except his cul-de-sac neighbors. They all seem to think some paint and new furniture will clean the emotional slate. They all want him to stay.

Even his nemesis, Callaghan Glover.

Especially his nemesis, Callaghan Glover.

Lured into a game of Sherlock Gnomes, Percy finds himself hanging out with his neighbors more than might be considered healthy. Along with juggling new and surprising verbal grenades from Cal, and his burgeoning friendship with Gnomber9, Percy is starting to wonder if selling might have been the grief talking after all . . .

That’s right, Scorpio. With a little patience, heartbreak might be a thing of the past . . .

 

Review: GAHHHHHH! I wanted to read this book all in one big gulp, but sadly I have a job and kids and a life and stuff. I stayed up past my bedtime and had to force myself to put this book down. Then the following morning my kids woke me up 30 minutes before my alarm, and once I got them back to sleep instead of crawling back to bed to 20 minutes I sat down and got another couple of chapters in before I had to start my day.

I LOVE the snarky, witty banter between Percy and Cal! And how they call each other by their full, ridiculous names (Perseus and Callaghan) in pretend annoyance. Their witty hate banter reminded me a lot of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (which I also adored). The supporting cast is also really great, and I marked this on my “small towns” shelf because Percy and Cal live on a cul-de-sac that is a super close-knit community of neighbors that reminds me a lot of the neighbors on my own street in suburban Minnesota. One of the women in the neighborhood, Crystal, is way into horoscopes and gives everyone their readings all the time, as well as insight into each other (and themselves).

As a fellow Scorpio, I totally understand Percy’s insecurities and tendency to throw up walls of snark to protect his heart. Percy definitely has his issues, but he is also experiencing a lot of pain and grief throughout the course of this book. He’s all sass and sarcasm and sadness and sexy-times. I love Cal and his patience, his wit, his commitment to his family, her nerdy love of dinosaurs and words, his hot bod… ;) The verbal sparring between the two totally makes this book, and it just kills me how often they’re telling each other the truth in a tone dripping with fake sarcasm. I spent the entire time reading this book with a grin on my lips or with my heart in my throat and tears in my eyes… sometimes both at the same time.

I also love that I got this via Kindle Unlimited, because they also have the rest of the series and I am immediately going to go "check out" the first book in the Signs of Love series, Leo Loves Aries!

Down the TBR Hole #6

Another installment of the meme (challenge?) from Lisa at Lost in a Story.

Last time on "Down the TBR Hole" episode 5, we finished going through books added to my To Read shelf on Goodreads on April 13, 2010, which left 1,690 on my To Read shelf. After some natural fluctuations (adding, removing, and reading), today it sits at 1,695. Hey, not too shabby!!

Let's get rolling, shall we? It looks like I went on another adding books binge on April 15,  2010 so the goal for this Down the TBR Hole post is to get through everything I added that day... almost 8 years ago. Haha!

Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin
This actually has not very good reviews, I think I'm going to release it into the wild.
Decision: Go

Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield
I appear to have been on an ancient Greece and Rome kick this day. It's not really a genre that interests me much anymore.
Decision: Go

Tides of War by Steven Pressfield
Same explanation as above, I guess!
Decision: Go

In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales #1) by Catherynne M. Valente
I've got a copy of this sitting on my To Read shelf in my room. This is supposed to be kind of a 1,001 Arabian Nights set up, where the girl is telling a bunch of interconnected short stories. Let me just say this book is HUGE. I'm up for the challenge, though.
Decision: Keep

The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore
It's a fairy tale retelling and those are my jam, but I'm actually just not feeling this one.
Decision: Go 

Ingo (Ingo #1) by Helen Dunmore
This one has been on the to read for so long, and I love mermaids so much, that I feel like if I was ever actually going to read this I'd have done it already.
Decision: Go

Goddess of the Sea (Goddess Summoning #1) by P.C. Cast
I think I might own most of the books in this series thanks to a shopping spree at Half Price Books many moons ago. Better keep this and actually, y'know, read it someday.
Decision: Keep

Bull God (Greek Myths #4) by Roberta Gellis
I have all 4 of this series on my list. Removing all but #1 and will add the next in the series if I like the first one after reading it.
Decision: Go

Enchanted Fire (Greek Myths #3) by Roberta Gellis
I have all 4 of this series on my list. Removing all but #1 and will add the next in the series if I like the first one after reading it.
Decision: Go

This Scepter'd Isle (Doubled Edge #1) by Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis
I LOVE Mercedes Lackey, and haven't read anything by Roberta Gellis. Interested to see if I like this as much as some of the other Misty novels I've loved.
Decision: Keep


Well that's my 10 for the week, but let's keep going with the rest of this stuff added on April 15.

