Why yes, I picked up this book after binge-watching the Netflix adaptation. I’ll take stories however I can get them.
I will note, however, that I do not often choose to check out the book after seeing the story in some other media format. This is because my TBR pile is ever growing and there are so many tales in the universe already, I will never get to experience them all.
I will not explain how the book differs from the adaptation. That verges on SPOILER to me, and we all know I hate spoilers.
What I will say is that the adaptation sticks very closely to the core of the novel. And that, while I am still hunting for certain characters to make their appearance in the novels, I thoroughly enjoyed both the book AND the Netflix series. I haven’t read through the last two books yet, so my review is for the first novel only – Shadow and Bone.
This is a graceful novel, with neat, clean prose and a vividly imagined world. Descriptions aren’t too heavy, and I would say it is safe for younger readers. Some of the politics from the Netflix series haven’t reached me yet, so I am curious when they will arrive.
As a side note, I fell in love more with Mal in the book than I did in the Netflix series. That’s probably because I have long been a Ben Barnes fan and wanted desperately to see his character rise from the dark of his past and overcome it. But, well, given he is literally bound to shadows, he will tragically remain in the dark.
So, of course, after reading the book I watched the first season again and fell in love with Mal appropriately. Even if the Ben Barnes fan in me whimpered to let him go.
If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend this book.
And the Netflix series.
Do both. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
AJMaguire 