# Shadow and Bone (2021)

> A young cartographer discovers she can wield a dormant light-based power that could unite her war-torn country, while thieves and assassins circle her for their own ends.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/72813

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: fantasy, adventure
- Created by: Eric Heisserer
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Patrick Gibson, Daisy Head, Danielle Galligan
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2403776/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: adventurous, melancholic, tense, cinematic, hopeful

## What critics say

Viewers rate the fantasy series positively for its visual craft, lead performances and sweeping adventure, while noting that some episodes drag.

## Synopsis

Shadow and Bone (2021-2023) is an American fantasy adventure series created by Eric Heisserer for Netflix, adapted from the young adult novels by Leigh Bardugo. Jessie Mei Li plays Alina Starkov, a young soldier and mapmaker in a kingdom cleaved in two by a vast barrier of perpetual darkness, who discovers a dormant power that might unite her war-torn country. Archie Renaux plays her childhood friend Mal, while Freddy Carter plays Kaz Brekker, a cunning criminal leader whose gang of thieves, assassins and misfits takes on a dangerous scheme. Amita Suman plays Inej Ghafa, a gifted acrobat and spy in the crew. Across two seasons of eight episodes each, the engine is Alina trying to hone her gift while powerful rulers, rival magical orders and criminal syndicates plot to use her. Each season mixes sweeping court intrigue, caper-style schemes and battlefield peril, with a heroine learning that power carries a price. The atmosphere is lush and cinematic, with a melancholic, adventurous register and a strong pull of found family. Fans of The Wheel of Time, The Witcher and The Magicians will find resonance in its blend of chosen-one epic and criminal cunning. The series was canceled after its second season, leaving the larger story unfinished.

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