This is the perfect time to get started (or even reread!) as you may already be aware that Shadow and Bone was adapted into an incredible, record-breaking Netflix series and its second season has just wrapped production!

On top of this exciting news, there’s also more novels to look forward to in the Grishaverse with Demon in the Wood releasing on September 27th 2022. It’s the must-have graphic novel prequel with illustrations from spectacular new talent Dani Pendergast.

To enter our giveaway, you can head to the below social media posts and follow the prompts to gain up to THREE entries to get your hands on this prize pack.

INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Entries close Sunday June 19th.

Best of luck!

The post We’re Celebrating The 10 Year Anniversary of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse With A Giveaway! appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Okay so if you are like me, you have probably binge watched Shadow and Bone on April 23rd then promptly rewatched it a few more times over the next couple of months to let it all *sink in*. Now that we are done sighing over Milo, seeing how perfect the Crows were, what a step up it was to actually see Mal’s point of view on screen, and how we would still go with the Darkling (General Kirigan) even knowing he is bad, we can get into the nitty gritty bits of the show! And by that, I mean it’s time to do some in-depth analysis of how well the show actually adapted the books.

We are all very well aware that no book to movie or TV series adaptation will ever be a page-by-page adaptation. Everything in a book does simply not translate to the screens and some changes are understandable, even if not liked by everyone. Let’s try to whittle out some of the biggest changes that were made in the show!

This article will contain some heavy spoilers for the show and the books so do keep that in mind! Time to get our magnifying glass out.

The Crows

We have to talk about the Crows and their involvement with the whole plot. We know from the books that Alina and the Crows never met in either the Shadow and Bone trilogy or Six of Crows duology, but that obviously had to be changed if we wanted to tie the two stories together. In the series we have Kaz, Inej, and Jesper being hired to kidnap Alina Starkov for Dreesen, one of the members of the Merchant Council and a new character for the series. This of course added an unexpected layer to their stories and some pre-Six of Crows titbits that will later affect their heist story and their relationships.

The wonderful thing about this change however was that we could see in real-time how Kaz, Inej, and Jesper slowly started growing closer, forming those (in a way reluctant) bonds of friendship (and possibly love?). In Six of Crows the three are already working together and we don’t get much more than small glimpses into the events that formed their relationships. The series portrays some of the most formative experiences for them, such as Inej making her first kill. We learned from the books that Inej had a very difficult time after her first kill and the show represented this beautifully on screen as well, but we also got something more—Inej killing for the first time to save Kaz, which added another layer to their “we save each other” dynamic and made all the Kanej shippers squeal in glee.

Of course, we also have to take a closer look at the Six of Crows villain that already made an appearance—Tante Heleen and her involvement with Inej. In the beginning of the duology, Inej has been away from Heleen for a while already, having had her indenture paid by Per Haskell on Kaz’s prompting and working full-time for the Dregs. But the show took a different approach—Kaz was still in the process of paying off Inej’s indenture, which made her still indebted to Heleen in a way and forced to do her bidding when instructed. This created a new dynamic between the characters and laid some groundwork for their relationships in the future seasons.

We also have to talk about Kaz giving Heleen his shares of the Crow club as leverage so Inej wouldn’t be left in Heleen’s clutches if the Sun Summoner job went awry. Very Crooked Kingdom of you, Kaz, we stan.

Another miniscule change from the books that could manifest itself later as the series progresses is Jesper having a crush on Kaz. While there were a few tense moments in the series, it wasn’t explicitly shown that Jesper has feelings for Kaz, which plays a big role in the books since a lot of Jesper’s motivations stems from those feelings. Let’s not forget about Jesper wanting to please Kaz, doing everything to keep his trust, and after getting locked in the Fjerdan prison complaining, that he was too stressed to pay attention when Kaz was stripped down upon entering the prison… We see you, boy. We have our fingers crossed that we have yet to see Jesper having an adorable (if unrequited) crush on Kaz—maybe in season two with the Crows back on their own turf?

Alina and Mal

The star-crossed lovers were privy to quite a few changes from the books, but the heart of their story stayed the same: two orphaned children finding solace in each other while growing up together and finally realising there might be some romantic feelings involved. The most obvious two changes from the books were that while both characters were white in the books, they were mixed-raced in the series, adding another layer of “otherness” to the two otkazat’sya soldiers and how their journey through the Fold was supposed to look like. In the book, both Mal and Alina were supposed to cross the Fold with their regiment, but in the TV series, only Mal was chosen for the crossing with Alina later ruining the maps so that her mapmaking skills would be required on the other side of the Fold and she could volunteer to cross with Mal.

Another important detail worth noting is how Mal’s point of view changed the fans’ opinions on Mal. In the book, Mal seemed a pretty bland character who didn’t notice Alina’s feelings for him (or his for her for that matter) until she was gone and whisked away to the Little Palace. But in the series, we could see from the actual journey Mal undertook in order to find his way back to Alina. How it all happened didn’t diverge from the book, what was different was Mal’s perspective, which added another layer of heartbreak and made the pairing a fan-favourite. Add in the heart-wrenching letters the two wrote to each other (Mal’s letters are included as bonus material in some editions of Shadow and Bone) in form of their voiceovers for a perfectly weep-worthy friends-to-lovers romance!

Matthias and Nina’s Fate

One of the most joyful storylines for me in the show was that of the formidable enemies to lovers couple, Nina and Matthias. Not only did Danielle Galligan (Nina) and Calahan Skogman (Matthias) manage to capture their characters perfectly, but their scenes contained full-on scenes from the books with identical dialogue that made all the Helnik fans screech. We got the heartstopping shipwreck, Matthias and Nina barely surviving on the ice (and doing so by huddling together naked in a whaler’s hut and traveling together for weeks), and slowly forming a friendship that could’ve easily turned into something more.

