Shadow and Bone

Mal is the primary love interest and has been Alina’s best friend since his arrival at the Duke’s orphanage. He is an exceptionally talented tracker in the First Army. Although he also does not fit in at the orphanage and is initially described as “short and stocky, shy but always smiling” (1), he has grown into an attractive young man. Mal is popular among the members of the First Army: “he’d carved out a real place for himself where no one needed to know that he’d once been an unwanted little boy” (25). He is cocky and jovial, ready to face the Shadow Fold with a grin. Although he cares deeply for Alina, he does return her romantic feelings at the novel’s start.

When Alina leaves to join the Grisha, Mal also embarks on a personal journey. Fueled by what he believes is a sense of duty towards Alina after she saves his life on the Fold, Mal sets to tracking first the stag, then Alina after she runs from the Darkling. He faces challenges that harden his personality, including losing his best friends. A new scar along his jaw permanently reflects this change. He also realizes his strong romantic feelings for Alina have been his true motivation.

Mal is otkazat’sya, a term for people without Grisha powers. Although Mal faces threats of death with resilience, his lack of powers makes him mostly defenseless against the Darkling. The Darkling reminds Alina that as otkazat’sya, Mal “can never hope to understand your power, and if he did, he’d only come to fear you” (315). This difference between Alina and Mal is an emerging threat to their relationship at the book’s conclusion.

The Darkling is the story’s villain and Alina’s second love interest. As a Shadow Summoner and living amplifier, he is the most powerful Grisha and their commander. He is a classic “Dark Lord” archetype and is ruthlessly driven by a need for power. As leader of the Second Army (the Grisha), the Darkling serves the King of Ravka—though the Darkling is truly “running the country” (283). The Darkling is also the Black Heretic, the notoriously evil Darkling who created the Shadow Fold and is thought to have died many years ago.

Although the Darkling is ancient, he appears close in age to Alina. He is described as having a “sharp, beautiful face, a shock of thick black hair, and clear gray eyes that glimmered like quartz” (41). Power fuels a Grisha’s strength and longevity, and the Darkling’s appearance marks the immensity of his power. He is seductive and charismatic, his power drawing all the Grisha to him. He is also a skilled manipulator and showman. The Shadow Fold is a manifestation of the Darkling’s true nature: “[t]his was the truth behind the handsome face and the miraculous powers, the truth that was the dead and empty space between the stars, a wasteland peopled by frightened monsters” (338). His name, signature black apparel, and shadow powers symbolize his dark essence.

Some view the Darkling as an antihero. He promises to end the border wars and bring peace to the people of Ravka by destroying those who stand against him. He views Alina’s resistance as a betrayal of both him and Ravka.

The Darkling and Alina are foils. While they both have unique gifts distinguishing them from others, they otherwise contrast. The Darkling controls darkness as a Shadow Summoner, while Alina controls light as the Sun Summoner; the Darkling is ancient, while Alina has only just discovered her power; the Darkling is motivated by power, while Alina is motivated by love. Mal is also a minor foil for the Darkling in their competing ambitions with Alina. It is left ambiguous whether the Darkling has romantic feelings for Alina or if he is only seeking to manipulate her. Regardless, while Mal acts out of love and compassion for Alina, the Darkling is motivated by control, power, and greed.

Baghra is the Darkling’s mother and a Grisha instructor. Baghra is a mentor archetype to Alina. Baghra appears ageless, seeming “impossibly ancient” although her “skin was smooth and taut [...] her body wiry like a Suli acrobat, her coal-black hair untouched by gray” (133). She carries a silver cane, and her face looks “eerily skull-like, all jutting bones and deep hollows” (133). Her ambiguous signs of aging point to both her very old age and her strong power.

Baghra is a formidable instructor, relentlessly pushing Alina’s power and strength. This training allows Alina to better use her powers once she leaves Os Alta. Baghra acts out of motherly love for the Darkling: “It is because I love him that I will not let him put himself beyond redemption” (244). Baghra feels responsible for the Darkling’s greed and ambition. As a mentor character, Baghra prepares Alina’s escape and gifts her clothes and resources for the journey.

