Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Shadow and Bone Season 2 rewards those who take the time to find their footing with a high fantasy adventure for the ages. There’s a slew of new characters on deck here—most delightfully, a merry band of privateers—but even more enticing are the increasingly fraught bonds between our central characters.
-
Basically, this story gets better the more time is given to it, something that certainly can't be said for all fantasy series. But unfortunately it does suffer more than other stories when it's given such strict time constraints.
-
It’s when he [Barnes] gets to tap into The Darkling’s deeper feelings—in particular, during a scene with the wonderful Zoe Wannamaker as Baghra—that you feel you understand this man, even if his every action is still wrong. It’s this understanding and insight—a combination of great writing and excellent acting—that makes this season, despite its missteps, worth watching.
-
The show has its issues — some vague plot development, some cheesy dialogue. Yet it remains a series that's so easy to root for, thanks to its bevy of compelling main characters, a charming cast, and its willingness to go on an adventure with its premise (and source material!).
-
Shadow and Bone Season 2 feels a bit crowded, but the writing remains strong, successfully merging stories from the books into one big picture.
-
We complain about how impenetrable the world of Shadow And Bone is, but we also know that the story is an enjoyable adventure. We just wish things were a hair easier to follow.
-
How—or whether—the changes from the source material will ultimately pay off (or help the series get back to its more character-driven roots) is a question only time can answer, but Season 2 never quite makes the case that these shifts are necessary or exciting enough to make up for rushing through this part of the story.
-
Overall, Shadow and Bone Season 2 is more of a lackluster and uneven follow-up, but still remains an entertaining ride from start to finish.
-
Mei Li and Renaux truly give their all, imbuing Alina and Mal’s relationship with the right amount of earnest pining and steaminess. But the show still falls back on YA tropes, failing to ramp up the sexiness in the right way. ... Shadow and Bone accidentally lets The Crows snatch the spotlight, making every moment they’re off the screen — and there are a lot of them — annoying. ... Shadow and Bone isn’t great. But you can’t call it boring.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 7 out of 17
-
Mixed: 8 out of 17
-
Negative: 2 out of 17
-
May 12, 2023
-
Apr 22, 2023
-
Apr 17, 2023I really got captivated by the thriller and the first season was ok tho I expected more of the FL but the 2nd season lost me completely