The fantasy genre is booming, with every network and streaming service seeking its own "Game of Thrones," and Netflix is throwing its hat into the ring with "The Witcher" and "Shadow and Bone," which returns almost two years after its well-received first season series, has thrown its hat into the ring

Season 2 of "Shadow & Bone" begins where the previous season left off, with a world based on Lee Bardugo's popular "Grishaverse" novel Every element of the show has been amped up, from the characters, to the locations, to the action, to the emotional depth

Many of the show's elements feel very familiar The show features an orphaned hero with special powers who is prophesied to defeat a dark villain Other antagonists fear the heroine's powers Charming villains (in this case, several of them) And the hope that love and friendship will save the day

Following the usual pattern, Season 2 of "Shadow and Bone" is elevated by an engaging cast, beautiful visuals, and flashes of wit and humor There is a refreshing quality that makes this escapade into the magical realm enjoyable rather than dull

This "Shadow and Bone" Season 2 review contains major spoilers

Shadow and Bone's heroes and villains continue to shine in season two Jessie Mae Lynn, who played Alina Starkov in the first season, was a relative newcomer, and it showed Still, she played the requisite beats with aplomb: vulnerable, excitable, and confused In Season 2, Lynn has grown as an actor Alina is determined and confident, vacillating between fear and doubt, all of which feels natural

It also helps that Lynn has good chemistry with her two most frequent scene partners, Archie Renaud as Mal and Ben Barnes as Killigan Renaud has been given more work this time around, proving that he is capable of taking the lead role

Burns is, of course, the biggest star of "Shadow and Bone" and deservedly the most engaging of the entire cast He clearly enjoys playing the tortured darkling One can only hope for more of him in "Shadow and Bone" Season 2 (and beyond, which seems unlikely since Killigan was taken down in the finale)

His appearance comes at the expense of both new and existing characters, but I won't complain because they are all very attractive The most important new face is Patrick Gibson as the privateer Sturmhond, aka Prince Nikolai Lantsov of Rabka, who has a charming earnestness that makes it impossible not to root for him

Crow gets the spotlight as well, which is a good choice Special kudos go to Freddie Carter as Kaz Brecker and Kit Young as Jesper Fahey They both do an excellent job of portraying the backstories of the villains Much of the emotional depth of season two comes from the Crow storyline

The main arc of "Shadow and Bone" Season 2 is Arena's mission to destroy the Shadow Fold, the darkness that separates her lands It is divided into several sections and basically concerns finding various MacGuffins that can help her

The details of these quests can be a bit confusing For me, not having read the book, I don't really understand the reason or use of the Amplifier (an object that increases Grisha's power) That's fine, because these plot devices serve largely to explain the characters Arena's search for the Amplifier is a means of showing her growing desire for power, her fear of being inextricably linked to Killigan, and her struggle with the gulf between her former self (the orphan cartographer) and the self she is becoming (the saint) [Similarly, the Crows become embroiled in a plot against crime boss Pekka Rollins (Dean Lennox Kelly) This turns out to be a window into the Crows' past and their previous relationship with Rollins and the thieves and his long-deceased brother Their story also reveals a crucial secret about Jesper and introduces Wylan (Jack Wolfe), a demolition expert who makes him fall in love with him She then recruits Nina (Daniel Galligan) to join the crows, leading to a doomed romance with the imprisoned Matthias (Callahan Skogman)

After getting all the MacGuffins, Alina's ultimate quest succeeds: she eradicates the Shadow Fold and kills the Darkling But the Grishaverse is not a place of happily-ever-afters The protagonists were scattered at the end of the finale, but a storyline is in place that could reunite them in a third season

With its heavy use of overused fantasy clichés, Season 2 of "Shadow and Bone" may not seem particularly original or groundbreaking However, it is as enjoyable or more so than many of the fantasy streaming productions of the past few years The show moves along quickly and methodically, rarely lingering or stagnating This is evident in the fact that the main storyline of Shadow Fold was completed in just two seasons

With so many characters, it can feel busy at times I could not keep track of all the different names and who has what powers Still, standout characters like Kirigan and Kaz are engaging enough to support their own spin-offs

What makes "Shadow and Bone" Season 2 so satisfying is that it goes beyond magic Don't worry, it's not a magic show But seeing how magic affects the people you've come to care about is what makes this show more than a run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure