The Winds of Winter taking so much longer than expected, there's even more pressure on the sequel to successfully move George R.R. Martin's story forward — especially since it's building to what should be the series' final book, A Dream of Spring.

Jon Snow's fate is at the top of readers' minds heading into The Winds of Winter, and the book will likely be tasked with getting Daenerys Targaryen to Westeros and tackling the problem of the Others. Even with so much to accomplish, Martin's sequel needs to address its biggest Sansa issue from the previous installments. There's simply not enough of the elder Stark sister in A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons, and she needs more attention heading into ASOIAF's final two books.

Sansa Stark Was Missing From Too Much Of The Last 2 A Song Of Ice & Fire Books

She Has Had Fewer Chapters When She Should Have Had More

A Song of Ice & Fire book covers
Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Sansa Stark is a character who should become more important as A Song of Ice and Fire progresses, as the series has set her up to become a major player in the Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, Martin's chapters don't reflect this. Sansa has had fewer POV chapters in the last two ASOIAF books, when her narrative should be gaining importance. Sansa has six POV chapters in A Game of Thrones, eight in A Clash of Kings, and seven in A Storm of Swords — and the third installment sets her up for an intriguing storyline in the Eyrie.

The Winds of Winter needs to fix this, delivering on Sansa's setup and making her a more important figure politically.

Despite this, Sansa only gets three POV chapters in A Feast for Crows. And because of how Martin split the narrative in A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons — having them unfold simultaneously, but focusing on different characters and locations in each book — Sansa doesn't show up at all in the latter. The Winds of Winter needs to fix this, delivering on Sansa's setup and making her a more important figure politically. Fortunately, The Winds of Winter's preview chapters bode well for those hoping to see more of her.

The Winds Of Winter's Preview Chapter Is A Good Start For Sansa Stark

The Book's Sansa Chapter Promises A Big Story For Her In The Rest Of ASOIAF

Sansa Stark smiles as she looks at Jaime in Game of Thrones

Among The Winds of Winter preview chapters Martin has shared is one from Sansa Stark's perspective, though she's disguised as Petyr Baelish's bastard daughter, Alayne Stone, for the entirety of it (via GitHub). The chapter shows more of Sansa's time in the Vale, laying the groundwork for a tourney she has persuaded Lord Robert Arryn to host. Unbeknownst to him, the goal of the event is to secure a marriage to Ser Harrold Hardyng and eventually reclaim Winterfell. Obviously, that's a huge deal for Sansa's story, promising to make her a much bigger player in Westeros' political landscape.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in Game Of Thrones, with artwork of The Winds of Winter cover
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It's also promising that Martin has already released a POV chapter from Sansa's perspective, especially after focusing on her so little in the past two books. With Sansa only having three perspective chapters in A Feast for Crows, it's nice to know that she's already a third of the way towards matching that in The Winds of Winter. Considering the story Martin is setting up for her in the sequel, it's probably safe to assume she'll at least match the number of chapters she had in the past two books. However, she seems poised to sur it — and she deserves to.

Why Sansa Stark Deserves To Be More Important In A Song Of Ice & Fire

Her Game Of Thrones Ending Was One Of The Best Parts Of Season 8

After everything A Song of Ice and Fire has put Sansa through in its first five books, she deserves to have a large role in the series' ending. Sansa learns how to play the Game of Thrones on the heels of her father's death, and she does an impressive job of overcoming the terrible circumstances she repeatedly finds herself in. Martin's Sansa has this in common with her Game of Thrones counterpart, and she deserves an ending on par with Sansa's season 8 fate. While the books won't follow the same exact trajectory, they should see Sansa returning to Winterfell.

It wouldn't be terrible for her to become Queen in the North by the end of A Song of Ice and Fire, either, as Sansa's journey sets the stage for her to become a smarter and stronger leader. She's not yet there in Martin's books, but her political marriage and quest to reclaim Winterfell could change that. The growth her character has is compelling, and The Winds of Winter needs to take it even further. Of all the characters from Martin's books who deserve justice, Sansa is one of the most obvious — but she needs more POV chapters to get it.

Source: GitHub