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Morozova’s Stag/Morozova’s Collar
The colors of Alina’s kefta represent her attempts to balance wanting to fit in with wanting to be special—and the dangers of trying to fit in. When Alina is first brought to the Little Palace and is fitted for a kefta, the Darkling insists her kefta be black—the Darkling’s color, rather than the midnight blue color that Summoners like Alina normally wear. Alina advocates to wear blue rather than black, which shows that at this point, her main goal is to fit in with the other Grisha who are her peers. She doesn’t want to wear a black kefta, something that’s going to set her apart—people are already fascinated by her because of her rare power, and she doesn’t want to attract more attention than she already has. But advocating for herself in this context is also significant because it shows that Alina isn’t yet comfortable with the Darkling’s advances, or with being so special to him. She wants to appease and fit in with the other Grisha, not the Darkling.
On the night of the winter fete, though, Alina is shocked when her silk kefta arrives—and it’s black, with the Darkling’s symbol included as a gold pendant at the neck. Agreeing to wear it symbolizes Alina’s desire to be special and please the Darkling. At this point, Alina is sexually attracted to the Darkling and accepts his confusing advances, so it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing to wear “his” color. However, when Alina finds Mal at the palace and fights with him, Mal unwittingly articulates exactly what’s so sinister about Alina wearing black. That is, other Grisha all wear kefta in a color that symbolizes who they are and what they can do. A black kefta, though, doesn’t necessarily symbolize what Alina can do: it symbolizes who she belongs to, as black is the Darkling’s color exclusively. Alina gets proof that Mal was right when Baghra explains that the Darkling wants to essentially enslave Alina using Morozova’s stag’s antlers, highlighting that getting Alina to wear a black kefta to the fete was an expression of the Darkling’s power and domination more than anything else. It's cathartic for Alina, then, when at the end of the novel, she and Mal burn her black kefta. By burning it, Alina mentally frees herself from the Darkling’s grasp and asserts her independence.
Alina’s Kefta Quotes in Shadow and Bone
The Shadow and Bone quotes below all refer to the symbol of Alina’s Kefta. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4 Quotes
The kefta was far too large. It felt soft and unfamiliar, the fur lining warm against my skin. I chewed my lip. It didn’t seem fair that oprichniki and Grisha wore corecloth while ordinary soldiers went without. Did our officers wear it, too?
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Ivan has just made the Healer who tended to Alina’s wounds give Alina her kefta (a special gown-like coat) for Alina’s protection, as kefta are made of bulletproof corecloth. First, Alina’s discomfort with the kefta itself highlights how totally out of place she feels now that she has been identified as a Grisha. Kefta are worn only by Grisha, and since Alina is insistent that she’s not a Grisha, she feels she has no right to wear such a special garment—especially one that’s obviously so warm and luxurious. It doesn’t help that the kefta is too big either; this just Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. R
I pulled the kefta tighter around me, feeling suddenly cold. I remembered the surety that had flooded through me with the Darkling’s touch, and that strangely familiar sensation of a call echoing through me, a call that demanded an answer. It had been frightening, but exhilarating, too. In that moment, all my doubt and fear had been replaced by a kind of absolute certainty. I was no one, a refugee from an unnamed village, a scrawny clumsy girl hurtling alone through the gathering dark. But when the Darkling had closed his fingers around my wrist, I’d felt different, like something more.
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Alina remembers the experience of the Darkling touching her and forcing her to call her power. This was a very conflicting event for her. Alina, like most people (and Grisha), fears the Darkling. So, standing in front of him is a terrifying prospect—and being touched by him (and having no choice in the matter) only increases the fear. However, feeling her power surge within her was nevertheless exciting. It's worth denoting which emotions Alina ties to the Darkling himself and which ones she ties to the experience of calling her power. The Darkling frightens her, while feeling her power surge Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incid
Chapter 7 Quotes
“I…If it would be alright, I’d prefer to have blue robes, Summoners’ blue.”
“Alina!” exclaimed Genya, clearly horrified.
