Brittany Bordan – Contributor
Netflix’s new show takes place in Bardugo’s Grishaverse, an expansive universe filled with rich lore, complicated history, and a fascinating magic system worthy of any fantasy lover’s attention. Ravkan magicians, known as Grisha, give the universe its namesake and are the driving force behind many of Bardugo’s plotlines.
In its first season, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone will pull content from five of Bardugo’s seven Grishaverse-based books: The Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. As someone who loves everything Leigh Bardugo writes, I may be biased, but I highly recommend investing your time in these books. They are 100% worth it.
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy: Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy centers around Alina Starkov, a seemingly expendable Ravkan soldier. When Alina and her regiment are forced to travel through The Fold, a powerful rift of darkness splitting the country in two, they come face to face with the nightmarish monsters who reside there. To save herself, her best friend Mal, and their fellow soldiers, Alina finds herself drawing from magic buried deep inside of her. Reeling from the discovery of her new powers and thrown into a world of magic, unrest, and danger, Alina finds herself involved in what promises to be a bloody, costly battle against the darkness threatening to rip Ravka apart.
The Six of Crows duology: Thieves, murders, spies, and gangs…Ketterdam is crawling with them. Kaz Brekker and his band of misfits are no exception. Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology follows Brekker as he assembles a dysfunctional, yet skilled crew. His goal? An impossible heist. Set against the backdrop of Shadow and Bone’s Ravka and deeply entwined with Grisha magic, Brekker and his crew of misfits sail for the Ice Court, an impenetrable fortress, in search of a fortune worthy of kings. When politics, personal vendettas, and forces not even Kaz’s extensive planning could have seen coming, threaten to ruin everything they’ve worked for, loyalties are tested and secrets are uncovered.
If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, here are just a few reasons you should be very excited about this show.
Reason #1: The Characters
If there’s one thing Leigh Bardugo does well, it’s diverse characters. No two are the same and the romantic chemistry, friendships, and rivalries are incredible. Bardugo also represents several minority groups with a cast of characters representing different races, body types, disabilities, and sexual orientation. The diversity of the cast adds so much to the story and makes each character tangible to the reader. I loved learning all the characters’ nuances and backstories as the stories went along and having such different characters brought so much depth to her books. Furthermore, Bardugo’s characters, especially the Six of Crows crew, are fun.
Kaz’s crew of misfits includes a sarcastic gunslinger with a gambling problem, a powerful witch with an affinity for waffles, and a flute prodigy who much prefers explosives to sheet music…just to name a few.
Reason #2: The Settings
The Grishaverse revolves around two main locations: Ravka and Ketterdam. Ravka is a large continent ruled by the Lantsov family, home to both humans and Grisha alike. Ravka is protected by the first and second army; the first army, made up of human soldiers, and the second army, made up of powerful Grisha. The continent is also home to many different ethnic groups such as the Suli and the Shu. Ravka has a long history of ruin, uprising, and bloody civil war. Though deeply divided, Ravkan citizens are strong people driven by a deep love of heritage and a tentative unity against evil. Ravka and its history are heavily explored in the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
Ketterdam is the capital city of Kerch, a small island and hub of international trade off the coast of Ravka. Entirely neutral, as far as world affairs go, Kerch established itself as a central piece of the world economy and is home to all manner of people, from Grisha to skilled criminals. Ketterdam, home to Kaz Brekker and his gang The Dregs, is the center of Kerch’s criminal underworld. The city is split into unofficial territories, the rich side of the city and the Barrel, slums where ports and gambling dens are claimed and fiercely protected by gangs such as Kaz’s Dregs.
I could go on about these settings forever. Bardugo has crafted such detailed histories, cultures, and details about these locations that really helped bring the story to life on the page. Ravka and Ketterdam are like no other fantasy locations I’ve read about and it was so much fun to figure out Bardugo’s intricate world-building.
Reason #3: Magic
C’mon, who doesn’t love magic? I do, and Leigh Bardugo definitely does too! Like her characters and incredible settings, Bardugo brought her A-game with this magic system…it’s insane. I know I’ve been mentioning Grisha a lot, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. From Heartrenders to Fabrikators, there are several different types of Grisha with their own specific abilities and nuances. The Grisha and Bardugo’s magic system are heavily explored in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and I can’t wait to see how Alina’s adventure with her newfound Grisha powers and magic identity play out on screen!
Reason #4: The Trailer
Netflix released Shadow and Bone’s first official trailer on February 26, 2021, and it’s safe to say that Grishaverse fans everywhere collectively lost their minds. Not only do the costumes and sets look incredible, but in my opinion, the casting was done perfectly. It looks. Amazing.
Check it out for yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHJYYd_RnJc
I could go on and on about the Grishaverse. Shadow and Bone is an amazing trilogy and the Six of Crows duology are some of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m ridiculously excited to see how the Grishaverse plays out on screen and I hope that you are too!
April 23rd couldn’t come any faster!
Brittany Borden is a second-year Visual Communication Technology student at BGSU. She loves to read fantasy and adventure books. Her favorite genres are fantasy and adventure and when she’s not reading, she loves to bake and hang out with her dogs. Brittany can be reached at bordenb@bgsu.edu.
You may also like this
