Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi

“I thought it was important that you see yourself in a proper mirror, not that
useless sliver of glass on your dressing table,” she said. “But mostly I wanted to
see the look on that bitch’s face when she saw you in the Darkling’s colour.”
I couldn’t restrain my grin. “That was pretty wonderful.”
“Wasn’t it?” Genya said dreamily.
I turned to the mirror, but Genya grabbed me and sat me at Zoya’s dressing
table. She started rooting around in the drawers.
“Genya!”
“Just wait … aha! I knew she was darkening her lashes!” Genya pulled a little
pot of black antimony from Zoya’s drawer. “Can you summon a little light for
me to work with?”
I called a nice warm glow to help Genya see better and tried to be patient as
she made me look up, down, left, right.
“Perfect!” she said when she was done. “Oh, Alina, you look quite the
temptress.”
“Right,” I said, and snatched the mirror from her. But then I had to smile. The
sad, sickly girl with hollowed-out cheeks and bony shoulders was gone. In her
place was a Grisha with sparkling eyes and shimmering waves of bronze hair.
The black silk clung to my new form, shifting and sliding like sewn-together
shadows. And Genya had done something marvellous to my eyes so that they
looked dark and almost cat-like.
“Jewellery!” shouted Genya, and we ran back to my room, passing Zoya, who
was seething in the hallway.
“Are you finished?” she snapped.
“For the moment,” I said airily, and Genya gave a very unladylike snort.
In the other boxes on my bed, we found golden silk slippers, glittering jet and
gold earrings, and a thick fur muff. When I was ready, I examined myself in the
little mirror above the basin. I felt exotic and mysterious, as if I was wearing
some other, far more glamorous girl’s clothes.
I looked up to see Genya watching me with a troubled expression.
“What’s wrong?” I said, suddenly self-conscious again.
“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “You look beautiful. Truly. But …” Her
smile faltered. She reached out and lifted the little golden charm at my neckline.
“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?”