Read User Reviews and Submit your own for Shadow and Bone (2021)

8

mrmonsterJun 11, 2021

A very exciting first season. Great fantasy show, and I can't wait to see more.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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8

LunaticInkJul 23, 2021

I quite enjoyed this series. It was somewhat original and a lot of fun. The two leads were great, and the supporting cast excellent. While there was a bit of in your face “muh representation” that felt a little forced, it wasn’t overlyI quite enjoyed this series. It was somewhat original and a lot of fun. The two leads were great, and the supporting cast excellent. While there was a bit of in your face “muh representation” that felt a little forced, it wasn’t overly preachy and the themes has mass appeal. I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did given the current state of Netflix.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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10

Lucas565Sep 3, 2021

Uma das melhores séries que eu já assisti eu recomendo ela é maravilhosa mesmo muito boa

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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10

joellycardosoSep 2, 2021

love to see what i’ve read a long time ago adapted on the screen, and jessie mei li as alina is the perfect cast ever

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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10

acosolaSep 11, 2021

Shadow and Bone was a fantastic show. The plot line and characters immediately grabbed your attention and brought tears as well as laughter to the audience. This show combined human and unnatural beings and was able to keep your focus theShadow and Bone was a fantastic show. The plot line and characters immediately grabbed your attention and brought tears as well as laughter to the audience. This show combined human and unnatural beings and was able to keep your focus the whole time. This show brought a never seen before combination with elements from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I am excited for season 2 and cannot wait to see what is in store.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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8

TheSHChroniclesNov 11, 2021

If you love reading young-adult fantasy novels or watching these type of series/movies, then Shadow and Bone is a must watch! Netflix again surprises by adapting the books to screen with Shadow and Bone, a fun, action-packed series based onIf you love reading young-adult fantasy novels or watching these type of series/movies, then Shadow and Bone is a must watch! Netflix again surprises by adapting the books to screen with Shadow and Bone, a fun, action-packed series based on Leigh Bardugo’s best-selling Grishaverse books. This season captures much of the darker magic of young-adult fantasy without being hesitant to make smart changes to certain characters’ origin stories and even the sequence of events.

Full review at: https://www.theshchronicles.com/post/shadow-and-bone-season-1… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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3

EFRAMApr 28, 2021

I am exhausted by these flimsy adaptations of books I've never read, that start somewhere in the middle of a story and then have to backtrack to explain what I didn't understand in the first place. Can't any of these streamers have theI am exhausted by these flimsy adaptations of books I've never read, that start somewhere in the middle of a story and then have to backtrack to explain what I didn't understand in the first place. Can't any of these streamers have the compunction to create ORIGINAL series that do not hew to a book. Shadow and Bone is a mess from start to finish, in fact the finish is such a let down I don't think a Season 2 would solve any of the lingering questions of why, when, where and who. Comparisons to GOT are ridiculously overrated as GOT, while based on a series of books, (But a great series of books) took time to develop its characters, enabling you to care deeply about them. Not so in S&B. This might suffice for some, but as a fantasy writer and a deep devotee of all things fantastic and original I really hope that these streamers go looking for original content that blows all these mediocre adaptations of mediocre books away. #beoriginal #takeachance… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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3

Akk3d1sApr 26, 2021

Another crappy show where soft skinned kids fill the roles of what should be hardened and knowledgeable characters in an obvious challenging environment. Terrible dialogue supplemented with music to make it seem more important just added toAnother crappy show where soft skinned kids fill the roles of what should be hardened and knowledgeable characters in an obvious challenging environment. Terrible dialogue supplemented with music to make it seem more important just added to my annoyance. I wasnt able to finish 1 episode as its just not immersive. At this point magic is more believable than these characters. The irony is that this show has a rating of 16 but might be more appealing to people below that age. Hard pass!… Expand

7 of 9 users found this helpful72

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6

ElthorApr 27, 2021

A generally riveting and thrilling show with a few negatives that keep it from being anywhere near perfect.

I'll skip the positive points, since there are many rating inflating reviews that already cover them. First and foremost you shouldA generally riveting and thrilling show with a few negatives that keep it from being anywhere near perfect.

I'll skip the positive points, since there are many rating inflating reviews that already cover them.

