It really doesn't matter if the series has in fact shadows and bones in it, the name Shadow and Bone couldn't be more generic a title for a young adult fantasy series unless you managed to work "Chronicles" in there. S&B came out during that early 2000s glut where every publisher wanted to sign on the next Harry Potter money printing franchise; it stands to reason it feels so familiar; that's the entire point.
In S&B's defence, there are only so many young adult fantasy plots you can use that will connect with a teenage audience. The teenage life experience to this point largely revolves around a) education b) discovering how much better and smarter you are than everyone else c) learning how unfair the world is to you d) having crushes on greasy haired guys. Any book aimed at appealing to this demographic has to include some combination of those things. S&B, naturally, involves an underprivileged teenage girl discovering she has a magical gift that - within the confines of her fantasy setting - entitles her to special treatment at a magical school for the gifted, and probably also makes her the chosen one, thus earning her the attention of an especially greasy haired, handsome man. Like the title, so far, so generic.
What I liked about S&B is more to do with the b plot, in which a gang of colourful ne'er-do-wells plot a heist to kidnap the protagonist. They aren't complex characters by any means, but I liked watching a bunch of hot people with implausible skills hatch a wacky scheme within a steampunk Slavic fantasy setting. Finding out how they are ultimately going to intersect with the chosen one is also more narratively interesting than following the said chosen one around; The protagonist isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and it takes her half the story to realise there might be a possible connection between her teacher, a sleazy guy with shadow themed magic powers, and the shadow themed monstrosities that plague her land.
I didn't have a bad time watching Shadow and Bone, but I hardly felt like I was watching sterling television. And much like with Mortal Engines, I'm wondering who exactly this series is going to appeal to, given the original book audience is already a decade older by the release of this series, and zoomers lack the franchise familiarity to really give a shit.
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman
It really doesn't matter if the series has in fact shadows and bones in it, the name Shadow and Bone couldn't be more generic a title for a young adult fantasy series unless you managed to work "Chronicles" in there. S&B came out during that early 2000s glut where every publisher wanted to sign on the next Harry Potter money printing franchise; it stands to reason it feels so familiar; that's the entire point.
In S&B's defence, there are only so many young adult fantasy plots you can use that will connect with a teenage audience. The teenage life experience to this point largely revolves around a) education b) discovering how much better and smarter you are than everyone else c) learning how unfair the world is to you d) having crushes on greasy haired guys. Any book aimed at appealing to this demographic has to include some combination of those things. S&B, naturally, involves an underprivileged teenage girl discovering she has a magical gift that - within the confines of her fantasy setting - entitles her to special treatment at a magical school for the gifted, and probably also makes her the chosen one, thus earning her the attention of an especially greasy haired, handsome man. Like the title, so far, so generic.
What I liked about S&B is more to do with the b plot, in which a gang of colourful ne'er-do-wells plot a heist to kidnap the protagonist. They aren't complex characters by any means, but I liked watching a bunch of hot people with implausible skills hatch a wacky scheme within a steampunk Slavic fantasy setting. Finding out how they are ultimately going to intersect with the chosen one is also more narratively interesting than following the said chosen one around; The protagonist isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and it takes her half the story to realise there might be a possible connection between her teacher, a sleazy guy with shadow themed magic powers, and the shadow themed monstrosities that plague her land.
I didn't have a bad time watching Shadow and Bone, but I hardly felt like I was watching sterling television. And much like with Mortal Engines, I'm wondering who exactly this series is going to appeal to, given the original book audience is already a decade older by the release of this series, and zoomers lack the franchise familiarity to really give a shit.