Author’s Note: If you’re new to the Shadow and Bone TV series, here’s a super quick synopsis according to IMDB. “Dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.” If you want to know more, the show awaits, what else can I say?
I recently started watching the Netflix TV series Shadow and Bone over spring break, adapted from the seven novels that span Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on this fantasy show — and also perhaps just a tiny bit falling head over heels in love with my childhood celebrity crush, Ben Barnes, all grown up in his role as the delightfully evil Darkling. Leigh Bardugo, I swear I watch Shadow and Bone for the beautifully crafted narrative and worldbuilding — and also, ahem, for Ben Barnes.
It does break my little bookworm heart that I watched the adaptation before I read the books — a cardinal sin, I know. But in all seriousness, I loved sitting down to catch the latest episode of Shadow and Bone because it reminded me of a lot of the style of books I used to read when I was younger, particularly with its hallmark of the “chosen one"/hero’s journey narrative. This show helped me revisit a genre I’d almost forgotten, rekindled my love for sweeping fantastical storytelling from its long slumber. A love lying dormant among my college syllabi, waiting to erupt.
So, here are seven maxims I’ve taken away from Netflix’s Shadow and Bone that makes me feel less like the average college student, and more like I am the protagonist of a fantasy novel on a trek to save the world — and maybe you can too. We all have a little bit of that hero gene, right?
1. Keep your enemies close, but your people closer
Alina Starkov wouldn’t be where she is today without her core group of friends, particularly Mal (although, we can debate the ethics of that entanglement another time). And neither would Kaz Brekher and his crew of Crows. The story’s plot would simply rip down the seams if it wasn’t stitched together by the intricate relationships featured on the show. Keeping an eye on the impending forces of evil is important, yes, but so are the people right in front of you. Take some time out of your day to tell someone you love them. So, Kaz and Inej, why the slow burn? It’s killing me!
2. You’re not picked to be a hero to satisfy the universe’s random whim
Most protagonists usually start out from humble, or at least, unassuming and ordinary beginnings, if the narrative follows the classic hero’s journey structure. For Alina, this is no different, starting out as an orphan from Keramzin before learning of her true power when the Fold came calling. While this might feel strange at first, plucked from nothing to suddenly become something is not by chance. What makes you, well, you is not simply happenstance. There must be an order to the seemingly endless chaos, and soon we will find our place and purpose in it, just as Alina did over the course of the two seasons.
3. Honing your magical powers takes practice, time and effort
While I’m sure no one has the Sun Summoner powers that Alina does — let me know ASAP if you do — we all have interests and talents that make us unique. In lieu of the classic training scene with the Kingdom’s finest fighting cadre, I suggest taking the equivalent, whatever that means for you. Sign up for that class, do the internship, study abroad, or whatever it is that will give you the learning opportunities necessary to expand your skills and knowledge, ready for your shining moment on the battlefield in the fight to save Ravka. Oh wait, I actually meant to type “life after graduation” there instead.
4. To save the world, you must first save yourself
Look, we can’t all go out and save the world if we’re not in tune with ourselves first. The only way Alina could fully access her powers is when she let go of her own self doubt. In the first season, Alina kept thinking she wasn’t meant to be Sun Summoner — her fear, reluctance, low self-esteem and hesitation kept her from truly being who she was. In a similar vein, while we’re not about to go off on a mythical quest, Alina’s struggle with her inner critic translates easily from the screen to the real world. Learning to be confident in who we are is not an easy feat, but believing we are exactly where we’re meant to be might get us started in the right direction.
5. Change is OK
As future heroes in training, knowing when to pivot is essential. On its journey to become one of Netflix’s top ten tv series, Bardugo’s vision needed to be malleable to the changes that came its way. While the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and the companion duology, Six of Crows, are two separate stories and happen across very different timelines, they are merged into one for the sake of the show. I’m sure diehard book fans might have taken offense, but the changes have made for a richer narrative experience for viewers across the Grishaverse. Could you imagine Alina’s story without Kaz and the Crows?
6. Revenge is a good motivator, but it won’t heal all wounds
For so many characters in this series, revenge seems to be the primary catalyst for heists and plots, particularly for Kaz — leader of the group of thieves called the Crows. He’s haunted by the death of his older brother at the hands of Pekka Rollins, and is willing to do whatever it takes to bring his nemesis to justice. While Kaz conducts a fantastic plan to bring down Rollins, and succeeds spectacularly, he isn’t immediately cleansed of his consuming rage. Acting out of anger, however calculated that might be, won’t quell the storm inside. Making sure you can work through the buried and tangled emotions, will provide the peace you’re looking for.
7. Please don’t become the Darkling, I’m begging you. Do anything else but that.
As much as I love to see Ben Barnes grace my computer screen — I did excitedly send a plethora of screenshots to my friend when I found out he was in this show — as General Kirigan, or as the manipulative and scheming Darkling, know he is not to be messed with. If you’ve learned anything from this show, it is to not to fall prey to the vices of power. Beware, or else it will consume you.