Keep:
Dazzling Brightness (Greek Myths #1) by Roberta Gellis
Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire
Violet Eyes: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea by Debbie Viguie
Spirited by Nancy Holder
Winter's Child: A Retelling of The Snow Queen by Cameron Dokey
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of The Ballad of Mulan by Cameron Dokey
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Ivory and the Horn (Newford #3) by Charles de Lint
Cygnet (Cygnet #1-2) by Patricia A. McKillip
Elfland (Aetherial Tales #1) by Freda Warrington
Wolfskin (Saga of the Light Isles #1) by Juliet Marillier
Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint


Go:
Shimmering Splendor (Greek Myths #2) by Roberta Gellis
Thrice Bound (Greek Myths #5) by Roberta Gellis
Pay the Piper (A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale #1) by Jane Yolen
Troll Bridge (A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale #2) by Jane Yolen
The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales of Childhood Survivors edited by Terri Windling
The Midnight Dancers (A Fairy Tale Retold #4) by Regina Doman
Into the Wild (Into the Wild #1) by Sarah Beth Durst
The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale by Laurence Yep
Birdwing by Rafe Martin
A Necklace of Rubies by Cindy Lynn Speer
Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand by Louise Hawes
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
Tapping the Dream Tree (Newford #9) by Charles de Lint
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
The Arrow and the Lamp: The Story of Psyche by Margaret Hodges
Moonwise by Greer Gilman

Starting To Read Total: 1,695
Total Kept: 16
Total tossed down the TBR Hole: 25
New Total: 1,670

Yes, I added ALL of these books to my to read list in one day. Oy vey.

Book Review: Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber

Narrated by Rebecca Soler
 

Rating: 3 Stars

 
Published January 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books
Summary: Remember, it’s only a game…

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.
(from Goodreads)
 

 
Review: I really loved the narration by Rebecca Soler, so much so that after finishing this book I immediately went to Audible's website to look up what else they have that she has narrated that I might be interested. I think that's about the highest compliment you can pay a narrator! I especially loved the way she did Julian's voice, his accent and the way he calls Scarlett "Crimson" made me just melt. I think a large part of my love for Julian was due to Rebecca Soler's narrative prowess.

Sadly, I was not as enamored of the book itself as I was of its narration. Part of my problem is probably that I went into reading this book with very high hopes. I adore the idea of a magical circus where the audience participates in the show and anything can happen. There were elements of world building that I really loved, and some of the language was very beautiful. Example: a description of the sky as being "made of melting lemons and burning peaches". It did venture into some serious purple prose territory a few times, but for the most part the ornate and somewhat overblown descriptions were enjoyable, and matched the overall feel of the book. There was definitely a very Alice's Adventures in Wonderland sort of feel, with hatters and roses and whimsy aplenty. The plot got kind of convoluted at times, and there were several twists that, rather than being titillating, left me sitting here like "wait… what?"
 

 

I also hated Scarlett. It's hard to love a book when the main character annoys the crap out of you! Scarlett's main personality points are (1) she loves her sister, (2) she's annoyingly cautious/fearful while also being stubbornly bullish about her fear being the right way, (3) she apparently experiences emotions in colors, and (4) did I mention she really loves her sister? Like, who ARE you, Scarlett? Why do I care about you? I appreciate that you love your little sister and want to protect her from your completely horrible father, but you need some more facets of your personality than this unrelenting, single-minded focus on your sister. Also, it was really annoying the way she kept jumping to conclusions about things (for a such a cautious person she sure doesn't have a great process of reasoning things out…) and thinking everyone mysterious or good looking or wearing a top hat MUST be Legend.

Julian I liked a good sight better. He's full of secrets and mysteries and half-revealed truths, and I felt like I got to know him better despite all of his plot twists and reveals, than ever I did Scarlett (who is the main character and the main focus of the story!) I love the little glimpses you get into Julian's inner struggle. Which made me like Scarlett even less, because she keeps throwing up these road blocks of fear and indecision, basically shooting herself in the foot over and over again, but next to Julian Scarlett's struggle and growth just made her look stupid.
 
