Hello everyone, it is I, Your Feisty Indian Aunty who just finished watching the first season of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone. Let me make it clear that I do not read fantasy novels although I do enjoy movies and TV shows where people are born with special gifts. Binge watching Shadow and Bone was a breeze, and even though I found the constant darkness throughout the series a bit depressing, I did love it all the same and cannot wait for the next season.
The story is set in this fantasy world called Ravka, which feels a little bit like Russia, where people are segregated by whether or not they possess special gifts. At first, the story sounds a little bit same old, same old – the kingdom is at war, swathed in darkness, and dominated by the Shadow Fold where these huge creatures called the Volcra devour everything they see.
There are orphans with special gifts, and a tall, dark, and handsome Shadow Summoner called the Darkling. There is a love triangle (which my son assures me is standard fare in this sort of fiction). There are even three young rogues, a conman, a gunslinger, and an (Indian?) assassin, who really should be in their own show.
I really did like Jessie Mei Li who plays the lead, Alina Starkov, and her journey from a powerless nobody to the most sought after person in all the land. She was beautiful and charming, and struck just the right balance of strength and vulnerability.
Although the story is a fantasy, it is still all about the greed, power, and cruelty of people in power who are able to tempt anyone with special gifts to join their side. You can feel the human elements too, of camaraderie within soldiers, the delight in the friendship between the orphans Alina and childhood companion Mal, and their burgeoning love story.
We all know that with great power comes great responsibility, and how Alina deals with that power lies at the root of this story.
Shadow and Bone poses a difficult question. When you possess great power, either “inherited” or “thrust upon”, how will you use it? For the good of mankind or for personal gain? Would you be able to sacrifice your own wants and needs for the welfare of those around you? Are you strong enough to do so? It is with good reason that we say “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
Go see Shadow and Bone. It is a fantasy that is incredibly relevant to to our world today. There may not be Sun or Shadow Summoners, but living with COVID-19 certainly feels like the world is shrouded in a darkness that’s akin to the Shadow Fold.
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