9 and a half questions we have for Shadow and Bone Season 3

this season of shadow and bone not only adapted the next book in the main trilogy – finished Alina’s main story and also pulled some plots from Crows books, and also from one of the accompanying storybooks. It was a lot, so you might be wondering, Man, is there anything left for an upcoming third season?

I am joking! You’re probably not asking yourself that question, because shadow and bone season two ended with a lot of loose ends that weren’t in the books. And even if not, there are two separate sequels that follow different sets of characters and delve into the ramifications of the Ravkan Civil War. Some of these topics, though, are foreshadowed a lot more in Season 2 than others – and some might actually be touched on in a possible future. Six of Ravens spin-off instead.

[Ed. note: This post contains major spoilers for the finale of Shadow and Bone season 2, as well as the Grishaverse books.]

What’s next for Six of Crows characters?

Finally we come to the Ravens books. Type. Technically, the Six of Crows the books take place two years after the main trilogy, but the show has been playing fast and loose with the timeline anyway. And technically one of the big pivotal moments in the books (getting revenge on Pekka Rollins), which happens in the last Crows book, happened this season. However, one very more happens in the Crows books – and this season’s finale sets up the getaway for it all.

For one thing, the gang breaks Matthias out of prison, which will likely happen sooner or later in the next season (or in the possible Six of Crows spinoff). They are six of Crows, after all. They also infiltrate a Fjerdan military stronghold known as the Ice Court to free a Shu scientist, who has developed a drug known as swear stop that increases Grisha’s powers – yes, what drug Kaz mentions in the last episode and the one the Fjerdan agent uses to slaughter a ton of people at once at Nikolai’s coronation.

So what’s up with this drug?

O swear stop – and the implications weaponry has on the rest of the world – becomes a driving force in Crows’ books and beyond. We’ve already seen how devastating its effects are in the final scene of Season 2, so it will definitely play a key role in hypothetical future seasons or spinoffs, as well as in the books. The drug not only enhances a Grisha’s powers to deadly effects, but is also highly addictive and weakens its user’s body. The withdrawal symptoms are devastating and only one person (spoiler) managed to survive – and their powers were completely altered afterwards.

Speaking of Matthias, what’s up with him in the hell of fighting wolves?

Matthias, a handsome man, broad and blond, presses his face against the bars of a cell

Now this is something that really has no book precedent! As mentioned earlier, Pekka Rollins gets her comeuppance at the end of crooked kingdom – which means he and Matthias are never actually in prison at the same time in the book’s timeline. This could introduce some juicy obstacles to the eventual “break Matthias out of prison” storyline and also pit Kaz against his archenemy again. I hope Matthias survives this wolf fight thriller.

Are Alina and Nikolai still engaged?

You know… we just don’t know. They never officially break up their engagement, and during Nikolai’s coronation, she’s wearing a big crown and is at Nikolai’s side, so it seems very likely. This definitely contrasts with the books, where she officially ends things (especially considering she faked her death and married Mal in the epilogue). But as far as we know, they appear to still be engaged, albeit fully platonic. This could add some angst for Alina, who pines after Mal, and add some complexities to Nikolai’s future romantic arc.

Are Mal and Inej getting a sea bow?

ill aboard a ship, looking longingly at the rigging

It sure looks like it! As sad as it is to see Nikolai part ways with his dual Sturmhond identity, we can’t deny that Archie Renaux rocks that pirate coat. In the books, Inej he does take a boat and sail away, but only after all the quests from the Crows are completed. Considering that the Crows’ great exploits are just beginning, it’s likely that Inej will return to Ketterdam at least for a while. Mal’s arc, meanwhile, is a blank slate, so he’s free to navigate the horizon and find his true north or whatever.

Is the Darkling utterly lost?!

At the end of the season, Alina kills General Kirigan. They burn her body and everything. He looks totally dead.

However, this isn’t the last we see of the Darkling in the books. After all, it’s hard for a sexy, all-powerful (and most importantly) fan-favorite shadowcaller to stay dead! In the Nikolai duology, the books that occur most recently in the Grishaverse timeline, some characters are tricked into performing a ritual to revive the Darkling. His soul returns and possesses the body of Yuri, one of his most zealous followers. They’ve got a little bit of the two souls in one body Ghost Rider thing going on. So it’s very likely that we might see Kirigan return… but not in the way we know him.

But I love Ben Barnes!

ben barnes as the darkling, screaming and having a tantrum

So do we! I wouldn’t put it above Netflix to integrate Barnes in any way, be it through flashbacks or the physical manifestation of the voice inside Yuri’s head. Or maybe Barnes finally gets the rom-com he so richly deserves. We can only hope.

If David is dead, who ranks third in the Grisha Triumvirate?

In the books, Alina appoints Zoya (an Etheralki), Genya (a Corporalki), and David (a Materialki) as the Grisha Triumvirate, three leaders to oversee the Second Army. They each represent a different faction of the Grisha, but the idea is to give each faction a voice and do away with superfluous differences between them.

But there are two big differences in the show: David is dead and Alina is. no pretending to be dead. So Alina presumably takes the third seat, with Zoya and Genya next to her. They call their new alliance the Triumvirate, though it definitely lacks the Materialki presence. Then again, the class differences between the Grisha weren’t such a huge point of tension in the show.

What’s up with those bees in Zoya in the Fold?

It’s a very small moment in the final episode, but something that people who read king of scars can get caught. As everyone gathers in the arid remains of the Fold to watch Kirigan’s funeral pyre, Zoya attacks a bee that won’t leave her alone. This could be foreshadowing your bow in king of scarswhere she and Nikolai travel to the Fold and meet three mystic saints – one of whom is associated with bees and has a whole swarm of them following her.

Is Nikolai…okay?

nikolai in his military uniform receiving an encouraging pat on the shoulder from another uniformed boy

Good! He’s alive, if that’s his question. But he’s definitely feeling the effects of being attacked by one of the darklings. nichevo’ya. While the battle isn’t as intense as it is in the books, where the Darkling’s merzost ends up turning Nikolai into a monstrous flesh-eating demon creature, judging by the strange dark creature Nikolai sees in the mirror, it definitely infuses him with something.

If the books are anything to go by, Nikolai will spend a lot of time wrestling with his own inner demon (literally) and trying to figure out a way to tame it. So we can certainly expect more from Nikolai’s hidden darkness and flesh-eating demon transformation as he also figures out how to fix his kingdom and move on. And he might also fall in love with Zoya in the process (Zoyalai rights). If the Crows are getting their own spinoff series, then it would make sense for the next season of shadow and bone to focus on characters still on Ravka – most notably Nikolai and his little flesh-eating demon problem.

shadow and bone the second season is now available on Netflix.