‘Shadow and Bone’: A Complete Guide to the Grishaverse
I think it's time for my third re-read.
Season 2 of Shadow and Bone dropped on Netflix on March 16, and if you’re anything like me, chances are you’ve already finished washing it. And maybe also finished the rewatch you started immediately after the screen went dark at the end of the eighth episode. Or maybe that’s just me.
Whatever the case, if you’re finding yourself in need of more Shadow and Bone content—with Netflix still not offering any certainties about a possible third season or spinoff—then I have just the thing for you: Books. Shadow and Bone is based on a series of novels, and now is the time to dig deep into that lore as well as all the story beats that didn’t make it into the series.
Shadow and Bone is based on a book series?
Shadow and Bone is indeed an adaptation of one of the most popular young adult sagas to come out in recent years: the Grishaverse, created by American author Leigh Bardugo and published between 2012 and 2022.
The entire saga consists of seven main novels and three novellas and companion books, and honestly, it’s one of the best reading experiences you’ll ever have. The characters are incredible, the magic system is unique, the plot is endlessly entertaining, and the story delves into some pretty serious topics that always feel relevant.
So here’s a breakdown of the entire saga and its reading order, together with a mostly spoiler-free explanation of how the timelines differ between the books and the Netflix series. (There will, however, be some discussion of the season 2 finale.)
The Shadow and Bone trilogy
Everything starts with the Shadow and Bone trilogy, which consists of the titular Shadow and Bone—Bardugo’s debut novel, published in 2012—followed by Siege and Storm (2013) and Ruin and Rising (2014).
The trilogy follows Alina Starkov, who learns that she’s actually a very unique kind of Grisha—this world’s particular flavor of magic users—and that her power of summoning and manipulating sunlight is the key to tearing down the Shadow Fold, a sea of monster-inhabited darkness that splits her country, Ravka, in two.
Through Alina’s eyes—the three books are all written with her as a first-person narrator—we learn of the complicated politics that bind Ravka and its warring neighbors, the theory behind the Grisha’s Small Science, and of course, we get to meet the Darkling, Alina’s opposite and mirror, as well as a rich cast of characters that truly make the story worth reading.
The story beats of the Shadow and Bone trilogy are what make up the bulk of the plot in the Netflix adaptation, which also features some additions that most definitely were not in the books. And yes, I’m talking about the Crows.
The Six of Crows duology
The second installment in the Grishaverse is the Six of Crows duology, which takes place a couple of years after the ending of Ruin and Rising. Set in the same world but in a different location—the island-nation of Kerch—Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom focus on Kaz Brekker and his crew as they take on a very challenging and extremely high-paying heist, and then deal with its consequences.
The Crows are by far the most popular characters in the entire Grishaverse, and their duology is probably the most liked by fans all over the world out of the three installments of the saga. And that is why they were introduced in the show earlier than they should have been—even though they actually don’t appear at all in the first trilogy, and by the time their story picks up, the Fold has been already eradicated from the maps by Sankta Alina.
The King of Scars duology
The last piece of the Grishaverse is the King of Scars duology, which brings us back to Ravka one year after the events of Crooked Kingdom, and three years after the end of Alina’s story in Ruin and Rising.
King of Scars and its sequel, Rule of Wolves, revolve around Nikolai Lantsov, the new ruler of Ravka, and Zoya Nazyalensky, one of the most powerful Grisha in the Second Army, as they try to heal the wounds the Fold and the Darkling left on their country and its people, as well as finally make peace with Ravka’s neighbors, Fjerda to the North and Shu Han to the South.
Beloved characters all make a cameo appearance in the King of Scars duology, even though the only one to actually have a consistent storyline is Nina—who resumes her role as a spy behind enemy lines. Some story beats from King of Scars were hinted at in the final episodes of the second season of Shadow and Bone, so if we ever get a season 3, these two books are the ones the showrunners will probably be looking at for source material.
The companion pieces
Finally, there are three companion pieces that do not exactly continue the story of the Grishaverse, but instead expand on its lore and worldbuilding.
The first one is The Language of Thorns, published in 2017 and probably best enjoyed after reading the first trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. The Language of Thorns is a collection of fairy tales from the various countries that exist in this world, from Ravka to Kerch to Novyi Zem, and that the characters might have grown up hearing.
Then there’s The Lives of Saints, released in 2020. As the name suggests, it’s a fictional hagiography recounting the stories of the Saints that are worshipped through Ravka. It also exists in-universe, and it’s mentioned time and time again, especially during the Shadow and Bone trilogy as characters flip through its pages to try and find clues for their next move. It doesn’t contain spoilers, but it’s definitely better to read once you have already started to get your bearings in the Grishaverse.
Published in 2022, Demon in the Wood is the latest addition to the saga and it’s also the series’ first graphic novel, created by Leigh Bardugo in collaboration with Dani Pendergast. The story follows the Darkling before he became the Darkling, when he was just a young boy with an extraordinary and dangerous power. It’s technically the very first piece of the Grishaverse, chronologically speaking, but it’s definitely better to save it for after the ending of Ruin and Rising.
So here’s the entire Grishaverse in the in-universe chronological order:
- Demon in the Wood (2022)
- Shadow and Bone (2012)
- Siege and Storm (2013)
- Ruin and Rising (2014)
- The Lives of Saints (2020)
- Six of Crows (2015)
- Crooked Kingdom (2016)
- The Language of Thorns (2017)
- King of Scars (2019)
- Rule of Wolves (2021)
And here are all the books and stories in suggested reading order:
- Shadow and Bone (2012)
- Siege and Storm (2013)
- Ruin and Rising (2014)
- Demon in the Wood (2022)
- The Lives of Saints (2020)
- Six of Crows (2015)
- Crooked Kingdom (2016)
- The Language of Thorns (2017)
- King of Scars (2019)
- Rule of Wolves (2021)
(featured image: Netflix)
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