But the Darkling held up a hand to silence her. “Why?” he asked, his expression unreadable.
“I already feel like I don’t belong here. I think it might be easier if I weren’t…singled out.”
“Are you so anxious to be like everyone else?”
My chin lifted. “I just don’t want to be more conspicuous than I already am.”
The Darkling looked at me for a long moment. I wasn’t sure if he was thinking over what I’d said or trying to intimidate me, but I gritted my teeth and returned his gaze.
Abruptly, he nodded. “As you wish,” he said. “Your kefta will be blue.”
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The Darkling has just insisted that Alina’s kefta should be black, but Alina resists and asks to wear Summoners’ blue so she doesn’t stand out quite so much. First, it’s worth considering why being asked to wear a black kefta is so meaningful in the first place. The Darkling is the only person who’s allowed to wear black; it’s referred to throughout the novel as “his” color. So, wearing black would very conspicuously mark Alina as important and in the Darkling’s favor. Additionally, wearing the Darkling’s color would also imply that Alina essentially belongs to the Darkling—while other kefta denote Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima po
Chapter 14 Quotes
“Black,” Genya whispered.
His color. What did it mean?
“Look!” she gasped.
The neckline of the gown was laced with a black velvet ribbon, and from it hung a small golden charm: the sun in eclipse, the Darkling’s symbol.
I bit my lip. This time, the Darkling had chosen to set me apart, and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt a little jab of resentment, but it was drowned by excitement. Had he chosen these colors for me before or after the night by the lake? Would he regret seeing me in them tonight?
I couldn’t think about that now. Unless I wanted to go to the ball naked, I didn’t have a lot of options.
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When Alina receives her silk kefta for the winter fete, she and Genya are shocked: the kefta is black, the Darkling’s color—which Alina previously asked not to wear. Alina’s reaction makes it clear that this is a confusing thing for her, since, on the one hand, she’s growing attracted to the Darkling and wants to please him. But on the other hand, Alina doesn’t appreciate how much power he has over her. The fact that she isn’t entirely happy suggests that she hasn’t been totally drawn in by the Darkling’s attempts to manipulate her. On some level, she’s aware that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae
“Alina, the Darkling doesn’t notice most of us. We’re moments he’ll forget in his long life. And I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing. Just…be careful.”
I stared at her, baffled. “Of what?”
“Of powerful men.”
“Genya,” I asked before I could lose my nerve, “what happened between you and the King?”
She examined the toes of her satin slippers. “The King has his way with lots of servants,” she said.
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Alina has been admiring herself in the mirror (she’s wearing a black kefta), but Genya nervously warns her to beware of “powerful men.” Up to this point, Alina has more or less let her guard down when it comes to the Darkling. She began her relationship with him afraid and insecure, and while she still feels afraid of him, her sexual attraction means she’s willing to set aside her fears if it means getting close to him. Genya, though, warns Alina that she might be making a mistake by letting herself get involved with the Darkling—he’s a powerful man, and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit
If the Darkling came to my room tonight, what would it mean? The idea of being his sent a little jolt through me. I didn’t think he was in love with me and I had no idea what I felt for him, but he wanted me, and maybe that was enough.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. The Darkling’s men had found the stag. I should be thinking about that, […] but all I could think about was his hands on my hips, his lips on my neck, the lean, hard feel of him in the dark.
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After passionately kissing Alina at the fete, the Darkling has asked to come to her room later. Alina isn’t sure how she feels about it, but at this point, she’s pretty sure she wants him to come. Her reasoning—that he wants her, and “maybe that was enough”—highlights just how badly Alina wants to be wanted. She senses, on some level, that this isn’t quite enough. Her thought process implied that it’d be preferable if the Darkling did feel something more than just sexual interest in her. But for now, it’s enough to be wanted and to fit in for once Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possim
“Just admit it,” he sneered. “He owns you.”
“He owns you, too, Mal,” I lashed back. “He owns us all.”
