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aleksanderscult · 3 months

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Character analysis: Genya from S&B

⚠️TW!!: sexual abuse, rape⚠️

It's women's day and let's celebrate it by analyzing Genya Safin who was an iconic female character that specifically shone in "Shadow and Bone".

In this post we'll see how in that book Genya was a woman with different characteristics perfectly in balance that made her incredibly engaging to the reader.

(scenes from the Tailor will also be incorporated of course)

- She was very intelligent and cunning

There are a hundred ways to kill a King but Genya chose the most poetic one. Knowing that the King was lusting after her and visited her often, she decided to use that to her advantage. She turned her beauty into a weapon and used her skills both as a Fabricator and a Corporalki to bring her abuser down in a quiet, slow but still painful way.

The fact that the poison would be painful for her too didn't matter as long as her plan would be successfully executed.

She used her brains and knowledge to take revenge and that impressed everyone that was inside that room when she first revealed it in R&R.

- She was politically aware and very perceptive

When the Darkling decided that Genya would be a very important piece of his scheme, the latter became part of his most trusted soldiers. Ivan seemed to be his top 1 but Genya was also pretty close to him in comparison to the rest of the Grisha and that gave her an even deeper insight of what was happening (and what would happen) to Ravka politically.

“The Apparat visited her last night to rant about Saints and saviors. From what I could piece together, he was either trying to scare her senseless or bore her to death.”

“I may need to have a word with the priest.”

“I told her he’s harmless.”

“Hardly that,” says the Darkling, “but he has the King’s ear. For now that’s all that matters.”

- The Tailor.

Genya might had tried to ease Alina's worries but her own mind was already trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. And of course the Darkling gives his own honest opinion and view of the Apparat to her and how important his role is.

The Darkling seemed to be at ease when he talked ill of the royals and Genya was present:

“Welcome to court,” he said.

“I’m not sure I like it.”

“No one does,” he admitted. “But we all make a good show of it.”

“The King seemed pleased,” I offered.

“The King is a child.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 7

Apparently Aleksander and Genya weren't strangers in talking shit about their superiors to each other which makes me wish we had scenes of them judging the royal family.

Furthermore, her role as the Queen's confidant made her also aware of all the gossip that had to do with the royal family.

I was much happier sitting in my room with Genya, drinking tea and gossiping by the fire. I loved to hear all the court gossip, and even better were the tales of the opulent parties at the Grand Palace.’

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 13

“Probably drunk,” said Genya, stirring her tea. “He devotes all his time to hunting, horses, and imbibing. Drives the Queen mad.”

“Well, Ravka is at war. He should probably be more concerned with matters of state.”

“Oh she doesn’t care about that. She just wants him to find a bride instead of gallivanting around the world spending mounds of gold buying up ponies.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 13

“You can’t call a royal prince ‘puppy,’” I laughed.

“That’s what everyone calls him.” She lowered her voice. “And there are rumors that he isn’t strictly royal.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 13

“The Darkling should have done something,” I said. “He should have protected you.”

“He has, Alina. More than you know. Besides, he’s as much a slave to the whims of the King as the rest of us. At least for now.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 14

Not only she knew the importance of rank or the royal family's family problems but she also knew what the Darkling planned (apart from his plot to use the Fold). She was also into any kind of court gossip so she definitely was aware of what was happening around her (unlike what the duology tried to tell us).

- She was traumatised by the King's abuse

A victim of both the King and the Queen, poor Genya became terrified of the former.

‘There were no good days anymore, no sweets or outings, just long hours of tedium, waiting for the Queen’s call, dreading the King’s soft tread outside my door.’

- The Tailor

And it made her protective over Alina who was about to meet that disgusting piece of filth:

“Besides,” she said, “you don’t want to attract too much attention from the King.” Her voice was light, but I saw a shadow pass over her features.

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 6

“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.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 14

I've seen people say that Genya was trying to warn Alina about the Darkling here but that's not the point I think. Genya had experienced first hand how men with power exploit their influence for their own sick pleasures. That traumatised her and made her cautious. It's not like she had seen the Darkling do something and started suspected him but more like "I'm kinda afraid of all men that have power because my own experience with them was not kind".

Even Alina understood that Genya was indirectly referring to the King.

- She had a cruel and petty streak inside her as well

The Queen's betrayal and the constant abuse from the King's hands made her a woman with a deep bitterness and hate towards them.

‘I wanted to smash the mirror she feared so much and cut her face to ribbons with it, stuff her mouth with glass and make her swallow every jagged edge of my hurt and shame.’

- The Tailor

And of course let's not forget how beautifully she destroyed her abuser's life. It was a carefully planned revenge. Just like he took her innocence, she decided to take his years and strength.

“If I’d wanted him dead, he’d be dead.”

- Ruin and Rising, Chapter 7

“Once it builds up in the victim’s system, a threshold is reached, the organs begin to fail, and the degeneration is irreversible. It’s not a killer. It’s a thief. It steals years. And he will never get them back.”

- Ruin and Rising, Chapter 7

But she was also petty towards the people she didn't like and enjoyed to get under their skin (Aleksander 🤝 Genya in this aspect).

“Where are you rushing off to?” she says with a sniff. “Does the Queen have a party to attend?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” I say coolly. “But I have a few moments if you want me to see to your eyes. They’re looking awfully red.”

