Grishaverse

Malina

Malyen Oretsev/Alina Starkov

The orphans of Keramzin grew up sharing a meadow and ended the trilogy sharing a rebuilt orphanage, after Mal died and returned as the price of the Fold's destruction. Canon's endgame couple holds the line against the Darkling's shadow in fandom's eternal ship war.

1,500 works

What is Malina?

Malina is the fan-given name for the romantic pairing of Malyen Oretsev and Alina Starkov from Grishaverse / Shadow and Bone. With over 1,500 works on Archive of Our Own, it's one of the most popular ships in the fandom.

Why fans love Malina

Mal is the home Alina keeps choosing over power, and the books stake their whole thesis on that choice mattering.

Most Popular Malina Fanfics

The highest-rated Malina stories on AO3, ranked by kudos.

1

For Better or Worse

by mostlyinthesun

Set in the beginning of Siege and Storm, Alina was never rescued from that ship. She quickly realizes that more power results in the destruction of others.. and perhaps herself. ——— “I don’t want to hurt you more than I already have, Alina.” With that, I laugh. “Yes, you do. You’ll stop at nothing t

23 kudos 20,800 words ~84 min read Explicit
Kissing Ravka (Grishaverse) Discrimination Against Grisha (Grishaverse)
2

Echo of Shadows

by Callsign_Shark

In Ravka's frosty heart, the legend of the White Death spreads. a woman with snow-white hair, frozen-fire eyes, and powers that rival those of Heartrenders under Jurda Parem. Once a slave in the Menagerie, the one who calls herself Heaven is now a myth, either leaving towns in ruins or former diseas

125 kudos 62,691 words ~251 min read Explicit
Canon-Typical Violence Implied/Referenced Child Abuse Possessive Behavior
3

Fandom High

by LiterallyScarlettDragna

Several fandoms mix and go to school together!

19 kudos 6,033 words ~25 min read General Audiences
4

Six of Crows (Genderbent)

by RJLupin2011

In Ketterdam, there is the crew known as the Dregs.And above that? There are the Crows.-Naj Ghafa is the Wraith, who struggles to keep his faith with his job, and his complicated feelings for his dangerous employer.-Jess Fahey fights against her secret as a Durast, and her issues grow once she risks

4 kudos 5,963 words ~24 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Genderbent SoC Blood Gore
5

The Waterfall

by Madelie

Before the watershed, there was once a waterfall.

13 kudos 11,511 words ~47 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Half-Shu Alina Starkov Dark Comedy Hurt/Comfort
6

The whites of your eyes burn from across the room

Complete

by BlackBarnOwl

Her life with Mal should be taking off, but haunted by dreams of another life an inescapable cold dogs Alina's steps, splitting them further and further apart.

21 kudos 1,821 words ~8 min read Teen And Up Audiences
no beta we die like mal should have Dreams Reincarnation
7

No Mourners to Face The Sun

by RJLupin2011

Alina Starkov has been queen of Ravka for years. The last thing she remembers is collapsing on that skiff on her first trip to the fold, to awaken in Os Alta to shocking news.She is the Sun Summoner, Queen of Ravka, and that Mal is dead.Alina struggles with her memory loss, but some things can't be

21 kudos 29,910 words ~120 min read Mature
Kaz and Nikolai are friends A Ruin and Rising what if Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone crossover
8

𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖞 || 𝕲𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊 || 𝕽𝕿𝕭 || 𝕹. 𝕷𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖘𝖔𝖛

by PadmeJade23

𝖉𝖊𝖘·𝖙𝖎·𝖓𝖞/ˈ𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖙ə𝖓ē/𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖑𝖞 𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔 𝖆 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖗 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖚𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊. "𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖐 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖔𝖑𝖊 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖓, 𝖏𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊?""𝕬𝖉𝖆𝖑𝖎

4 kudos 27,724 words ~111 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Canon Compliant
9

both always, but never our time

by Lalaith_Yamainu

When his idiot brother knocks up an underage girl, Aleksander takes it upon himself to make sure that she, and his future niece or nephew, is properly taken care of.

