Olivia Gacka
Shadow and Bone is the latest fantasy offering from Netflix, an adaptation of the Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo. Starring Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, who joins Ravka’s magical military after discovering she is a powerful Grisha. As dark forces threaten the embattled country, a criminal gang plots to kidnap her for their own gain.
Young Adult adaptations are very hit or miss as many alter the source material beyond recognition. Yet Shadow and Bone successfully modified its story for the screen, without sacrificing what made it compelling in the first place. Now while it does venture quite far from the original, it is a worthy adaptation. Let’s dive into why.
Combining Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone
Netflix adapted two books from the original series and aligned their respective plots. Although Alina’s story in Shadow and Bone stays virtually the same as she battles to deal with her newfound Sun Summoner powers; many of the characters in season one hail from another book entirely. Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina and Matthias first appear in the Six of Crows duology. It follows a separate heist adventure that takes place two years after the events of the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
“their story is charming as they are both so personable.”
In many ways, their journey in season one acts as a prequel. This was a genius move from the producers as the Crows have very dynamic personalities, who added an almost comedic feel to the otherwise serious tone of the story. I mean, they did make us fall in love with a goat. Freddy Carter, Amita Suman and Kit Young were the ideal castings to realise these characters. Their mannerisms and subtle looks to each other were plucked straight from the books. Young’s first entrance especially left a lasting impression.
Danielle Galligan and Calahan Skogman had the hard task of captivating viewers, despite Nina and Matthias not being related to the centre plotline. But even if you haven’t read the books, their story is charming as they are both so personable.
Leigh Bardugo’s involvement from the start
We sometimes hear horror stories where authors sell the rights to their work and ultimately regret the decision. Generally speaking, creators have little say in how their books are adapted, which can result in changes that don’t pay off. That was not the case with Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo worked as an executive producer and consulted on many of the changes.
Showrunner Eric Heissner explained that it was his intention to involve Bardugo early on. Rightly so, as she can best ensure that any changes felt authentic. Speaking to Collider, he revealed that the author “would come into the writer’s room and we would pitch her episodes or talk through story. And my writer’s assistant would have a several pages-long list of questions for her, from small and trivial to big mythology questions”.
Re-writing characters to fit the new medium (Spoilers to follow)
Certain changes to characters raised eyebrows, such as the shift from The Darkling’s origin story, but many elevated the plot. Firstly, Fedyor’s importance to the cause became a major plot point. He worked with The Darkling on hunting down Nina. Julian Kostov gave a layered performance as the underrated character, offering a different side to the Grisha. The second army (made up of the Grisha) are led by a maniacal tyrant so the assumption is that those closest to him are all corrupt, right? Well, Kostov’s portrayal made a dent in that ideology early on, in contrast to Ivan’s harsher persona. Fedyor’s scene with Nina in the finale is also a great example of why The Darkling’s plight for wanting justice for his people is understandable, no matter how misguided his methods are.
As for the whole cast, it features an ensemble. With many simultaneous plotlines taking place, there was in turn a danger of characters overshadowing each other. It’s safe to say the risk paid off as each actor is a scene-stealer. In fact, the biggest strength of the series is its diverse casting.
Jessie Mei Li perfectly portrays Alina’s struggle to fit in with the Grisha. Thrown into the limelight to quite literally save the world, they capture Alina’s torn loyalties to Malyen and the tempting promises from General Kirigan. Equally, Ben Barnes proves his compatibility with playing villains as his version of The Darkling certainly creates a chilling atmosphere. The emotional layer that didn’t come across in the books made the character vulnerable and menacing at the same time. If looks could kill.
— best of ben barnes #shadowandbone (@bestofbenbarnes) May 3, 2021
So after watching #ShadowAndBone I finally understand why people go crazy over the phrase “fine, make me your villain”
I shivered. Like, literally shivered.
— Mads🌿 (She/Her) (@AMadalenaDivaga) May 4, 2021
Perhaps the most noticeable personality change came from Malyen, played by Archie Renaux. In the books, he was less understanding of Alina’s situation and rather unestablished. Renaux’s version will win you over. For one, he didn’t disappear for half of the story, which is what made it hard to connect to the character in the novels.
How did the technical aspects elevate key themes from the book?
Above all, Shadow and Bone is a very visual production. From the gripping cinematography to the eerie set design, you feel embedded in the story.
“It’s these small details that give the series its depth”
The lavish Little Palace gowns and the war-torn first army attire prove the clothing too played a vital role. Wendy Partidge’s costumes stand out. The Keftas worn by the Grisha were exceptionally made, the vibrant fabrics clearly distinguishing between the types of powers (e.g blue for the Etherealki who control the elements). Over on the Crows side, various weapons were secured into the garments in line with the character personalities, such as Jesper and his pistols. Amita Suman even revealed that “Wendy Partridge somehow fitted around 14 knives in my costume for Inej.” It’s these small details that give the series its depth and fleshed out worldbuilding.
Shadow and Bone is streaming on Netflix now.
Featured image courtesy of Samet Özer on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to the image.
Olivia Gacka
Olivia is a freelance writer and content creator. She is currently heading ThatFictionLife across all platforms, specialising in entertainment reporting, interviewing talent, book discussions and television commentary. At present, she is also a Brand Ambassador for Bonnier Books UK, working on book campaigns.