With the announcement that Season 2 of Netflix's fantasy series, Shadow and Bone, will premiere on March 16, 2023, fans are chomping at the bit to see the continuation of the saga of Alina (Jessie Mei Li), the Darkling (Ben Barnes), and the Crows. According to the source material by Leigh Bardugo, which should be the second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Siege and Storm, and the first of the Crows duology, Six of Crows, there are a number of exciting storylines we hope to see in Season 2.

Expect the stakes to be even higher in Season 2, with the Darkling returning after Alina thought him dead and the Crows likely embarking on the biggest heist of their young lives, which may or may not save the world as they know it.

RELATED: The Sun Summoner Returns in 'Shadow and Bone' Season 2 Teaser

The Return of the Darkling

Ben Barnes as The Darkling in Shadow & Bone Season 2
Image via Netflix

The final shot of Season 1 of Shadow and Bone saw the Darkling stumbling out of the Fold, clearly injured but still very much alive after Mal (Archie Renaux) left him to be dealt with by the volcra, the terrifying winged creatures that lurk in the shadows of the Fold. Once he's out of the Fold, he turns, his face scarred by the volcra attack, and says simply, "Follow." Shadows emerge out of the Fold and take the shape of some fearsome soldiers that look to be at least 10 feet tall and will obviously do some serious damage to the Darkling's foes.

Siege and Storm begins with Alina and Mal on the run and hiding out in a village far from the country of Ravka, where the events of Season 1 and Book 1 take place. Before too long, however, Alina and Mal are captured and taken to a room where they encounter the Darkling and his new creation, the shadow soldiers called nichevo'ya. There's no doubt that these creatures will be prominent in Season 2, and the glimpse we got of them at the end of Season 1 was pretty damn terrifying. The nichevo'ya play a big role in the book, so you can expect them to make several appearances in the show as well.

The Sea Whip

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Image via Macmillan

The Darkling wants Alina and Mal to help him find a sea whip, which he plans to use as another amplifier, like the stag in Season 1 and Book 1. A sea-dwelling dragon, the sea whip, like the stag, was thought to be part of Grisha folklore. But it turns out, it does exist, and the Darkling takes an unwilling Alina and Mal out to sea to find it so that its scales can be used to make the Darkling even more powerful.

The sea whip is described in Siege and Storm as "a shimmering, undulating white shape" that moves sinuously through the waves, "rainbows sparking off the iridescent scales on its back." It will be exciting to see Rusalye, as it's called in the book, come to life on-screen.

The Arrival of Sturmhond aka Nikolai

Patrick Gibson as Nikolai Lantsov in Shadow & Bone Season 2
Image via Netflix

Fan-favorite character Sturmhond (Patrick Gibson), a privateer who's actually the Prince of Ravka Nikolai Lantsov in disguise, will make his first appearance in Season 2. It's Sturmhond's ship that the Darkling commandeers to find the sea whip, not knowing that the pirate is actually heir to the throne of Ravka.

Sturmhond is a cocky, privileged character that Alina's not sure that she can trust. Is he on the Darkling's side, actually willing to help Alina, or is he just out for himself? He also kind of has a thing for her, so it'll be interesting to see how their dynamic plays out — especially with Mal still firmly in the picture.

Tamar and Tolya

Shadow & Bone Season 2 teaser-Tamar and Tolya

Part of Sturmhond/Nikolai's crew, Tamar (Lewis Tan) and Tolya (Anna Leong Brophy) are also new characters introduced in Season 2. The pair is Shu twins who become fierce allies of Alina's. Tamar is known for his strength (and poetry), while Tolya is a badass with a pair of axes as her preferred weapon. They play a major role in Siege and Storm, as well as the third book of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Ruin and Rising.

They are Grisha, and are loyal to the Sun Summoner, Alina. Between Season 1 and Season 2, people throughout Ravka have begun to worship Alina as a Saint, and Tamar and Tolya are two of her staunchest supporters. As touched on in Season 1, since Alina is part-Shu, their kind isn't exactly looked upon with kindness in much of Ravka. Many Grisha fear the Shu, as they are enemies of both Ravka and its rival nation, Fjerda.

The Ice Court Heist

Shadow & Bone Season 2 teaser-The Crows!

That leads into the plot of Six of Crows. Season 1 did a brilliant job of intertwining the story of the first Shadow and Bone book with the characters of Six of Crows by introducing us to criminal mastermind Kaz (Freddy Carter), everyone's favorite sharpshooter Jesper (Kit Young), and stealthy wraith Inej (Amita Suman), the original three Crows. We also meet Nina (Danielle Galligan) in Season 1, though she doesn't officially become a part of the Crows in the first season. Nina is Grisha, a Heartrender, who can subdue her enemies by slowing their heart rate (which is actually the coolest Grisha power). She is captured by the Druskelle, soldiers of Fjerda who hunt Grisha, and usually kill them. However, Nina survives a shipwreck with one of the Druskelle, Matthias (Callahan Skogman), and the two slowly fall in love, despite their disdain for each other. However, at the end of Season 1, Nina unknowingly betrayed Matthias, and he was sent to Hellgate, a prison that more than lives up to its name.

The Crows band together to break Matthias out of the prison, and after that, they learn of a Shu scientist being held at the Ice Court, and they're offered a hell of a lot of money to capture said scientist. They then plan the heist of the century, breaking into the Fjerdian stronghold and kidnapping the scientist. The heist makes Six of Crows a thrilling, engrossing read, and seeing it play out on-screen, with all its ups and downs and close calls, will surely be top-tier entertainment. Add to that the perfectly cast Crows, and it's a lot to look forward to.

The Sixth Crow (and Wesper!)

Shadow & Bone Season 2 teaser-Jack Wolfe as Wylan

The sixth of the Six of Crows is Wylan (Jack Wolfe), an explosives expert who also plays the flute and comes from a privileged family in the Crows' hometown of Ketterdam. He reluctantly joins in on the Crows' plan to kidnap the Shu scientist, and in doing so, creates one of the biggest ships in literature between him and Jesper, affectionately known as Wesper.

This budding relationship is sure to be a big draw for fans of the book. They've already gotten to know (and love) Kit Young's Jesper from Season 1, and seeing him meet his match in Wylan will be something to behold indeed. Jesper may have to settle down his arrogant ways if he wants to capture Wylan's heart in the process of the heist.

Kaz's Backstory

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Image via Netflix

Speaking of lovable Crows, we should learn more about Kaz and how he came to be "the Bastard of the Barrel" in Season 2. In Six of Crows, Kaz often has flashbacks of his brother Jordie, whose death ultimately led him to his life of crime, and set him on a path of vengeance.

Kaz is definitely one to hold his cards close to his chest, even referring to Inej, who he clearly loves, as an "investment." So to learn how he came to be the (seemingly) cold and calculated criminal he is in Season 1 will be a treat for fans. That other Six of Crows ship, Kanej, probably won't come to fruition in Season 2, but one can hope.

Weaving the Stories Together

As mentioned earlier, Shadow and Bone Season 1 did an incredible job of intertwining the storylines of the Shadow and Bone book with the characters of Six of Crows. So, it's not a stretch to think that Season 2 could weave the stories together in unexpected ways, bringing together the Crows and the Darkling plotlines. No matter what, expectations are high for Season 2, and fans are excited to see the pages of Siege and Storm and Six of Crows come to life on-screen.

Season 2 of Shadow and Bone will premiere March 16, 2023 on Netflix.