Genya is a Tailor, a Grisha servant who tailors faces and appearances. Genya lives at the Grand Palace and serves the Queen of Ravka. Although Genya has unique Grisha abilities, she was given to the Queen as a gift. She is cunning and knows how to play the system, using her powers to gain favors around the palace. Genya is beautiful, her “wavy hair was deepest auburn, her irises large and golden; her skin was so smooth and flawless that she looked as if her perfect cheekbones had been carved from marble” (90). She has perfected her appearance using her gifts. Genya is in love with David, a talented and serious Fabrikator who doesn’t seem to notice her.

Genya is Alina’s confidant and closest friend at Os Alta. She helps Alina assimilate to life with the Grisha, showing her around and explaining the gossip and social rules at Os Alta. Genya knows Alina’s insecurities and tries to help Alina realize her own beauty. Genya is motivated by a need to belong, like Alina, and to feel valued for more than her looks. By the end of the novel, Genya has mysteriously been promoted to Corporalki and aligns with the Darkling. This change sheds doubt on Genya’s friendly intentions.

The Grisha are soldiers with magical abilities. Although Grisha are persecuted and misunderstood in other countries, in Ravka they are part of the elite. They train in the Little Palace in Ravka’s capital. They are also known as the Second Army, and Masters of the Small Science. Grisha have the ability to control the world’s matter: “What looked like magic was really the Grisha manipulating matter at its most fundamental levels” (148). The Grisha are divided into three Orders based on their particular gifts. These gifts respond to each Grisha based on the principle “like calls to like” (148). Grisha wear colored keftas based on their Order, with colored embroidery marking their specific gifts.

Corporalki are the highest ranking Grisha after the Darkling. Corporalki can control human matter. Within Corporalki, there are Heartrenders, who can kill by crushing hearts and arteries, and Healers, who can heal wounds within moments. Corporalki wear red keftas. Heartrenders wear black embroidery, while Healers wear gray. Notable Corporalki include Ivan and Genya.

Ivan is a cocky and cold Heartrender. He is one of the Darkling’s favorite and most loyal Grisha and possesses an amplifier. Ivan guards Alina on her journey to Os Alta, as well as after she is caught by the Darkling following her escape. Genya only becomes Corporalki at the end of the book. Her kefta’s embroidery is an unfamiliar color, meaning she is neither a Heartrender nor a Healer.

Etherealki are the second-highest-ranking Grisha. Etherealki can summon nature’s elements. While the Darkling and Alina are both Summoners, their powers are unique. Within Etherealki, there are Squallers, who can control the wind, Inferni, who control fire, and Tidemakers, who control water. Etherealki wear blue keftas. Squallers wear silver embroidery, Inferni wear red embroidery, and Tidemakers wear pale blue embroidery. When Alina wears a blue kefta, it is embroidered in gold. Notable Etherealki include Zoya, Marie, and Nadia.

Zoya is a talented and popular Squaller. She is a minor antagonist to Alina, flirting with Mal at the beginning of the book and attacking Alina out of jealousy. Marie and Nadia, close friends who try to befriend Alina, are also Etherealki.

Materialki control materials, making inventions like Alina’s mirror-gloves, Grisha steel, and bulletproof keftas. Within Materialki, there are Durasts and Alkemi, although their gifts are not distinguished in the novel. Materialki wear purple keftas. David is the most notable Materialki. He is Genya’s love interest and known to be the best Fabrikator. He follows the Darkling’s orders and helps make Alina’s collar from the stag’s antlers, although he regrets it.

The Apparat is a peculiar and disturbing character who smells “faintly of mildew and incense. Like a tomb” (107). He works closely with the King. The Apparat is like a priest, although his role is ambiguous: “Some say he’s a fanatic, Other’s say he’s a fraud,” while the Darkling thinks “he has his uses” (110). The Apparat tries to interact with Alina on multiple occasions and suggests she is a saint. At the end of the novel, the Apparat rules Ravka while the King is ill. He supposedly disappears after Alina and Mal escape the Darkling.