Sombra e Ossos

I actually enjoyed Shadow and Bone more than I thought I would. It's definitely one of the better fantasy shows to come out in the last few years. While it's not the best, it's up there! I never read any of the books so I didn't know what to expect but have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It has a little of something for everyone...fantasy, humor, action, drama, romance, etc. While it does take a few episodes to really get going, stay with it because it's worth it! I just finished season two and thought it was good enough to warrant another season. Especially with that cliffhanger at the end. If you like fantasy then give this show a chance, you won't be disappointed!

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.

Well that was annoying.

I really enjoyed the first season, but half way through the second season it all went wrong.

So season 1 had solid screenplay, writing, acting, effects and felt like a great dark fantasy adventure.

Little bits of wit and humour woven in here and there resulted in a well balanced introduction into the backstory, characters and entire premise of the world.

Then along comes season 2.

It's continues pretty much as good as the first and all is good, but... about halfway through the season there's a really weird but clear shift.

All of a sudden it becomes incredibly cheesy, poorly acted, over theatrical, effects somehow get noticeably poorer and overall results in it becoming not very interesting at all.

It's almost as if someone else took over but with half the budget.

By the end of it, I had zero interest in the plot or the characters and just wanted it to hurry up and end.

Season 1 gets a solid 7, but season 2 drags it down to a 5.

Shadow and Bone is a good watch. It'll keep you entertained and the actors and actresses did a good job. The script was sometimes a bit dull, as was some of the CGI and the costumes. But for me, the show kinda fell apart the same way most fantasy Netflix shows do: pace.

I would have loved a bit more world and character building. With a slower pace this would have been possible. The way they did it was neither a super fast action pace to keep you at the edge of your seat, nor was it a slowly building story where you could get invested into all the characters.

Also most characters that appeared really weren't that relevant to the plot. Especially the Crows and Nina/Matthias. They were entertaining but there was so much else going on, that these 'fillers' wouldn't have been needed. The Crows did bring a lot of humor into the show and I loved the casting there, but still, I felt like it would have been better to hold their storylines back for the first season and only explore the world we find ourselves in and properly develop the three main characters of Alina, Mal and the Darkling.

I think if we'd have gotten more time with the characters, the actors/actresses could have really showed all their potential and the world could have been much richer. This would have meant to put a bigger part of the plot into the following seasons, but I would've been fine with that. I'm aware that that might not be everyones cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for character study and deep and emotional storylines.

The show has potential and as I mentioned earlier, it is very enjoyable. Just don't imagine a second GoT (earlier seasons) or Harry Potter. For me, Shadow and Bone is really more a stand alone new fantasy that will certainly mostly attract a younger audience but is binge worthy for all ages.

The show is an iteration of the oldest story in the book, which is nice, it's worth retelling. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, the characters are fleshed out and well acted. I don't quite get the romancing of tsarian russia, but it's as good a basis for fiction as any other, I suppose. I understand the show's based on a book trilogy; the season finale doesn't conclude the story and is a clear setup for another season, hopefully we'll get it.