Warning: This article contains significant spoilers for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame.

Summary

• Iron Flame should have been split into two separate books to allow for more character development and better pacing.
• Amazon's Fourth Wing adaptation can fix this problem by splitting the story into two seasons, giving more room for important plot points.
• The decision to split Iron Flame in two will enhance the show's storytelling and character arcs, making for a better adaptation overall.

Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV show has a great chance to fix one of the main problems with author Rebecca Yarros’ sequel book, Iron Flame. Yarros’ books have proved incredibly popular since their release in 2023, selling millions of copies and taking “BookTok” by storm. With that, it’s no surprise there’s already an adaptation in the works, but Amazon does face a few hurdles.

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Iron Flame Should Have Been Split Into Two Separate Books

Rebecca Yarros originally wanted it as two novels.

Iron Flame isn’t bad by any means, but its biggest obstacle in matching the quality of Fourth Wing is, well, that there is so much of it. This is a sequel that massively ups the scale - introducing more locations, more characters, more plot twists, and confirming the full extent of the venin and wyvern threat. Despite that, there isn’t too much difference in length between the two books (Fourth Wing is 498 pages; Iron Flame is 623). That’s particularly an issue with its ending, which builds momentum in exciting fashion, but has to cram so much in. To put it into perspective, all of this happens in a 100-page span:

• Xaden's second signet is revealed.
• Aretia’s wards are tested and the flaw discovered.
• Violet and Xaden meet with Melgren and learn of the Samara battle.
• Violet figures out the real battle will be at Basgiath.
• Jack Barlowe brings down the wards by killing his dragon.
• The entire battle with the wyvern and Benin takes place.
• Andarna is revealed to be a secret seventh type of dragon.
• Violet’s mom sacrifices herself.
• The wards are reinstated.
• Xaden is revealed to have turned venin.

It is, suffice to say, A Lot. At the same time, lots of characters would benefit from more development. Sawyer's injury would hit harder if we could spend more time with him and Jesinia. Mira could be given more to do, especially ahead of her mother’s death. The fliers are built up as important characters, but don’t get much focus in the battle beyond one scene with Cat. Bodhi, one of the most important allies of Xaden, just... disappears.

Again, it works well enough, it’s thrilling and daring and a real page turner, and there’s a sense in which the chaos is fitting of war, but taking a step back so much feels rushed or like it would be better with more depth and time to really take it in. Yarros herself ed this idea in an interview with Variety, who asked if she considered splitting it into two books. She said:

"Yes. Probably about 30,000 words in, I called my editor and I said, I think this is a five-book series. And that’s how we went from three to five. And then as I looked at what needed to be accomplished in this book in order to get to where we are at the end of “Iron Flame,” and to have brought in the additional characters and brought everything to this point, I knew that the defining end of Part One had to happen. And it was a point that my editor and I went back and forth on and luckily I’m pretty persuasive... but it was her idea to break it into the parts as opposed to one story.

"... I told her when I handed it in, I think this is two books. She read it and said, I think it’s one. And I really thought it was two, and we break it here and I just need to develop it up - but I hate that you don’t get as much world building without the second part. And you don’t get to expand the world and see what’s happening back here because it cuts there. So I feel like it just wouldn’t have been as rich. So she said, it’s one book, but it’s part one and part two."

Amazon's Fourth Wing Show Has A Simple Fix For Iron Flame's Problem

Book two doesn't need to just be season 2.

Thankfully, Amazon’s adaptation of The Empyrean Series has a relatively simple solution: do what Yarros couldn’t, and properly split the story into two different seasons. The Part One/Part Two structure already exists, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to adapt that into separate seasons of, say, eight episodes (which is somewhat standard for Prime shows).

Splitting Iron Flame in two would also mean it can spend more time on the college-going element, which is a key part of the first book’s story and appeal, but feels lost a little too quickly in the sequel.

Doing it this way allows for the room that the book doesn’t have. It can develop characters more, ensuring everyone who needs it properly gets time to shine (it could make Varrish more than a one-dimensional villain, for instance, or have more scenes between Sawyer and Jesinia). It can lay more groundwork for the big twists, and give those major beats time to fully land, ensuring all the best Fourth Wing and Iron Flame book moments are included.

Splitting Iron Flame in two would also mean it can spend more time on the college-going element, which is a key part of the first book’s story and appeal, but feels lost a little too quickly in the sequel. With this structure, assuming Fourth Wing was completely adapted in season 1, then there could be two full seasons set primarily at Basgiath, fleshing out the setting, the dragons, the lessons, and the characters even more.

There’s plenty of story to tell, and this would mean nothing needs to be rushed or cut out.

The decision to leave it behind makes for a brilliantly gripping ending to leave fans wanting more ahead of season 3, which in turn gets much more room to breathe. You could easily do two episodes for the final battle at Basgiath, for instance, with this kind of narrative space. There’s plenty of story to tell, and this would mean nothing needs to be rushed or cut out. By doing this, Amazon’s Fourth Wing could not only feel distinct to the books, but improve on them as well.

Source: Variety