But there were still some pretty glaring changes made to their stories, probably in service of their storyline fitting together better with that of the Ravkans and the Crows. The first one being that Nina was a spy in West Ravka when she was taken and not on a recruiting mission in Fjerda. And then we have Matthias and Nina finally finding civilization and shelter in Arkesk (still in Ravka) and not in Fjerda, which also changed how the two ended up on a ship to Ketterdam. In the book, Nina stumbles upon some undercover Grisha in Fjerda and denounces Matthias a slaver in order to save both him from the Grisha and the undercover operation from the Fjerdans. In the series, however, Nina is faced with a full battalion of Grisha who tell her that Matthias will be tried for his crimes – and then Nina betrays her people in order to save Matthias while also condemning him by selling him out to the slavers.

By the end of the first season, we are left with the two on a ship set for Ketterdam, Matthias’s hatred for Nina and her kind reignited, and Nina determined to right the wrong even if it means possibly working for the criminals of Ketterdam. This little predicament of theirs does pose some question about how their storyline will progress in the future seasons, especially knowing that the Six of Crows plot will come into play later on, which means that Matthias could be stuck in Hellgate for a while.

General Kirigan and Alina

If you’ve read the books then you know that Darklina’s relationship was always somewhere between questionable and downright manipulative at best. Alina was blindsided, never truly privy to the Darkling’s real motivations until Baghra told her about them. The series built on this foundation of the relationship but added the question of consent in it—both in terms of Alina approaching the Darkling first and of him actually making sure that she was okay by getting physical with him. In Jessie Mei Li’s own words, they made the relationship more 2021. Of course, there was still a fair share of manipulation and gaslighting involved, but the Darkling is a villain and not your run of the mill boy next door or hero type.

A couple more unexpected changes when it comes to “General Kirigan”? In the books he always went by the moniker “the Darkling”, while he was given a different name (Kirigan) in the show. Plus let’s not forget how easily he gave up his real name, Aleksander, to Alina in the show, while in the books his name was a close-held secret which he revealed to Alina only later on.

As for some smaller changes that could affect the plotlines more in the future seasons…

The first one that I have to mention is that there is apparently no Per Haskell in the show. Now of course it is possible that his character will appear later on, but knowing what we know from the books, Per Haskell was there from the get-go, running the Dregs and letting Kaz elevate them to their later glory.

Also did you notice Big Bolliger in the series? I missed him the first time around mostly because I was expecting a young bruiser-type of guy and we got someone middle-aged, which could tie into the fact that apparently Kaz mans the Crows himself and will therefore have a crew loyal to him that spans different age groups (and not only the younger members of the gang like in the books).

And let’s not forget about the sweet Inferni, Marie, who met a different fate in the series than in the books. In the latter, Marie actually survives till the end of Siege and Storm (book two of The Grisha Trilogy) being killed during the Darkling’s attack on the Palace during a dinner hosted for Nikolai’s birthday. In the series, however, Marie posed as Alina during the Winter Fete, having been altered to look like her by Genya and was later killed by the Conductor on General Zlatan’s orders.

Marie’s fate ties into two important changes from the books—the first one being the West Ravka’s storyline and specifically how they are vying for independence with General Zlatan as their leader. In the books, the two sides of Ravka separated by the Fold always worked together and the Civil War that later exhausted Ravka’s coffers came from the Darkling’s army fighting against those loyal to the Royal family and Alina. Only season two can tell what will come of this interesting series-only development and if Zlatan’s death means the end of the silent rebellion as well or not.

As for the other Marie-related change: Genya changed Marie’s appearance with little effort while it was explicitly stated in the books that Genya’s work takes time and precision (evident in Crooked Kingdom when it took Genya hours to give Wylan back his natural looks). This makes us wonder (and worry slightly) about what this could mean for both Nina’s and Wylan’s storyline in Six of Crows, since a big part of Kaz’s closing scheme of the book depends on Nina—high on jurda parem and with powers never seen before—making Wylan look like Kuwei. The revelation that such changes are possible so early in the series could take away from the surprise reveal by the end of the Six of Crows plotline, but considering that we haven’t been disappointed yet by the way these books were adapted, maybe we can trust that the show writers will do the books justice.

Moreover, we are a while away from the Six of Crows plotlines seeing the light of day and who knows what other changes and surprises could be made until then. We just got to keep rewatching the show and make it a success so we can one day, probably years in the future, finally see the infamous Ice Court heist come to life. I am ready—are you?

Did you notice any other changes in the show? Did you like them or not? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Book Versus TV Series: Shadow and Bone appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

A few years ago, Grishaverse fans could only dream about getting a TV or movie adaptation of our favourite literary world. As the Grishaverse expanded from the Shadow and Bone trilogy to the Six of Crows and the King of Scars duologies, Leigh Bardugo’s creations made us crave for our favourite characters to come alive. Now, in 2020, we finally have it, so if you happened to miss the news, go watch the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix NOW!

Directed by Eric Heisserer and produced by Leigh Bardugo herself, Shadow and Bone is everything we could have ever asked for and a little more. It is not common for an adaptation that diverts from the original story to please the fans, but the Netflix production is equally faithful and innovative, creating something entirely new yet familiar for the fans. Combining the plot of the first novel in the Shadow and Bone trilogy and some of our favourite crows from the Six of Crows duology, the TV series is a true gift both for fans and newcomers.

Of course, when we learned that Shadow and Bone would merge the trilogy and duology together, we expected some major—quite scary—changes. However, we, in fact, had nothing to worry about. The adaptation does include a few changes here and there, but the two sagas are combined seamlessly without barely affecting their individual storylines. Namely, while Alina’s storyline unravels, our beloved Dregs—yet to be joined by Nina, Matthias, and Wylan—are on a mission across the Fold to kidnap the Sun Summoner.

