The Elements series by John Boyne is a collection of four novellas – Water, Earth, Fire, and Air (Release Date: 1st May 2025) – each representing the four elements found in nature. Fire is #3.

Dr Freya Petrus is a thirty-six-year-old gifted, renowned surgeon specialising in burn victims. She saves lives on a daily basis. But Freya is plagued by the traumatic abuse she suffered the summer she was twelve years old. This is Freya’s story.

I mentioned Earth being dark, but Fire was even more depraved and distressing. Right from the first deeply disturbing line though I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened next and how it ended. This was my favourite instalment of the series as it was the only one I would label a psychological thriller. The twists were mind-blowing. Also, the way it connected to Water and Earth … I’m still reeling!

Just as Evan was introduced in Water, Freya had a small role in Earth. This book doesn’t specify how much time has passed between the previous book and this one, but I estimate three to five years. The only thing that did surprise me is that this character had no connection to the island like Willow and Evan did. Just like the first two books, there was the current timeline, and the past one, in this case, to that fateful summer. In this instalment all the elements were inserted into the writing in subtle, skilful ways. 

Be advised that the content warnings listed in spoiler tags below contain major spoilers for this novella, and the series overall. I only include them because the crimes perpetrated in this book will be very triggering for some readers.