Netflix’s new series “Shadow and Bone” premiered on Netflix on Friday, April 23 and released eight episodes of the book trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.

The story follows Alina StarKov, a soldier from Ravka who discovers that she is a Sun Summoner and has the ability to bend light. She tries to use her ability to overpower the Fold, which is a smoky darkness that borders Ravka and contains mystical creatures known as the Volca.

There were multiple different storylines throughout the series. The beginning of the series started off very fast-paced and gave no explanation for what was happening.

This made it really confusing to follow what was going on for the first few episodes, especially for viewers who are unfamiliar with the book series. Throughout the series we don’t get much of a backstory about the grishaverse besides a few flashbacks scenes. So, I would recommend getting a basic understanding of the story before watching.

It was a bit difficult to continue watching in the beginning, but after a few episodes I was hooked. There were many factors that kept me watching such as threats, interrogation, and blackmailing. It was intriguing and didn’t get boring at all.

Although I am not a big fan of fantasy and magic in television shows, this series exceeded my expectations and left me wanting more.

Intense music was played throughout almost the entire series which made it more dramatic and caused angst. This added a lot to the series and made me more anxious as I watched. The series did have a lot of fighting scenes which were really enjoyable to watch, but they were graphic and some of the sound effects were a bit excessive which made the fighting scenes seem unrealistic.

Overall, the show is very similar to the book series with only a few differences here and there.

One of the many admirable things about the series was its inclusivity. There were many diverse characters and this allowed for representation for many people. There was a variety of inclusivity in terms of race, gender, sexuality, and religion which is something that many television shows lack.

“Shadow and Bone” is very different from other Netflix shows due to its unique production. It featured sets and costumes that were incredible to look at, and the cinematography was breathtaking. It wasn’t like any other series on Netflix that I had seen before.

What made the show more enjoyable was watching the relationship between Inej, Jesper, and Kaz progress as they continued their sarcastic and witty banter throughout the multiple heists that occured. Their roles were perfectly casted as they were just as I had imagined them to be.

The friendships that were built as the story progressed were no doubt one of the most alluring parts of the series. Seeing Mattias and Nina turn from enemies to close friends, and then watching their betrayal was really enticing especially because of how their relationship left off.

I think the casting was perfect, especially Jessie Mei Lei who played Alina Starkov, and Ben Barnes because they made the characters come to life and made me feel attached to the story as a whole. Ben Barnes, who played the Darkling captured the essence of being the villain and really made the viewers loathe his character.

While we also got to see some great character development from the main character as she was a soft spoken, gullible young girl and became a fierce, and powerful character towards the end who ended up saving many people.

There were only eight episodes and the season ended with a cliffhanger, so I was left sitting on the edge of my seat anticipating what was going to happen next. I am hoping that we will get to see another season sometime soon.

I highly recommend watching this show if you enjoy fantasy or young adult series. If you are just looking for a show to binge on Netflix, then this is also the show for you.