I can’t believe I’m late to the party! Though I’ll be honest, I’ve only read the first three The Mortal Instruments books (City of Bones five times in attempts to start again from the beginning to the end) but they hold a special place in my heart. I still clearly remember the first time I stumbled upon the books in my high school library in 2010, intrigued by the eye-popping cover. I do plan on finishing the series, especially now because of my recent spontaneous splurge.

When the movie came out, I went in with no expectations (Hollywood’s record of failed book-to-movie adaptations does that to you) and I left feeling “eh”. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t particularly over the moon about it. Perhaps the best thing about the movie was Robert Sheehan as Simon Lewis. A+ casting.

Plans for the sequel didn’t work out, but they soon announced a reboot on TV. A much better medium in my opinion, considering how vast a world Cassandra Clare has made.

Dominic Sherwood was first to be cast as Jace, the sharp, witty, talented Shadowhunter. I have no qualms about this as Dominic is no stranger to young adult franchises. We all know he can pull off Jace’s snark as well as his vulnerability, because he excellently portrayed Christian Ozera in Vampire Academy.

It was here that I must’ve fell off the face of the internet because suddenly most of the main characters had been cast without me even realising it!

First thing I thought of was: wow, she’s gorgeous. Second thing? SHE HAS THE PERFECT LOOK FOR CLARY. Lily Collins did a really good job with Clary, but I never felt she quite had her look, and she didn’t have those red locks that the character is well known for. Of course, sometimes you can’t have both, and I’d much prefer good acting over whether or not the actor/actress looks like how the character is described, so let’s hope Katherine McNamara kills it! (She’s also been cast as Sonya in The Scorch Trials, so she’s obviously got the acting chops.)

In a perfect world, Robert Sheehan would return as Simon. A lot of the fans had the same sentiment, but I’m really rooting for Alberto. If the picture is anything to go on, he looks like he’s going to an amazing job at capturing the essense of Simon. And again, wow. Emeraude Toubia is gorgeous. The whole darned cast is gorgeous. I might have to get new prescriptions after a few episodes of the show because they’ll be burning my eyes with their beautiful faces — as if I need to be anymore visually impaired. How am I supposed to live like this?

About the only thing I know about these two men is that the former is Alexandra Daddario’s brother, and the latter is the old spice guy. My calculations tell me I’m going to get to know them a whole lot more. If you know what I mean. Heh. I haven’t seen these guys act, as with the majority of the cast so far (excluding Dominic) so I’m going to go in with no expectations (but high hopes).

Overall, I’m really happy with how the cast looks. I know fans can be pretty harsh with that kind of stuff but I reckon the best course of action is to wait until the show airs. Some people may not be happy, but let’s save it until we actually see them in character.

Also, can I get a HELL YEAH for diversity?