Clíodhna O’Sullivan’s ‘Her Hidden Fire’ Getting YA Series Adaptation
EXCLUSIVE: Irish production company Great Island has optioned Clíodhna O’Sullivan’s bestselling romantasy novel for a young adult series adaptation.
The eight-part series will follow Éadha, a servant who has learned to survive by remaining unseen in a stratified world where magic is fuelled by enslaved ‘Fodder.’
Éadha hides her own power that she generates from within, but when she secretly gives this to Ionáin, the last heir to his family and the boy she desperately loves, she binds herself to an academy built on exploitation. Per the synopsis, “As she uncovers the truth, her power becomes a threat not just to the system, but to everyone inside it.”
Her Hidden Fire was O’Sullivan’s debut romantasy novel and has been named an Amazon Editors’ Best Book of 2026 and was selected as a Good Morning America literary pick, as well as becoming both a USA Today and UK bestseller. The second instalment will be published in November 2026 by Penguin Random House Children’s in the UK and Ireland, and by Viking in the U.S., with the third book coming out in July 2027.
Cork-based Great Island will develop the Hidden Fire franchise as a three-season series spanning the full trilogy, with the first season establishing the world and Éadha’s journey, before expanding the scale across the subsequent books. The show is in development with Great Island discussing partnerships with creative and production partners.
Great Island is known for focusing on Irish stories with international potential, and is behind the likes of Richie O’Connell dramedy series Headcase, and Joshua Kenny’s People Do Bad Things, both of which have been supported with funding from Screen Ireland. Marc Simonsson of International Creative Agency brokered the deal for For Her Hidden Fire.
Mark Kenny, CEO of Great Island, said: “We’re always looking for distinctive IP and original voices that have the potential to connect with audiences beyond Ireland, and Her Hidden Fire has exactly that. Clíodhna is a wonderful writer, and she has created a rich fantasy world around a character-driven story with high emotional stakes, and the massive audience response to the novel so far speaks to the strength of the IP.
“Bringing the series into our slate is an exciting step as we expand our scripted offering with YA. There’s no better time for this as we continue to develop projects with international potential and look for partner production, distribution and studio companies to build them with.”
“People tell you to write the story you want to read, but if I’m honest, I wrote the story I dream of watching,” added O’Sullivan. “I feel so lucky knowing Great Island has the same vision, and that it’s paired with the talent and the drive to make it a reality. I genuinely cannot wait to see how they bring Her Hidden Fire to life.”
