Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1)

by Leigh Bardugo

This was his soul made flesh, the truth of him laid bare in the blazing sun, shorn of mystery and shadow. This was the truth behind the handsome face and the miraculous powers, the truth that was the dead and empty space between the stars, a wasteland peopled by frightened monsters.

The Darkling is probably the most controversial character I've written. Some people feel he deserves redemption and romance. Others think he should be painted more explicitly as a villain. But I think this passage says more about Alina and her evolution than him. She's no longer susceptible to his glamor. She sees clearly, past her fear and her insecurities. She's beginning to come into her power, but her humanity and her ability to see the enemy as human are still intact.