The wait is finally over! Shadow and Bone Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix after two years of patiently for this show to return to your screens. The first season of Shadow and Bone was released in April 2021, and the fans have waited a long time for Shadow and Bone Season 2, but now that it is finally here, was it worth the wait?
Loyal fans of the Shadow and Bone franchise have made their way over and begun their binge, and it will be exciting to hear everyone’s thoughts on the latest season, so do make sure you let us know in the comments below.
Shadow and Bone has been adapted from books by Leigh Bardugo, and those who have read the books might find it a little easier to follow Shadow and Bone Season 2, and those of you who haven’t, might find yourselves getting a little overwhelmed, and we will explore just why in this review!
We highly recommend watching the first season before you dive into Shadow and Bone Season 2 because if not, you will find yourself will multiple questions every five minutes. This review will contain spoilers about Shadow and Bone Season 2, so proceed with caution!
There’s More of Everything in Shadow and Bone Season 2!
Whether or not you have watched Shadow and Bone Season 1, here is the most abbreviated version of the series that you can possibly find, to get yourself started and acquainted with this entire universe.
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy, drama, romance hybrid series, which is made up of a world with ordinary humans, as well as Grisha, who are wielders of magic and have control over certain elements.
There are three different types of Grisha, each of whom deals with different things ranging from the living to the dead to fire to manipulating objects. So, it is a wide range.
The reason we are talking about Grisha is that if you are completely new to Shadow and Bone, this is one word you will hear a whole lot, and understanding it will help understand the world you are immersing into. Shadow and Bone as a series relies heavily on worldbuilding, and season 2 is no different.
Now that you know what Grisha is, we can finally talk about Alina Starkov, who is admittedly the main character in both seasons, but she truly comes into her own in Shadow and Bone Season 2.
In the first season, she was manipulated by the big bad villain into thinking she was doing the right thing, and towards the end, she barely escaped death but was convinced that the villain, aka General Kirigan, The Darkling, had died too.
Alina wanted to destroy the Shadow Fold, and Kirigan wanted to expand it, and that premise carries forward to Shadow and Bone Season 2 as well. Shadow and Bone Season 2 begins with Alina and Mal embarking on a journey, but Alina keeps having nightmares about Kirigan and the Fold, which might lean more toward the vision category than nightmares.
Of course, Kirigan continues to live, and he might just be the best part of Shadow and Bone Season 2.
Shadow and Bone Season 1 was a near-perfect adaptation of the books, but Shadow and Bone Season 2 tried too hard to fit multiple works into one season, and it was almost too messy.
Despite having eight episodes with almost an hour-long run time dedicated to each episode, we found ourselves overwhelmed with the plot, subplots, characters, monsters, and a billion other things that kept coming and going every few minutes.
This is why we would recommend reading the books because it would simplify Shadow and Bone Season 2 since several of the subplots rely heavily on the books but just didn’t get enough room to be explored in the episodes.
Despite the glaring flaws that could have been avoided in Shadow and Bone Season 2, we have to admit that the season was largely successful in terms of developing the main character, Alina, who is determined to defeat Kirigan after learning he is still alive.
Of course, all the viewers have a soft spot for Kirigan, maybe it is because he is the cliched bad boy, or maybe because this character is played by Ben Barnes, but at the end of the day, Kirigan and his shadow monsters are the main villains of Shadow and Bone Season 2 and must be defeated, and we all know only Alina is capable of that.
Alina is the strong, independent woman who shines through this season, but sometimes is overshadowed by the characters around her, because there are a lot.
As we type this review, we have to rewatch a few scenes just to remind ourselves once again about which character was where.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 is the kind of season that needs a rewatch, and maybe that’s what the creators were going for.
The demographic that Shadow and Bone Season 2 aims towards are mostly teens and young adults, which means there has to be a sprinkle of some good old romance, and one of the most appeared couples this season was Alina and Mal.
A strong woman with a supportive partner who is utterly devoted to her seems like a safe bet, and you will see plenty of that in the eight episodes. But does Alina really have time for romance while she trying to fight Kirigan and save the world?
Maybe not, and that could be one of the reasons the romance felt a little dry, and also because Mal needed his own goals instead of completely being dedicated to Alina and her goals, and if you agree with us, you might enjoy the ending of Shadow and Bone Season 2.
Also, for those of you rooting for more sexual tension between Kirigan and Alina, and for them to possibly end up together, it’s not happening, but admittedly, that would have been more exciting than Mal and Alina.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 presents itself with some great, gruesome, and nail-biting action sequences, which was definitely a highlight this season. The action paired with all the new monsters had excitement coursing through our veins.
At the end of the day, Shadow and Bone Season 2 got the job done and all the existing fans have either already finished binging the show, or are doing so as we type this review.
Every fantasy show relies on worldbuilding, great villains, a strong protagonist, and some crazy set development, and Shadow and Bone Season 2 had all of it. This season has heart and Ben Barnes, and frankly, what more does one need?
Conclusion
If you have finished watching Shadow and Bone Season 2, we would love to know in the comments what you thought about this season, especially in comparison to the first season.
Shadow and Bone Season 3 has not been announced just yet, but if that happens, you will definitely read about it on our website!
Deepti is a prolific content writer for OpenMediaHub who specializes in movies, tv shows, and web series, along with occasional reviews. Her interests lie in watching different genres and reading comics books, although her main passion is writing for as long as she remembers.