Some of the side characters were cute, I liked the descriptions of the fantastical things in Caraval. However, I found myself putting the audiobook on 1.3X speed so the book would just be over already, mostly because I was so sick of listening to Scarlett screw things up, worry, be indecisive, and describe things as being the color of various emotions. My dislike for Scarlett and her whining was so strong that I almost DNF'd this at about the 25% mark, but Julian kept me going. The ending was a big wah-wah for me, and there's an epilogue that is supposed to entice you and tease you for the next book. Ehhhh, I probably won't read that.

Apparently Fox 2000 has already purchased the rights to turn this into a movie, and I can see Tim Burton doing it. I'll probably see the movie, but I don't really have any interest in reading the next book in the series.
 

 

Sharing Book Riot: Dear Stephanie Meyer: I'm sorry - Critical Linking

I ran across this on Book Riot today, and it felt worth sharing. It's kind of longish, but has a good message.




I liked reading the books the first time through. I tried rereading them and was like, "Oh... these are actually pretty horribly written..." But not any worse than some other YA or romance novels I've attempted to read in the past few years. I know I have felt the mighty shame of having liked these books.

"Yes, Twilight is silly. A lot of pop culture is silly. Imagine the same amount of vitriol being leveled at the equally silly Fast and the Furious market." This makes some really good points about garbage fiction and crappy movies that are not targeted at teenage girls getting a pass. Listen, y'all, teenage girls deal with enough garbage. Let's let them like whatever they like without attacking it (and them).

What do you think? Were we too hard on Twilight? Did you like it? Did you ever feel like you needed to lie about liking it for fear of being attacked?

Book Review: A Devil in Scotland (No Ordinary Hero #3) by Suzanne Enoch

Rating: 5 Stars

Expected publication: January 30th 2018 by St. Martin's Press
Summary: The dawning of desire...

1806, Scotland: Wild, reckless Callum MacCreath is in no hurry to become someone’s husband. But when his responsible, steady older brother Ian announces his engagement to their childhood friend Rebecca, Callum makes a startling discovery: he wants the lovely young lass for himself. But it’s too late, and when Ian banishes him for his duplicity, he’s only too happy to leave Scotland forever…

...is delicious and dangerous.

1816: Marrying Ian was the practical, logical thing for Becca to do. But once Callum sailed away to America, she missed his rakish charm and lust for life. Now, ten years later, Becca is a widow when a much-changed Callum returns to his Scottish homeland. Will he remember their spirited, fiery connection, or does he blame her for his brother’s unexpected death? This time neither of them can deny their scorching attraction, but will their hearts be burned in the blazing heat of scandal?
(from Goodreads)

Review: This was my first Suzanne Enoch, and only my second or third historical romance about highlanders. You know you found a great book when you immediately go on Goodreads and start marking all of their previously published books as "To Read," haha.

I love Suzanne Enoch's writing style. Her characters are so multi-faceted and full of depth, flaws, and redeeming qualities. The dialogue is wonderful and often witty. Both our hero (Callum) and our heroine (Rebecca) go through quite a journey of personal growth, after suffering a significant amount of pain and heartache. I love that Callum and Rebecca were childhood besties, and that Callum doesn't even realize his feelings for her until he finds out she's engaged to his brother. I also really appreciate that while young Becca is drawn to Callum, she also knows she needs to make a wise decision for her future and the drunken, volatile brother is not that choice. This is a friends to lovers story while also being a second chance romance and, because of the situation that brings them back together, also sort of an enemies to lovers story as well. It's so multi-layered and multi-faceted, and Enoch weaves it all together with great skill. I had a really hard time putting this book down!

I thought I was nae going to like all the Scottish accents, ye ken, but it wasnae too annoying for me. I think that consistency and moderation are key when writing dialects authentically, and if the whole book had been full of spellings like "oot" for "out" and whatnot, I'd have DNF'd this in a hot minute. Mostly it was use of aye, nae, and ken to give the Highlanders an authentic feel to their dialogue, which kept me remembering where we were set (like you could forget with all the men in kilts!!) without alienating me as a reader. Enoch manages to strike a really great balance, which I think can be difficult to do.