First and foremost you should be prepared for unlimited cliches and predictability. The show's style may be fairly original, but the content is not.

The world building, especially in the first episode, is so dense it takes real determination to keep from giving up early. Anyone not already familiar with the novels will likely be baffled for long periods of time, perhaps missing out on important plot points while trying to figure out what anyone is talking about.

Being Netflix, there is of course completely ridiculous and shoe-horned in wokeness. For example, there is a gay one night stand sex scene that is completely stand alone, serves no purpose and has zero effect on the plot. And yet, there isn't a single straight sex scene in the whole season even though there are multiple love triangles.

The absolute worst offense by the show is how heavily coincidences are relied on to move the plot forward. Even an amateur writer could have created the same sequence of events without completely random occurrences causing things to fall into place as they do.

One could argue that it's some sort of intentional fate element, but it will leave most viewer snorting in disgust at the silliness of the writing.

Above average thanks to good effects, a unique style and great action, but only barely above average.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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5

Paper_KayMay 8, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I cannot get over how dumb these shows are. Like they’re made for eleven-year-olds with a learning disability. (Despite overwhelming evidence against it, there ARE good YA books out there …) The characters are sooooo cliché it’s painful to watch. The arch of the underwear-models-early-twenties super-capable multiracial extra-woke villains who aren’t really (I know! I was so shocked! It’s like I’m watching Firefly for children!) is so predictable, it can be skipped entirely and you’ll still know exactly what happened. (They’re not really greedy villains?! Friendship is better than money?!?) There’s a grown woman obsessed with waffles. No, I didn’t write that wrong. Not opals. Or sables. Or Russo-Baltique. Waffles. Grown woman, not a small boy. Which, by the way, are shown Belgian in the show, zero to do with fake tsar Russia, a land where neither uniforms nor weapons involve in hundreds of years and they need a whole wagon of child cartographers to chart a fully populated, fully known region, for some reason. There’s a woman with no issue spying on her son’s sex life and, yes, you might have guessed it, the protagonists are orphans. Who manage to find their inner power due to goodness of their hearts and dire straits. It is sooooo… freaking boring. I just cannot get over how ret*rded the Fold is. Like … three hundred years later? They haven’t built a mountain pass or negotiated a route with the northern-convenient-plot-barrier folk? They HAVE to try and SAIL through the WIDEST part on OPEN sailboats, with zero bars or cages or armor, standing, looking around stupid, shocked, with NO weaponry, ballistic countermeasure (a little net? No? Not even a small with two stones on it?) or even slightly bigger crossbows? Seriously? They’re just … sliding buffets in winter costume, screaming in the fog for 300 years? I’ll give points for Ben Barnes’s effort, but the rest … Come ON show. You’re forcing me to read a YA book to see whose fault this is and I have so many more important things to do …… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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4

MeritCobaMay 7, 2021

Initially, I was hooked. Shadow and bone has a promising setting: late 19th century technology with magic on top. You get a lot of lore thrown at you and hardly any explanation, but, hey; I am okay with that. They explain things later, right?Initially, I was hooked. Shadow and bone has a promising setting: late 19th century technology with magic on top. You get a lot of lore thrown at you and hardly any explanation, but, hey; I am okay with that. They explain things later, right? Well, perhaps or.. perhaps not. Unfortunately, they slit their wrists by using happenstance, contradictions and cliches to tell the story. And they add insult to injury by introducing new characters, while they haven’t established old ones. Less is more? Just throw that under the bus.

The writers are the culprits. They organized the story around cool moments. And then they had to connect them. And there is where it goes wrong.

A key moment is when Alina’s powers are revealed. She is on a ship that is trying to cross this mysterious fold, a rift filled with monsters. The ship is open, and the crew exposed. Then flying monster’s attack and this crisis invokes her powers. The problem here is that the people know obviously that this attack can happen, but did not take any precaution against it, like roofing over the ship or putting most of the crew under decks. Or use a better transport. And a few episodes later a better transport exists: the conductor uses a metal train as transport the Crows across the fold. A train he apparently has built by himself, including laying tracks through that dangerous fold. And here we see the writers at work. They first needed a cool moment to reveal Alina’s powers, then another to carry the Crows across. And thus they create an inconsistent world: open, vulnerable transport versus protected one. If the latter is possible, it makes no sense to use the first. Unless you need it for the story.

