While summer is filled with fun, friends, or work, it can also be the perfect time to catch up on watching TV shows you may have missed over the school year (or maybe even the past two). The books-turned-show adaptation, “Shadow & Bone,” was one such show for me. If I'm being transparent, this particular show has already been written about in our lovely Student Movement, but it deserves the hype, so here's round two. First, let's give a bit of background just as a refresher, or if this is your first time hearing about it, let me introduce you to the Grishaverse.
Leigh Bardugo is the author of both the “Shadow & Bone” (S&B) trilogy and the “Six of Crows” (SoC) duology, which were fused together in the TV show adaptation. She's authored other works as well that are not of the S&B universe (also termed the "Grishaverse"), including “The Ninth House” (for my dark academia aesthetic people and for those of you who aren’t quite sure what that means, here’s an article that helps explain it: What Is Dark Academia And Why Is It So Popular | Book Riot). Most of her writing has been focused around the setting in which the above works were created. The first book in the trilogy was published in June of 2012 and steadily gained notoriety for its Russian-themed worldbuilding and its strong, female protagonist. After the other two books followed suit with even more glowing reviews, Bardugo introduced the first book in the SoC duology in 2015. Taking place within the same universe as the original trilogy, these two books feature a cast of even more stunningly written characters, a plot of robberies and heists, and even the "found-family" trope that is incredibly popular in Young Adult (YA) novels. Eventually, these gained so much popularity that Netflix decided to make a show out of them, combining both the trilogy and the duology into one timeline. Season one aired in April of 2021, with season two following two years later in March 2023.
Reactions were mixed with many people saying that although the storyline was decent, it wasn’t anything new or revolutionary (such as the review from The Guardian: Shadow and Bone review – fantasy epic not quite the next Game of Thrones | Fantasy TV | The Guardian). Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a score of 89%, saying “from gorgeous costumes to impressive–if intimidating–world-building, Shadow and Bone is an exciting adventure for fans and newcomers alike. (Shadow and Bone - Rotten Tomatoes)” The second season scored lower with an 80% but still received positive feedback.
While the show does leave out some details from the books, overall, it hits all of their main plot points, even going so far as to illuminate different social issues we see in our reality, such as racism and sexism, without blotting out the storyline itself. In this vein, both the books and the series do a good job at writing characters with very humanistic traits. One such character is the main female protagonist, Alina Starkov. Starkov is shown to be of a more diverse ethnic background than the rest of Ravka's citizens and is a victim of their prejudice because of it. The audience sees her journey of self-discovery throughout the two seasons and while being dazzled by her power, can grasp the underlying message of the importance of self-definition. Speaking of women, another of my favorite parts about this series is the vast array of strong women who do what they have to for themselves yet always come through for one another. I happen to love a good "women supporting women" type of vibe and it’s nice to see in entertainment with reality being what it is.
Another example of this is the character Jesper Fahey. From the SoC duology and played by actor Kit Young in the show, Fahey exhibits very human-like qualities for being entirely fictional. At odds with who he is and covering his insecurities with a healthy dosage of swagger and suave, he pulls off heists and racks up gambling debts like he gets paid for it, which I suppose he does. However, this isn't why he's my favorite character in the series. He's also a queer, Black man who finds it challenging to be vulnerable around his people, something many young people can relate to. With these admirable writing and casting qualities, both Bardugo and show director Mairzee Almas provide younger audiences with a mirror to look back at themselves and, thus, give a deeper meaning to an action-packed fantasy series.
I've watched both seasons twice and read both the trilogy and duology, so I must say that while the books are better (as they always are), the show seems to capture all of the elements that one usually finds in any fantasy universe. So, if you’re looking for a fantasy show (or books) with beautiful characters, a stunning setting, and that covers important topics, enter the Grishaverse. You can escape reality for a while by falling in love with a morally gray (not entirely evil but also not “good”) villain and rage against the forces of evil with women who know how to fight. Ultimately, I would recommend it.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.