This is the third book in a series. It does touch on the plotlines for the first two books, including what is likely plot twists and outcomes of plotlines. The characters/plotlines from the previous two books have some bearing on what happens in this book, but what you need to know to understand is covered/recapped in this book so it doesn't affect the readability at all. While this book can definitely be read as a stand alone, beware spoilers for the previous two books. If you really care about that sort of thing, read Hero in the Highlands (No Ordinary Hero #1) and My One True Highlander (No Ordinary Hero #2) first.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Friday Fun: Mermaid Box from Kal-Elle Fandom Monthly Mermaid Box

Today I'd like to talk to you about a fun box I got recently!
I used to subscribe to Kal-Elle Fandom Monthly, back when I had less children and more money. Sadly I've since stopped all subscription type services, but when Kal-Elle posted a special Mermaid Box in their shop, I just had to get it!

 

I was pretty impressed!

 



The precious... Can you handle the anticipation?!
(I can't).



 

 

This was a really lovely curated box of mermaid goods. Inside was this beautiful print of a mermaid. One thing I always loved about the monthly boxes, each month there's always a gorgeous watercolor style print. Usually the style is more of a rainbow splattery graffiti look, but I really love this mermaid print.

 

In addition to the print, the box also included was a pillow cover (just put a pillow of the right size inside!), mermaid print socks, a mermaid tail make-up brush, several items of jewelry, and a mermaid pin.

 

Here you can see the matching necklace, earrings, bracelet, and hair pins, as well as a mermaid button pin, a ring with bits of shell inside, and the cute makeup brush.

 

A second necklace says "mermaid" and is shaped like a mermaid tail.

 

Close-up of those sweet mermaid socks!

 

 

Sadly, I don't see this box listed on Kal-Elle's shop on Cratejoy any longer. The jewelry isn't really my style and is a little cheap and costume-y, but I might wear it for some occasion if I go out and want a mermaid feel to an outfit, and I love that it's a matching set with hair accessories! The pillow case is probably my favorite item from this box. What do people even use those fan-shaped makeup brushes for, anyway?

 

Well, what do you think of this mermaid box? Are there items you really like? Do you subscribe to any subscription boxes? Do you think they're worth the price point?

 

Giveaway Winner!!

Well my first giveaway is officially over. Thanks to everyone who participated!!

Congratulations to my big winner, Buba Petreska!!
You won the complete Disgraceful Dukes trilogy by Lenora Bell. YAY!!

I've sent the winner and email letting them know how to claim their prize, and if I don't hear back from them in a week I'll pick a new winner.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this giveaway! And be sure to keep an eye out for another post in March for a giveaway of the first book in Lenora's new series, What A Difference A Duke Makes (School For Dukes #1).

Book Review: The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral #1) by C.L. Wilson

Rating: 5 Stars

Published July 29th 2014 by Avon
Summary: After three long years of war, starkly handsome Wynter Atrialan will have his vengeance on Summerlea's king by taking one of the man's beautiful, beloved daughters as his bride. But though peace is finally at hand, Wynter's battle with the Ice Heart, the dread power he embraced to avenge his brother's death, rages on.

Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father's palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig's icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion.

As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin's wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter's passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test.
(from Goodreads)

 

Review: C.L. Wilson is a new author to me and OH MY GOSH, am I so glad I read this book! This took me 6 days to read, but it only took that long because I came down with pneumonia shortly after starting and was, as my husband so eloquently put it, basically dead for a week. It's epic Fantasy meets Romance and the best possible bits of both. About halfway through I noticed this is tagged as "paranormal romance" which I don't think really fits. Paranormal romance makes me think of vampires and shamans and a typically urban fantasy setting, but maybe that's just me. This is set in a medieval fantasy setting where the ruling class has weathergifts (magic), and Wynter gets his magic from having basically drunk from the essence of a dead god. The world building was amazing, and I liked how the royal family of Summerlea all have different aspects of weather magic they're gifted with. The run around calling each other names based on their gifts, so the three princesses (who are out leading lady Khamsin's sisters) are Spring, Summer, and Autumn (no real mention on what their particular gifts are, though), her brother is Falcon (because he can communicate with birds, though I'm not quite sure how that's weather related?), and Khamsin is known as Storm (though absolutely no one calls her that until pretty far into the book, and then it's like it's inserted as an afterthought). Betcha can't guess what Kham's power is...

