Who does Alina Starkov end up with in ‘Shadow and Bone?’

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for the Grishaverse novels and the season two finale of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.

Shadow and Bone‘s second season premiered on Netflix less than a week ago and it already snatched the number two spot on the network’s global chart. Adapted from Leigh Bardugo’s book series, this season follows Alina Starkov (played by Jessie Mei Li), the Sun Summoner, on a quest for the Sea Whip and Firebird amplifiers, which will enable her to take down the Darkling (Ben Barnes) once and for all — hopefully.

Fans already familiar with the Grishaverse novels have noticed no small amount of changes to the story on screen, particularly when it comes to the season finale. Not only did Alina suffer a shocking power change right at the end, but she parted ways with Mal, who set off to find his own path, taking on the identity of privateer Sturmhond. Meanwhile, the protagonist presumably maintained her engagement of convenience to Nikolai Lantsov (Patrick Gibson), standing by his side during the King’s coronation as a figure of great importance and wearing a crown of her own.

The twists and turns of the season two finale have led fans to ponder over Alina’s love life and, in times of need, turning to the source material for answers is always a good idea.

Who does Alina end up with in the books?

In the Grishaverse books, after killing the Darkling and helping with the destruction of the Shadow Fold, Alina retires from her Sun Summoner duties to live a peaceful life with Mal. Unlike what we see in season two of the show, in Ruin and Rising the protagonist loses her Grisha powers and takes on a new identity after faking her own death. This way, she is able to start anew with her childhood friend, who she marries. Getting their happily ever after, Alina and Mal set out to rebuild and take over the orphanage that was destroyed by the Darkling in Keramzin. They dedicate their new lives to this, taking in children over the years.

Right now, it’s unclear whether Mal and Alina will have the same fate in the Netflix adaptation. The showrunners clearly enjoy playing around with storylines from the books and are unafraid to make drastic changes. To see where this romance goes next, fans will have to await a new season, which has not been confirmed at the time of writing.

Seasons one and two of Shadow and Bone are currently available for streaming exclusively on Netflix.