An exciting and imaginative young adult proposal that you can’t miss.
In recent years, we have witnessed a flood of young adult series in the form of adventure and science fiction stories aimed at a teenage audience, featuring similar plotlines that, of course, included impossible alliances and a strong romantic component. Something similar has happened in cinema, with clear examples such as The Hunger Games, the Divergent saga, the Percy Jackson series, and the much undervalued The Golden Compass.
Can we assert that some of these teenage series are, in fact, some of the best adventure series in history? With a few honorable exceptions, the truth is no. However, as a general rule, we are faced with very entertaining series, diversions with which time flies by and that allow us to embrace a perspective filled with youthful pheromones, thus opposing the usual one.
One of them is one of the best adventure series on Netflix that, to our sadness, only lasted two seasons: Shadow and Bone, the adventure and fantasy proposal on Netflix that adapts a global literary phenomenon with millions of followers (by the way, here is the cast’s reaction to the cancellation of Shadow and Bone by Netflix).
The adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s novel by Eric Heisserer manages to stand out from other genre proposals by avoiding the typical fantasy embellishments in favor of something more diverse and unique.
Shadow and Bone revolves around an intricate society devastated by war, inspired by 19th-century Tsarist Russia. A vast valley of darkness known as the Shadow has divided this world in two, and only Alina, a young soldier who has discovered a magical power capable of uniting her country, can save it with her new abilities—assuming she survives, of course.
In Fotogramas’ review of Shadow and Bone, we stated that “the spectacle itself is simply beautiful at all times. It’s hard to imagine anyone feeling disappointed by the high production values showcased here in a series where everything works: from the costumes to the special effects.”
The first season consists of eight episodes that, if you enjoy fantasy at all, we are fully convinced will find a place among your favorite series and will be crucial in encouraging you to dive into season 2 of Shadow and Bone, a season that, by the way, confirms that we are witnessing “one of the best fantasy series to get hooked on right now,” as we stated in our review of the second and final season of Shadow and Bone, which marked an exciting return to the Grishaverse.
