Twilight's Edward and Jacob, The Hunger Games' Peeta and Gale, and now Shadow and Bone's Mal and Kirigan. The YA love triangle hall of fame is growing once more, only this time, deciding who to root for is really pretty simple — it's Mal. Played by Archie Renaux, Shadow and Bone's Mal is everything you want from a YA boyfriend. Sure, General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) is walking sex in a cape, but Mal has something no one else has: a perfect combo of Peeta and Gale traits.
In every YA love triangle, you have two options: the sweet sensitive friend (your Gale, your Jacob), and the slightly dangerous, sexy, soul mate who gets you in a way you've never been gotten before (your Peeta, your Edward Cullen). But, through some delicious twist of fate, Mal is both. Granted, it's a bit easier for him to fulfill both roles when Kirigan, his romantic rival, is — spoiler alert — technically evil and rotten to the core.
But, even if Kirigan wasn't dead-set on enslaving the world, Mal would still be the best of both worlds. He's been best friends with Alina since childhood and knows everything about her (point: Gale), but he's also pined for her this entire time (point: Peeta). He's a tracker, good in a fight, and a fighter (point: Gale), but he's also sensitive and sweet (point: Peeta). He's committed to fighting for freedom (point: Gale), but at the end of the day, Alina is his number one priority and he would die for her before he would die for the cause (point: Peta).
Let's face it, both Gale and Peeta had their pros and cons. Gale was more committed to the rebellion than to Katniss, and Peeta was always a little bit more in love with Katniss than she was with him. Both were a little boring (sorry, but you know it's true). Mal, however, would never put the cause above Alina, and she's just as in love with him as he is with her. He's the boy with the bread and the one you turn to when you need help in a fight. He's also very, very cute, which makes him the most perfect YA boyfriend of all.
In conclusion, I want to marry Mal and I will not be taking any questions at this time. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
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