ALINA STARKOV In Shadow and Bone, ‘Show Me Who You Are’

Alina and Mal get attacked by volcra, and her Sun Summoner powers finally show up (for the Litjoy Shadow and Bone box set)

The mystery of names (and their correct spelling). Part 1. Alina Starkov

So, I finally decided to make a post dedicated to the correct spelling of the Russian language in the Grisha Trilogy. I decided to start with names, and so that you don’t get bored, I decided to add a point about the meaning of names. So, let's start with the main character. And the correct spelling of her name in Russian is Alina Starkova, not Starkov. Why? Because Starkov is a masculine surname. For example, my surname is Kosareva, and my father’s surname is Kosarev. So, we've discussed the correct spelling, now let's move on to the meaning.

Alina (is abbreviated as Lina, Linka, Linochka, Linushka, Alinochka, Alinushka, Alya)

The name Alina has several meanings. Latin: The name may come from the Latin name Alina, meaning "small" or "gentle", or from the Germanic name Adelina, meaning "noble". Polish Meaning: In Polish, the name Alina means "bright", "brilliant" or "beautiful". Russian meaning: In Russian, the name Alina can also be interpreted as “bright” or “brilliant”, “beautiful and charming”, as well as “true”, “faithful” or “protector”.

Starkova

Our heroine’s surname is no less interesting, as it is one of the oldest Russian surnames. There are several versions of the origin of the surname: 1)Derivation from the name of the star The first version says that the Starkov surname comes from the name of a star or other celestial objects. In ancient times, the stars played an important role in people's lives, and some researchers argue that some families may have received the Starkov surname in honor of stellar phenomena or specific celestial events. 2) Origin from a profession or occupation Another version connects the Starkov surname with a person's profession or occupation. Since the Russian word for "starik" (old man) has been used throughout history to describe an elderly person, this may indicate that some ancestors of those with the Starkov surname may have been sages, elders, or engaged in other occupations that required wisdom and experience. 3) Origin from a geographical place There is also a version according to which the Starkov surname has geographical roots. It may be associated with the name of a specific place, for example, the name of a settlement or village. Over the course of time, the name of a place may have passed on as a surname to the population living in the area. 4) Origin from the name Some researchers propose a version according to which the Starkov surname arose from a short name associated with a patronymic. The Russian word "starik" (old man) could be a nickname or a short form of the name Stary, Starov, and so on. Gradually it could turn into a surname for subsequent generations. Regardless of the version of origin, the Starkov surname is usually associated with concepts of wisdom, experience and age. It can indicate a family's rich history, whether related to a star, profession, or geographic location. In the next part we will look at the Morozovs, don’t miss it😘

Which Mal Oretsev do you prefer, between the one in the series and the one in the books as a whole ? In itself, they are both flat and bland characters for me. However, I will say that since the book version has flaws, it looks a bit more interesting. I think that the Mal Oretsev of the books would have been a good convincing character if he had undergone a real evolution away from Alina, just as Alina would have been a great character with a real evolution away from Mal.

Honestly book!Mal set the bar so low that show!Mal gave a good impression whenever he showed up on screen. But his show counterpart was, nevertheless, so unbelievably boring. And for some reason he didn't seem to me like he showed or felt any emotions (no shade to Archie here of course, that was purely the director's and writers' fault).

I seriously don't know which one I would prefer.

His book counterpart is so unlikable, mean, an attention seeker (especially from Alina) a bigot and, generally, an asshole. And if you take all that out, he's still boring. So the way his character was written, he was destined to fall flat. I would find it more interesting if Bardugo had given more attention and depth to his PTSD and the psychological trauma he got from his first mission to the North. Not that this would excuse his behavior to Alina, but Leigh could explore how Mal went from a careless boy to a man that experienced his own kind of horrors and matured suddenly and violently. Maybe the author could send him away from Alina (just like you said) and show us his life in the First Army and the wars he would have to fight in.

It's actually funny how Alina and Mal could shine as characters better if they were apart. While with Alarkling the opposite happened. Whenever they were together they just clicked.

Siege and Storm- Chapter 14

She ain't stupid.

I live for those moments of lucidity Alina occasionally experiences.

Do those Grisha even know Darkles' "crimes"? Did Alina bother to tell them, or does she still assume they read her mind, so they're updated?! Is there a scene missing? Where they meet and she explains what happened?

She did promise she will, but then she stormed off and went to sleep as far as we know...

Again- did Alina reveal Darkles' past "offscreen", or are those Grisha just expected to figure out what she's talking about?!

Three-front war going on, with one of those sides being ancient semi-mythical power. Our Heroine:

Yeah, I don't think my ally's trying to get into my pants THIS TIME...

Grishaverse love stories in a Bridgerton like Au

Most images are from Pinterest, if the original person where I got them wants me to take them down I will

Kanej

-They are lady Whistledown, meaning Inej gets the secrets and Kaz publishes them , probably in order to distract the town from radical groups

-Kaz gets a deal with noble man Per Haskell , he must help Inej marry a nobleman. Part of the share would go to Per Haskell and Inej wants the rest to travel and find her family that she lost after being kidnapped.

