Exploring the Grishaverse: the Novels that Led to Netflix's Shadow and Bone
Imagine a book series full of epic quests, thrilling heists, and dynamic characters, all topped off with a heavy helping of magic. This is packed into the Grishaverse, author Leigh Bardugo’s universe that begins with the release of Shadow and Bone in 2012, leading to over seven novels set in the same world when counting the spin-off and special books! Does the name sound familiar? That’s because Netflix adapted the series into an original series.
If you’re looking forward to the show and need a quick breakdown, take a seat and check out this official breakdown of the book series, along with key details you should know about the show.
First, let’s start with Shadow and Bone, the first novel in the Grishaverse. It starts with average orphan Alina Starkov, a mapmaker who steps into the Shadow Fold, a large mass of darkness separating nations. Alina finds out that she has the unique power to call light to herself and break the darkness, which makes her a Sun Summoner. This ability is extremely unique, even to the Grisha, the people with magical powers.
There are three orders of Grisha: Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki. Corporalki include Heartrenders, Healers, and Tailors who can control bodies and bodily functions to either kill, heal, or change someone’s appearance, respectively. Etherealki include Inferni, who control fire, Squallers, who control air pressure/winds, and Tidemakers, who control and summon water. Materialki are the least respected Grisha, but become important to the war effort; they include Durasts who innovate with solid materials and Alkemi who specialize in poison and blasting powders.
Alina, who finds out she’s a Sun Summoner at the start of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, falls into the category of Etherealki and is the only one that has a real shot of destroying the Shadow Fold that has been killing travelers and causing conflict across nations for years since her light powers can wipe it out for good. Enter The Darkling, a mysterious and powerful man who offers to help Alina in this goal but always seems to be playing to his own private interests. He serves as a sharp contrast from Alina’s childhood best friend Mal Oretsev, who is Alina’s other contender at romance in the series.
This is all included in the Netflix show. Personally, I’m excited to see Alina’s story unfold on screen, but I’m even more excited for the events in the duology that follows the Shadow and Bone trilogy, also known as the Six of Crows duology. These novels focus on a heist set in the Grishaverse, with some of the most powerful characters and gripping plot points I’ve ever read.
We have to start with Kaz Brekker, who is called the “bastard of the Barrel,” which is his home in the city of Ketterdam, a location within the Grishaverse. His gang includes members like spy and knife-whiz Inej Ghafa and witty sharpshooter Jesper Fahey. We also can’t forget about Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar, whose story begins elsewhere in the Grishaverse, namely Ravka and Fjerda, respectively. Wylan Van Eck is the last member of the heist team, and he reportedly isn’t in this season of Shadow and Bone. Following the events of the novels, this makes sense, because we don’t really focus on Wylan prior to the heist, nor is he with any of the other team members beforehand, and we only learn more about him later on.
If the timeline does stay relatively true to books, hopefully, we’ll see the heist come after Alina’s story comes to a close, but it doesn’t look that way from the trailers. Since the Six of Crows duology is normally set two years after the events of the trilogy, I wonder how they will combine all of the books to make the events accurate to the source material, yet still fresh and complementary to the TV series’ plot.
Of course, there’s much more to explore in the Grishaverse. There are exciting characters such as Genya, the beautiful Tailor who befriends Alina, Baghra, the old woman with a secret who trains Alina, Prince Nikolai, another possible love interest for Alina who charms his way into readers’ hearts, Zoya Nazyalensky, the stunning and powerful Squaller who opposes Alina and follows the Darkling, and more. Though we’ve gotten peaks at all of these characters in the upcoming series, we’ll have to wait and see how big of a role they all play.
We’re also in for a lot of excitement in Ketterdam, where there will undoubtedly be criminal antics, with Kaz leading the pack. And if you didn’t read the novels, then you’re in for a surprise in terms of romance. I hope they do justice to the relationships that change and develop in the books, and I hope they take the time to adequately play each ship out, rather than rushing it for the sake of fitting it into this season. But that might be asking for too much.
Either way, the Grishaverse is a magical and fantastical place to escape into, and I have no doubt that the show will relight that feeling in many readers, as well as bring that charm into many new viewers’ lives who will discover the Grishaverse in a whole new way.
