This is the third in the amazing Elements quartet by John Boyne. The first two were fantastic reads. This one is superb. It is shocking. It deals with the worst that humans can do to each other and also with human fragility. Child abuse, rape of children, torture and murder are all there. I'm sure there are many readers who will be shocked and stop reading but I felt it was written in such a way that compelled me to continue reading if only to find out how it ended. And I was so glad I did! The character of Freya is written so well that even at her adult worst you can still feel what she went through as that poor confused 12 year old girl looking for someone to love her. Definitely a set of novellas not to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

4* Fire - John Boyne. The third in the Elements Quartet.

Fire has left me a bit dumbstruck. The first two books in the Elements Quartet were 5* brilliance, each touching on difficult topics but doing so masterfully.

Fire has the same components.

Freya lives a privileged life as a surgeon, with the trapping of wealth - a penthouse flat and flashy sports car. However, Freya didn't come from privilege and her encounter with a set of twins when she was 12 led to a number of dark events happening over the course of a summer. If your past builds your future, Freya now harbours secrets of the darkest order and secrets which I was taken aback by but compelled to read on to see what happened.

As ever, John Boyne is an amazing story teller. The words zip off the page and the plotting is tight, without a wasted component. There is some lovely nods to tie some of the place and characters in this book to Water and Earth, which went before. However, I didn't expect the book to be quite so dark and uncomfortable to read - not to say it isn't a powerful psychological thriller.

Really looking forward to the final book in the series.

Thanks to PRH, Transworld and Netgalley for an ARC.

This is the 3rd in John Boyne's quartet of novellas, focusing on the theme of elements, Fire, a chillingly disturbing examination of the range of complexities that contribute to what constitutes a human being. Fire is a necessary, life saving and life affirming element, but at the other end of scale are it's dangerous properties, a destructive power, a devastating conflagration, burning bright, destroying everything amd everyone in its path, all the qualities that co-exist in the beautiful burns surgeon, 36 year old Freya. A cold, hard personality, she is close to no-one, with the possible exception of her senior nurse, Louise, barely putting up with her medical student, Aaron.

Freya describes her patients, damaged by burns, having to face a future where people turn away from them, are repulsed, they do not want to know, all part of a quagmire of feelings the reader is likely to feel about Freya, the more they discover what simmers beneath the surface. As a child, Freya was isolated and desperately lonely, living with a grandmother who would not allow her to have friends, for the summer she would travel from Norfolk to a mother with not the slightest interest in her. So perhaps it is not surprising what the attention starved 12 year old girl will put up with to simply have the company of the arrogant, privileged 14 year old twin Teague brothers, who bury her alive, a act that terrorises Freya and has life changing repercussions.

The talented Boyne writes compelling about the dark, bleak, more complicated, edgier sides of human beings, people whom we might have the urge to judge, but are they more sinned against than sinning? Are the issues plaguing Freya attributable to nature or nurture? The inneconflagration within Freya is in the process of burning her alive, as she is driven by a uncontrollable need for revenge that refuses to be assuaged, a scorched earth policy, fired by a calamitous blind rage, unable to see innocence, the fragility of humans. There is such painful anguish in reading about Rufus. An unsettling, mesmerising, and gripping novella that I highly recommend to all readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This is what a perfect book looks like. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this book.

Just like the first two books in Boyne's Elements Quartet, Water and Earth, Fire - Freya's story of abuse, neglect and loneliness - examines how one event can shape our psyche, social interactions, mood, and moral compass. This is by far the darkest book in the series, and at times a little hard to read due to content, but once again, you cannot find fault with Boyne's writing.

This one is a little trickier to review without giving away spoilers, but it should be noted that the gasp I gusp when I found out what was unravelling in the plot of this book was audible from the next street over.

I love that in this series we're exploring our connection to the elements of the world, but also specifically how Fire has shaped Freya's identity; her early encounter with Fire, she is a Burns Unit Doctor, Fire to destroy evidence, and she is metaphorically playing with fire in her personal life.

"Then incinerated both. One last fire."

It seems that with each book we're getting closer and closer to the crime; Vanessa was in the immediate family of a sexual abuser, Evan was an accomplice to a sexual assault, and Freya’s story is even closer…. With each novella, Boyne digs deeper into the root of the crime.

"But I don't think one sex is more inherently evil than the other"

I devoured this in under 24 hours, and even though I keep saying this with each instalment, this really is the best one so far! I loved the cameo mentions of previous characters to see where they ended up as it helped wrap this story up in a much bigger picture.

"A doctor in the burns unit should know better than to play with fire."