-Kaz tries to set her up with Lord Wylan Van eck , ignoring his own feelings due to lack of noble titles and the money she needs, while Inej believes this is simply because he prefers the monetary compensation than her and she needs the money anyway

Zoyalai

-Very similar to the books,Nikolai is the heir to the Ravka crown after the death of his brother Vasily. After losing her family in a mysterious fire, Lady Zoya has lost more of her property and she is no longer a candidate to be courted. The favors lean towards princess Ehri from Shu Han or Lady Alina who was just found to be a rich heiress.

-Despite her lack of richness, Lady Zoya has a high status as the King’s confidant , it’s famously beautiful and every man wishes to be the one to conquer her cold heart,Count Kirigin has his eyes in her

-Lady Zoya’s work is to advice the king about the his best option, Lady Alina seems the safest since Princess Ehri may have inner plans ,Zoya also must help him hide his status as a born bastard. This gets complications, in an attempt to hide King Nikolai’s visit to his real father, Zoya has to twist it and makes it believe she has an affair with the king, that the letters that she burned were love letters from each other (actually The queen and Magnus Opjer’s letters)

-Zoya needs a plan, Nikolai must still marry one of the candidates so she fakes an affair that will end up with the future king dumping her for one of the girls. If she is lucky,Count Kirigin won’t be too put off by this but she is not against the idea of becoming a spinster. Complications arise when in one of their affair fake outs, their flirting scales too much and becomes a real thing.

Malina

-As said above, Alina Starkov was a worker on an orphanage, she was losing hope in her childhood friend confessing to her. One day he is enlisted in the army ,Alina decides to confess to him instead but just as she is going to his place to say her goodbyes she is forcefully taken. She finds out she is a lost heiress and it’s taken to the palace to be a candidate for the king’s hand

-At the beginning she acts uneducated to not get chosen, but one day she gets the news that Mal is nowhere to be found,presumed dead,body not found.Alina spends months in mourning, acting normal in public,making friends with the company lady Genya but crying the whole night. She eventually tries to distract herself by doing something with her fortune and spends some on her old orphanage and it’s both admired and frowned upon for “acting like a normal not noble ,woman” . She becomes a dismissive public figure,some want her to marry the king,some fear her to be a radical

-One day she is having a secret walk in the stables and find someone: her friend Mal,a deserter now. Alina needs to keep hiding Mal,who poses as a servant and visits her at night with the excuse of guarding her door,they both need to find a way to elope

Petting zoo and bone.

Alina could have been Sasha's Will Graham or Clarice Starling .... we were robbed!!!

Gifs by @ladylrbloom

Do you ship it?

Alina about Aleksander before and after the reveal:

female protagonists will literally go through 30 life altering traumas at the age of 16 and you ppl still have the audacity to call them annoying bc they cry about it and act like teenage girls

I actually like it when ships hurt each other in long lasting and unforgiveable ways. I like it when they leave vicious, glaring scars. I like when they leave traumas. I like when they stab each other and torture each other and ruin each other’s lives and violate every inch of each other’s values. and I like it when they fucking kill each other permanently dead. 

Does Alina mean "small" or Alina mean "protector"?

While analyzing the meaning of the name Alina, I suddenly realized that the main character is connected to both Mal and the Darkling.

Her name can mean “small”, and if we translate the abbreviated name Mal from Russian literally, it will mean “small” (and his name can also mean “evil”, “bad” and “cattle”, but this is a topic for a separate post).

But at the same time, the name Alina can mean “protector.” Do you know who else’s real name means “protector”? Alexander! And this is a real irony, because whenever Alina followed the path of Alexander, she really became a protector, and when she followed Mal, she actually became small. In other words, being with Mal for Alina means being a weak child and a smaller version of herself, and being with Alexander means being strong and protecting others. It’s a pity that Alina never realized this (or rather, the author did not allow her to realize it)😔

I don't think Leigh Bardugo intended the characters' names to be that meaningful (otherwise she wouldn't have left Alina with Mal), but it's an interesting detail that perfectly describes Malina and Darklina relationship.

If I had a coconut for every time a person said "the Darkling was a groomer" I would have enough coconuts to throw them on their heads and cure their amnesia.

Siege and Storm- Chapter 14 (Leigh Bardugo)

I WANT THIS NIKOLAI BACK!!!

I want him to face choices that threaten his moral integrity, and I want him to cease being so pristine! I want him to pick the inhumane path from time to time and deal with both other people's changed perception of him, and his own conscience!

*whispers* He's so stupidly naïve I want to drag his face through gravel of reality.

What if the only way to make things right would be acting wrong? This is the kind of character, who should be made to face his limitations for further development, and either overcome them, or break really, really badly.

*whispers* I want to break him, I want to break him...

He held my gaze ... “But I’d be sorry to see you go.” Light manipulation attempt?