Released in April 2021, the show Shadow and Bone, based on the novel of the same name, takes the Grisha world to the big screen. How much did they get right and is it worth watching?
Shadow and Bone Show Summary
Alina Starkov finds out she is a Grisha when her best friend Mal’s life is in danger. She is the legendary sun summoner and she has the power to destroy the Shadow Fold, a region of darkness that is infested with monsters called the volcra. The Darkling takes her under his wings and trains her to master her new powers.
In another country, Kaz Brekker and his team called The Crows intercept a mission and decide they will pursue the million krugs reward. But that means finding a way across the Shadow Fold and kidnapping the alleged sun summoner from the fortress that is known as the Little Palace.
Commentary
If you read the novels then you have a lot of questions. Yes, those two timelines overlapping never happened in the novels and changes a lot of things. From the timeline I could tell, we meet Kaz and his crew much before the events of the Ice Palace. We are introduced to Nina Zenik and Matthias and follow their first encounter.
The characters from Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone are all introduced in the show except for one major character. Kaz and his team are given a new mission and it steps on the toes of the Shadow and Bone plot. And as you can imagine, a bunch of things change as a result.
For the most part, the major plot is intact but a bunch of quotes and character development are misplaced and rushed. If you are a fan of the novels, then you will be left shaking your head a lot.
I will say that I liked the cast and they were well chosen. They bring out the uniqueness of the characters and are decent actors. Kit Young who plays Jesper steals a lot of the spotlight with his acting and fun charisma.
Conclusion
I would say I enjoyed the Netflix show for the most part. Some parts felt dragged out and could have done without. The fighting scenes were a delight and well done. Not everything was great but for a first season, it was entertaining.
Season two should be much better and there is a lot of material left to pull from. We should be getting the Six of Crows plot and that should be one big crazy adventure. Kaz does need more time on his character and we should get that when his team is the focus. His aura of mysteriousness made the novels great and the show should keep that same energy. That alone is a great recipe for an even better season two.
I haven’t watched or read this one but it looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out. Sometimes I don’t like watching something before I’ve read it.
It’s entertaining. I’m sure you’ll like it!
I really like your website
Thanks! That means a lot 🙂
I loved the book of Six of Crows, but thinking I should read Shadow and Bone before watching the series?
I would recommend it so you feel invested in the shadow and bone plot and characters because the door show doesnt have the just character development for the shadow and bone characters. I do think it’s also cause the six of crows characters have more substance and individual identity.
Thank you 🙂