Shadow and Bone: Netflix UK release date and time, cast - and what book is the TV series based on?

Viewers hoping to get a first glimpse of Shadow and Bone need not wait anymore.

The highly-anticipated fantasy drama starring Jessie Mei Li (All About Eve), Ben Barnes (Gold Digger) and Archie Renaux (Hanna) will land in the UK in April.

The streaming series developed by Eric Heisserer for Netflix is an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels and named after the first book.

Here’s all you need to know about the series...

What is Shadow and Bone about?

The drama series is based around good vs evil.

Netflix describes the series as: “Dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.”

The show has already been compared to the highly successful Game of Thrones.

When is Shadow and Bone out?

Season one of Shadow and Bone has been released via the streaming service Netflix.

UK viewers hoping to watch the first season won’t have to wait any longer with all eight episodes dropping on Netflix UK today (23 April 2021).

Netflix updates its streaming sites on Friday mornings at 8am (BST), with US timings meaning a middle of the night upload for American fans.

How can I watch Shadow and Bone on Netflix?

Netflix customers can watch the series as part of their monthly subscriptions, and can be found under new releases once the app is opened.

The streaming service is available through multiple platforms - from TV and tablets to PCs and phones - as well as digital devices, as long as you have a subscription.

To sign up for Netflix choose from the available packages.

Who is in the Shadow and Bone cast?

All About Eve actress Jessie Mei Li plays the lead role of Alina Starkov (orphan mapmaker) in the Shadow and Bone series.

She is joined by Ben Barnes, who plays General Kirigan, and Archie Renaux, who plays Malyen Oretsev, in all eight episodes of the first season.

Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker), Amita Suman (Inej Ghafa), and Kit Young (Jesper Fahey) also feature heavily in the first season of the fantasy drama series.

What book is Shadow and Bone based on?

The Shadow and Bone TV series on Netflix is based on the Grisha trilogy of novels written by author Leigh Bardugo.

In a recent interview, Bardugo addressed the fact that two sets of characters will be introduced simultaneously during the series.

“I know there’s been anxiety among some readers about how we were going to pull that off, but I’ve only felt anticipation,” she told the Express.

“For me, I don’t think an adaptation should be page-to-page accurate. The important thing is to keep the soul of the stories, the hearts of the characters, to retain the arcs of their journeys.”

Shadow and Bone was the first novel of the three, released in 2012, before the release of Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising the following year.

Bardugo has written and published a collection of short stories as well as duologies Six of Crows and King of Scars.