Based on the works of Leigh Bardugo , the series takes place in the Grishaverse fantasy setting and follows Alina Starkov Li , an orphan and cartographer who discovers she is a Grisha, someone with magical abilities, and the key to saving her war-torn world. Shadow and Bone received mixed reviews, with praise for its world-building and cast, but some criticism aimed at its pacing.
Following its success, Netflix renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on March 16, , and adapted Siege and Storm , Ruin and Rising , and parts of Crooked Kingdom Despite growing fan support, Shadow and Bone was canceled after two seasons in November Each nation draws inspiration from real-world countries, reflecting elements of language, culture, and tradition from different historical periods.
Ravka is home to most of the Grisha, where they are typically discovered as children by traveling Grisha testers and brought to train in the nation's Second Army. During their training for the Second Army, Grisha are divided into three orders based on their gift in The Small Science:. The nation of Ravka is geographically divided into two regions, from east to west, by the Shadow Fold commonly referred to as "The Fold" , a vast area of impenetrable darkness inhabited by terrifying creatures, created centuries earlier by a Grisha known as the Black Heretic.
Ravka is embroiled in a war with the northern nation of Fjerda, while its western half seeks independence. General Kirigan, also known as The Darkling, leads Ravka's Second Army and is determined to find the Sun Summoner, the only person capable of destroying the Fold and potentially reuniting Ravka.
In the series' first episode, Alina Starkov, a cartographer in Ravka's First Army, is revealed to be the long-prophesied Sun Summoner, which sets off a chain of events that affect the entire Grishaverse. As Alina begins to come to terms with her newfound identity, she becomes the target of multiple factions.
