Rotten Link: Netflix's Shadow and Bone rated Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as first reviews arrive

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Netflix has had a mixed record when it comes to fantasy series, though thankfully its latest one has been a hit with critics.

Shadow and Bone, which is adapted from Leigh Bardugo's bestselling Grishaverse novels, is set in a war-torn world, which has been split in two by a valley of darkness known as The Fold, with only a young woman called Alina able to save it.

Starring Jessie Mei Lei and Ben Barnes, the series has gained the inevitable comparisons to Game of Thrones and The Witcher, though critics reckon that this one stands out from the crowd – after all, it's already netted an impressive 94% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Netflix

Here's what reviewers have been saying:

Digital Spy

"Thankfully, Shadow and Bone isn't just another Game of Thrones wannabe and, fantasy-wise, it's far better than anything else Netflix has produced since The Witcher too. While there's nothing in the first season that quite compares to Geralt's bathtub scene, Eric Heisserer's adaptation still manages to set itself apart by avoiding typical fantasy trappings in favour of something more diverse and unique."

The Daily Telegraph

"Those who watched Game of Thrones for the nudity and cruelty may find it lacking that spicy kick, but this is fantasy with heart, a towering imagination and a genuine new take on the genre. It could be a real phenomenon for Netflix."

jessie mei li as alina starkov in shadow and bone

Netflix

Variety

"It didn't take long for me to become fully enveloped in it, lured in by clever choices, engrossing acting and costuming and production design that dances on the knife’s edge of lush and camp. And even if it never gets quite as explicitly gory as the book's events might suggest, this Shadow and Bone still has its genuinely startling moments, especially when bracing for what lurks inside the seemingly endless darkness of the Fold."

Radio Times

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a fairly high-budget genre show in possession of any fantasy elements must be referred to at least once as the 'next Game of Thrones – and so it's been for Netflix's long-awaited adaptation of Shadow and Bone [...] Overall, as a series Shadow and Bone looks set to intrigue and satisfy fans – though it may be a little confusing for outsiders."

jasmine blackborow as marie, jesse mei li as aline starkov and gabrielle brooks as nadia in netflix series shadow and bone

David ApplebyNetflix

Den of Geek

"It's a propulsive story with great characters set in a fascinating, fully realized fantasy world. But it's also something of a statement: That this sort of fiction – and the women who both champion and most frequently star in it – have an important place in the world of genre storytelling. And, thankfully, this is a series that more than lives up to the pre-release hype."

The Hollywood Reporter

"Viewers coming into Shadow and Bone without any of the background from Leigh Bardugo's novels are likely to feel at least somewhat thrust into darkness by all of series creator Eric Heisserer's attempted world-building [...] The eight-episode first season definitely feels like it's a smushing of two not-particularly-synchronous books, resulting in some desired Game of Thrones epic scope at the expense of one story's full emotional momentum and the other's sense of fun."

Shadow and Bone premieres on April 23 on Netflix.