Warning: Spoilers for the final book in the Grishaverse trilogy, Ruin and Rising.

Even though the Shadow and Bone book trilogy ended almost 10 years ago, I’m still not over its ending or what happened to Alina. It’s hard to overstate how quickly I fell in love with the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Grishaverse Leigh Bardugo created. Considering she’s sold millions of copies and Netflix made a Shadow and Bone show based on the books, I’m not the only one. The books are absolutely beloved, and not just the original trilogy, but also the Six of Crows and King of Scars duologies. The world is rich, the Shadow and Bone characters complex, and the magic system unique and thoughtfully created. The writing is also elevated – lyrical and lush.

That’s why it was so disappointing that the original trilogy ended in such a frustrating way, at least for Alina’s character. I often wonder if Leigh Bardugo would go back and rewrite the ending of the Shadow and Bone books if she had a choice. Of course, readers should never dictate what an author creates. Still, I’m hardly in the minority in being unhappy with how the Shadow and Bone trilogy wrapped up in Ruin and Rising. It was so close to being perfect, but the heroine of it all, Alina, deserved so much better.

I’m Still Upset About The Shadow & Bone Trilogy’s Ending, 10 Years After Ruin & Rising

It Was So Close To Being Perfect

Look, don’t get me wrong, there are some very cool elements to Ruin and Rising‘s story and how it concluded the trilogy. In particular, the Darkling’s ending and death were really well done. His terror of being alone and his vulnerability in his final moments were some of the best writing of the entire trilogy. But overall, I’m just not thrilled about the way the trilogy’s story concluded, and I’m not alone – Ruin and Rising gets quite a bit of flak among readers for its ultimately disappointing ending, especially for the way it resolved Alina’s story so inadequately.

Why Ruin & Rising’s Ending Is So Disappointing (Especially For Alina)

Alina Deserved Better

I sincerely think Alina deserved better than the ending she got in Ruin and Rising. I personally thought it would have been a perfect ending to Alina’s journey with her powers had she been able to keep her powers after transferring them to others in the fight. Alina creating an army of Sun Summoners after (temporarily) killing Mal was a genuinely powerful moment that made me want to cheer. Unfortunately, it was immediately undermined by the revelation that she’d been stripped of her power and could no longer summon sunlight – for good. It was incredibly frustrating that, right as Alina was starting to embrace her Sun Summoner powers, she lost them forever.

Just as disappointing was that she ended up with Mal. The forbidden relationship between her and the Darkling was hot, but she obviously shouldn’t have ended up with him. But I wasn’t happy that she ended up with Mal, either; the show improved some Shadow and Bone characters, and he was one. In the books, Mal was way more of a jerk to Alina than he was in the show, which tamped down on the more problematic parts of his personality from the books. Alina deserved better than both the Darkling and Mal. Ultimately, it felt like her romance with Mal wasn’t because he was worthy of her, but simply because he was literally the only man she’d ever known before the Darkling.

Alina Disappearing From The Grishaverse Makes Her Shadow & Bone Fate Even Worse

She Faded From Memory And The Story Itself

After Alina and Mal’s intertwined story comes to an end, they essentially retire to their old hometown to take over the orphanage where they were raised, as explained by the epilogue of Ruin and Rising. After that, they’re mentioned a few times in the King of Scars duology, but only in passing. Instead, Alina takes on an almost mythical aspect in the books, with people referring to the Sun Summoner from time to time, but otherwise, life goes back to normal for everyone and Alina and Mal fade into obscurity.

While it was Alina’s and Mal’s personal decision together to disappear from the public eye and live a quiet life, I thought it was still disappointing to not see them in the Shadow and Bone world after. It’s clear Leigh Bardugo felt Alina’s story was done and over, which is fine. But even the Darkling came back to play a part in the later duology, which just drove home further for me how odd it is that Alina went from being the savior of the land and main protagonist to barely an afterthought. After her being the beating heart of the Shadow and Bone books, it would have been nice had her story’s ending hadn’t been so unremarkable.