Shadow and Bone Season 2 Review: Finally, Shadow and Bone is here with another chapter. The long-awaited battle has started, but who will win? Well, there is much more to witness in season 2 than this. Yes, you got it right. I am talking about Crows and Prince Nikolai.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 follows the storylines covered in Siege and Storm (2013) and Ruin and Rising (2014), along with some exciting elements of Crooked Kingdom (2016).
The Shadow Fold Is Growing
At the beginning of Shadow and Bone Season 2, Alina kept having nightmares about Heretic being alive, and shadow fold increasing, destroying everything in the way.
It was later revealed that these aren’t only dreams, shadow fold is engulfing villages for real. Anyhow, Alina was still unaware that Alexander was still alive and behind all this.
Shadow Monsters Can’t Be Killed With Sun
Alexander, The Darkling has created shadow monsters far worse than Volcras. They can freely walk in daylight, and there seems to be nothing that can harm them.
Even Alina’s sun powers can not destroy the shadow monsters. It is later revealed that there is a legendary sword that is likely to cut through the monsters and Crows are hired to find it.
Black Heretic Is Planning Something Big
Alexander was alive, but there was something wrong. Although he has shadow monsters protecting him, he is unable to control them. Despite suffering and dying from inside, he has been planning to ambush everything.
He kept rescuing his followers to gather a powerful army that does his bidding. In fact, he saved Genya and David also, but they stopped taking sides with him. They betrayed him but still, he had enough followers to help him.
Alina and Mal Meets The Piravateers
It was revealed that the person who hired Crows to find Alina Starkov was actually The Sturmhond. He succeeded in finding Mal and Alina during their search for the Seawhip.
He gave them refuge on his ship where they got to meet Tolya and Tamar. Both are twins and Girsha. However, they usually don’t use their heartrender powers. They prefer to fight using a variety of weapons.
The Search In On For Amplifiers
The Privateers agreed on helping Alina and Mal in their quest for the Seawhip. They finally reached the place where it was. Alina thought she won’t have to kill it, but she had to.
Some lives were lost, but finally, she was able to amplify her powers. When she connected with the second amplifier, she could see its last moments in which it was focused on Mal.
Crow Gang Is Framed For Murder
Kaz, Jasper, and Inej have finally returned home only to see that they are being charged with murder. Their club is gone, and now they are criminals on the loose.
It is Pekka Rolling’s doing. He just gave Kaz another reason to destroy him once and for all. On top of everything, he framed them for 2 murders in a row.
Nina and Wylan Finally Become Crows
Nina finds her way to the Crows in hope that they might be able to help her save Matthias from the Hellgate. However, Kaz says that he can’t do it. He can only get her a visit there.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Wylan was the one who made the bombs that helped Kaz escape Alexander. Both Wylan and Nina then joined the Crows, eventually becoming an integral part of the gang. For the record, Nina is a heartrender and Wylan is an alchemist.
Kaz’s Painful Past Is Revealed
We always knew that there is a painful past behind the way Kaz is. Now, Shadow and Bone Season 2 finally let us see through it. Pekka Rollings scammed Kaz and his brother, letting them rot on the streets
There was a deadly disease back then which succumbed Kaz’s brother to die. We could see him laying among the dead bodies, confused and scared while his hands were touching the deceased’s skin.
Pekka Rollins Is Going To Lose It All
The moment finally came when Kaz is able to avenge his brother’s painful death. He used Pekka’s son to take him down. Kaz threatened Pekka in a way that he believed Kaz has buried his son.
Kaz made Pekka sign the legal papers confessing to both murders. He also made him sign Inej’s freedom. We saw Pekka going to prison, but it isn’t the end. There is more to come yet.
Matthias Is Still Imprisoned In Hellgate
Unfortunately, Matthias was still nowhere to find freedom. Nina was seen trying her best to get him out, but all went in vain. She even visited him, but he was filled with hatred.
Pekka Rollins is also with him in the Hellgate. He knew that Matthias is Nina’s lover and that’s why he took it as an opportunity to take revenge. However, we really hope that Matthias has finally realized his intentions.
Jasper Embraced His Grisha Side
Kaz suspected it first and then Wylan found it out. However, Jasper wasn’t ready to reveal his true identity as a Durast. By the way, Wylan and Jasper are the new birds.
He believed that being Grisha was the reason why his mother died. But after meeting his late mother while hallucinating, he finally decided to embrace it. But he has a lot to catch up on and practice in order to perfect his skills.
Sturmhond Is None Other Prince Nikolai
If you haven’t read the books, then there is no way that you could have known that the Privateer, Sturmhond is in fact Prince Nikolai. However, if you have read the books, then you might be a little disappointed to see some differences in the live-action series.
Whatever the changes are, I would say that Prince Nikolai is just perfect. He has charm, personality, and, most importantly, optimism. He is the future king, after all!
Alina Becomes The Future Queen
It is indeed WOW news for some fans. Yes, Prince Nikolai and Alina got engaged. But it was all for the show. They had to turn things in their favor and that’s why they showed allegiance.
You might be surprised to know Nikolai really falls in love with Alina. Bad for the poor guy. Well, I do stan Malina, but Nikolina also looked good together. Let’s see what the next seasons entail or Nikolina.
Alina Can Still Feel Alexander
Even after the connection was severed between Alexandar and Alina, they both are still connected. They can literally reach each other without moving an inch.
At first, they were having dreams where they would talk to each other. Later on, they could touch each other while their physical bodies are somewhere else. It was all because of the residual power left behind in his hand.
Baghra Is Still Alive But Not For Long
It was revealed at the beginning that Heretic kept his mother, Baghra alive. However, he Imprisoned her and used her bones to make an amplifier for himself.
