The fate of Sun Summoner Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) and BFF/tracker Mal (Archie Renaux) is still up in the air, but as the Shadow and Bone Season 1 finale implies, the danger is only beginning. General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) is emerging again in Season 2 with even more powers than before. The first full trailer for the season, which you can watch above, shows Alina and the Darkling finally facing off — but before then, there’s also new characters (ahem, Nikolai and Wylan), big new monsters, the flying ship Hummingbird and even a hookup. Here’s what else you need to know about the second season of Shadow and Bone.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 premieres March 16 at 12 a.m. PT with more friendships, new romance, bigger battles, epic adventures — and a shocking family secret that could shatter everything.
Uh, a lot. Check out this recap for the full rundown.
Our heroine is Alina Starkov (Li), an orphaned mapmaker who discovers that she’s a powerful Grisha, and as the Sun Summoner, she’s the only person who can take down the Shadow Fold that divides the nation of Ravka. Her best friend (and love interest) is fellow orphan Mal Malyen “Mal” Oretsev (Renaux), a tracker who grew up with Alina. They’re fighting against General Kirigan (Barnes), the powerful leader of the Second Army who is also known as the Darkling, a Shadow Summoner who created the Shadow Fold. Baghra (Zoë Wanamaker) trains young Grisha like Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan), a Heartrender captured by Matthias Helvar (Calahan Skogman) and his team of Fjerdan hunters called Drüskelle. Meanwhile, “Bastard of the Barrel” Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter) is the leader of the Crow Club in Kerch, whose members include the stealthy Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman) and the fun-loving Jesper Fahey (Kit Young).
Season 2 features new characters, too. Nikolai Lantsov, aka Sturmhond (Patrick Gibson), a fan-favorite character in Leigh Bardugo’s book series, is introduced, along with twin Heartrenders Tamar Kir-Bataar (Anna Leong Brophy) and Tolya Yul-Bataar (Lewis Tan) and new Crow Club member Wylan (Jack Wolfe).
A beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, Alina is determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save Ravka from ruin. But this time, General Kirigan is backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits. Even a few battle scars to the face can’t stop the wrath of this Darkling. To stand a fighting chance against him, Alina and Mal must rally their powerful new allies and begin a continent-spanning journey to find two mythical creatures that will amplify her powers.
“The most wonderful thing about Season 2 is that we get to advance the story of these characters that we’d left in precarious positions at the end of Season 1. There’s a lot of potential for them this season,” co-showrunner and executive producer Eric Heisserer tells Tudum. “They have to face the consequences for their actions, and then they get to meet new people along the way. The Grishaverse also expands in this season, both in mythology and in characters.”
According to Heisserer, viewers will traverse to new locations like Novyi Zem and Shu Han.
“We’ve also really dug into more of the mythology this season in terms of the amplifiers, but also the creator of the amplifiers, Morozova — who he was, what his backstory is and how he ties into this world,” co-showrunner and executive producer Daegan Fryklind adds.
Yes. Bardugo shares how this upcoming season is different from her trilogy: “We are going to get to see some incredible new characters,” she teases. “We’re going to see characters interacting with each other, questing with each other, fighting and laughing with each other, who we never got to see together in the books — and I think that’s a unique thing about this show.”
