Netflix’s adaptation of the Shadow and Bone series/Six of Crows tie-in is now in its second season. Spoilers lie ahead, so if you haven’t read the books or if you don’t want the show spoiled (because it is *quite* different from the books), proceed with caution.
Now that I’ve got all that out of the way, let’s get on with it!
The premise of this season starts out where it left off and where it is the most similar to the books: Alina and Mal are on the run from their pasts and the people who would a) use Alina for their own gain, b) kill Alina for various reasons, c) arrest Mal for desertion.
Meanwhile, the Crows have returned to Ketterdam to find things much worse than what they’d left. Kaz, Inej, and Jesper are all wanted for the murders of Tante Heleen and a member of the Stadwatch (three guesses as to who framed them.) Enter “Sturmhond.”
Now that I’ve set that up for you, here’s the gist of the plot that loosely follows that of Siege and Storm (book two of Leigh Bardugo’s trilogy): Alina and Mal seek out the Malastov’s remaining two amplifiers (Alina glommed onto the Stag’s powers in season one, remember? Even though the Darkling killed it): the Sea Whip and the Firebird. The biggest difference at this point in the story is that the Darkling does not capture Alina and Mal. He doesn’t even know they survived the Shadow Fold at this point. Enter Sturmhond again.
The Crows grow in number (from three to five—Matthias, if you’ll remember, is still in Hellgate) and they are tasked with the task of hunting down and stealing a blade with such sharp edges, it can cut through darkness. Why are they tasked with going after it? Well, the Darkling has some shadow monster friends that need dealing with.
I honestly cannot remember if this blade came into play in the book trilogy. If it existed, I seem to remember it being a dead end, but I can’t recall with 100% certainty, so I’ll just shut up about it at this point.
My highly biased opinion: I really liked the books, and I feel that although the show made some HUGE changes to things here and there, along with the ending (MEGA SPOILERS: Alina keeps her powers and Mal leaves her to find himself. I know. Oh, and Alina seems to be on the verge of becoming a psychopath, but I digress), it worked for the most part and was a highly entertaining season. I believe the reason some things had to change was to work the Crows’ storylines in. They are, after all, not a part of the book trilogy, even though they are a part of the same universe.
My grade: Three and a half stars
That half-star that bumps the grade up? Yeah, there’s a huge nod to a major part of King of Scars. It’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment: Zoya bats away a bee that is hovering near her while they say their farewells to the Darkling. (Chills, you guys. Chills. If you haven’t read KOS, you’ll have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.) Though how the showrunners are going to bring about *that* plotline after they had the characters BURN THE DARKLING’S BODY, I’m not sure.
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Have you watched the second season of Shadow and Bone? What are YOUR thoughts?
Keep your nose in a book,
Beth
P.S. A little less than four months until Brittle (Blade & Bone 1) releases from Flame Tree Press! Preorder your copy today.
Beth Overmyer 