Yes, the Darkling genuinely developed complex, albeit twisted and selfish, feelings for Alina, seeing her as a kindred spirit who could finally understand his eternal loneliness, but this love was always intertwined with his desire for power, control, and using her as a tool for his own grand ambitions, making it a toxic mix of affection, obsession, and manipulation rather than pure, healthy love. He loved her, but also the idea of possessing her power and companionship to end his solitude, leading to actions that violated her trust and autonomy, even as he felt genuine emotion, notes the Espresso Edition and Reddit users.
He definitely had deep feelings for her. He was pretending for awhile, but eventually I think he came to care for her. SPOILERS FOR RUIN AND RISING AND NIKOLAI DUOLOGY: I think he was manipulative, and he did a lot for power, especially at the end with the orphanage and the hallucination visits and all that.
The longer, more spoiler-filled answer: Yep, they do. Aside from a short-lived infatuation with the Darkling, Alina makes it pretty clear that she wants Mal and only Mal throughout the book series, and the show seems to be on the same track.
Despite his nefarious plans, it is thought the Darkling did love Alina. However, Alina ends up killing him at the end of Ruin and Rising. Alina and Nikolai Lantsov: In Siege and Storm, despite fleeing together, Mal and Alina begin to drift apart. Enter Nikolai Lantsov, younger son of the King of Ravka.
It is confirmed in R&R that Mal and Zoya had slept together. Technically Mal and Alina were not officially together at that point, but then after Mal tells Alina in S&B and S&S that he wants her and makes a huge deal of their relationship, especially in front of Nikolai, then he still kisses Zoya .
In Leigh Bardugo's novel, Kirigan (Ben Barnes) stuns Alina (Jessie Mei Li) with an unexpected first kiss. Later, after they demonstrate Alina's abilities to the king's court, the two passionately make out and the narrative suggests they come very close to having sex before they're interrupted.
Zoya was initially infatuated with the Darkling. Upon Alina's arrival at the Little Palace, Zoya instantly hates her for becoming the Darkling's new favorite, and expresses her jealousy by injuring Alina during a duel.
After Alina finally accepted her powers, the Darkling visited her again during a training session. He had still not found Morozova's stag whose antlers he had promised her but he asked that she have faith in him, and then he kissed her to both of their surprise.
Ulla is a half-sildroher songcaster and the Darkling's half-sister by their mother, Baghra. Ulla is revered by humans as Sankta Ursula of the Waves.
That's lucky for newly minted Shadow and Bone stans because it's Mal who Alina ends up with at the end of the Shadow and Bone books. Before they get there, though, there are two other contenders for Alina's heart. The most obvious is General Kirigan, who in the books is known as the Darkling.
But in Ruin and Rising, Mal cannot deny his love for Alina, making the ultimate sacrifice at the end by giving his life so that Alina can use his amplifier powers to stop the Darkling. Thankfully, he is healed, and he and Alina live happily ever after, running a Grisha orphanage.
Again estranged, they return to the Little Palace, where Alina finally confesses that she sees the Darkling. Mal grabs a bottle of whiskey and retreats to his quarters. Alina awakens to caresses that she passionately returns, only to learn to her horror that she is kissing not Mal but the Darkling.
Even though I'm no fan of love triangles, I love the idea behind the love triangle in Shadow and Bone. Now, don't get me wrong – I don't like, nor support either of the love interests in the novels (we'll get to the whys behind that!), but I do consider the love triangle interesting, and even, to an extent, realistic.
In the end, Mal is magically healed and the Fold is destroyed, while Alina loses her powers and fakes her own death. She and Mal eventually marry and rebuild the Grisha orphanage. While Alina Starkov is not in the King of Scars, she appears in the second book of the King of Scars duology, Rule of Wolves.
Making the character of the Darkiling an villain of external conflict and an villain of internal conflict at the same time. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: The Darkling and the country of Ravka.
Alina is automatically powerful just by being the Sun Summor. She destroyed the Fold, which was with the help of three amplifiers. Because of those amplifiers, she is in third place. Coming in at number two, we have the Darkling.
Squallers: Suborder of Grisha who can manipulate wind. Sun Summoners: A suborder of Grisha who can manipulate light. These are the rarest type of Grisha, which is why Alina (Jessie Mei Li) is so important.
All of this, along with the engaging, fantastical story that takes its time, suggests that Shadow and Bone could have been a major series for the streamer. Instead, Shadow and Bone was canceled in November 2023, with the now-standard explanation that the series did not have enough viewers and cost too much money.
Inej Ghafa
Amita Suman in 2021. Inej Ghafa is a 16-year-old Suli girl from Ravka known as the Wraith. She is a spy for the Dregs, and considered the best spy in Ketterdam. Her family were travelling performers and her act was the tightrope, so she is extremely agile and lightfooted.
Say it with a kiss! The 20 greatest smooches on film – ranked!
The mangaka admitted that he wanted Eren and Mikasa to kiss each other but his shyness refrained him from doing so.
Ruin and Rising. Alina has spent two months in the underground tunnels of Ravka. She is controlled by the Apparat, who leads a cult convinced that Alina is a saint. As a result of her battle with the Darkling, Alina's hair has turned white and she is weak from being away from sunlight and her powers for so long.
He genuinely liked Alina as person, and knew that marrying her was strategically a good move for Ravka. Beyond that, I think they both knew that a genuine and caring relationship could grow between them, but I don't think either of them really expected it to be a fireworks and butterflies kind of romance.
By the final pages of the book, Nikolai's deep and abiding love for Zoya is clear for all to see. After voluntarily renouncing the Ravkan throne (long story), he immediately nominates her to lead their beloved nation as Queen Zoya. He can't imagine anyone doing a better job, simple as that.
Sun Summoner. A powerful Grisha who can form and summon sunlight. Alina Starkov is the first and only known Sun Summoner.