Season two of Netflix original series “Shadow and Bone” was released on Thursday, Mar. 16. 

The show is based on the fantasy book trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. It follows a war-ridden Ravka divided by a deadly shadow mass known as The Fold. The people of Ravka spend hundreds of years searching for a saint blessed with the power of the sun that could destroy The Fold and end their long standing battle. Alina Starkov, once an insignificant mapmaker, finds herself entangled in this conflict when it is revealed that she is the saint they have been waiting for. What follows is an increasingly chaotic series of events as the plot unfolds, leaving even more questions unanswered about the fate of Alina and her friends. 

Junior Reuel Borkenhagen said, “I enjoyed the parts where they were traveling through The Fold, the effects that they used made it super interesting.”

Season two follows a similar conflict as season one, but introduces several new characters and storylines that keeps the plot fresh and full of surprises. Rising tensions among the split sides of Ravka create a more thrilling journey through the conflicts in the show, and the season finishes off with a riveting cliff-hanger. 

Though the series, the show gained much of its popularity from fans of the book trilogy, it also sparked some controversy from die hard followers for its lack of accuracy. When adapting a book into any form of media, it is difficult to capture every aspect of the story without omitting some parts. 

Sophomore Hannah Parrish said, “As a reader, it sort of drives me nuts that they combined the two storylines, but it does add a ton of diversity to the plot with all of the new characters.”

The “Shadow and Bone” series solved this problem by combining storylines with the trilogies spinoff duology, known as “Six of Crows.” This allowed for the show to incorporate more stories without needing to create several seasons and spinoffs. This creative way of adapting a book series to fit on screen is what sets apart “Shadow and Bone” from many fantasy adaptations. 

Despite the controversy that has arrived from its book-to-screen adaptation, it is safe to say that “Shadow and Bone” provides a fresh perspective of the fantasy genre for both readers and first time watchers. Earning an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, the series continues to be highly anticipated by returning viewers. “Shadow and Bone” is available to stream on Netflix now.