Actually, my biggest issue with this book was probably the author's choice of names. The hero's name is Wynter of Wintercraig, the Winter King. OK, you probably could have named him just about anything but Wynter. There's also a side character named Reika Villani - with a last name like "Villani" you just know she's going to be bosom friends with our heroine, right? Riiiight... Another side character's name is Belladonna (a poisonous plant, also known as deadly nightshade) - bet she won't end up being a shady character in any way, nope, not her.

Aside from the names, I loved this book. I loved the world building, the history of the countries and their gods and their magics. The overall plot is incredible, and all the little twists and bumps within are great. One of my main issues with romances is that plot devices are thrown in to shake things up when the leads are getting too close to their HEA too soon, but I didn't feel that happened in this book. It was a bit of a slow burn, with plenty of bumps that were very organic to the overall story.

If you know me, you know I love broken, unwanted, unloved people. Seriously, while other little girls were dreaming about Prince Charming from Cinderella or Eric from The Little Mermaid, I was all about Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. So it's no surprise that I immediately fell in love with Khamsin, the unwanted princess who never should have been born. Her father blames her for her mother's death when she was three years old, and she's basically shut away in a little used part of the castle and the people basically don't even know they have a fourth princess. No one loves her but her nurse and her siblings, and she refuses to let her abusive horrible father break her. She is strong, spirited and proud, while at the same time wanting to be like her hero and ancestor Roland who basically sacrificed his life to win a war for his country.

Then there's Wynter, who parents were killed when he was only 16 and suddenly he's a teenage king and also raising his 6 year old little brother basically by himself. He struggles through and manages to be this good and fair king for like 10 years, until Kham's jerkbutt brother Falcon comes swooping in and steals his intended bride, one of their kingdom's most prized treasures, and slaughters a bunch of people when he makes his escape - including Wynter's only family, his little brother who is only 16. Cue Wynter's rampage and the three year war on Summerlea. Basically, Wynter is this really good guy just trying to do his best that swallows some of the essence of a dead god to give him terrible powers to wreak havoc on his enemies.

Since I immediately loved both Khamsin and Wynter, I was so glad to see their relationship go through several stages of development, including dealing with some very real trust and self-worth issues they both have, on top of the whole being forced into marriage as a contract for peace added layer of confusion. What's real? Am I the only one feeling this way? Do I really feel this way? What's true, and what's a lie? Ooh, it's all so delicious! And heart breaking!

OK, this review is already longer than I wanted it to be, so I'll sum up. I cried several times reading this book. It broke my heart, give me glimmers of hope, and then shattered it again like so much ice. I can't wait to read the second book in the series, which is about the Sea King (whom we meet briefly in The Winter King) and him courting one of "the Seasons" (Kham's sisters) to be his bride. I can't wait to see what happens!!

Guest Post :: Peekaboo's Corner - Fancasting Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Welcome, dear friends, to another chat in Peekabo’s Corner. I saved that comfy chair over there for you.

Today, we will be discussing a book that Elley already reviewed and that I also devoured, Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. More specifically, Elley and I will tell you who we think should play all these fabulous characters in the film adaption. (PLEASE let there be a film adaption!)

 

Dr. Jillian Toth

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in the Alien movies (yassss)

Peekaboo: Is there a possible other choice? Sigourney Weaver is the quintessential badass woman.  I have a few other choices in mind, Claudia Black for instance, but no one who is quite as amazing as Sigourney.

Elley: No, there is, in fact, no other possible choice.

 

Theodore Blackwell

Luke Evans (yes please)

Peekaboo: What can we say about Luke Evans? He’s attractive, he sings, he wears a suit well. He’s a bit younger than Sigourney Weaver but honestly, does it matter? He should be cast in literally everything, and I think he’d make a wonderful Theo Blackwell

Elley: We had a kind of hard time agreeing on who should play Theo. I rejected most of Peekaboo's suggestions and she rejected most of mine, but when we came up with Luke Evans, it was magic. We just knew he has to play Theo.

 

Victoria (Tory) Stewart

Kate Sackhoff (Starbuck, BSG) or Blake Lively

or

Peekaboo: I am Team Blake on this one. Although I do love Katee in literally everything she’s ever been in including White Noise 2 (which was awful), I feel like Blake more embodies the mid-twenties, slightly desperate, searching for answers vibe that Tory has going.

