Everything That's Right & Wrong with Netflix's Shadow and Bone | Major Differences Between the S&B Books and the S&B Netflix Adaptation

After finishing the Shadow and Bone trilogy in 6 days and then binging on the Netflix show in one, this rant was an absolute necessary for me. A week has passed but still many things don't make sense. So this is my attempt to analyze the book-to-show adaptation as much concisely as possible. So you go grab your tea, settle down, and let me spill some - but this time, on all the differences between the Shadow and Bone books and the Netflix show!

[WARNING: BOOK SERIES AND SHOW SPOILERS AHEAD!] 

First of all let me clarify that I do not hate this adaptation. But I don't like it either. There are some changes that I appreciated & liked, and then there are some that robs away so much significance from the storyline as well as the characters. Also, this is my personal opinion.

Now let's get into the details. Here's some of the things that just don't make sense to me.

• Who is this Zlatan (is he in the SoC books?) and why is he necessary to the bigger plot? It just felt like he was introduced to justify the Darkling's action against Novokirbirks. There was NO justification for his crime, duh.
• How the hell did that guy (Zlatan's spy, I forgot his name) manage to build tracks and posts within the fold? There's no mention of steam-powered technology in the books. And if such a thing was possible, wouldn't the fabricators have already done that (or at least tried)?
• How will Zoya manage to get back to Os Alta after she came to West Ravka with the Crows and Alina-Mal?

Now the characters.

Alina:

I actually liked that her ethnicity was specified. This is a change that I appreciated. Although it may sound like a huge thing, it actually doesn't matter much to the entire story but instead adds a geopolitical & racial dimension to the conflicts & discriminations among the nations. It undeniably makes the political background and the tensions more realistic. But I hated her character arc as much as I loved her character design. In the first book, we saw Alina overcome her limitations and become a powerful woman within & beyond the Darkling's clutches. The ending of the first book was especially critical and significant in her character development as she discovered her claim to the stag's power, used it to do the Cut and killed off the people in the skiff while trying to save Mal. But here we not only see Mal saving her but we are also deprived of that powerful Alina who is remorseful for her act and yet is developing some greed for more power. The adaptation delivers a damsel in distress & almost perfect Alina and completely ignores the powerful & independent Alina who had her faults like any other human being. 

Mal:

Ooohhh where shall I begin? While I like this adaptation Mal a little better than the book one, especially because he seems understanding enough and not rude & self-centered from the beginning, I can't help but think that the show portrays him as some kind of hero(?) He is NOT the hero of the story. He is the love-interest of the protagonist. Period. And he doesn't save Alina at every step. He supports her. It was Alina who saved him from the Darkling in the end of the first book. And what's the deal about him promising Zoya and the Crows that they will come back? It was him who was continuously whining about taking Alina as far from Ravka as possible. Why change the entire thought process of a character just to make him seem like a hero?! 

Darkling aka General Kirigan:

Not gonna lie, I was frowning upon the name in the beginning but then I realized that addressing a grown man throughout the season as the Darkling may seem somewhat funny (c'mon Darkling does sound like duckling!) Also, we get to see Darkling's background a little bit and the creation of the fold. It gave us a perspective on how the Darkling became the manipulating a-hole he is now. However, it also showed that he created the shadow fold because he was vulnerable, whereas in the book we see that the fold was the side effect of his greed (at least according to Baghra). Despite that, one can assume that maybe Baghra too was mistaken to some extent, after all she partially blamed herself for the Darkling's greed. So as a mother, she believed that it was her ideals that the Darkling followed. No problem with this interpretation. Moving on, General Kirigan almost seems a bit foolish to me. Like why did he let Mal go and not used him as a leverage as he originally did in the books? Also, he should've anticipated that Mal would be valuable in finding the other amplifiers. But he was totally unbothered with that. I think that this is a major difference that can affect the bigger plot.

Zoya:

I like this Zoya wayyyy better. I think this is probably because we got to see her from a different perspective and not just from Alina's. Her meanness that is portrayed in the book can partially be the result of Alina's own insecurity. And honestly, I've never really hated Zoya. I always thought that Alina was acting out of jealousy for Mal & Zoya's relationship. Zoya, in the books, ended up being one of my favorite characters. I like how she is presented in the adaptation. But the only problem is the plothole in the last episode. 

Baghra's character remains intact.

So does Genya's & David's.

Ivan continues to be the irritant prick he is (but is he dead in the last episode?)

I like how Fedyor gets more focus.

I feel sorry for Marie. She should've died fighting like in the books, not randomly murdered by some made-up spy!

Although a minor character, I think the series did her bad.

Now let's get to the pros & cons.

Pros:

• Ben Barnes as the Darkling *sigh* How can we hate the antagonist if you cast BEN BARNES?!! No one could've matched or pulled off the role (and made the series bearable) without him! [Anyone else remember him as Prince Caspian?]

• The Crows. Surprisingly I enjoyed the crossover, despite the made up sub-plot and all that. But until the last episode. The Crows and Zoya saving Alina and Mal lost a lot of significance for Alina's character. She was supposed to use the Cut for the first time and kill those on the skiff. After that she becomes remorseful but still gradually develops a hunger to use the power more. This was important for her character arc, especially to show that she was extremely powerful but not perfect. Other than the last episode, the Crows were a treat to watch. And ohhh Kaz. I want to read the SoC books so badly now!

• Alina's specified ethnicity.

• Mal's perspective. At least we get to see him trying to find Alina without just sulking and whining and blaming her.

• Zoya. She is exactly what I imagined. From appearance to character, the series is good to her.

• It is quite impressive that the series managed to fit all the important events, and added more, within 8 episodes. 

Cons:

• So many things. From plot holes to unnecessary changes in character arcs. As I said, too many lost significance.

• The collar. What the hell is that thing? It looks so gross and hideous. I don't remember reading anything about binding it under her skin (did I miss something?) It neither looks nice nor adds anything to dramatic character design.

• Alina and Genya's friendship was too rushed. A few scenes showing their evolving friendship and the depth of their friendship (which is critical to the story) wouldn't have hurt. 

• There's no Alina & Mal kiss! And it is supposed to be significant. They found the stag for some reason. And the kiss had an important part. Idk how they are going to explain that in the last season.

I know that adaptations are supposed to be different from the books and we can't help it. After all, the Harry Potter movies are different from books as well and yet we love them, don't we? Haven't read A Song of Ice and Fire but I've heard that GoT is much different as well. But changing character arcs unnecessarily for the sake of adaptation is just unacceptable to me. But maybe, if they manage to pull everything together, I'll come round to it in the next seasons. As I said, I don't hate it.