This quadrilogy doesn’t get easier does it! This was a intensely difficult read, but an absolutely compulsive one.. Whilst this series isn’t an easy handsell it is absolutely core stock for us and we continue to push it whenever the right moment arises. Wonderfully written. My colleagues and I will be fighting to read Air first when it comes out. Thank you so much for the ARC.

John Boyne's Fire, the third novella in his Elements series, is the darkest of the entries so far, and they've all been pretty dark. While I found this to be an entertaining entry in the series, I was left to think: Wow, Freya, the main character, is extremely unlikeable, and made so, perhaps, because of the horrible, devastating events of her childhood. And how is one to square her own adults actions with what she experienced as a child? This was a character that stayed with me for a time. I'm interested to see how Boyne concludes his Elements series, and I look forward to reading them all together in one collection.

Trigger warnings: rape, child abuse, suicide, violent and sexual scenes.

I am not really sure how to rate this book.
Although I am always impressed with the author's writing and ability to create a thrilling and engaging book, this story is gruesome and dark and left me uncomfortable for most part.
I admit I have not read Earth and have only read Water from this series, which I quite enjoyed but this one left me uncomfortable, which was very likely the point. I am not sure if it sits right with me.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc.

This is the third addition to the superb Elements Quartet and like the previous two it’s a wonderful read and I love the way it subtly ties in with the previous ones.
Although this is the most disturbing book of the series so far it was for me the best yet as I found myself completely drawn into the complicated and at times very unpleasant life of Freya a burns specialist.
John Boyne as always is a wonderful writer but for me in this book he excelled himself and just took it to another level and although the subject matter at times was
extremely difficult it was also completely compelling and I was sad to finish the book.
So we now await the final book I’m the quartet and I’m looking forward to that the series has been an amazing one so far and one I can highly recommend.
Many thanks Mr Boyne for a superb 5 star read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion .

This series is incredible.
Fire is a very dark and uncomfortable read. Freya appears to be a successful surgeon with a beautiful home, and an apparently lovely life. However, Freya had a terrible childhood because of her dysfunctional family, and experienced some brutal abuse. Freya is still seeking revenge on the boys who harmed her. I felt so sorry for her, but that doesn't excuse her behaviour.
The writing is brilliant and I couldn't put the book down. I look forward to Air.

This is my favourite so far in the elements series. It was a good look at nature vs nurture and made you question which applies or if it’s a bit of both. Such a well written book and I loved the complex characters.

I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book!

3,5 stars
Another great book in the elements serie, though I thought both Water and Earth were in the end more convincing. The first half of Fire was very strong and absolutely blew me away, but I had some doubts about the second half. Looking forward to Air!
Thank you Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

With this the third in his elements series, Boyne brings the reader to dark dark places and at this books centre is the age old question or nature vs nurture.

I think, like me, it’s best to go into this book without knowing too much / I actually don’t know if I’d have read it knowing the subject matter on the other hand. There are links to the previous books in this quartet with the main character, Freya, in this novel having sat on the jury of the case at the conclusion of the last novel. Freya is a gifted surgeon who on the surgeon is living an accomplished life but scratch that surface and the darkness is dense.
A disturbing, unsettling and at times deeply upsetting read. I need light with the darkness, there was none here just a cloaking almost suffocating level of horror which made me question why I was more affected by women who commit crime than men. Is it because it’s uncommon? Do I have different expectations of men than women? I pondered this more than does nature or nurture most affect a child.
I hope the fourth books in this series brings an element of lightness, I look forward to it.

This is one of those books whose subject matter makes it hard for me to hand-sell to customers, hopefully it will sell on the authors name alone and as part of the Earth, Water, now Fire and next year Air series people will want all four books.
Freya Petrus is a surgeon in a burns unit. A woman in her 30s she is a fine plastic surgeon and a warm caring person. She also has a dark secret, she picks up 14 year old boys and seduces them. This stems from a childhood of abandonment from her mother and being buried alive at 12. She lived with her grandmother, Hannah, a young mother herself as both she and her daughter had teenage pregnancies. Hannah didn’t like Freya to have any friends so she had a lonely childhood. On one of her two monthly stays with her mother, Beth, Freya meets her mother’s landlords twin sons, Arthur and Pascoe. They obviously have their own issues and being 2 years older than Freya at 14, they don’t treat her very well. This all leads to Freya being repeatedly sexually abused by them both and finally buried alive for hours with just a breathing tube to keep her alive.
She exacts revenge on them all in a horrifying way.
I liked how the books are linked. Freya served on a jury from the previous book Earth, where 2 football superstars, Evan and Robbie were on trial for rape, and Air, due out next years features Aaron, Freya’s medical student shadowing her for a 3 month stint. In Fire
The book is another fantastic if not squeamish (for me) read. John Boyne must have had a messed up life when he was younger to reach into the darkest corners of peoples minds and uncover the awful things they do.