In any case, there is no doubt that immense love and admiration for the original works was the driving force of the show, because even the smallest details—even the new ones—are nods to the books. For instance, one example that completely blew our minds away was that, in the TV series, the Crows infiltrate the Little Palace as part of a theatrical troupe. And how does Alina escape the palace in the book? See for yourselves.

While new fans will not need to have read the books to fully understand the story, the series has plenty of little nods to the books and the smallest details will make readers smile. Did you catch the copy of the Istorii Sankt’ya? Or the image of Sankta Lizabeta? Or the copy of Shadow and Bone in Ravkan? Let us know if we missed something because the series is bursting with fantastic references and we are sure there are many more to uncover!

Along with the faithfulness to the plot, the cast is always the most difficult part for the production to nail. But, once again, the attention to detail and nuance was outstanding. Every single actress and actor completely took their role by storm. From the secondary characters, such as Nadia, Fedyor, or Zoya, to the protagonists, all of them absolutely nailed their roles. Ben Barnes as General Kirigan beautifully and flawlessly captured the ins and outs of the Darkling’s mind, while Archie Renaux gave Mal a much more complex and eye-catching personality than the one in the books. This could only be expected, as the characters in the series are free of the constrains of the book’s first-person narration.

Of course, we could not miss to mention the stellar interpretation of Jessie Mei Li who is the very embodiment of Alina’s resilience, wit, and kindness. We could not have hoped for a better group of actors.

On their part, The Crows completely stole the show. Kit Young, Amita Suman, and Freddy Carter were everything we could have dreamed of and we cannot wait to see more of them. All three portrayed our beloved characters so perfectly that it almost felt like being reunited with long lost friends. Jesper’s charm, Inej’s strength, and Kaz’s ruthlessness and care for his friends, it was all there and they are a joy to watch. A special mention to Freddy Carter is needed, who was able to transmit a million emotions without dropping Kaz’s characteristic angry façade. And Amita Suman’s portrayal of Inej’s faith is also beautifully fascinating to watch.

When it comes to Danielle Galligan’s and Calahan Skogman’s Nina and Matthias, it might be too early to judge, as they barely make an appearance on the show. In any case, their scenes are taken almost frame by frame from Six of Crows so their relationship will be an absolute delight for fans.

The series still could improve, however. For one, the plot feels a bit rushed at times. It is quite the feat to portray an entire book in one single season, and that is something that slightly hinders the overall narration of the story. Relationships might feel a bit rushed, especially for those who have not read the books, and character development is not as rewarding for those who have. There are also a few unfortunate remarks towards the Shu—people from the nation of Shu-Han, a region with Chinese and Mongolian influences—that felt a bit too harsh, especially taking into account that, in the books, we had the joy of a fantasy universe where—thankfully for people who have to suffer it every day—racial discrimination was non-existent.

To conclude we could not finish this review without mentioning the absolutely outstanding work around the creation of the settings. Ravka and Kerch come alive in the streets, buildings, and open fields of Budapest. The small background details are definitely a wonderful way to immerse the viewer into the world of the Grishaverse. Hand in hand with the setting and props, the costume design is to die for. The embroidery of the keftas, their rich colours, the worn of the soldier’s uniforms or the details on the Dregs’ clothes are just a sight for sore eyes.

Overall, Shadow and Bone is a wonderful adaptation, that gives newcomers a chance to discover the world of the Grishaverse and offers fans of the novel new material to enjoy. Let us pray to all the saints that Netflix decides to renew the show for season 2, because we still have so many things to unravel in the Grishaverse. We need Wylan and Nikolai and Tolya and Tamar and so many other characters that we just need to see come alive in the show. Here’s to more episodes to enjoy in the future, more stories to discover, and more Grisha magic to witness. In any case, let us say that until then: No mourners, no funerals.

What did you think of Shadow and Bone? Tell us in the comments below!

The post TV Review: ‘Shadow and Bone’ Season 1 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

After months and months of painful waiting, we finally have a trailer! Okay so let’s be honest here, who else screamed the entire 2:41 minutes when watching the Shadow and Bone teaser trailer? I, for one, am not ashamed to say that I rewatched the whole trailer probably more than 10 times in the first hour that it came out… Whilst we still remain excited over the trailer, let’s dive into it a bit more and see what we are able to pick up in this teaser!

Before we get into it, I have to say that the trailer is way better that I had anticipated. It is honestly EPIC and by the looks of it, fans of the original book series will not be disappointed by this trailer (fingers crossed it stays this way throughout the whole series) and having Leigh herself as an executive producer must have its benefits! Even for those who have not read the books, they would still be blown away by the amazing and dramatic events happening within the trailer. The cast crew is the best and they obviously nailed the casting choices because this is a rare occasion where I liked every single one of the cast members before I’ve actually seen the film/series. Each and every one of them is the exact image of what I had imagined them to be when I was reading the books! 

So, moving on to the actual trailer, we are blessed with Ben Barnes’ seductive voice at the beginning introducing us to the Shadow Fold: ‘The Shadow Fold, a scar on the map, that tore our country in two’ (honestly I have memorised every single line in the trailer by now). We see Alina (Jessie May Li) and Mal (Archie Renaux) packed and ready right before they enter the fold.

After entering the fold, they encounter creatures known as The Volcra, who feed on human flesh and can smell human blood from miles away. Chaos rained down upon them, and Mal’s life was hanging on the edge, Alina helplessly staring around them. ‘The only way to save them would be a miracle’. A blinding burst of light suddenly emerges, surrounding the ship in sunlight and killing the volcra in the meantime. The light here looks blue, doesn’t it?

Scene change, and Alina is seen taken to General Kirigan AKA The Darkling (played by the strikingly handsome Ben Barnes and the perfect image of the Darkling), the Grisha leader of the Second Army. We see the Darkling questioning Alina about the true nature of herself and using physical pain as an attempt to reveal the sun power inside of her. 

