A handful of critics are already dubbing Shadow and Bone the "Game of Thrones of Netflix," and that assessment is totally fair as the titles certainly have their similarities. While I never got into Game of Thrones myself, it certainly seems like Shadow and Bone is taking a note from the hit HBO series and adding to it. The Netflix show certainly stays true to the source material, but it also fixes what the books don't do, especially when it comes to its diverse cast.
During a roundtable interview, Bardugo discussed how she worked alongside the cast and directors to bring the story to life in a way that was representative of today's society. "I really think that we're just one step on that path, or at least I hope we are," the author said. "I think that [executive producer] Eric [Heisserer] went out of his way to make sure that his writers' room reflected the diversity of our cast. And that when we wrote the stories for these characters, that we treated them with honesty, and respect, and sensitivity. But I think there's a lot more to be done and there's a lot of books by authors of colour that I'd love to see adapted. So I hope that we are just one more step on the journey to seeing a fantasy landscape that reflects our own world a lot better."