....

“Hay fever,” she mutters. “There’s something new in the air here that irritates me.”

“Yes,” I say as I glide past her. “I hear you practically choked on it.”

- The Tailor

“Excuse us!” announced Genya. “But we have need of this chamber. Darkling’s orders!”

Zoya’s beautiful blue eyes slitted dangerously. “If you think—” she began and then she caught sight of me. Her jaw dropped, and the blood drained from her face.

“Out!” commanded Genya.

....

“But mostly I wanted to see the look on that bitch’s face when she saw you in the Darkling’s color.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 14

Just iconic. 💅

- But she was still kind and soft

When Alina felt offended and was self-aware about her looks and Genya's comments, the latter tried to soothe her.

Genya walked over to me. “You’re not ugly, you know.”

“Thanks,” I said drily, still staring out at the wooded grounds.

“You just look a little …”

“Tired? Sickly? Skinny?”

“Well,” Genya said reasonably, “you said yourself, you’ve been traveling hard for days and—”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 6

When Alina kept worrying about Mal, Genya felt sorry for her and even guilty.

‘Alina gives a single sharp nod as her hands clench the edge of the infirmary sheet. I’m sorry to see her hurting...’

....

‘Lips pressed together— she hopes anyway. It’s almost painful to watch.’

....

The paper is starting to fray beneath my fingers. “She’s suffering.”

But her kindness extended to other people as well. Even those that were below her status.

I eyed her suspiciously. “What did you eat?”

Genya looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot and whispered, “One of the cooks has a daughter with terrible spots. I took care of them for her, and now she sends me the same pastries they prepare for the Grand Palace every morning. They’re divine.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 8

- She had a sense of humor

And it's worth noting that she had a habit of using her humor to turn an unpleasant situation or conversation into a funny one.

“I have no idea,” I said honestly. “Everything she said was perfectly nice, but the whole time she was looking at me as if I were something her dog spit up.”

Genya laughed.

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 7

“It’s funny,” I said after a while. “I always thought that being beautiful would make life so much easier.”

“Oh it does,” Genya said, and laughed.

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 7

“Maybe I should lie down on a table in the workroom and wait to see if he welds something to me.”

“I think that’s the way most great love stories begin.”

She laughed.

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 13

She entered and set down the tray, hovering near the table. “I shouldn’t be here,” she said.

“Probably not,” I admitted. “I’m not sure that I’m supposed to have visitors.”

“No, I mean I shouldn’t be here. It’s incredibly dirty.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 20

There are so many scenes where Genya displays her sense of humor and they're always an absolute treat to read.

- She yearned for acceptance and true friendship

Living in the Grand Palace separated her from own people and when the King started abusing her that distance grew even more.

‘If I could wish for anything in this world, it wouldn’t be jewels or a coach or a palace in the lake district. I’d wish to be a true Grisha again.’

- The Tailor

Genya blew out a frustrated breath. “You don’t understand. It’s a great honor to be asked to dine with you, but the other Grisha might not approve.”

“Why?”

Genya sighed and sat down on one of the carved chairs. “Because I’m the Queen’s pet. Because they don’t consider what I do valuable. A lot of reasons.”

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 7

She seemed really hurt by this reality especially with how her own kind thought so little of her.

It was one of the reasons Genya decided to join the Darkling (although the main one was to take revenge of course). And, in the end, the Darkling delivered what he promised:

‘That was when I realized what Genya was wearing. I’d been so surprised to see her, so caught up in my own thoughts, that I hadn’t really taken it in. Genya was wearing red. Corporalki red. Her cuffs were embroidered with blue, a combination I had never seen before.’

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 20

Her desire for friendship was also evident in how Genya felt close to Alina, wanted forgiveness from her, felt bad for being shady to her and was always kind towards her by giving her advice and by trying to make her feel good about her physical appearance.

- She was chatty and teasing towards the people she liked

When she was around people she liked and felt comfortable with, she let herself have fun around them.

‘Genya maintained a steady stream of chatter during dinner, mostly about Grisha gossip.’

- Shadow and Bone, Chapter 7

I grin. “Does that worry you, Ivan?”

“No,” he snaps.

“Careful,” I say. “Keep frowning like that, and even I won’t be able to fix your wrinkles.”

- The Tailor

(Genya + Ivan = friendship goals👌)

In "Shadow and Bone" Genya was a complex woman with layers. An incredibly strong person, traumatized from the constant sexual abuse she suffered, she harboured a deep hatred for the King and Queen and was eager to take revenge in the most fitting way possible. She had no remorse, no regrets, just pride even when she faced them. But she was also kind and thoughtful, funny and cheerful, supportive and a teaser. Her knowledge in the area of the Corporalki and the Materialki as well as her knowledge for the intrigues that happened inside the court made her one of the most valuable and dangerous soldiers that the Darkling had.

The way she was "butchered" by the author in Nikolai's duology was painful and a pity. And it's no wonder how people remember S&B!Genya fondly and ignore her latest version that apparently is only Leigh's mouthpiece at that point with no agenda, no complexity, just painted white all over that has forgotten how court works by blaming only the Darkling for her abuse.

Where was the complexity? Where was the Genya that seemed willing to do anything to overthrow the monarchy and didn't give a fuck about them?

Her duology counterpart had me like: