A Court of Books and Magic ✧･ﾟ: * discussion

Okay, not really sure he should be in this folder, but his character was so complex... there's no denying that he was evil, but I felt like he did feel something for Alina, no matter how twisted it might have been, and in the end, he showed remorse

I think the series would be so much better if Alina and the Darkling banded together and they just ruled the world as evil villains. We have so many hero stories in YA and I wish Leigh took that opportunity to turn it into something different

The Darkling just had everything we shouldn't love, yet we do. Mal felt too generic, too much of the perfect good guy. Not saying the Darkling wasn't evil, but he deserved to have more about him.

And plus, let's admit it, if he and Alina got together things would have been so interesting.

Mal was such a bore to me. I hated how he wanted Alina to be “normal” and he didn’t want to accept her because she was Grisha

Frankly, The Darkling doesn't feel like a villain to me. I know he was the antagonist of the series and he did a lot of cruel and horrible things, but in my eyes, he feels like a slightly more twisted antihero. Something like Loki... Or maybe it's just my crooked morals speaking 😅

And it will bug me probably forever that Alina chose Mal, it's not even about that I wanted her with the Darkling so badly, but Mal was just so toxic...! He spent the whole second book whining about how she's not the ordinary girl who was all over him, and I personally think he couldn't swallow the fact that she was now better and stronger than him. He was stiffling her growth

If something good doesn't happen to the Darkling in King of Scars 2 I will cry. I feel like this is a chance to really forgive his character and make it into something for the better, not for the worse.

I agree with everyone here! The Darkling is so fascinating, much like Maven to me, whereas Mal was insufferable, bland and the easy option for Alina, since she's loved him all her life or whatever. It would have been a lot more interesting with Alina and the Darkling together definitely

Sometimes it's just tiring to see the mc get together with the 'perfect, good' guy, what's wrong with an ambitious and power-hungry love interest? At least it will be interesting,

Yeah i agree i think it would just be SO AMAZING if Alina just turned bad and decided to get with the darkling like MCs alwaaaays do the right thing, the "good thing" it would be so great if for once there was some awesome twist and they didn't. Plus Alina and The Darkling would've made such an amazing power couple😂

Layla wrote: "Yeah i agree i." definitely!!

Oh man, I feel like the odd one out for being happy about a Mal/Alina endgame ship. I can see where people are coming from seeing Mal as the somewhat generic "good guy," but it almost feels like the good guys are the exception for a lot of ya novels lately. It seems like the bad boy/anti-hero with a tragic backstory is the norm now, so it was actually refreshing to me for this series to not really take that turn. Plus, I might be a sucker for the best friends-to-lovers trope at times.

Having said that, I really appreciate the Darkling as a character, especially after Shadow & Bone. It felt like we really got to deep dive a little further into his story and flesh him out in the last two thirds of the original trilogy. And he legitimately creeped me out at points, which is impressive. He gets props for that.

I haven't read King of Scars yet, but I do know what the ending entails to some degree. I'm excited to see where the story goes from there.

venus ✮ wrote: "I think the series would be so much better if Alina and the Darkling banded together and they just ruled the world as evil villains. We have so many hero stories in YA and I wish Leigh took that op..."

Yesssss!

I don't understand this "abusive but hot" trend with male love interests

i never really liked the darkling and i do not understand why everyone does tbh.

Okay what book is this?
Sounds really intresting by the comments posted

Shadow and Bone

I love the Darkling as a villain, but i cant say i ever found him attractive and I don't like the relationship between him and Alina. Although it would have been cool if Alina went to the darkside

Sofia wrote: "Shadow and Bone"

Thank you!

Spoiler for KoS:
I'm excited to see him again, but I feel like it's so unnecessary? Like, his story is over. His arc ended, and it was pretty good (who doesn't get teary to the line "Someone to mourn me." He dropped his hand, as if the weight were too much. "No grave," he gasped, his hand tightening on mine, "for them to desecrate.”?) so the revival seems just... couldn't Leigh have thought of a new villain or something?

Yeah I agree. I hate the "old villain returns" trope

SJM Trash wrote: "My friend is going to bring me this series today, so I can finally see what the big deal is with the Darkling. After the books quarantine for 3 days, that is."

There is no big deal with the Darkling. He's a manipulative jerk. Well, he's actually better than Alina, so whatever. Anyone is better than Mal.
(But judging by your taste in fictional characters *cough cough* Kaz and Cardan *cough* you might like him)

Spoiler for those who haven't finished the series.
(view spoiler)[I think whether you like him or not, it's certainly interesting to see his character arc and what will happen to him in Rule of Wolves. I think we will get a more satisfactory ending than what happened in Siege and Storm, where he died and we got a half redemption where Alina sort of forgave him, and we saw another side to him, but he was a villain nonetheless. (hide spoiler)]

i agree, queen. i don't really like the darkling but i still find his character interesting.