‘Shadow and Bone’ on Netflix Looks Like the Next ‘Game of Thrones’

Epic high fantasy from books by a female author? Um, sign us up!.Netflix just dropped a second trailer for their upcoming series Shadow and Bone, based on the Grisha trilogy of novels by Leigh Bardugo. And it looks dark, mysterious, exciting, magical and a little romantic. Basically, something to finally fill the hole left in our viewing schedules by the end of Game of Thrones.

The first of Bardugo’s novels, Shadow and Bone, follows Alina, a teen orphan in the wintry land of Ravka, similar to Russia. Much of Ravka is covered in a mysterious darkness called The Fold; while traveling through The Fold with her friend Mal, Alina discovers she has the power to summon light after using her abilities to fight off an attacking monster. Various groups try to recruit and train Alina to use her powers, setting her on a path of frightening and thrilling adventures.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the first season of Netflix’s adaptation is based on Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, a heist story by Bardugo set in the same universe as the novels. It will be eight episodes long. Jessie Mei Li plays Alina, and Ben Barnes plays General Kirigan, the Darkling, an army general with his own magical powers who will (it’s clear from the trailer) be a love interest of Alina’s. 

In a teaser trailer released February, fans got their first look at the land of Ravka, The Fold, and the terrifying winged beasts called volcra that live inside it. There’s also that gorgeous, unsettling, intimate moment when Kirigan slices Alina’s arm open only to find that she doesn’t bleed but emits a ray of pure light. Needless to say, the fans of this book series are very excited.

Shadow and Bone hits Netflix on April 23. We can’t wait.