333 kudos 11,897 words ~48 min read Mature
Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Hurt/Comfort Mutual Pining
10

Until We Let the Spectrum In

Complete

by creekybear

Alina and her friends have struggled too long to find the Firebird. Alina’s abilities span a broader spectrum than they once thought- for better and for much, much worse. A new amplifier might help focus her powers, but will they be able to find it? Do they have enough time to find both? When a star

0 kudos 9,929 words ~40 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Emotional Hurt/Comfort Angst with a Happy Ending Volcra Nikolai Lantsov
11

The Year of the Crows

by ScottieRose (Wolf_star_owns_my_soul)

Jesper L. Fahey started a new conversation.Jesper L. Fahey named the conversation “Year of the Crows 🥳🐦‍⬛!!”Jesper L. Fahey added Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar It's the Crows senior year of university (sans Wylan) there is just so much to do before they gradua

123 kudos 17,368 words ~70 min read Teen And Up Audiences
Texting Fic Mostly Fluff A little
12

The Watershed

Complete

by Madelie

“And now you want me to marry you? Now that I can shoot light, NOW you want me to be your WIFE?!”The boy prince took in every one of her accusations, every pained, and angry and justified barbs thrown his way. Took them straight to his heart.Then the boy in him retreated and the prince returned.

13 kudos 2,649 words ~11 min read Mature
Romance Misunderstandings Angst
13

The Bridge of Spies

by Blue_Neptune

Aleksander walked slowly, feeling the sand burn the soles of his feet and the sun beat on his exposed forearms. He was much too pale for this climate, but he’d known from the start that he’d follow her to the end of the world - were she to ask.He got closer, one step in front of the other, a strange

14 kudos 1,358 words ~6 min read Not Rated
Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents New York City Mind you-I've been there only once in my life
14

Tell me again

by abbym058

Mal kisses her like she’s glass.Aleksander breaks her like he’s thirsty.

79 kudos 28,042 words ~113 min read Explicit
Dubious Consent Extremely Dubious Consent Infidelity
15

Grasping a Root in the Stumbling Dark

by IcarusOfAThousandDays

"It goes thus— There is a man who cannot die. ... You wake with Mal’s foot digging into your shin." ... What is power worth in another girl’s hand? What good is it if you close the fist? What kind of person finds a door in death and leaves it shut because the key was stolen? What kind of person hear

41 kudos 4,627 words ~19 min read Mature
Other Characters (To Be Tagged As They Appear) Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Angst
16

a funeral march for the passing of gods

by Silver_six

„This is not a love story, but love is in it. That is, love is just outside it, looking for a way to break in.”Commander, general, half-saint, the daughter of monsters, the daughter of men that hold immortality in one hand, greed in the other. Athena was a bender of all seas, a healer of all wounds,

94 kudos 55,415 words ~222 min read Not Rated
Alternate Universe - Soulmates soulmates share each other's pain the darkling has a daughter
17

The Darkest Minds

by OMG_Mangos

“The mind is a dark place, my friend. Darker even than the Fold.” The Shadow Summoner does not ask for forgiveness. He does not ask for permission, or for sanctuary. Most importantly, he does not ask for help.But when Ravka is surrounded by enemies from all sides as well as from within and the Sun

346 kudos 76,435 words ~306 min read Mature
Romance Enemies to Friends to Lovers powerful Grisha
18

Ravka By Night

by AgapicLaw

A man walks out of the Shadow Fold carrying a corpse on his back. An ancient, nearly-forgotten bloodline rises from the grave. The powers that vie for control of Ravka will stop at nothing to possess it. In a world where Saints drink blood and Clan is everything, Ravka's outcast and spurned Caitiff

197 kudos 224,040 words ~897 min read Explicit
Alternate Universe - Vampire Blood Drinking Blood and Violence
19

Nothing Came For Them

Complete

by Skullsz

no more sacrifices...

5 kudos 46 words ~1 min read General Audiences
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence POV Mal Oretsev Canon Compliant
20

born of darkness

Complete

by muxshwriting

"Stay with me. Please. I don't care if you're Grisha, just stay.""I know you do not care but Ravka cares. Ravka cares all too much.""Why does Ravka matter? It is just you and I, no one else."IN WHICH, Juliana Petrova is born of the darkness that consumes Ravka. A daughter of the Darkling, unbeknowns

42 kudos 87,423 words ~350 min read Teen And Up Audiences
War Darkling Bashing Parent The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova

Malina Fanfics by Length

Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:

Characters

Malyen Oretsev
Alina Starkov

Common Malina Tropes

Browse curated Malina fic recs by trope:

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Malina mean?

Malina is the ship name (portmanteau or nickname) for the pairing of Malyen Oretsev and Alina Starkov. It's used by fans to tag and search for fanfiction featuring this relationship.

How many Malina fics are on AO3?

There are over 1,500 Malina fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own.

How can I read Malina fanfiction on my phone?

Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Malina fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.

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