Review by facesofine

I was so looking forward to this fantasy drama, cuz I just love this genre, but alas! It was a disappointment. I didn't read the books so there were no preconceived notions going in. Loved the Crow gang (turns out these are main characters from another book that got intertwined here which I now understand the need for them) who all lit up the screen with their presence and I'd perk up whenever they're on screen. I especially adored Jesper. I loved Nina and Matthias, whose chemistry together is oozing out of my tv screen and I almost cried when...sigh. I loved General Darkling, portrayed perfectly by the brilliant Ben Barnes who seemed to be made for this role-mysterious, handsome, alluring and, of course, dark!!! Unfortunately, the main leads Alina and Mal came up short. Their back story (which by the way was shown over and over) was just uninteresting, and their supposed romantic arc was too cliched and forced. The two characters were soooo boring and unbelievably stupid that I had to many times refrain from punching my screen, ugh! If there's a 2nd season I do hope the main leads improve.

No way this will be the next Game of Thrones. Far from it. Not even a fraction of the sophistication GOT embodied.