In season 2 of the hit Netflix fantasy adventure series "Shadow and Bone," magic and monsters once again affect the lives of its heroes as they join forces with new allies.
Its lead star, Jessie Mei Li, portrays a young woman named Alina Starkov, whose strength and power makes her the target of dangerous enemies.
"It's really exciting," said Li. "What I love about Alina is that she feels like a real human. And although obviously she's a young woman, I think she is relatable to everyone."
Li's character Alina grew up with Mal, played by Archie Renaux.
"On this story, coming in and having such a big, dynamic cast of people who are kind of very fresh and excited about telling this kind of story, that kind of passion and enthusiasm was extremely infectious," said Ben Barnes.
He added: "I think that breeds passion for what we're doing, and thoughtfulness for what we're doing."
"Shadow and Bone," which first premiered in April 2021, is based on the best-selling book series created by Leigh Bardugo.