Shadow and Bone is a fantasy teen series developed by Eric Heisserer (Arrival and Bird Box). The Netflix original series is based upon two key collections of books from the Grishaverse, a series of young adult fantasy adventure novels by Leigh Bardugo. The series takes characters and storylines from the ‘Shadow and Bone’ trilogy of novels and the ‘Six of Crows’ duology. It’s a complex and detailed world filled with new languages, cultures, and magical terminology.
The series focuses on an orphan called Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), who discovers that she has magical powers. She becomes the Sun Summoner, with the ability to manipulate and control light. Her nemesis is the Shadow Summoner, General Aleksander Kirigan (Ben Barnes), who goes by the ominous title of the Darkling. Kirigan has used his powers to create a shadow landscape called the Fold, which consumes everything in its path, growing larger by the day.
In season two, Alina attempts to destroy the Fold by acquiring two amplifiers (magical beings that enhance her powers). First, she goes after the Sea Whip and then the Firebird. She is supported by her childhood friend Mal Oretsev (Archie Renaux), who helps her track down these amplifiers across harsh terrain. As she searches for the magical creatures, Kirigan builds himself an unstoppable army made of shadow monsters. They will need their own army and all of these new powers to stop him.
Meanwhile, in Ketterdam, a gang of thieves called the Crows tackle an enemy from their leader, Kaz Brekker’s past. Kaz (Freddy Carter) is joined by his usual criminal friends, sharpshooter Jesper Fahey (Kit Young), the elusive Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), and a handful of recruits. These two subplots soon merge as the fight to destroy Kirigan, and the Fold intensifies.
The series has been one of the more popular properties for Netflix in recent years, combining a love of fantasy epics and the usual coming-of-age teen cliches, featuring unrequited love and the quest for purpose in life. Will Netflix be renewing this teen phenomenon for a third season?
Will there be a Season 3 of Shadow and Bone – renewed or canceled status
Netflix is yet to announce the renewal status of Shadow and Bone, although it is hard to believe this fantasy epic won’t be given a third season. The show is extremely popular with the streaming site, gaining impressive figures for Netflix overall. The second season will be successful, regardless of the show’s quality or content; it is almost an inevitability. This type of series can’t seem to lose. It looks pretty likely that we will be hearing the news of Netflix announcing a third season of Shadow and Bone in the coming days or weeks.
The first season adapted the first novel in the ‘Shadow and Bone’ trilogy, and the second season focused mainly on the sequel novel titled ‘Siege and Storm.’ This means that a third season would likely adapt the third novel, titled ‘Ruin and Rising.’ The source material is already there for a third outing, so the series has a blueprint it can follow. There is also unused material from many other books in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse series. Netflix will want to keep making more of these stories while there is a keen interest and plenty of storylines still to adapt. As always, we will keep you posted on any updates in the pending renewal of Shadow and Bone.
You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.
