TV Review: Shadow and Bone

So after binge watching Shadow and Bone, I think it’s only fair that we give it a review this week. I will say that I haven’t read the trilogy by Leigh Bardugo that the series is based on but the series has tempted me to start reading it though. However, Bardugo does play a large role in the writing of the series and hopefully that means that it will be a satisfactory representation of the novel series for existing fans while still being entertaining to the new Netflix audience. All the episodes of Season 1 are available on Netflix now. So let’s dive into the Grishaverse with the Shadow and Bone trailer and see how Alina Starkov’s story unfolds and, naturally, that requires a possible spoiler warning, just in case.

Plot

The country of Ravka has been divided by the Fold for centuries. The Fold is a wall-like zone of shadow, infested by winged, carnivorous, shadow dwelling creatures called Volcra. After a trip through the Fold, orphan cartographer Alina Starkov’s rare powers to create light are uncovered, identifying her as a Grisha (aka a magic user) and as the Sun Summoner. She is then removed from the non magic First army and brought to the Little Palace to train and hone her powers under the General of the magic wielding second army, General Kerigan, who is also the Shadow Summoner.

Actors & Casting

Jessie Mei Li fits into the lead character role of Alina Starkov exceptionally well and has great chemistry with seasoned actors like Ben Barnes as General Kirigan and Zoë Wanamaker as Baghra. Jessie’s friendship and closeness with Archie Renaux (otherwise known as Malyen ‘Mal’ Oretsev) is genuine and really helps us understand why Mal makes so much of an effort to get back to Alina. Both Barnes and Wanamaker were always going to be excellent additions to the series. In the subplot, Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa and Kit Young as Jesper Fahey really seem like they’ve been a team for years. The whole cast works exceptionally well together.

Trust Issues

So while I was watching the series my immediate reaction to Kirigan was that he was just a little too perfect in early episodes. You know, too good to be true and the way he went about finding out information about Alina was sly and not the usual approach. He may have some genuine feelings for Alina but something really bothered me about him and I immediately distrusted him. Turns out I was right about Kirigan but, since I was right about Kirigan, I began questioning everyone’s motives for helping Alina including Mal, who has been friends with Alina since they lived in the orphanage together. Kirigan gave me trust issues and his mother proved me right. Plus, to me, there is something just a little odd about Mal that I can’t put my finger on and I hope it’s discussed in future seasons (if other seasons are announced) because the man gets shot, wounded or injured repeatedly and still manages to get back up. He should be dead multiple times over so I’m very curious about Mal and I’m watching that.

Reactions & Thoughts

Personally, I genuinely enjoyed the series and would really hope that Netflix renews the series for another season but I have no idea how accurate the plot is when compared to the novel. I’d be very interested in finding out how much or how little the series plot deviates from the novel. The series does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so I think quite a lot of people will be rooting for season two even if it is just to conclude the story in some way, shape or form. We do, however, see the beginning of the plot and secondary storyline converging and it will be interesting to see how the introduction of other characters changes the dynamics of the pre-existing groups. I felt that the series was shot exceptionally well and the stark contrast between the life lead by Grisha and non-magic people was made abundantly clear. There are also clear prejudices ingrained in the universe which I’d love to understand more about. Though you’re given plenty of information without it being dumped in via exposition, perhaps a bit more lore and background would have made certain incidents more understandable from a new viewer’s point of view. Overall, it has a great plot so far, it’s an incredibly bingeable, moreish series and I’ll be very interested to see how it develops if it is picked up for a second season.