The story is rife with these inconsistencies. Is the fold impassible? Well, no, because apparently entire armies cross it to fight each other. And people seem to go back and forth all the time. Or do they? Too dangerous, just perilous, or merely a challenge? Decide, please? Enemies teleport in whenever and wherever. Alina’s party gets ambushed soon after her powers are revealed. They give a flimsy excuse: someone must have noticed her powers. Really? Because they saw her powers from afar? But even that is inconsistent. The people at the edge of the fold didn’t see her powers, but the enemy did? And then quickly concluded what she is, who she is, where she is and where she is going? I mean, even the General was skeptical, but they knew for sure? It makes no sense.

Alina’s persona is also inconsistent. We get introduced to her as a bright, determined and inventive person. Then a few episodes later her character flips. She becomes a whiny, annoying and docile person. And not to mention she killed her fellow cartographers, but this hardly seems to bother her. Instead, she wines on and on about how hard her life is and about Mal, her friend from the orphanage. And Mal, the male protagonist, suffers too. He somehow became an expert tracker and an expert boxer between the orphanage and the army? How? When? Please explain? But no.

This sort of writing is insufferable. You just make it up as you go along. They brush aside rules that are established at one moment the next moment. The conductor tells the Crows not to move because it will throw the train from its course. One does and nothing happens. Baghra, her trainer, throws Alina out and tells her to come back when she believes in herself. Do we see that happen? No. Does she train Alina anyway? Yes! Is this worth your time? Well, perhaps. If you don’t care about consistency and relatable characters? I guess you give it a ten. Hilarious. My pick is four.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

malvadaMay 8, 2021

AT times very low budget-looking, the script is beyond weak, like really bad, checking the cliché box for no reason at all. The cast isn't bad but most of them are not great either and it shows. This had potential, but it was wasted. Again IAT times very low budget-looking, the script is beyond weak, like really bad, checking the cliché box for no reason at all. The cast isn't bad but most of them are not great either and it shows. This had potential, but it was wasted. Again I thought this had a decent budget but at times it's very local channel-looking. Netflix needs to do better, they are ruining great stories by being cheap. It doesn't matter how good everything is if it looks cheap. Amazon, Apple and hulu shows might be bad but you can tell money was spent, good equipment was used.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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8

viroodiemApr 25, 2021

First and foremost this is a good show. That said it comes off as a great show. Not because it is great, but because it comes in the middle of a TV drought in the month of April 2021. If you stack this against other months where there are 2-5First and foremost this is a good show. That said it comes off as a great show. Not because it is great, but because it comes in the middle of a TV drought in the month of April 2021. If you stack this against other months where there are 2-5 good shows running, it illustrates is a good show and might even be at the head of its respective pack. But definitely not something above a good show.

The show feels like the illegitimate love child between Anna Karenina and Final Fantasy or The Last Airbender or something of a similar vein with an emphasis on elemental style magic, A looming evil, Huge monsters and a battle between light and dark magic. All done with a well made steampunk aesthetic that is not too overwhelming that it becomes tedious.

The writing is much wht you would expect for a YA translation. It does a good job of crafting likable heroes and even anti-heroes. It is however fairly predictable and does get pretty tropey at times.Even cringy how close they follow TVTropes templates for some characters. The world building here is a major strong suit. You really want to see more of this world and its fall.

The actors, although mostly fresh faces, churn in good work that elevates that writing, for the most part. The lead actress being a definite step down in quality, but it not being so glaring it hurts the production. There are a few other weak actors but again, nothing so glaring as to cause much concern after you are an episode in and can suspend disbelief.

Arguably the biggest strong suit is the visuals. Between the set pieces and costuming you can tell a LOT of budget went into it and they definitely got their moneys worth. This is one of the best looking fantasy series since Game of Thrones.

The season ended well with a satisfying conclusion and setting up a whole new season for us to anticipate. Only complaint is it being netflix and netflix style of dumping everything for it to be binged which can be great, but at the same time the audience does not get to adequately digest episodes which makes a series more memorable. With as big of a production this has to be we are likely looking at a year if not upwards of two for a second season. Shows like Altered Carbon illustrate what happens when you go too long between seasons after a season was just binged. People forget and dont care the same way when a new season returns. So hopefully netflix knew how big this was going to be and had production set up well in advance to make a second season turn around low. We shall see.