#Fire #NetGalley

Thank you to Doubleday UK for early access to this title.

Summary
On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness.

Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being?

My thoughts:
It is very hard to review this novella fully without giving away spoilers, but suffice to say, in Fire, John Boyne is asking the age-old question: is it nurture or nature that makes a person who and what they are? Are we the product of our genetics and parentage, or is it our experiences and the way we're brought up that are key? Or, perhaps it is a bit of both?

The novel also asks questions about and explores a number of other serious, and moral issues such as the nature of abuse, and if one Gender inherently predisposed to be more violent and abusive than the other?

Definitions of victimhood and victim blaming are challenged along with the assumptions that exist about who perpetrators and victims might be, and, in an acute, almost philosophical way, Boyne paints a picture of how it might be entirely feasible to be both victim and perpetrator at the same time.

Fire is part of Boyne's Elements quartet, with characters, situations and themes from the previous titles threading through and rippling in and out. With one remaining title, Air, still to come, it is fascinating to see how the threads which link all of the titles are being skilfully drawn together.

As with Water and Earth, Fire has a distinctly chilling, uncomfortable, and even disturbing feel. This is a series unafraid of dealing with difficult subjects, and with challenging, controversial and sensitive issues, in the way only John Boyne can.

Whilst it is a quick read, which can be completed in one sitting, it has immense complexity and depth, and it bears all the hallmark characteristics of Boyne's masterly and often contentious writing. Inevitably, all of this means that there are multiple trigger warnings, which some readers may be wise to research first, prior to reading.

However if you are looking for a superbly well written, morally complex and nuanced, compelling read which raises much food for thought, this is definitely one for you. Guaranteed to live on in your head long after you've turned the final page.

Freya is a successful surgeon specialising in burns cases, she is an excellent doctor but slightly lacking in personal skills especially with her intern Aaron who runs around after her trying to learn from her.

As with the previous two novels in the Elements series there are links between the characters. Freya was on the jury in the previous novel Earth and a character from Water also reappears briefly. The characters are weaved together loosely by the fallout of sexual abuse. In Fire the main themes are child abuse and rape and it's not an easy read because of that, but it is totally compelling. A short read that really packs a punch.

The third in his elements quartet and like the other packs a lot into a slim novel.

The protagonist is Freya, a beautiful surgeon specialized in burn victims.. it is a deeply disturbing book but superbly written.

Am puzzled by Rufus though.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the last one in the quartet.

This short novella was a hard read once it became apparent what the themes were. Whilst it was interesting to discover Freya's backstory, which explained a lot about her character, I can't say that I enjoyed this as much as the previous books in the quartet. John Boyne's writing is the only thing that kept me going.

4.5 stars

I own, or have read, every single on John's books and so will always jump at the chance of a new one. Especially in this quartet. The two previous books have been really good. I preferred Water more than Earth, but they were both exceptional and I was excited to see which way this one went. It turned out to be really good, but very uncomfortable to read.

I always think John must be an expert at research, or he's just a very learned man, as I know nothing about the topics he chooses to write about, but they sound so right, so natural and unrehearsed and I'm always very impressed by that.

The four books do exist in the same universe I think, so there are links. This does mean that whilst the books can be read independently and in any order, you may potentially read things in the later books that will spoil the reading of the previous, and so I would recommend reading them in this order: Water, Earth, Fire, Air.

What I love about this series, this book included, is his ability to create characters who are at the same time, villain and victim. It gives the reader such food for thought, even in such a short book. Having said that, in my opinion, whilst there were tragic circumstances in her youth, I thought she was a vile person. Yes she's had her troubles and it's showing, but she makes for such uncomfortable reading - which I suppose is kind of the point, but still, she made my skin crawl.

It's not an uplifting story, I'll be honest. But it's so powerful and intense and thought-provoking. I'm not one for book clubs generally, but I agree with another review I saw that said this book deserves a wider book club discussion rather than a short review, as it's hard to properly get into why it is so impactful.

It's a short book and so easy and quick to read. No matter how exquisite John's writing is, I'm still quite glad this was a short story because of the subject matter and the way certain scenes are written (I won't spoil what), I'm not sure I'd have been comfortable enough to read a longer one.

But it's still shown me how amazing his writing is and I'm now really excited to read the final installment, Air, sometime next year.

I really enjoyed reading Earth and Water the first two books in this series and I was delighted to receive a copy of the latest book Fire.
I really enjoyed this book about Freya and the difficulties she fought every day.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Transworld Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.