She escaped along with Genya to find Alina who was dealing with the aftermath of Spinning Wheel’s destruction. Then she revealed that Morozova was her father. He was the one who resurrected the mythical Stag and Seawhip. She also highlighted that Firebird isn’t a creature, but it was her sister whom she accidentally killed. Baghra finally sacrificed her life in order to sever Alexander’s link with Alina.
OMG – Mal Is The Firebird Amplifier
Baghra revealed that her father used merzost to resurrect the mythical creatures and then her sister. Three of them were amplifiers. Her sister’s powers have been passed down through the generations—and Mal is from the very same bloodline.
Both Mal and Alina were devasted upon finding the truth, but it was always meant to happen. It is the reason why Mal felt safe with Alina in the first place. They shared a connection since the beginning, and he will have to die to amplify her powers—so that she can tear the fold.
Genya and David Made the Ultimate Sacrifices
They both lost more than any other character. Firstly, Genya had to suffer at Kirigan’s hands for betraying him. He mutilated her face’s one side, leaving her to rot in the cage. However, Genya and David were reunited later on—but not for long.
David sacrificed himself to save Genya during the final battle. Both were running for their lives in the fold when Kirigan’s shadow monsters attacked them. David chose to hide Genya away, dying at the hands of the monster.
All Crows Joining The Final Battle
Kaz, Jasper, Inej, Wylan, and Nina—all were there to help Alina and Mal fight against the Darkling. This is actually an interesting story about why they did it. You know Kaz never do anything without taking a cut.
In Shadow and Bone Season 2, the Prince Nikolai again hired The Crows—this time to find a legendary sword that can kill the shadow monsters. Tolya and Zoya also teamed up with them in order to find the sword and bring it to the Sun Summoner. This is why they reached the battlefield, and Inej was the one who wielded the sword. The rest of the Crows helped the best in saving Prince’s life from Darkling’s army.
Darkling Died But Alina Resurrected Mal
You heard it right—Alexander, who lived for hundreds of years, is finally dead. Mal made Alina stab himself in order to amplify her power and take down the fold. She succeeded in doing so but Mal died in the process. However, she used the legendary sword to cut through the Darkling’s body, killing him.
Nina tried to trend Mal’s heart, but she couldn’t succeed. Alina remembered her promise to Baghra that she won’t use merzost. However, she did use it to bring Mal back from the dead. Nobody knows it yet, but this is what actually happened. Let’s see what cost she will have to pay for this.
Nikolai Saved From Death But It Isn’t Over
Darkling’s shadow monsters severely injured Nikolai during the final battle. However, he was saved as Alina succeeded in killing Darkling, which in turn, destroyed his monsters also. It seemed like everything is fine now, but it wasn’t.
In Shadow and Bone Season 2 Episode 8, we could see Nikolai struggling in pain caused by his wounds. He was about to change his dressing when he saw himself in the mirror–it wasn’t his reflection. It was the shadow monster. Who knows what’s going to happen next?
Inej Is Free But When will Kaz be
Oh dear, Kaz! What to say about you. Well, he finally succeeded in getting Inej free from the slavery contract. However, he is still unable to free himself from the demons of the past. Anyhow, he did try to stop Inej from going—confessing that he wants her. OMG, he really did that! But….Inej replied, “I will have you with your armor, or I will not have you at all”.
If you see things from my perspective, Kaz did great. I think Inej could have understood him and stayed with him. It might take him some time, but he will eventually embrace Inej wholeheartedly–allowing her to touch him. Probably she doesn’t know what he actually feels and that’s why she couldn’t understand. I really hope that they get to meet again—!
Mal Lived But Everything Is Changed
This is the most disappointing thing I witnessed in Shadow and Bone Season 2. Alina crossed all limits just to save Mal and what he did in return. He left. Yes, my dear Shadow and Bone fans—Mal is having a hard time questioning his existence.
He is thinking that his love for Alina is just because of the connection they share as the Sun Summoner and the Amplifier—but I think the opposite. How could it be? He just needed to sit and be thankful that he got to live. However, he left to be a Pirateer along with Tolya and Tamar.
Nina Is Still Unable to Get Matthias Out
If you had been waiting to see Mattias reuniting with Nina and becoming a Crow, then your hope is broken. Matthias is still in Hellgate, and it is even worse now as Pekka Rollins is after him. Pekka is hellbent on making him suffer for what Nina and Crows did to him.
Although Nina succeeded in getting King’s permission to get Matthias out of prison, nobody listened to her. Let’s hope that Matthias now realizes that Nina really loves him and she will soon get him out. I think Crows will break him out in the next season. Oh, I am so excited to see him as a crow.
Shadow and Bone Season 3 – Spoilers and News
Now, if you are thinking about what is going to happen next then let me tell you some mind-blowing spoilers:
- Alina can now summon darkness. She is possibly not a sun summoner anymore because she used merzost
- Mal is on his way to becoming a Pariteer with the twins and Inej. He will eventually find his way back to Alina
- A new drug has been introduced to the market that can amplify a Grisha’s powers to 1000 times
- Crows are assigned to track this drug down and stop it from spreading. Let’s see when Inej will come to join the Crows
- Matthias is still imprisoned, but we really hope he gets out soon with the help of Crows in the next season
- Pekka Rollins hasn’t accepted his defeat yet. He will get back on Kaz and probably use Matthias for this
- Prince Nikolai is now the King, and Alina is still there as his betrothed. But something is wrong with him
- There’s a possibility that Prince Nikolai is possessed by the shadow monster and will turn evil in future
- The coming season will bring loads of political spice as the new King has many conflicts to resolve
- Sankta Neyar, the relentless legendary sword’s owner and wielder has something to do with Alina. Who knows if she is her mother!