By: Emily Papleux 

Its official, Shadow and Bone will be hitting your screens on April 23, 2021. Written by the Iconic Leigh Bardugo herself, The Shadow and Bone trilogy follows an orphan Grisha girl-Alina Starkov- who discovers she has powers in a terrible accident. Battling manipulation and lies, Alina’s power gives her the opportunity to save her country from inevitable destruction. This series will also incorporate the Six of Crows duology. Six of Crows follows a notorious thief in Ketterdam, Kaz Brekker (A.K.A Dirtyhands) as he recruits five other outcasts to play part in an impossible heist, but with a grand reward. After being followed by its sequel, Crooked kingdom, the duology is even rumored to be a trilogy in a few years. The next book in the Grishaverse is King of Scars, a Nikolai story. It’s second book comes out in march, called Rule of Wolves.  

Casting: The casting for this series had many high expectations met with diversity, looks, and genuine interest in the Grishaverse. There were cases in which fans were not satisfied with the casting for Nina Zenik, a grisha heatrender (able to slow/stop blood flow and internal organs) that takes part in Kaz’s big heist, played by Danielle Galligan. They cast a rather slim actress to play a mid-plus size role. It took away the chance for representation, and for the character to be played and looked at as she should have been. In other terms, when Shadow and Bone first came out, Leigh Bardugo fan casted Ben Barnes as The Darkling ( a character that helps Alina discover her potential and how she can use it to change the world) Flash forward to 2021, they have officially announced that Ben Barnes has been casted for The Darkling. The fans found the whole ordeal to be such a power move for Bardugo. It’s an honor to have such representation and a diverse cast to be playing these roles almost exactly how they were intended to be played. Other casting: 

Jesse Mei Li – Alina Starkov ( the Sun Summoner) 

Archie Renaux – Malyen Oretsev ( Alina’s childhood best friend and soldier in the first army) 

Freddy Carter – Kaz Brekker 

Kit Young – Jesper Fahey (charming sharp-shooter/part of the crows) 

Amita Suman – Inej Ghafa (also known as “Wraith”, a spy with an affinity for knives) 

Calahan Skogman – Matthias Helvar ( a convicted Fjerdan soldier)  

Language: David Peterson, who created the Dothraki language in HBO’s Game of Thrones, contributed to the Ravkan language used in the Grishaverse. (Heavily inspired by Language is also an important foundation, as many different countries play part in wars, and economical interests, as well as it adds to the realness and culture of the books. 

On January 27, 2021 the Shadow and Bone Instagram account released teaser posters, and even dropped the iconic lines, “No mourners, no funerals”, and “You and I are going to change the world”. They gave us first looks at our main characters, and fans were delighted to have been finally fed content. 

Then, on February 26, on IGN Fanfest, the official teaser trailer dropped, leaving all fans shocked at this world debut. You can view this on Youtube, the IGN page, and Instagram reels shared by most of the cast. We get our first look at the Crows ( the gang led by Kaz), The Darkling, Genya ( the first tailor), and even a tiny scene with Zoya ( a powerful Grisha Squaller, able to control air)in the back, as Alina is confronted by The Darkling in the tent. We see the ballroom scene where Alina and The Darkling show off their power, and our first look at The Shadow Fold, filled with terrifying Volcra.

This trailer looks absolutely stunning, the show definitely has a good budget, and I’ve never seen Netflix produce something so jaw-dropping. Kaz looks exactly like how I imagined him while reading, and so do a lot of the other characters, which is a crucial part of this world coming to life. I can’t wait to see the relationships of the Crows unfold, like the stolen glances between Nina and Matthias, or the sarcastic yet heartwarming remarks between Jesper and Wylan, or even the time Cold-hearted Kaz insisted on Inej’s safety. Seeing all of this come together-a world that I love and admire so much- creates such a feeling I can’t describe, but the closest thing I can explain it to is “wow”. I couldn’t be more satisfied and honored to be part of this loving and welcoming community as we all express our admiration for this universe of magic and wonder. Up next is a Shadow and Bone book review, where you can dive deep into the pages of Ravka, and see the story of the Grishaverse unfold.

Click below to enter the Grishaverse: 

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone: Teaser Trailer Breakdown with the Cast and Creators – IGN