Up till now, everything is almost exactly the same as the first few chapters of Shadow and Bone in the Grisha Trilogy. Everything was PERFECT.

Continuing on, we catch more glimpses of Alina’s power, then Alina is taken away while Mal runs and shouts after her, and theres battle scenes involving the Second Army. And we even have a scene introducing Genya, played by the amazing Daisy Head!

Jesper (Kit Young) with his revolvers, Kaz (Freddy Carter) with his crow-headed cane, and Inej (Amita Suman) being Inej with stealth and power embodied.If you haven’t watched the cast with Fan Fest where they break down the trailer and include some interesting stories behind the scenes, make sure to go check it out. During the panel, the cast explain that because most of the stuff that the Crows did in the show were quite spoilery, they didn’t include much in the trailer!

The last scene and definitely the most memorable one was when Alina and The Darkling made a show of their powers at the Winter Fete, with The Darkling summoning up darkness and Alina surrounding them with sunlight. The Darkling’s last words still ringing in our ears, ‘you and I are going to change the world’!

Well, as far as the trailer goes, everything looks amazing! Since the series is based on both the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, there definitely would be some changes to it, but don’t let that put you off. We are still able to go on a thrilling journey within the Grishaverse with some of our beloved characters and I know that it would not be a disappointment!

Mark your calendars and clear out your schedules as Shadow and Bone will be arriving exclusively on Netflix on April 23rd 2021.

The post ‘Shadow and Bone’ Teaser Trailer Breakdown appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the beloved fictional world created by one of the most popular YA writers, Leigh Bardugo, the Grishaverse, is coming to Netflix! Back in April 2020, we rounded up what we knew then from casting and filming, but the release of the series is drawing near! Now both Bardugo and all the actors involved have been pretty tight-lipped on the matter, pushing the fandom into a frenzy (it was not unusual to see ‘we’re clowns’ posts and memes circulating on BookTwitter and Bookstagram) that finally broke when the announcement teaser dropped on December 17th, letting the viewers know that the show will drop in April 2021!

The thirty nine seconds long teaser artfully depicted a white stag (which is well-known to every fan of the Grisha trilogy) standing in a wintery forest in all its might, a crow passing with a loud caw (raise your hand if your Dregs-loving heart fluttered at the sight of it), and ended with what appears to be hands closing an antlers collar around a girls neck and a ball of light being extinguished. But the part that really sent the fans into new heights was Ben Barnes’s voiceover, speaking one of the Darkling’s infamous lines at the very end of the teaser, ‘You and I are going to change the world’.

We don’t have the exact date yet, but based on how Netflix usually operates, we can expect the trailer and the date of release to be announced closer to the release month, so likely in March (or if we get lucky, maybe late February!). There has been little news since the teaser bomb was dropped, but all the fans are hoping for some more promo material, behind-the-scenes shots, and everything that goes hand in hand with a big TV production before April.

JANUARY 27TH EDIT: We have first look photos and characters posters! I repeat, we have first look photos and characters posters!

In Case You’ve Missed The announcement of The Series…

Now in case you have lived under a rock, here’s a little summary of what you’ve missed! The news that Bardugo’s books were being adapted dropped a little over two years ago and people were…excited, to say the least. Netflix and the series creator, showrunner, and writer, Eric Heisserer, made the wise decision of opting for more than one book series, so the show will include the storyline of the original Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and a short story collection that includes fairytales from the Grishaverse, The Language of Thorns.

The hype skyrocketed when the main cast was announced a couple of months later in October 2019, bringing in some beloved actors (such as the eternal heartthrob Ben Barnes) and some new faces.

Two of Shadow and Bone‘s very own, Jessie Mei Li, who will portray the Shadow and Bone heroine Alina Starkov, and Freddy Carter, the famous anti-hero of Six of Crows, were recently featured on the Decider‘s list of ‘Rising stars to watch for in 2021’, a nod towards the inevitable popularity of both the actors and the show. I think the die-hard book fans can congratulate ourselves once the show blows up and its cast becomes world-known, saying “We were here first”. And by here I mean stanning these amazing characters and the actors portraying them.

Cast News and Episode Titles

Some more actors also appeared on the official IMDB page for Shadow and Bone, including Deirdre Mullins (best known for The Dark Mile, My Name Is Emily, Man Down) who will portray a notable villain of the Six of Crows duology, Tante Heleen; Dan Li (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Black Mirror) as Bo Yul-Bayur, the Shu scientist; and George Parker (Pennyworth, Substitute) as prince Vasily, the older of the two Ravkan princes.

One of the things that started endless speculations and fan theories were of course the episode titles that just suddenly appeared on the shows IMDB page a couple of months back. There will be eight episodes in total in season one, and almost every single episode title alludes to something in the books. Let’s go through and shine some light on them (pun maybe intended), shall we?

Episode 1: A Searing Burst of Light
Now this title is a non-brainer to every fan of The Grisha Trilogy since our main girl, Alina Starkov, is a Sun summoner and her powers manifest suddenly as a searing burst of light. Smart, right? But since the three crows (Kaz, Inej, and Jesper) will appear in every single episode of season one, we’ll definitely start with the Dregs backstories as well. Quick, how do you think the storylines of two series will merge?

Episode 2: We’re All Someone’s Monster
This is one of the direct quotes from Six of Crows, spoken from Matthias to Nina, but since neither of the actors portraying these two characters (namely Calahan Skogman and Danielle Galligan) are currently listed under the episode’s cast, it’s not unreasonable to believe that this quote might be applied differently or not in the confines of their characters dynamic. 

Episode 3: The Making at the Heart of the World
A very Grisha title that, combined with the episode’s cast (featuring a few notable side characters from Shadow and Bone such as Genya, David, and Baghra), instantly alludes to this episode leaning more heavily on The Grisha Trilogy part of the adaptation. We’ll get to meet the royal family (minus their most dashing prince, Nikolai, who is not to appear in season one) and get to the Little Palace, the well-known residence of Grisha power.

