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Shadow and Bone

User Reviews

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7.0
User score
Generally Favorable
positive
147(66%)
mixed
42(19%)
negative
34(15%)
Showing 31 User Reviews
Sep 24, 2025
7
Greenghost01
Güzel bir yapım olmiş keşke devamı olsa COK BEĞENDİM nznxnxnxnxbxjxjjsjdbdhbx
Jun 23, 2025
3
MickeyFinn
1st season 8/10, 2nd 1/10, fake 10/10 reviews 0/10 ^^ So an average of 3. The 1st season is cliche but decent, cute plot, actors, a few twists, entertaining. The 2nd season's quality drops to the floor, becomes nonsensical cr@p, with forced in wokism, 95% useless talking, and also ruins the cute love stories from the 1st season. Maybe it's the base material (books) but somehow i doubt it
Mar 5, 2024
5
myval2012
This show literally sceams at you that this is made for young girls. Nothing wrong with having a show targeted to specific gender, I watched both Divergence and Hunger games and still liked it for the most part. However, there is just something so insulting about this show. It's not one single thing, but rather a collection of poor writing, casting and directing decisions that make me actually mad while watching this. No exposition for establishing the universe; everybody is 20 something and hot; the sets look russian, but the people act and talk like british, the heavy dose of 21st century social morals doesn't help it either; everything just looks so clean; so many side characters; everybody is so naive and so dumb...
Jan 29, 2024
3
Trypsinogen
The main character is awful. Boring, uncompelling, terrible acting on her part imho. The saving grace of this show is that, fortunately, a good chunk of it doesn't involve her. Most of the side characters are far more interesting. I guess the target demographic for this is girls because it is chock-full of idiotic lovey-dovey nonsense. Unfortunately, I'm not a girl and I don't care for silly romance jammed in everywhere. But if you're a female and/or really like romance stories, then this could be really good for you.
Nov 19, 2023
10
pianowylan
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Aug 31, 2023
10
Augus100
Excellent cast and well development of characters we need a season 3, season 2 was a good addition.
Mar 17, 2023
9
Isteffy
I must be crazy because I think this show should be rated way higher than both the professional and user critic score. This is a fanastically underrated show with great actors, a solid plot with interesting characters and motivations, and shot well with impressive sets and CGI. The show is also not afraid to kill characters. Honestly with all of the lame fantasy out at the moment like Rings of Power, this is a breath of fresh air. Sad to see that people think this is 'extra-woke'. Their brains must explode when they watch Rings of Power. 9/10
Jan 23, 2022
5
shag00
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 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.
Dec 14, 2021
10
asdfdsa
Really good show, one of the best Netflix fantasy series. Great acting, unique story.
Nov 11, 2021
8
TheSHChronicles
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 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: ****/post/shadow-and-bone-season-1
Oct 22, 2021
6
geewah
In what is a crowded genre, this show does nothing to push it above most. The bones are there for a good show, but some poor casting and ordinary writing really hold it back
Sep 11, 2021
10
acosola
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 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.
Sep 3, 2021
10
Lucas565
Uma das melhores séries que eu já assisti eu recomendo ela é maravilhosa mesmo muito boa
Sep 2, 2021
10
joellycardoso
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
Jul 23, 2021
8
LunaticInk
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 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.
Jun 11, 2021
8
mrmonster
A very exciting first season. Great fantasy show, and I can't wait to see more.
Jun 6, 2021
6
LaCapaneus
While there were plenty of entertaining aspects it was dumbed down to appeal to teenagers.
May 22, 2021
10
Missgeek
Wonderful cast and immersive story. I was hooked immediately. Very well done. Hoping for a season 2!
May 9, 2021
3
FakeyNamey
I got midway through the 5th episode when I just gave up. The main character gets 'swept away' to live in a palace and wear fancy clothes, and doubt her former love while being wooed by the new guy who's twice her age. Utterly bland lines like, "We're going to change the world, you and I." Overall just another 'chosen one' plotline that every garbage author copies, believing that world-building is a substitute for story-telling. More Young Adult Novel, teen-drivel. How can anyone compare this to GOT? What are you on? And how can the main character be so stupid that she doesn't once ask anyone: Umm, hey, how come I'm not getting any letters from my friends? Instead of asking this, or doubting these strangers who essentially kidnapped her, she doubts her lifelong friends. From there, I just started hating this idiot character. And of course the entire show is full of "pretty teen girl" tropes like giggling hand-maidens and jealous rivals and of course Every Single Female Character is in their 20s and gorgeous and perfectly made-up at all times. Oh Yeah, the English Accents. The stupid, annoying, idiotic, ridiculous, get-out-of-my-face-with-this-bland-nauseating-crap: English Accents. Why? Why does everyone in this Russian Inspired world sound like a snob from Chelsea? Why? Why does English Accent = fantasy world? Why? From the first episode I was put off by the accents. The world is meant to be inspired by Russia!! Not One person has a Russian or Eastern European accent. Really tired of English accents in every fantasy show.
May 8, 2021
5
Paper_Kay
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
May 8, 2021
4
malvada
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 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.
May 7, 2021
4
MeritCoba
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.
May 4, 2021
1
Gargamel1991
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 another high budget netflix filler series, absolutely not worth your time
Apr 28, 2021
3
EFRAM
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 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
Apr 27, 2021
6
Elthor
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 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.
Apr 26, 2021
10
Matlocktv
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 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.
Apr 26, 2021
3
Akk3d1s
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 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!
Apr 26, 2021
10
Alofi
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 that I'm more than okay with overlooking a couple of small nitpicks.
Apr 25, 2021
8
viroodiem
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 2-5 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.
Apr 24, 2021
10
TheCritiic
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 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.
Apr 24, 2021
10
chanelle__x
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 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!!
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