This is by far the best book of the Shadow and Bone series and made the series worth the read. While I had trouble connecting with the characters with the first two books, that wasn’t the case with this one. I was completely invested in not only the main characters but several of the side characters as well. The excitement in this book never lost momentum which made it very hard for me to put down. I do believe I’ll see more from some of these characters in other stories from the Grishaverse, so I’m looking forward to reading more.
Spoilers
I don’t think anyone needs a synopsis, so I’ll just gush over my favorite characters and their enneagram numbers😍. I used this site for my enneagram type info: https://www.yourenneagramcoach.com/types
Alina- I’m thinking she’s enneagram 8 the Protective Challenger. I think it goes without saying that Alina’s main motivation is to protect those she loves. She’s willing to sacrifice a life with the man she loves so that she can defeat the Darkling. I liked her a lot more in this book than in book 1 and 2. It was intriguing to see her growth as a character and the challenges she faced and overcame with her power.
Mal- I had to think about this, but I’m going with 9, the Peaceful Mediator. Before Alina became the Sun Summoner, Mal had no trouble fitting in no matter the environment he was in. Once he realized he loved Alina, he wanted to keep her and himself away from any conflict possible. Of course, the Darkling made that impossible, and Mal’s biggest struggle was feeling like he didn’t matter because he wasn’t Grisha. In the end, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice with his life to save Alina and bring peace to Ravka.
Nikolai Lantsov- Although, not a main character, he’s probably the strongest side character and my favorite. I’m so looking forward to King of Scars now! Ok, back to the enneagram, without a doubt, he’s a 3, The Successful Achiever. I think his illegitimate origins played a role in where he falls on the enneagram because he’s always trying to prove himself. He’s successful in almost everything he does although his ambitious mind comes across as arrogance for those around him. I think his main downfall is that everything he does is because of his ambition. The only reason he wants to marry Alina is because he feels her alliance will make him a stronger king, not because of his love for her. Although, I was kind of rooting for them in book 2. I’m looking forward to more character development in King of Scars. I’m trying to read these books in order, so it’s gonna have to wait.
The Darkling- also an Enneagram 3, but a very unhealthy 3. He’s more than willing to sacrifice innocent lives for his ambition. He’s a deeply flawed character and his back story plays into who he became. His main motivation was his quest for power, which became the catalyst for his own destruction.
David- My absolute favorite minor character. I can recognize a 5 when I see one since that’s who I am. David’s definitely an Investigative Thinker/absent-minded professor. I love his character arc since I can so relate. I also loved reading the romantic development with Genya. It was hilarious how despite her beauty, she struggled to get him to notice her, and when he did start to fall for her, it was when she lost her beauty. My absolute favorite David part was this moment with Genya: “I...I don’t understand half of what goes on around me. I don’t get jokes for sunsets or poetry, but I know metal. Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show, but what’s inside you? That’s steel. It’s brave and unbreakable and it doesn’t need fixing.”
Genya- Enneagram 6, The Loyal Guardian. At first, it seemed that Genya’s loyalty lied with the Darkling, but she sacrificed her beauty to protect Alina from the Darkling. It is probably fair to say that Genya was probably the most loyal to Alina as a person besides Mal.
Well worth the read for sure, now onto Six of Crows!