Episode 4: Otkazat’sya
Otkazat’sya is a word commonly used in Ravkan (one of the languages of the Grishaverse) and means ‘abandoned, orphaned’, but it is also used by Grisha to refer to people without powers, the non-Grisha. The term was often used in the trilogy to describe Alina’s best friend since childhood, Mal Oretsev, and one of the main characters of the show. So we might learn more about his and Alina’s childhood? Am I looking too much into this? Maybe. Probably.

Episode 5: Show Me Who You Are
This is the only episode title that doesn’t come exactly from the books, which made the speculators run wild with theories based on the cast list that includes a lot of the trilogies characters, a big portion of the episode could be set in the palaces, but one character stands out: Bo Yul-Bayur. This Shu scientist is the main prize of the Six of Crows heist, so this episode could also mean we’ll get to learn more about parem, the insidious drug threatening the Grisha and one of the most important forces driving the Six of Crows plot.

Episode 6: The Heart Is An Arrow
If you are at least a little bit acquainted with the YA world then you must’ve stumbled upon this iconic quote before (the complete quote goes like this: The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true). This quote is of course connected with Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman) so it is not a far stretch if we assume that we could learn more about the Wraith and her backstory in this episode. *fangirling begins*

Episode 7: The Unsea
The Unsea also known as the Shadow Fold, is a swath of darkness full of monsters (the volcra) that divides Ravka into two parts and that suddenly appeared one day, devouring the people who lived on that land. The Fold plays a major role throughout the Shadow and Bone trilogy so it’s safe to assume it’ll be big in the show as well. This episode is also the only episode that features Matthias Helvar (Calahan Skogman), one of the main characters of the duology, so we’ll probably be introduced to some new backstories and plotlines as well.

Episode 8: No Mourners
And last but not least, the creators of the show made a wise decision of ending the season with one of the most notable quotes of Six of Crows (No Mourners. No Funerals.), sending fans into a frenzy and making everyone wonder if the last episode will introduce us to the possibility of a heist in season two. The only two Dregs missing from this episode’s line up are of course Matthias and Wylan (who will not appear in season one), but that doesn’t mean that the clogs for heist planning cannot be put into place with this episode, since they are also the last two players to join the team for the Ice Court job (or will it be a different heist for the show? Only time – and maybe the trailer – will tell).

Episode 8 will also conclude the first season and once we’ve watched and rewatched (and re-re-rewatched the show), we can start waiting for season two. Based on the budget Netflix dedicated to Shadow and Bone, it would not be unreasonable to assume that season two is nearly a done deal. Now we just have to make everyone watch the show and guarantee ourselves many more seasons, conventions, and maybe a theme park or two. I mean how cool would it be to battle Grisha and go for an Ice Court themed ride? Pretty sweet, right?

April is so close!

The wait is almost over after more than two years since the announcement of the adaptation coming to Netflix was made. Now we only have to wait for April to come in all its moody Spring (or Autumn) glory and bring with it the most anticipated book to TV series adaptation of the recent years. And while we wait we can just scroll through the cast’s social media accounts for any tiny hints, berate Netflix to give us more, hope for some behind-the-scenes photos to drop, and rewatch the teaser announcement for the umpteenth time. Because to quote Kaz Brekker ‘When you can’t beat the odds change the game’. (A.k.a April is not that far off but we have been waiting for years. We need more than bread crumbs to sustain us).

So while we wait for that long-awaited trailer (and soon after, THE SHOW!! *cue screaming*) to finally drop, which scenes from the books are you hoping to see in the show? Which characters’ interactions? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Latest On The ‘Shadow and Bone’ Netflix Adaptation appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you are one of the die-hard Grishaverse fans, crazy about either Six of Crows duology or The Grisha Trilogy or both, this is just the article for you (and if you stumbled upon it by accident, STAY; I promise you’ll want to read all of these books by the end of it and then count down the days til the show drops with us!). The frenzy surrounding the show is reaching sky high and there is no way you haven’t heard yet that we are getting a Netflix TV show!

There are few things that get booknerds as excited AND frightened at the same time than book to movie/TV show adaptations! The thought process of every single lover of book that is to be adapted is usually the same:

• First comes the joy: It is finally happening! We’re getting a movie/TV show! *tears of joy*
• Followed closely by: But what if they mess up the storyline? What if they don’t do justice to the characters? What if the casting is off?!
• In time comes the realisation that suddenly your precious book will become more widely known and that people who’ve never even read it will form opinions on it based solely on the movie/TV show. THE AUDACITY!

So it’s safe to say that every adaptation news rocks the book community. But the biggest splash in the recent year was definitely caused by the news that Leigh Bardugo’s books are being adapted for Netflix. The big reveal dropped a little over a year ago and my bookstagram was filled with people screeching excitedly, praying to book gods to make this adaptation justice and tearing Bardugo’s newsletter mail that held some extra information apart for hidden clues. But here’s the gist of it all: Netflix is adapting Bardugo’s books set in the Grishaverse, a fantasy world that distantly resembles our own in which people with incredible magical powers called the Grisha live. Netflix made a wise decision and didn’t opt just one book series – no, no, no, they decide to include the original The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (sometimes called also The Grisha Trilogy), its successor Six of Crows duology and a short stories collection, The Language of Thorns. And the fans were happy.

Okay let’s back up a bit for a second, okay, and run through the basics!

The Books

Just in case you are not that familiar with the Grishaverse and its book series – in The Shadow and Bone Trilogy we follow a story of a young soldier, Alina Starkov, who discovers that she possesses a power that has never been seen before, which earns her a place next to a formidable leader of the Second Army (aka all Grisha soldiers), the Darkling. The Grisha Trilogy is one of the original fantasy series for young adults with epic twists and turns, plenty of interesting characters (I can’t name one fan who would not jump in front of a bullet for Nikolai Lantsov, one of the main character of the trilogy), and a twisted debate of good versus evil.

