If you've listened to the Shadow and Bone by , you should be extremely familiar with Alina Starkov, since she is the main character and narrates the trilogy. Less is known about her childhood BFF and potential love interest, Malyen “Mal” Oretsev, a member of the First Army and a gifted tracker. With the release of the Netflix adaptation of the first novel, Shadow and Bone, viewers learned more about Mal than they did in the novels, since they were from Alina's point of view, and he also changed a bit from the books.
So who is Mal Oretsev, and how does he fit in the Grishaverse? Keep reading to learn the answers to all your burning questions! (Warning: spoilers ahead!)
What is the Grisha trilogy?
The Grisha trilogy is a series of three young adult fantasy novels written by Leigh Bardugo. The three entries in the trilogy are , , and . The main character is Alina Starkov, a young orphan who grows up to be a cartographer, and is later discovered to be a powerful Grisha.
What is a Grisha?
A Grisha is a human who practices the Small Science. They have the ability to manipulate the elements, like wind or fire. Historically thought to be witches, and still hunted as such in some parts of the world, they comprise the Second Army, which is led by the Darkling, the most powerful Grisha in the land.
Who is Mal Oretsev?
Malyen “Mal" Oretsev is Alina Starkov's childhood BFF and potential love interest, as well as a soldier of the First Army (at least, for a while) and a gifted tracker. When we first meet Mal in Shadow and Bone, we learn Mal and Alina were both orphans of the Border Wars, and they met and became inseparable at the Orphanage of Keramzin. They both end up in the First Army and are assigned a mission to cross the Fold, the dangerous barren land separating their country surrounded by dark shadows full of monsters called volcra. Alina's Grisha powers are first revealed when she rescues Mal from a volcra attack by emitting a blazing beam of light from within herself.
Mal and Alina are separated after this, when she is sent to live with the Grisha at the Little Palace. Mal is sent on an assignment tracking Morozova's Stag for the Darkling. The antlers of the stag are an amplifier that enhances the power of the Grisha who wears them. Mal's two best friends in the army, Mikhael and Dubrov, are killed while on this mission. It is also during this time that Mal realizes he has romantic feelings for Alina. Mal writes to Alina at the Little Palace, telling her his true feelings. But his letters are intercepted at the request of the Darkling, so Alina never sees them.
When Mal makes his way to the palace to tell the Darkling he has found the stag, he is reunited with Alina. He is upset, thinking she ignored his letters, but discovers she never received them. When Alina learns of the Darkling's true evil intentions, she and Mal flee the palace in search of the stag. While in the woods, they share their first kiss. The Darkling finds them, kills the stag, enslaves Alina, and makes sure Mal is thrown in jail. The Darkling plans to execute him, despite telling Alina he wouldn't harm him. But after she manages to breaks free of the Darkling's bond, Alina saves Mal, finding the strength after seeing the Darkling throw him over the side of a ship into the Fold. The first novel ends with Mal and Alina going into hiding.
