The Shadow and Bone show is out with it’s first season and although I’m a bit late to the party, I couldn’t help but binge through the entire thing. And now that I’ve got all my thoughts in check – it’s time to give my review and answer the biggest question that has prevailed for a while : “Which one is better – the book or the show?”
Name of the Show – Shadow and Bone
No of Seasons – 1
Year of Release – 2021
*Based off of the book series – Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy)*
Summary – Alina Starkov, a cartographer of the First Army of Ravka discovers she is a Grisha (one with special powers). As her power unleashes itself into the world, tension arises as she gains fame as the savior to destroy the Fold – A layer of darkness that was laid across the centre land of four nations.
Review – If I were to be asked – Show or Book, for the first time, my answer is the show. It’s mainly because the setting in the show was more explicit and vivid than the book in my opinion. Not that I don’t like the book – I really do, but the show just hit the vibes a bit more I guess…
My ultimate favorite from the show was actually Inez. She had amazing potential and you can see how she battled along her hardships with determination and a mindset to succeed. Alina was pretty good too – she wasn’t too hardcore as Inez, but I liked the friendship that she and Mal had in the show more than the book.
The Answer to the Big Question : Book or show? – I would side with the show for this one, because the plot just seemed a lot in order and with more depth that I think the book initially lacked. An example of this would be Alina’s arc where the show makers went a bit more in depth with her story with Mal – their friendship; how they got attacked in the fold and at last her power. In the book however – it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me I guess. But that’s a personal opinion because I did like the book, just not as much as I would prefer the show.
Rating: Five on five for the show and a three point five on five for the series. It’s a great series, just more enticing on a screen than on paper because of the way the events have been explained with a bit more clarity.
