The Shadow and Bone showrunner had a reason for changing the books’ ending

polygon.com:

Stepping up to adapt a beloved YA series with passionate fans is no easy task. We’ve seen the rise and fall of the Twilights, Hunger Games, and Shadowhunters of the world. Up to bat now is Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse books, a fantasy series that takes place in a world of elemental summoners and impressive thieves. They’ve been beloved for the better part of the last decade, but it was only with 2021’s Netflix adaptation Shadow and Bone that they made it to the screen.

Right away, showrunner Eric Heisserer made some bold choices — pulling in characters who don’t canonically get introduced till after the main series? Making Alina half-Shu? Adjusting the core romantic relationships? But if the first season’s reception was any indication, those choices were the right ones — fans ate it up.

With the second season out, the writers behind Shadow and Bone have continued to make daring decisions, leaning on the books as a launching pad instead of a foundation. Whether or not these changes work might depend on how accurate you like your page-to-screen adaptations. But one thing’s for sure: Heisserer and his team aren’t too concerned about being totally faithful, so long as they capture the spirit of the story.

Polygon spoke to Heisserer about the challenges of adapting the beloved books into eight episodes, changing character arcs, and the plotline he was sad didn’t make it into the final cut.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for season 2 of Shadow and Bone.]

Polygon: You covered so much ground in only eight episodes this season — Siege and Storm , Ruin and Rising , plus aspects of the Crows duology and more. Why did it make sense to condense so much into this season?

Eric Heisserer: It was less about