Critical response
As of January 2024, the show has a rating of 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb based on 112,000 ratings. It was number 10 on the list of the most searched shows worldwide on Google in 2023. In January 2024, Shadow and Bone was voted Fan Favorite Series of 2023 on Rotten Tomatoes. The show took the lead with 54% of votes while the remaining four shows in the top five all earned just 4% of the vote.
Shadow and Bone has received generally positive reviews from critics. For the first season, Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 89% based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "From gorgeous costumes to impressive—if intimidating—world-building, Shadow and Bone is an exciting adventure for fans and newcomers alike." Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Ben Travis of Empire gave the first season 3 out of 5 stars, praising the world-building and the engaging lead characters but noting similarities to Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Game of Thrones. He described some elements of the series as "overly confusing" but concluded that "Shadow and Bone will draw you into the Fold with its absorbing world-building and engaging lead duo." Nicole Clark of IGN remarked that the season "captures much of the darker magic...while being unafraid to make smart changes to certain characters' origin stories and even the sequence of events—even if the storylines from the two series of books don't always easily mesh." Molly Freeman of Screen Rant called it a "thrillingly exciting fantasy drama".
Writing for RogerEbert.com, Roxana Hadadi acknowledged the series' use of young adult fiction clichés but praised the cast and the fight sequences. She wrote, "Eric Heisserer's adaptation transcends this familiarity thanks to the commitment of a pitch-perfect cast, well-stylized fight sequences, and intentional character development." She concluded, "Shadow and Bone maintains a sense of interior place for the characters... and the well-balanced nature of this first season makes for a promising introduction into this franchise's fantastical universe."
Yaameen Al-Muttaqi of The Daily Star praised the darker themes explored in the series due to the older ages of the characters compared to the books, highlighting themes like "abuse, corruption, propaganda, manipulation, and human trafficking." However, he was critical of the lack of world-building, concluding that "a fair number of things are also left unexplained or unexplored in the series, which may leave viewers who have not read the books, confused." Allison Nichols of Tell-Tale TV similarly noted that viewers unfamiliar with the source material may feel isolated when the series "throw[s] them in storylines that seemingly have nothing to do with the main storyline of the show — Alina's journey."
For the second season of Shadow and Bone, Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 83% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Shadow and Bone's sophomore season packs in too much story sinew to properly breathe, but this adventure remains great fun for fantasy fans." On Metacritic, the second season received a score of 73, based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On January 22, 2024, Shadow and Bone won the Golden Tomato Award for "Fan Favorite TV series of 2023", a fan voted award organized by Rotten Tomatoes.
Lacy Baugher Milas of Paste Magazine provided a critical review, describing the second season as "not only poorly paced but narratively overstuffed, crammed with new characters, superfluous side quests, and rapid-fire plot revelations that are rarely given enough time to breathe, let alone develop fully." Milas noted that the expanded plotlines resulted in minimal exploration of the emotional fallout experienced by the characters. However, she praised the performances of Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Danielle Galligan, Kit Young, Jack Wolfe, Ben Barnes, and Zoë Wanamaker.
Abby Cavenaugh of Collider gave the second season a B− rating, calling it "more of a lackluster and uneven follow-up" but still an "entertaining ride from start to finish". Cavenaugh attributed the crammed plotlines to the adaptation of material from six of Leigh Bardugo's novels: Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, King of Scars, and The Lives of Saints. She praised Ben Barnes' portrayal of the Darkling, likening it to Michael B. Jordan's performance of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther, while also commending newcomers Patrick Gibson, Lewis Tan, and Anna Leong Brophy. However, Cavenaugh criticized their "overacting" and felt that Calahan Skogman's character, Matthias, was underdeveloped.
Samantha H. Chung of The Harvard Crimson gave a mixed review, praising the performances of Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Patrick Gibson, and Daisy Head while criticizing the second season's pacing and cramming of multiple storylines. Chung felt that the breakneck pace impacted the development of character relationships but praised the expansive worldbuilding, visually stunning settings, exploration of Alina's biracial identity, and the chemistry between Kit Young and Jack Wolfe's characters.
