After nearly a year-long wait from the day season 1 dropped, season 2 of Shadow & Bone, the young adult fantasy show produced by Netflix and based off of Leigh Bardugo’s best-selling Grishaverse novels, is finally being released! As both a fan of the books and the phenomenal adaptation of season 1, I have followed the cast’s social media as they announced the show’s renewal, underwent filming, and now through press leading up to its release this week.
If you’re just like me (excited to jump back into this world that you’re telling absolutely everyone about it), here are a few things to refresh your memory before season 2:
- Season 2 will follow the events through the rest of the shadow & bone books
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The show took an interesting twist on adaptation in that it followed the events of the first book of the Shadow & Bone trilogy while also borrowing the characters of the Six of Crows duology. In book canon, this series follows the Crows as they pull off a heist in the same world, but this plotline takes place a few years after the end of Alina’s storyline. To twist these different storylines together, the show acts as a sort of prequel for the Crows in the meantime. Some parts of the show are taken straight from the book (like Matthias and Nina’s story), while some are exclusive to the TV adaptation (Kaz, Inej, and Jesper’s adventure).
It was interesting news to hear that the show will complete the rest of the Shadow & Bone books — implying we will see the end of Alina and Mal’s story by the end of the season. For me, this brings up some interesting questions: how will the Crows be handled if the show ambitiously wants to get through so much material for Alina and Mal? What will inevitably be chopped from the show that was initially in the books? Fans like me will just have to wait to find out!
- The show’s cast will now include new beloved book characters
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If you’re a fan of the books, I’d bet that you already know about Nikolai’s reputation. As many fans’ self-proclaimed “book boyfriend,” Nikolai is a swashbuckling pirate captain with a witty personality and lots of secrets that readers meet at the beginning of book 2 of Shadow & Bone, before he becomes a key player for the rest of the series. He is joined by Tolya and Tamar, played by Lewis Tan and Anna Leon Brophy, who are part of his devoted crew and also stick around for many future events. I was on the edge of my seat to get the casting announcement for Nikolai, and from Patrick Gibson’s first appearances portraying this iconic role from the trailer, he looks like a perfect fit!
Even more exciting than Nikolai for me personally was the casting for Wylan Van Eck. Season 1 gave us a good look at almost all of the Crows, including Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Matthias, and Nina. TV fans may not know that there is one more person who rounds out this troupe and it is Wylan, the earnest son of a Ketterdam crime lord who is gifted at explosives (and at playing the flute). Six of Crows is one of my absolute favorite book series and among its cast, Wylan is my favorite character, so I am very excited to see him come to life. He is played by English actor Jack Wolfe, who looks just like how I pictured Wylan, and he will finally appear in Season 2!
- the show will travel to new places
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One of the strengths of the Grishaverse is its world-building. The show has given us a good glimpse at Ravka, Ketterdam, and Fjerda, each with their own real-world-inspired country and political climate (especially surrounding the magical Grisha). However, the world the show is set in has even more nations beyond that. It has already been confirmed that season 2 will take viewers into Shu Han, a mountainous monarchy based on Mongolia and China, and Novyi Zem, a nation across the sea from the others that has its own surprising views on Grisha.
- The Darkling is back — and more menacing than ever
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Season 1 spoilers! At the end of the last episode, it was revealed that General Kirrigan did not actually die after the fight in the Fold. Season 2 will focus on the Darkling as the villain again; this time, with some new and terrifying shadow minions the protagonists have never seen before.
- Prepare for an all-nighter: here are the details of Season 2’s release
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After going through all the new things to come, here’s the new season’s actual release time! All 8 episodes that make up the entire season will drop at once on Thursday, March 16, following the same pattern as season 1. Prepare to binge or plan your watch party (I definitely will be)!