REVIEW: My Brother’s Spare
By Shira Behore
Coming August 24, 2021
***** 5* "a spellbinding read that grips your everything to never want to put the book down"
Normally I write very short and snappy reviews to books, but oh boy this book needs more than 150 characters.
First, this may have spoilers, but I promise I won’t give too much away.
My interest was peaked, only a few chapters in as I started to create theories and scandals for the events revealed in the book. With its slow reveal of events, it builds tension easily and has an interesting story from page one. Behore beautifully investigates the ideas of hope, despair, and loss, the story and characters suck you into the world and don’t let you go.
Valeria is such a good pithy character, by pithy I mean full of substance and depth, all too often you read a book with a brilliant female character but its surface ‘goodness’. This book makes you question her and disagree with her and love her even more after every chapter. Her sense of loss and anger is felt throughout and really encompasses a good female character with history, scars, and flaws. The way the book deals with loss is truthful, harsh and raw, mirroring the true effects of loss in our lives allowing us to explore Valerie’s grief and safely reflect on our own emotions about these subjects.
The relationships created by Behore are fascinating, Valeria and her brother are twins with their father as the Viscount, the family relationship is rocked by the loss of their mother. The love and secrets shared between the family are felt throughout as it would by a family torn by a horrible loss. Valeria and Alias Black’s connection is complex and full of intrigue which is key to unlocking both of their pasts. While most of their time together is purely business and secretive, many small signals create little sparks which evolve their relationship, characters, and the complexity of the story.
The action and gore description made this a spellbinding read that grips your everything to never want to put the book down. I loved being on the edge of my seat and feeling the sense of fear and danger in each sequence that occurs in the book. It has been a long time since I have felt so enamored with a book that it warrants loosening my jaw at the end of many chapters. The tale demands to be uncovered and secrets released with a never-stopping roller coaster of twists and turns of the expected, I cannot wait for this to be released so I can allow my friends to experience this brilliant book.
Erin Rooney - August 2021