IT WAS SO GOOD I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT OMG
As a book fan, somewhere inside me, I'd been afraid that the show would mess things up. This was especially because it's a blend of two different series, which take place in different timelines. BUT HONESTLY, I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. The way they've incorporated the Six of Crows characters into the plot of Shadow and Bone is perfect. Everything fits in together and makes total sense. So if you're a book fan who's skeptical about the show, I 100% recommend it.
The characters are EXACTLY how I'd imagined them while reading. Not just their appearance, but their voices, their mannerisms, their relationships with other characters, their expressions, IT'S ALL THERE. The attention to detail is truly astonishing.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW THEY STUCK to some of the amazing dialogues from the books. The "There are no others like us, and there never will be"?!?!? and the "Fine, make me your villain"!?!? and the "I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, but I see you now." ??!?!? and the "I'm beguiling you!" and THE "No Mourners, No Funerals" (I may or may not have cried) AND MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE "You and I are going to change the world."
I live for the representation in this show. Alina being half Shu, Inej and Zoya being Suli, Jesper being Zemini and bi, Nina being plus sized, Kaz having a disability etc all shows how well thought out the casting was. Seeing someone who looks like you play the lead of a show can be so empowering. They also did the whole facing racism thing so well. The scenes where Alina was bullied or told to stand at the back of the line or called names for what SHE LOOKED LIKE were such raw examples of racism.
The friendships and relationships were my favorite part. Jesper being goofy, adhd mess, him and Inej being THE MOST ADORABLE BESTIES!!!, the "Jes? IT'S SULI FOR FRIENDSHIP.", him calling Kaz 'boss', Kaz's brooding and pretending to not care about the Wraith, Inej's worshipping Alina, Alina and Genya's friendship, AND DARKLINA?!?!?!?
All the darklina scenes were perfection :') there horseriding and Aleksander saying YOU ARE GRISHA, YOU'RE NOT ALONE to Alina because she was always made to feel like an outsider. The wishing well scene was so sweet uggghhh. Also the War room scene uhm uhm ;)
ABSOLUTELY LOVE ZOYA NAZYALENSKY, SO ZOYA CRUMBS WERE WHAT I LIVED FOR. I love how she says "She's Suli" when someone makes a racist assumption about Inej. This really reminded me of the Row scene where the Suli woman says "I see you" to her. Also the "your tracker friend also liked it when I put him on his back" was SUCH A Zoya thing to say lmaoo....also watching the destruction of Kribirsk after reading about how much Liliana meant to her was heartbreaking.
THE GENYAxDAVID interaction was everything. They're both such adorable, awkward messes. DAVID HITTING JES WITH A BOOK!?!?!
TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE BEST SHIP OF ALL TIME, HELNIK. Dan and Callahan did an amazing job, their chemistry>>>
My fav scene was probably the ice scene where Nina falls and YOU CAN SEE THE CONFLICT in Matthias' eyes, because he's been trained to killed Grisha all his life, and now he has the chance, BUT HE REALIZES that Nina is human and worth saving!!! brb sobbing
Also they eat waffles together I MEAN
"You're better than waffles Matthias Helvar." "Let's not say things we don't mean , my love." WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GET THIS SCENE ON SCREEN?!?!
Milo the goat deserves a whole new fan base.
The special effects, the sets, the costumes and makeup were all spot on. The power those Keftas hold>>>>
The voiceovers of Mal and Alina's letters were adorableeee. "When I told you about true north, I was talking about you." and the "It's always just you and me, Alina." :')Show Malina> books Malina for me.
Kaz's scheming and the crows' heists were so badass. Jesper's gun trick thing!!!! Him never missing!!!! Kaz literally tricking the Darkling!!! Inej's knives!!! THE PART WHERE INEJ KILLED THAT GRISHA TO SAVE KAZ WHEN SHE WAS AGAINST KILLING. "We need you Inej, I need you." KANEJ NATION RISE.
They were all such a serve aaaa I'm a simp for the S&B cast. LOVED IT. GO WATCH IT NOWWWW
byeee
“Above me is the same silvery moon that shines down on you. Looking at it makes me recall the glint of your blade pressed against my throat and other romantic moments.”
~Cardan's letters to Jude
“Everyone finds different lessons in stories, I suppose, but here’s one: Having a heart is terrible, but you need one anyway. It doesn’t matter if the boy with the heart of stone was the villain. It doesn’t matter if he got what he deserved. No one’s heart has to remain stone.”
~Holly Black, Hthkoelths
Mood.
OH my god prince Phillip passed away?! So sad😦...
Spoiler alert for ruin and rising by Leigh bardugo!!!
I love the way Leigh bardugo was able to change my mind about mal by the end of ruin of rising but I just can't stop thinking about the alternative ending. I just can't stop picturing aleksander in place of mal. Leigh could have given the darkling the redemption, I feel, he deserves.
Just like how alina loses her powers, Alek could have lost his powers too. Making Alek a normal person without any powers would have been an interesting twist. The og ending of mal and alina taking over the orphanage could have been Alek and alina taking over the orphanage. They could have lived a normal life without any worries about people trying to kill them, without any politics and stress. Alina could have made him a better human.
I know he manipulated alina, hurt or even killed a lot of people but imagine yourself in his place. Imagine going through everything he went. I highly doubt you would have been able to trust people and have faith in others. At the end of the day he was just a lost lonely soul seeking someone like him. Alek could have changed if given a chance. He didn't even get a chance. I know it's her characters and she gets to decide what happens with them but it's just that I can't stop thinking about this!
He deserved better !!!!!!
“I’d date more, probably, as well.”
Alex can’t help laughing again. “Right, because it’s so hard to get a date when you’re a prince.” Henry cuts his eyes back down to Alex. “You’d be surprised.” “How? You’re not exactly lacking for options.” Henry keeps looking at him, holding his gaze for two seconds too long. “The options I’d like…” he says, dragging the words out. “They don’t quite seem to be options at all.”
Alex blinks. “What?”
“I’m saying that I have … people … who interest me,” Henry says, turning his body toward Alex now, “But I shouldn’t pursue them. At least not in my position.” Are they too drunk to communicate in English? He wonders distantly if Henry knows any Spanish.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Alex says.
“You don’t?” “No.”
“You really don’t?” “I really, really don’t.”
Henry’s whole face grimaces in frustration, his eyes casting skyward like they’re searching for help from an uncaring universe. “Christ, you are as thick as it gets,” he says, and he grabs Alex’s face in both hands and kisses him.
~Red, White and Royal Blue
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising
Everyone has that one piece of writing that completely changes their view of the world and enlightens them. For me, it's when Margaret Atwood wrote-
"Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it’s all a male fantasy: that you’re strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren’t catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you’re unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur."
Friendly reminder to never mess with our Corpse Witch, Nina Zenik.
Does your brain ever just go "Sorry. Er. I was just. Cornettos.”