Shadow and Bone TV Series Review
I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, but here I am doing this. Welcome to my Shadow and Bone TV Series Review! I had some thoughts I wanted to share, so here they are. If you’re new here, Shadow and Bone is the Netflix adaptation of Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. It dropped on April 23rd, and I may or may not have already started my second rewatch. Let’s jump in!
This review will also be spoiler-free!
Read my review for The Conductors!
Title: Shadow and Bone
Adapted by: Eric Heisserer
Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Content Warnings: Violence, implied sexual assult, war, slurs (anti-Asian)
Release Date: April 23rd 2021
Storyline: Dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.
All opinions are my own.
So I’ve decided to CAWPILE this adaption, mainly because the CAWPILE structure helps me organize my thoughts. AND I HAVE MANY. I’ll try not to be a screaming mess the whole time.
Shadow and Bone TV Series Review
Characters – 10/10
BEN BARNES AS THE DARKLING HAS MY ENTIRE HEART. I make no secret of the fact that I’m a fan of the Darkling. I like morally grey/bad characters. They’re fiction, so allow me to enjoy fictional bad boys. Ben Barnes gave his entire soul to this performance and it really stands out. Hell, the entire cast stands out. Kit Young as Jesper Fahey was an amazing choice, and he stole every scene he was in.
Jessie Mei Li was stunning as Alina. They portrayed her emotions and her feelings so well, and the chemistry between her and The Darkling was AMAZING.
Freddy Carter and Amita Suman also stood out as Kaz and Inej. It was like the characters walked off the pages of the book. Overall I’m just blown away by all of the performances and I am still in awe that we got this adaption.
Atmosphere – 8/10
As a long-time fan of the books, I tried watching the series as someone who doesn’t have all the worldbuilding knowledge. It definitely leaves something to be desired. We’re introduced to The Fold, but not many other parts of the world. Also, the Grisha orders must be entirely confusing to someone who doesn’t live and breathe Grisha. A small scene explaining the orders and the colours would have gone a long way.
Visually the world was stunning. The CGI of the Fold, the volcra and the Small Science was amazing.
One thing that really bothered me was the added racism. If you haven’t been following the development of the show, here’s a quick run-down. The decision to add anti-Asian slurs and racism to a fantasy story to “fix” the diversity was not it for me. I know I can’t speak on these elements, since I’m not Asian, and I urge you to listen to AAPI creators when discussing this part of the show.
Writing – 8/10
While the writing was overall good, I found that some scenes and dialogue sounded a little stilted. Alina and Mal’s first conversation feels really awkward and a lot of other lines just didn’t sit well.
I will commend them for incorporating the Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows storylines so well. I was worried about how they were going to do it since Six of Crows takes place after the Shadow and Bone Trilogy ends.
Plot – 10/10
The plot is fast-paced but cut with some slower moments that allow us to catch our breath. Six of Crows was incorporated really well and the Crows’ presence really adds to the story and the worldbuilding. I have no idea what they’re going to do in season two, but here’s hoping we get a season two.
I have heard some complaints about Nina and Matthias’ storyline. While it makes sense for me, new watchers might wonder what their purpose was in the story. For that, we’ll have to wait.
Looking for more book reviews? Check out my review directory!
Intrigue – 10/10
It’s safe to say I was intrigued. I binge-watched this in one day and I am not mad about it. I was hanging on every scene, every spoken and unspoken word. This is one of the best book to TV adaptions I’ve ever seen.
Logic – 9/10
As I said before, more worldbuilding could have been done in terms of the Grisha and the Small Science. We get snippets here and there, but since Alina is also new to the world of Grisha, a better explanation was needed. I did like the addition of the hand movements. It gives a certain power to “magic” that is mostly invisible in the books.
Enjoyment – 10/10
10/10 would recommend. Sankt Milo for President.
Chat with me about Shadow and Bone (TV Series Review)
Did you enjoy Shadow and Bone?
If you’d be interested in working with me or you want to advertise on this blog, click here!
Pin This!
I find that when it comes to high fantasy, that my brain copes better, and I enjoy it more when I can see it. Great post.
I haven’t read the book and didn’t realise that an adaptation had been done. I can’t remember the last time I watched Netflix. Lovely review and glad you like the adaptation as some are not done well but this sounds like it is.
While I haven’t read the series, I think I will enjoy watching it.. did not realize it was on Netflix; thanks for sharing..
Excellent spoiler-free review. I really want to watch but am considering reading first. I did hear that the anti-Asian racism storyline was added which just feels weird, especially with everything going on right now.