Elley: OK, wait, what? Because when I suggested Blake Lively youuuu said she needed to be more muscley or something!! I'm glad to see you've finally come around to Team Blake.

 

Luis

Elley: For some reason I picture him as Nino Lahiffe from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Peekaboo: I have never seen this show, but whoever this animated dude is fits Luis’s description in my head nicely.

 

Olivia

Dove Cameron

Peekaboo: Yup. Yup yup yup. Yup.

Elley: Mostly because I love her and need to see her in more things. 😉 I also managed to find a LOT of pictures of her with platinum blonde hair and wearing white, just like Olivia!

 

Dr. Hallie Wilson

Isla Fisher

Peekaboo: Who is this person? I have no idea, but she’s a) apparently a good actress and b) looks almost identical to who I pictured in the book, so I’m sold.

Elley: Peekaboo actually suggested another redhead I’d never heard of for this role, but I can’t remember who she said and she drafted this guest post and went with me choice, so I’m rolling with it. 😉 (P.S. She was in Now You See Me and The Wedding Crashers, among other things.) I also like JoAnna Garcia Swisher for this role! She gives off a great big-sister vibe.

 

Dr. Holly Wilson & Heather Wilson

Katie Leclerc

Peekaboo: Katie Leclerc is hard of hearing! She has red hair! She is (roughly) the right age! More important, can we please cast actors who experience a disability that the characters do? Profound yes.

Elley: I pictured her for both of them, since they’re identical twins… haha. I picture the photo on the left as Holly and on the right as Heather, personally.

 

Michi

Dichen Lachman (aka Sierra/Priya from Dollhouse)

Peekaboo: She’s Australian! It’s perfect!  We know she can play kickass roles because of her work in Dollhouse. Literally place her on the boat and voila, golden.

Elley: Can I just say, please, that her character in Dollhouse is Australian of Asian descent. HOW PERFECT IS SHE? (The answer: too perfect.)

 

Jacques

Enver Gjokaj (aka Victor/Anthony from Dollhouse)

Peekaboo:  Again, he is basically perfect. The only thing is, I pictured Jaques as being short and squat, to Michi’s tall Amazonian fabulousness. Other than that, I’m golden.

Elley: As soon as I realized Dichen Lackman would be great at Michi, I knew there was only one man who could be her Jacques. I defy you to find a better couple to fit this pairing.

 

Daniel (was that his name? The Dolphin guy)

Tom Hiddleston

Peekaboo: Is this my excuse to shove Tom Hiddleston into absolutely everything because I love him? Yes, perhaps a bit. But also when I read Daniel, he didn’t stand out a whole lot to me as having lots of defining features, and Hiddles is not a striking individual. Make it so.

Elley: This character didn’t really stand out to me a lot… I’m not sure if I agree with Hiddleston, but I don’t have a better option to forward, so I’ll roll with it! …Wait, did Peekaboo just say Tom Hiddleston is NOT a striking person? He’s gorgeous!

 

Jason

Ansel Elgort

Peekaboo: I nominate Ansel Elgort. Yes, the leather jacket lends nicely to Jason’s smarmy personailty, but also I think he has an attractive face that also sometimes whispers “you want to punch me in the nose”, which is exactly how I picture Jason.

Elley: He just needs more blood coming out of his everywhere.

 

Gregory and Daryl

George Clooney and Russel Tovey

Peekaboo: George Clooney as Gregory. A) he’s done like 42 movies on boats already so filming would be fine, b) he has that austere older gentleman look, but can play the cragley grumpy guy very well. (Again, all those movies.)

Russel Tovey for Daryl, because I’ve seen him play scared, hesitant, really not sure what the fuck is going on in Being Human. Also those ears.

Elley: I picture those two side characters from Monsters Inc, but I’ll roll with this too. No idea who that second fellow is, but I do have to agree with Peekaboo when she says “those ears.”

Elley: So what do you think? Do you agree with our decisions? Or did we miss the mark?

Peekaboo: Do you have any thoughts on who you’d cast for any of the people in Into the Drowning Deep? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Elley: We forgot Olivia’s cameraman!! What was his name? Ray? I want to cast Jason Momoa as Ray, mostly because he’s fiiiiiine.