Shadow and Bone

I LOVED the first season. It was pretty similar to the books it just combined two of the book series. Shadow and Bone and the Crows. It even made me buy and read the books. Season two took a turn the last few episodes. Without warning they changed the ending for a clear attempt at continuing the Netflix series. Making a certain character evil. And decreasing the value of several others. Disappointed in the outcome. Yet another string of disappointments for Fantasy genre. I feel like studio involvement got in way. It has been a little while but I remember certain characters dying, or dying in certain ways that they didn't.

Loved the first season. Waited patiently for the second season... all for almost nothing. There seems to be something lacking especially in the Darkling and Sun Summoner's storyline. I don't find these two characters engaging anymore. The corny script (or maybe taken verbatim from the book? I don't know) does not help either. I had to literally hit the pause button and distract myself with other stuff to rid myself of the second hand embarrassment after listening to such cheesy lines. The Crows on the other hand, well, I just can't get enough of them! Freddy Carter is such a joy to watch. He is the only motivating factor to finish watching season 2.

Not so much because of a tight plot that always made sense, but because the casting was really done, with engaging characters, with even some character development. This is the first Netflix fantasy in a long while I've found worth watching- most have been somewhere between horrid and utterly ridiculous. This YA offering does lapse into predictabllity at times, but the actors save it, with very fine direction. Don't look for deep and profound here- just sit back and enjoy, mostly, the ride.

This series really runs the gamut on storyline and acting quality. Not a lot of shows out there that are this hit and miss.

The Crow gang is fantastic and Netflix really should do a spin-off with just them (or make the show about them). The characters are interesting and the actor who plays Kaz is fantastic.

Meanwhile the main storyline with the Sun Summoner is dull and her love interests are frustrating to watch on screen. It's really hard to stay invested when the main character is unlikable.

But no matter, the Crow storyline makes up for it and I've enjoyed both seasons one and two. Here's hoping for more.

I really enjoyed season 1 but season 2 was just a bit too messy with too many characters and too much plot! While that sounds good it was actually a bit confusing as to who was who and what the different story and character arcs were. By far the best thing about the show were the Crows and I do hope they get a spin off series to themselves. They were the most interesting characters with the best dynamics. Other than the Crows the actors in the rest of the show were fine but they - alongside their story arc - felt a bit generic fantasy and I must admit to getting a bit bored. All that said it's a fun watch overall and I hope that there is a season 3 to conclude the shadow & bone part of the show and I 100% hope that there is a Crows spin off with Kaz and his crew.