All in all I would give a 7.75 and go ahead and round up to an 8 because of it coming in the big drought and needing something good to sink teeth into.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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1

Gargamel1991May 4, 2021

Unless you're a hormonal teen - take a hard pass on this one. Acting - super cringy.
Story - makes about as much sense as a schizophreniacs mad ravings.
Characters - meh, very drab. Visuals - well,the visuals are very nice. Basically anotherUnless you're a hormonal teen - take a hard pass on this one. Acting - super cringy.
Story - makes about as much sense as a schizophreniacs mad ravings.
Characters - meh, very drab.
Visuals - well,the visuals are very nice.

Basically another high budget netflix filler series, absolutely not worth your time… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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10

MissgeekMay 22, 2021

Wonderful cast and immersive story. I was hooked immediately. Very well done. Hoping for a season 2!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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10

chanelle__xApr 24, 2021

The definition of perfect casting. Freddy Carter played an amazing Kaz, Kit Young as Jesper? SPOT. ON. Ben Barnes as the darkling? SPEECHLESS. Mal deserves the world and Archie Renaux gave it to him. Jessie Mei Li did an incredible jobThe definition of perfect casting. Freddy Carter played an amazing Kaz, Kit Young as Jesper? SPOT. ON. Ben Barnes as the darkling? SPEECHLESS. Mal deserves the world and Archie Renaux gave it to him. Jessie Mei Li did an incredible job playing Alina. Leigh adding the six of crows characters into the shadow and bone timeline was genius and she did such a great job. She included iconic lines from the books, and gave us scenes she knew the fans would want. The world building / magic system was spectacular. The chemistry between all of the different love interests *chefs kiss*!!! I can't wait for Nikolai to get casted. I NEED SEASON 2 ASAP!!… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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10

MatlocktvApr 26, 2021

I've watched quite a few bad fantasy series but Shadow and Bone blows them all out of the water. As someone points out, the casting is spot on and the characters are likable and well rounded. I can see a bit of a comparison to Game ofI've watched quite a few bad fantasy series but Shadow and Bone blows them all out of the water. As someone points out, the casting is spot on and the characters are likable and well rounded. I can see a bit of a comparison to Game of Thrones in terms of style and scale. The show is so much better imho. Moves along nicely and is massively binge worthy. Ignore the tepid critic reviews and make up your own mind.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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10

AlofiApr 26, 2021

This was an absolutely brilliant adaptation! The actors were casted perfectly and you can clearly see they all had a ton of fun embodying their characters. This show was definitely created with a lot of love and passion and because of thatThis was an absolutely brilliant adaptation! The actors were casted perfectly and you can clearly see they all had a ton of fun embodying their characters. This show was definitely created with a lot of love and passion and because of that I'm more than okay with overlooking a couple of small nitpicks.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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10

TheCritiicApr 24, 2021

This show has a level of overall polish that I haven't seen since Game of Thrones. The sets costumes, and artistry create absolute immersion. It's fascinating to be able to delve into the ideology that there exists a fold in which one cannotThis show has a level of overall polish that I haven't seen since Game of Thrones. The sets costumes, and artistry create absolute immersion. It's fascinating to be able to delve into the ideology that there exists a fold in which one cannot enter or one should not enter and how the world always wants to go where no man should. What is this fold or this crease, this area that we're unable to enter. What is it that captivates us and lures us to want to explore the fold. Why was the fold created. What is this forbidden fruit that we are not allowed to enter. What makes it unattainable. What is the sin in exploring. So just watch the show and we'll find out, you'll thank me later.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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5

shag00Jan 23, 2022

It's a bit of a hard slog watching this. Yet another show designed for young teens with lots of glitter and short on substance. This idea of an 18th century world filled with 21st century social norms takes some getting used to and detractsIt's a bit of a hard slog watching this. Yet another show designed for young teens with lots of glitter and short on substance. This idea of an 18th century world filled with 21st century social norms takes some getting used to and detracts somewhat from the overall feel of the show. My initial take was that the story was disjointed but on reflection I think it's poor directing and writing.… Expand