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Everything You Need to Know About Shadow and Bone Season 2

Six of Crows
Based on the best-selling young adult fantasy series by Leigh Bardugo, Netflix's "Shadow and Bone" is preparing for Season 2! In June 2021, Netflix renewed the beloved show for an eight-episode season. Season 2 is scheduled for release on March 16! Since then, the cast and team have shared new photos and small information. Since season one premiered, some new cast members have been added to the show. Don't worry, Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Archie Renaux (Malyen Oretsev), Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker), Amita Suman (Inej), Kit Young (Jesper Fahey), Ben Barnes (General Kirigan), Danielle Galligan (Nina Zenik) and Calahan Skogman (Matthias Helvar) are set to reprise their roles. But Jack Wolfe is Wylan, Anna Leong Brophy is Tamar Kir-Bataar, Lewis Tan is Tolya Yul-Bataar, and Patrick Gibson is Nikolai!Want to see the new faces and returning cast members in action? Watch the official trailer for Season 2!

What is Shadow and Bone About?

Before getting to the new information, let's catch up on what we already know."Shadow and Bone" is a Netflix Fantasy show based on the Grishaverse series by Leigh Bardugo. The first season premiered in April 2021 and has garnered many fans. While the show is called "Shadow and Bone" and focuses on the first Grishaverse trilogy following Alina, Mal, and the Darkling, the show also has a storyline featuring the crows from the spin-off series, "Six of Crows." The cast for the first season included Ben Barnes, Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young."Shadow and Bone" is a fantasy adventure story where monsters are real, and the world has people called Grisha, who can control elements. Those without powers are called Otkazat'sya. A cartographer, Alina Starkov, is the main character, played by Jessie Mei Li. She lives in a war-torn world threatened by a dark entity called The Fold, filled with monstrous creatures called volcra. The story starts when Alina realizes she has incredible powers that might be the key to freeing her home from The Fold and its monsters within.

Who does Alina end up with in Shadow and Bone?

While the series is mainly fantasy, some romance elements and storylines are intertwined with all the action. Alina is faced with multiple romantics partners, two of whom we've seen in the show so far, Mal and the Darkling. Her relationship with the Darkling is dark and intense, as he wants her and her powers. Meanwhile, her relationship with Mal had existed since childhood, when they grew up in the same orphanage together.

Is Shadow and Bone Before Six of Crows?

Yes, "Shadow and Bone" occurs before "Six of Crows." While there are some appearances of beloved characters from "Shadow and Bone," "Six of Crows" brings new characters and focuses on a cast of characters that is entirely separate from "Shadow and Bone."

What is Shadow and Bone Rated? Is Shadow and Bone Appropriate?

"Shadow and Bone" is currently rated TV-14 for violence, language, and nudity. The violence in this show is pretty heavy, and sex is implied, but nothing is explicit. It fits solidly into the young adult genre, so teenagers interested in fantasy adventure and action would probably not find any issue with the show's content. Younger audiences, however, might and are not recommended to watch.

Will There Be a Third Six of Crows Book?

During a "Shadow and Bone" event in 2021, Leigh Bardugo mentioned in an interview that she had left a door open at the end of "Rule of Wolves," the final book in the King of Scars duology. At first, she declared that she did not plan to write a third Six of Crows book. But just a few days ago, in another interview with a few cast members, Amita and Freddy, Leigh hinted at what a third Six of Crows book would look like. She even mentioned there is a major character death.So even though we might not be able to expect the third "Six of Crows" to be in our hands for a while, we know it's on Leigh's mind and a long-term Grishaverse plan for her.

What Order to Read the Grishaverse Books In

Leigh Bardugo herself has a reading order on her website. There are three series in the Grishaverse, starting with Alina's story in "Shadow and Bone," then continuing to "Six of Crows" with Kaz Brekker and his crew, and then carried into the King of Scars duology with Nikolai. "Six of Crows" picks up two years after the end of "Shadow and Bone" with new characters in a completely different country. You can read this duology first, though you might get mild spoilers for some events in "Shadow and Bone." "King of Scars" takes place one year after the end of "Six of Crows," and while you can read this duology without reading the rest of the Grishaverse books, it's recommended to read them all first to avoid spoilers and to have as much context as possible.Don't forget to watch a Season 1 recap to catch up on the Netflix show!

Welcome to the Grishaverse:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Shadow and Bone

By Leigh Bardugo

Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Siege and Storm

By Leigh Bardugo

Enter the Grishaverse with Book Two of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner—hunted and haunted. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Ruin and Rising

By Leigh Bardugo

Enter the Grishaverse with Book Three of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Six of Crows  by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Six of Crows

By Leigh Bardugo

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Crooked Kingdom

By Leigh Bardugo

Book Two in the Six of Crows Duology. New enemies challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets—a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

King of Scars

By Leigh Bardugo

No one knows what Nikolai Lantsov endured in his country’s civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. As enemies gather at his weakened borders, he must find a way to forge new alliances and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Rule of Wolves

By Leigh Bardugo

The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the King of Scars duology. As Fjerda’s army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov summons everything—and even the monster within—to win the fight.

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

The Language of Thorns

By Leigh Bardugo

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, is a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

Demon in the Wood

By Leigh Bardugo

Discover the start of a grand and sinister destiny in Demon in the Wood, the must-have graphic novel prequel to the bestselling book series and international Netflix sensation Shadow and Bone.

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo digital book - Fable

The Lives of Saints

By Leigh Bardugo

Dive into the Grishaverse with this illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond.

Popular Quotes from Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone:

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Crooked Kingdom"

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Crooked Kingdom"

“She smiled then, her cheeks red, her cheeks scattered with some kind of dust. It was a smile he thought he might die to earn again.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Crooked Kingdom"

“I can hear the change in Kaz's breathing when he looks at you." "You... you can?" "It catches every time, like he's never seen you before.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

Na razrusha'ya. I am not ruined. E'ya razrushost. I am ruination.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Ruin and Rising"

I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too. They don’t forget. They tell each other who to look after and who to watch out for.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Crooked Kingdom"

“The Darkling slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“No Mourners. No Funerals.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“We are all someone's monster.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Crooked Kingdom"

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Six of Crows"

“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“They are orphans again, with no true home but each other and whatever life they can make together on the other side of the sea.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

“Did you tell him what I showed you in the dark?” ― Leigh Bardugo, "Shadow and Bone"

You can read the Grishaverse book HERE on Fable and learn how to make a club to discuss the books HERE!

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