Six of Crows strays away from the cookie-cutter fantasy mould and plunges the readers into Ketterdam, a grey and dangerous city where money is the motivational tool. We meet Kaz Brekker, the criminal mastermind who decides to take on an impossible heist with some well-chosen companions for… You guessed it, a shitload of money. The cast of characters in Six of Crows is one of the most well-known and beloved squads in all the book community and there is at least one character that will suit your tastes. I think this quote from the book describes them best: “A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse.” – Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

And the last book that will be part of this gigantic production is no other than The Language of Thorns, a short story collection that includes different fairytales from the Grishaverse (but appropriately creepy and dark and a far cry from our Disney-coloured fairytales).

Cast Announcements

Fast forward to October 2nd 2019 when the leads of the show were announced and the community had a collective meltdown yet again. The first wave of casting comprised of three main characters from Shadow and Bone and three from Six of Crows. And one of the best parts of it was that the casting strayed slightly from book descriptions of characters, giving us a more diverse cast! Let’s meet our stars, shall we?

Freddy Carter

Let’s start with Six of Crows characters! Freddy Carter took the role of infamous Kaz Brekker, one of the most iconic and beloved YA characters. Who doesn’t love a ruthless criminal mastermind that also has a soft side? Carter is a 27-year old actor from the UK, most known for his roles as Pin in Free Rein and Jason Ripper in Pennyworth. He’s still a rather new name in the showbusiness, but you might’ve heard of his brother, Tom Austen, the mysterious bodyguard on The Royals.

Amita Suman

And standing besides Kaz Brekker as a fan-favourite is naturally the Wraith, Inej Ghafa, the cunning Suli acrobat! The role of Inej went to Amita Suman, most known for her role as Umbreen in Doctor Who (which aired back in 2018 and gave Suman a chance to work with the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker). While a lot of details of the show are still unknown, we do know that Suman has been training hard for the last few months, be it combat or aerial yoga.

Kit Young

And the last (but not least) Crow announced in the first wave of cast announcements was Chris ‘Kit’ Young as Jesper Fahey, the fast talking and charming sharpshooter and Brekker’s right-hand man. This is the second television (and first lead) role of the 25-year old English actor and he already showed off his sharpshooting skills with some videos and photos on his personal Instagram account.

Video of Kit as Jesper from his personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9HoA0GAqAF/

The three Dregs (taken from Kit’s personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MLk8YA1_l/

Ben Barnes

Now let’s get to The Grisha Trilogy cast members! The much adored Ben Barnes, best known for his roles as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia, Dorian Gray in the eponyomus movie from 2009, and Billy Russo in The Punisher, is one of the most fan-cast actors in the world! I can’t count the number of books and book series where people wanted Barnes to portray their favourites (be it Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy or young Sirius Black form Harry Potter). Barnes is a fan-favourite and as soon as his casting for General Kirigan (aka The Darkling) dropped there were cries of triumph from basically everywhere! Barnes finally, after 12 years, got another YA role! Now the only problem we are facing is this – how are we supposed to rally against the Darkling if he’s being portrayed by the one and only Barnes?!

Jessie Mei Li

The role of Alina Starkov, the main protagonist and the narrator of The Grisha Trilogy, that possesses the-never-seen-before powers of summoning light, went to Jessie Mei Li. Jessie Mei Li is a 24-year old English actress, best known for her roles in Last Night in Soho and National Theatre Live: All About Eve. This will be the wonderful young actress’s first big television role.

Archie Renaux

And the third The Grisha Trilogy cast member announced was Archie Renaux. Renaux took the role of Malyen ‘Mal’ Oretsev, Alina’s best friend (or could there be more? *wiggles eyebrows*), a gifted tracker and a soldier of the First Army. This 22-year old English actor and model is best known for his role in the miniseries Gold Digger where he starred next to his Shadow and Bone co-star Ben Barnes and his upcoming roles in Voyagers and Marvel’s Morbius (both movies are currently in post-production).

Recurring Roles

After the six leads were officially presented, Deadline released an article naming a few other actors that landed recurring roles. So we got Sujaya Dasgupta (known for Press, Guilt) as the beautiful and cutthroat Zoya Nazyalensky from The Grisha Trilogy, Danielle Galligan (best known for her role in Game of Thrones) as the flirtatious Heartrender Nina Zenik and one of the six Dregs from Six of Crows, Daisy Head (Guilt, Underworld: Blood Wars, Fallen) as Genya Safin, the charming Tailor and, Simon Sears as Ivan (Winter Brothers), one of the Darkling’s most favoured Grisha.

And then on December 18th 2019, seven more actors were added to the cast! The role of the fifth Dreg, the grim-faced Drüskelle Matthias Helvar went to a newcomer Calahan Skogman, an American actor of Nordic and Italian descent. Luke Pasqualino, the British actor of Italian descent best known for Skins and The Musketeers, took the role of the studious David Kostyk, and Zoë Wanamaker aka the formidable Madame Hooch from Harry Potter (and to be fair, known for so many other roles as she starred in over 70 movies and TV shows) was cast as Baghra, Alina’s Grisha teacher.

Kevin Eldon (Game of Thrones) as a priest called The Apparat, a newcomer Gabrielle Brooks and Jasmine Blackborow (School’s Out Forever, The Protector) as Nadia and Marie, Alina’s Grisha friends, and Julian Kostov (A Discovery of Witches) as Fedyor round out the recurring cast of Shadow and Bone.

Other minor roles have been cast as well (such as the spoiled prince Vasily, Alexei, etc.) and you can check out all the actors on the official Shadow and Bone‘s IMDB page.

