With the announcement of Netflix’s Grishaverse actually happening, we’ve compiled a wishlist of what we’d like to see in this fan favorite series as it jumps from the page onto the small screen. (spoilers for book series!)

It’s no secret that Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse is one of the hottest book universes in YA fantasy right now. With three separate series, along with a book of fables, that all take place in the same verse, it’s safe to say that there is an audience ready and waiting to see what Netflix does with Alina Starkov, Kaz Brekker, and Nikolai Lantsov.

When the news broke about a Grishaverse series on Netflix, my immediate reaction was absolute joy that quickly spiraled downwards into worry with it all being one lumped up thing. In my mind, and many others, I felt like each series deserves to be in it’s own spotlight.

My fears were quelled within 24 hours, with Leigh Bardugo sending out a newsletter to put out the fires of worry and speculation. Not only will Netflix’s Grishaverse be the home of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but of the Six of Crows duology, Language of Thorns, and I assume the newest addition: the Nikolai duology.

Leigh Bardugo took her time, with multiple executives wanting to bring this world to the screen, wanting it to be a good fit because it is difficult to get not only fantasy right, but YA as a whole. With Netflix’s amazingly done A Series of Unfortunate Events, like Leigh, I think Grishaverse has found the perfect home.

Like I wrote about last year, Six of Crows has multiple types of diversity within it, and while the Shadow and Bone trilogy doesn’t, Leigh states that Netflix’s Grishaverse is going to bring more diversity in earlier, which is hands down the best news. In Six of Crows she did an amazing job with including diversity in race and ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and psychology, as well as being inclusive towards people with disabilities.

By admitting that Shadow and Bone wasn’t as inclusive and that they are taking steps to make it more diverse from the get go, Leigh Bardugo and Netflix both score major points for me. Now I can’t wait to see just how they go about casting and who will be POC.

The show won’t be a mashup of the timelines, and Season 1 should be looked as Shadow and Bone Book One and Six of Crows Book Zero. What this means for screen time for Kaz Brekker and his crew, I’m not sure, but my only hope is that we will at least get a glimpse of them despite Six of Crows taking place two years after the end of Ruin and Rising.

Another thing that is small, but puts me at ease in regards to the anxiety of hoping that Netflix’s Grishaverse stays as close to the original material as possible re: plotlines, is that the head writer and showrunner is Eric Heisserer, a long time fan of the book series itself, who has Kevin Wada’s Six of Crows character cards as his twitter header and Merwild’s Kaz Brekker portrait as his icon. Needless to say, as a Kaz Brekker stan myself, I feel like Netflix’s Grishaverse is in good hands.

Without further ado, let’s look at my wishlist for the series.

Netflix’s ‘Grishaverse’ wishlist

• Casting:

  Not only are my hopes high for more diversity in the show, but I want it to be true to how Leigh Bardugo coded her POC characters within the books themselves. Inej Ghafa is Suli and coded to be someone from the Indian Subcontinent. Jesper Fahey has dark skin as well but is from Novyi Zem, which was inspired by Australia, so he could be interpreted as aboriginal. On top of that there are characters from the country Shu Han, which could be read as East Asian in decent.

  That, and Kaz Brekker should have cheekbones that could cut you if you get too close, but that’s me being superficial. Hey, a girl can dream.

• Special effects:

  From the Shadow Fold, to the Grisha powers, the show itself is going to have to have some spectacular special effects. I’m expecting to see people change facial features right before my eyes, to watch Tidemakers and Squallers control the wind and water, to see Inferi control fire. There is plenty of action within the series, and watching the explosive magic come to life is important to get right.

• Costumes:

  Leigh is very specific in her descriptions of the costumes in her series, most notably to me are the keftas, the sashes that the Grisha wear to signify what section of the Second Army they belong to. Each country has a very different style of dress, and I hope that whoever the Costume Designer ends up being really plays up the Russian, Indian, Asian, and Dutch styles that are incorporated into Leigh’s descriptions.

  Once more, I just really want to see Kaz in his suits with a vest and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I can’t wait to see what his cane looks like, to see what the Dregs’ tattoo design will be. It’s the details that can make or break a series. Just think about it, are you still mad that Harry didn’t have green eyes in the movies? I’m still bent out of shape about it. It could have been so easy to get that small detail correct, and yet… Sometimes what fans find important is lost in translation but with Eric being a fan of the series we have a better chance of getting these details within Netflix’s Grishaverse.

• Romance:

  As much as I dislike love triangles, I’m interested to see the Darkling, Alina, and Mal triangle played out. I want to watch the build of Nina and Matthias’ trust, to soak in Kaz’s reluctance to come to terms with the fact that he would do anything for Inej. I absolutely cannot wait to watch Jesper and Wylan dance around each other, for the kiss. You know the one. I can’t stop grinning, thinking about it and the miscommunication of it all. I hope that they will keep the slow builds, that the relationships won’t be rushed. I want the scene where Kaz is addressing Inej’s wounds to be perfect, for the tension to be palpable.

• Tone:

  Leigh Bardugo’s writing style has a specific tone, with Ketterdam described, in my mind, like Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes with cobbled streets and fog. The show will be dark, as opposed to lighter fantasy like Legend of the Seeker, where the tone was nothing like the books themselves. A Series of Unfortunate Events got the tone of the books perfectly, and I want nothing less for Grishaverse.

Needless to say, we are a long time off from actually seeing anything of substance in regards to Netflix’s Grishaverse, but it’s fun to think about what can be done in the translation from page to Netflix.