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Alina has run into Mal, who’s helping to track Morozova’s stag for the Darkling. He takes issue with Alina wearing the Darkling’s color to the fete, and the two are fighting over whether it’s okay for the Darkling to “own” Alina. Unwittingly, both Alina and Mal speak the truth here. The Darkling plans to essentially enslave Alina and use her to take control over all of Ravka, even usurping the King. So, even though Alina and Mal are fighting, emotions are running high, and they’re perhaps saying things they wouldn’t say under other circumstances, the fact that they nevertheless say Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atq
Chapter 22 Quotes
I fumbled with the tiny black buttons of the kefta. There seemed to be a thousand of them. When the silk finally slid over my shoulders and pooled at my feet, I felt a great burden lift from me.
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In West Ravka, Alina changes into a dress that Mal bought for her and is thrilled to take off her black silk kefta for the last time. As she does so, Alina symbolically frees herself from the Darkling. The black kefta signified that Alina belonged to the Darkling—black is his color, and no other Grisha can wear it. That Alina was forced to wear black showed people that Alina was special because of her relationship to the Darkling, not necessarily because of anything she can do. This association is presumably part of the “burden” that Alina feels disappearing as she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus te
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Alina’s Kefta Symbol Timeline in Shadow and Bone
The timeline below shows where the symbol Alina’s Kefta appears in Shadow and Bone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...but isn’t painful. When the woman is finished, Ivan tells her to give Alina her kefta and ushers her out of the coach.
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Once the Healer is gone, Ivan explains that the kefta is made with Materialki corecloth and is bulletproof. An oprichniki explains that they all wear...
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Chapter 5
...her small portion of grouse, and feels bad when she wipes her fingers on her kefta. When she’s finished, she notices how the Darkling, despite being the second most powerful man...
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Chapter 7
...Darkling tells Genya to take Alina back to her room and fit her for her kefta—which will be black. Horrified, Alina asks if she can wear Summoners’ blue instead. She already...
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The seamstress arrives to fit Alina for her kefta, and Alina insists it be made in blue. The food arrives after, and fortunately, it’s...
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Chapter 8
...lies in bed, studying her decorated ceiling, until a servant knocks. The servant has Alina’s kefta and the rest of her new clothes. Alina has never had such nice clothes and...
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Chapter 12
...a failure who doesn’t belong—she feels like a fraud when she receives her winter wool kefta.
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As Alina walks to Baghra’s hut in the new kefta, a servant appears and gives her a note. It’s Genya’s update on Mal: he’s in...
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...of waiting for her magic deer? Alina says she’s sick of the food and her kefta, and she’s sick of Botkin and Baghra. Baghra says this isn’t it. Is Alina homesick?...
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Chapter 14
...excited—she wouldn’t have been a month ago. But she’s also worried, as her new silk kefta hasn’t arrived yet. Fortunately, Genya waltzes in, gorgeous as ever, and offers to do Alina’s...
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...with several boxes. Alina lays the biggest box on the bed and opens it. The kefta inside is black, with the Darkling’s gold symbol at the neck. Alina is nervous; she...
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...Darkling’s orders, Alina needs to use this room. Zoya pales when she sees Alina’s black kefta, and she leaves the room. Genya admits she only brought Alina in here to see...
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...the Darkling “owns” Alina. He stares at the Darkling’s symbol at the neckline of Alina’s kefta. Alina insists it’s not like that, but it feels like Mal can see right into...
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Chapter 21
...hisses for her to stop crying, and gives her a cloak to wear over her kefta. As they walk through the camp, Alina senses tension in the air—people are openly hostile...
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Chapter 22
...soon after, Genya arrives to help Alina get dressed. Alina puts on the black silk kefta she wore to the winter fete and then Genya piles Alina’s hair high on her...
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...her and feels like she’s putting down a huge burden as she drops the black kefta on the ground. Alina and Mal agree that she’ll never wear black again.
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...warning. But she promises Mal they’ll get rid of the collar. They burn the black kefta as Mal pulls the pins from Alina’s hair, kisses her, and holds her.
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