Production News and Filming

Okay so now we know our key players but there is still so much behind the scenes stuff we can go through! So here’s a quick walk through of some other production-related info you should be aware of!

• We will be getting 8 episodes! I know, it’s not a lot but here’s to at least five more seasons after this one (hopefully).
• The show is being executive produced by a bunch of amazing people, such as Stranger Things‘s Shawn Levy, Bird Box‘s Eric Heisserer (who is also the writer, creator and showrunner), Divergent’s Pouya Shahbazian, and Leigh Bardugo herself! So it’s safe to say this show is in very good and capable hands!
• The filming begun in October 2019 and wrapped in February 2020 in Budapest! I did some digging, compared photos posted by the cast and crew members to my own Budapest sightseeing souvenirs and came up with a little list of possible filming locations! So you might spy one of these Budapest gems in the show!
  1. The Buda Castle: One of the top tourist attractions in Budapest, the Buda Castle was built in the 13th century and sits at the top of Castle Hill. Crew and cast members posted multiple stories hinting that we might glimpse it in the show!
     • Photos featuring trailers for cast/crew members and Kit Young’s trailer shot.
     • Based on these two photos it is safe to assume that The Buda Castle will play a big role in the upcoming show!
  2. Matthias Church: Now we do not know anything for certain, but a few cast members posted photos of this stunning church, making us wonder if maybe we might glimpse it in the show as well! The Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church located at the heart of Buda’s Castle District and one of the most beautiful attractions in Budapest. Also do you see that black tower? I don’t know about you, but I think this would work perfectly for the Darkling.
  3. Budapest Mazes: This last location is more wishful thinking on my part, but as soon as one of the cast members posted a photo on their story of this creepy Budapest gem, I had a vision of impossible heists and dark Ketterdam allies in my mind. Budapest Mazes or the Labyrinth under the Castle Hill is one of the most visited attractions known for its cool, dark and creepy tunnels – add some effects such as fog and dramatic lightning and some props like coffins and cages and you have a properly scary medieval experience!

And for some interesting factoids

• Leigh Bardugo (aka the author of this fantasy world) will have a cameo in one of the episodes! According to her Instagram story, we will see her clad in Materialki purple.
• Some of fan-favourite characters such as the cunning and charming prince Nikolai Lantsov, the sixth Dreg and explosives expert Wylan Van Eck and Kuwei Yul-Bo won’t appear in the first season, meaning we have to make the show a raging success so we can glimpse these cuties in season 2!
• The cast and crew just wrapped up the first season on February 28th and released the cutest little “Welcome to the Grishaverse” video – you can watch it here. And now we wait for trailers and release dates. »Patiently«. But for real, every new day without at least a little teaser trailer is like a day without sunshine. Who to bribe to get at least some cast photos in costumes?

And that’s basically all we know so far! The cast, crew, and the author have been pretty tight-lipped regarding the show, which comes as no surprise. I am yet again reminding everyone that a heist could be manageable, I mean we did all read Six of Crows, right? Netflix headquarters should be easy. But until we make that happen, we can only wait patiently for a trailer.

And if you are a newbie and haven’t been convinced yet by the amazing storylines and characters, this criminally-good-looking cast (see what I did there? I’ll escort myself out), or an amazing production team might just change your mind! Come join the Dregs and the Second Army – and don’t forget to prepare some tissues and popcorn for when the show does drop! And until then endless (re)reads of all of these books for both the newbies and the veterans it is, am I right? Happy fangirling!

So while we wait for more news about Shadow and Bone, tell us which characters you’re most excited to see on screen? And which actors already stole your heart?

The post ‘Shadow and Bone’ TV Series: Everything We Know So Far appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Image: Book Riot

You might know people who have gushed about reading the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo, and not understand all the hype surrounding just a YA fantasy book series. But trust me, the Grishaverse is much more to a dedicated reader. Filled with magical powers, a world with places inspired by landmarks of real world, exceptional characters involved in the most dangerous situations and their survival with aid of friendship, love, and relationships, the Grishaverse is truly a work of art.

If you would like to try out this brilliant series and don’t know where to start, here’s a short guide to understand it a little better. Spoiler free, of course!

THE BOOKS

Shadow and Bone Trilogy
Shadow and Bone | Siege and Storm | Ruin and Rising

The first series in the Grishaverse follows Alina Starkov, a not-good-for-anything girl. But on her trip in the Shadow Fold, when her best friend is attacked, her dormant power is exposed to the world. Alina is whisked away to Little Palace by the Darkling, whose power is similar to hers. She trains to be a Grisha because her powers could save the country and Alina becomes the Sun Summoner, hope of the people of Ravka that depend on her to destroy the fold. But there’s darkness everywhere, her best friend Mal is missing, she has unusual feelings for the Darkling, and worst of all, she may not be able to summon the sun again.

Six of Crows Duology
Six of Crows | Crooked Kingdom

This character-driven duology is an epic one and the best of Grishaverse according to many. Kaz Brekker is offered a huge sum in exchange for an impossible heist. The impossibility doesn’t stop him but he needs partners and so, the team is made. Inej, the whisperer, shadow spy. Jesper, the sharpshooter. Wylan, the mysterious rich boy. Nina, the cheerful heartrender. Together, the six of them sail to the Ice Court in Fjerda, the most protected place to rescue Bo Yul-Bayar who has the key to destruction of Grisha.

Along with the ice and water, there is an exceptional bond and banter between the six teammates, making this easily Bardugo’s best work. If you want to start the series, I would recommend starting with this one.

Nikolai Duology
King of Scars | TBA – Not yet released

This is the third part of Grishaverse, and only the first book, King of Scars, has been released. It portrays Nikolai Lantsov, a sort-of-main character in the trilogy who also made a short appearance in Six of Crows duology. Nikolai is one of the most loved characters in the saga. Funny, charming, and a prince-turned-king, we all love him as we read him.

LOCATION

The Grisha world consists of several countries: Ravka, Fjerda, Shu Han, Kerch, Novyi Zem, and the Wandering Isles. The Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows duology are set mainly in Ravka and Kerch respectively, but there are references to the other nations. Bardugo has said that Ravka was inspired by Russia and Ketterdam, a city in Kerch by Amsterdam, and the similarities can be seen while reading the books.

POWERS

The form of magic introduced in Grishaverse is Small Science, and the people who can practice it are called Grisha, and mostly found in Ravka. Many other places, like Fjerda, consider Grisha to be monstrous and aim to destroy them.

The Grisha are divided into three orders, Etherealki, Materialki, and Corporalki. The Etherealki are the order of Summoners and can summon elements of earth. These special powers, that aren’t completely magic, but manipulation of chemicals; science, are what make this fantasy intriguing.

TV ADAPTATION

Netflix is adapting the Grishaverse! This news brought fans to their knees when it was revealed a few months ago. Eric Heisserer, screenwriter of Bird Box, will combine Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows in an eight-episode series. The release date has not been confirmed yet but we are holding our breaths to see this potential masterpiece!

THE AUTHOR

Leigh Bardugo is a New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over three million copies sold, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars—with more to come. Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, Israel and grew up in Los Angeles, where her grandparents raised her. She attended Yale University, graduating with a degree in English in spring 1997. Before publishing her first novel, she worked in copywriting and journalism, as well as makeup and special effects.

To explore more, visit the Grishaverse website and Goodreads. Buy Bardugo’s books from Amazon and Book Depository.

Have you read Leigh Bardugo’s books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post A Guide To Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Grishaverse’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Artwork by Jo Painter

Where are all the Darkling lovers at?!

One of the strangest things about the Grisha-verse was how different Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone were from each other. It seemed like Bardugo fell in-love with the Darkling but couldn’t find a way to justify the things he had done and instead wrapped up the series so she could write about Kaz Brekker.

Shadow and Bone was basically The Hobbit in disguise. Bilbo leaves the comfort of his boring map-making life to travel with a really old wizard-man to make the world better again. He’s slowly corrupted by his magic jewellery, goes to battle, and then comes back home to where it all started and lives on peacefully.

On the other hand, Six of Crows is just Ocean’s Eleven but George Clooney rips people’s eyes out and is afraid of touching people. Brad Pitt is a Zemeni who’s cool but ADHD and Matt Damon is… well he’s just Wylan. And we all know who Julia Roberts is!

So, let’s get into why the Darkling and Alina should have ended up together, apart from the obvious. The Darkling and Alina are polar opposites and opposites attract *winks* yeah they do. At one point in the books the Darkling actually tells Alina that she would make him better, quell his naturally dark and apathetic side and make him love and feel again. I know, I know, stay with me here.

He was a boy, she was a girl, could I make it anymore obvious? She’s day and he’s night. He was a library of lifetimes of knowledge and he was always pushing her to grow, to expand her mind, not to just think about individuals but the country as a whole which she would need to learn if she wanted to rule. However, his many lifetimes had made the Darkling apathetic to human life. How could they not? But he was changing, guys! He wanted to be better. Why pull Alina closer? Why tell her she made him feel and care again, ask her to be with him if he didn’t want to change, to be better? If he really was apathetic and tyrannical and evil, why ask her to be by his side as an equal?

He knew they were opposites and they would make each other better. They would improve each other and grow which is an important part of being human. Something that Mal never offered her. He was always trying to squish her down into what she had been. And in the end, he succeeded.

Now, there’s the argument that Alina’s march for power would still have led her to being stripped of powers and then the Darkling would leave her because she wasn’t a powerful person anymore.  But people, that’s what relationships are all about! Trust. Would Mal have loved Alina if she was this all powerful being ruling over Ravka? No, and he said just as much.

Let’s talk about Mal for a second. Mal was oblivious to Alina’s love from before book one even began. He slept with Zoya and countless others before he realised who was waiting by his back door. Was this the relationship we were rooting for? No! Mal was one-dimensional. He was a tracker and joined Fight Club. That was all his personality. He didn’t even consider Alina until he saw the Darkling and her together. And then, once he finally wanted to have her, he wanted her to change into the person she had been. Without her Grisha powers. Once he realised he couldn’t have her because her destiny was far grander, he simply gave up. He stepped back so Nikolai could queen her. No bro, you did this to yourself. Don’t be salty about it.

The Darkling was a complex, tortured character who did the wrong things for the right reasons. Sure, he was a tad controlling at times, but so was Mal. Even though the Darkling wanted to change, Mal got a free pass. Now, another argument is that the Darkling did some horrible things. Take Genya for example.

My answer is this: Kaz Brekker. Smash-your-knee-caps-pull-your-eyes-out Mr Brekker. He did some pretty despicable things all for the wrong reasons. Greed, money, power, and revenge. So where’s the line? Does it take a villain to advertise his misdeeds for us not only to forgive him but also root for him? To end up with the girl?

Lastly, if this argument still has not won you over yet, I want to leave you today with an image. Imagine Alina has been stripped of her powers. She’s daydreaming again, her fingers unconsciously playing with the light streaming in through the window. But instead, there is the Darkling, his grey eyes almost sad but he’s smiling slightly, just at the corners of his lips. Alina looks up and her cheeks turn pink but he comes to sit beside her, taking her fingers and kissing them softly. Around them shadows begin to leap and dance and twirl. But it’s not his. It is hers. It’s the part of him lingering inside her. Even after she had lost everything, her light, she has kept just a little piece belonging to the Darkling, to Aleksander.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below!

The post Shadow & Bone: Alina Should Have Ended Up With The Darkling appeared first on The Nerd Daily.