The main character is very well developed. The plot is fast paced and full of mystery.
The twist at the end was unexpected. A good book

"But if it doesn't lead you to the light, Valeria -- I will sit with you in the dark."

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Netgalley and Lost Island Press for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content warnings: death/murder, drug use (including nonconsensual), blood/gore, death of parent (explicit, on page), vomit, fire, physical abuse

I discovered this book some time ago while I still actively browsed the Teen & YA category on Netgalley. I was very intrigued by the cover and thought this would be some sort of royal political intrigue mystery book. I was finally able to read this for the Jokes on Me reading challenge as "least popular" because no one else on my GR friends list has read it!

My Brother's Spare follows Valeria, the second child of the viscount, who (despite perhaps being the more qualified one) is nothing more than the spare to the heir of the viscount position. She is expected to aid her brother as he trains and then eventually choose someone to be married off to. Instead, she spends her nights obsessing over attempting to solve the murder she witnessed as a child, when an anonymous murderer in a wolf mask killed her mother. Will she ever manage to find a clue to this case, or has it been far too many years?

Throughout the book, we don't actually learn much about the characters' interests or anything other than a key personality trait or two. I also struggled because the male characters were generally referred to as "the boy", leaving me wondering whether they were eight or fifteen or nineteen. I did really enjoy the atmosphere and found the classism of the multiple numbered districts easily imaginable and intriguing. The writing was better than many tradpub books I've read recently, and was surprised to know this is a debut! I had so many bookmarked quotes and am excited to see the author appears to have been working on another story as of this summer. I hope to try another book by this publisher soon while I wait.

The plot was full of plenty of twists and turns, and while a few details seemed to have been dropped, it did hold my attention for the vast majority of the book and I felt like the pacing was great. My intrigue for this book was rather high as well, it's the main book I wanted to read for the last few weeks. The logic was okay! I felt like some scenes (such as visiting the mask store vendor and her obsession with eyes that turned out to not matter?) seemed a bit off or like some follow-up chapter was deleted, but overall it was decent. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think it might be my favorite book I read in November!

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy dark romance books where the romance is so slow burn you can't really call it a romance, mysteries, and villains who don't want redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

The pace picks up slowly, and once it does, it's hard to put this book down... The story is set in a magical and Victorian -esque world. I loved the protagonists - Valeria and Alias Black (that name is so perfect for him!). There was an amazing plot twist at the end, and I loved how dark and compelling this book was...

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The author has created a fascinating world and has a way of bringing the characters to life in a credible way. The mystery itself was not complex but still carried the plot well. Definitely an author to watch.

This was a good debut novel. While I felt that the mystery was weak and the story could have been much stronger in the world building it was overall an intriguing story with interesting characters.

The beginning of this book was really slow for me, causing me to almost put it down, but I'm glad I kept through it! When Alias showed up, I was ready to go and down for anything. I know Valeria was supposed to be the main character, but she kind of took a backseat for me once he showed up. I found the plot twist interesting and the ending left me satisfied, but I didn't enjoy how Valeria was only an interesting character because of Alias, and the story kind of hinged on Alias being there. I don't like how Valeria couldn't really stand on her own as a character to me.

This didn't grab me right away. I did pick this up and put it down several times. I'm glad to move on, and won't shy away from Behore's future works. (This is the author's debut novel.). I was invested enough to continue through slow parts.

The synopsis is clear and I'm not going to repeat it or give spoilers. The main character, Valerie is a twin and Her Grace's father is The Viscount. The significance is that her twin brother inherits. Of note, Valerie witnessed her mother being murdered. At roughly 16, she sets about finding the murderer. The times are different for women. While Valerie is young, the author has been kind. While reasonably naive in some areas of life, she is well-versed in others.

This is a hidden gem: Mystery YA, 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Long Island Press for accepting my request to read and review My Brother's Spare.

After over a year of trying, I've admitted defeat. Not sure why this book couldn't hook me, but life is too short to keep trying. DNF at 30% or so.

I don't think I'm mentally stable enough to write this review because I just finished the book but anyways. WOW
1) I feel really proud of myself because I knew the plot twist
2) I love Shira. A lot. She had flaws but she was so strong, so realistic.
3) THE WRITING. This is Shira's debut novel and I can't wait to experience more of her works. She is truly so talented
4) And lastly the ending. Now that I calmed down a bit I think I love it. Maybe it's because I love books

My Brother's Spare is a gripping but slightly creepy read. It really builds the world which helps you buy in to the characters and their story.

My brother’s Spare is about a woman who strives to find her mother’s murderer. I found this novel to be very slow moving. I also really did not like the assassin. He was a complex character, but I still found him creepy. Still, I recommend this for fans of historical mysteries!

What an enjoyable read! My Brother’s Spare is a book that centers around revenge and family. I really liked how the characters were written and developed throughout the entire storyline. We also see a touch of mystery and a hitman who has both a soft side and dark side. Overall, a solid read four stars out of five.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I loved this! It was one of those ones that just gripped me from the start and wouldn't let go. The characters were great, the setting was perfect. Although I did mostly guess the main twist, it was still a very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend this book!

My Brother´s Spare is a great book!

I immensely enjoyed this one, especially at times when Rowan Marrow appeared on the scene. Yeah, he is a hitman, but I loved him anyway. He is not a saint and he 100% owns this fact. He´s charming and witty which makes it impossible not to fall at his feet. I was intrigued by this dark-haired morally grey guy from the first moment. Yes, I got smitten by this sarcastic assassin. In the end, I guess I loved him more than our heroine Valeria did. Talking about his background would be spoiler-ish so let me just say that I wanted to give him a big hug.

Let´s talk about Valeria, the Viscount's daughter, now. She was great. I rooted for her. I admired how persistent she was. She´ll do anything to avenge her mother´s murder. She´s a fierce young independent woman who greatly values her morals. She is a heroine fighting for justice at all costs which isn´t always so easy thing to do. Read the book and you´ll see what I mean. I loved to follow her journey, figuring out what is justice and that people are not black and white.

THE ENDING destroyed me. Without getting into spoilers... I can say that I expected the murder mystery plot twist so I was not shocked at all. At the same time, I got surprised by the other thing which... looking back... should not surprise me either. Overall, it was bittersweet, heartbreaking, satisfying, and refreshing. Not what you usually expect from YA books with two young people from the opposite sides of society. I feel like I won´t stop thinking about the ending for a while. It broke my heart but absolutely made sense. It was the best!

While it took me a little while to get deeply invested - I was invested but not forced to turn pages fast - the second half of the book really picked up. It was a ride! As I said, I expected the plot´s conclusion, I started to have a feeling somewhere in the middle, but it only forced me to read faster and verify all my suspicions. I loved the twists and turns in the second half.

Read it if you want a solid YA murder mystery book with interesting characters and an original ending. It includes a 190s London and New York-inspired setting, a charming hitman, a fierce heroine from high society, forced allies, secret identities, a bit of violence and arsony, investigation, drugs and their "magical" influence, enjoyable twists and turns. Plus, look at that GORGEOUS cover!

This author has a lot of potential indeed and I am already excited about any of her books that will come in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley & Lost Island Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My Brother´s Spare is a great book!

I immensely enjoyed this one, especially at times when Rowan Marrow appeared on the scene. Yeah, he is a hitman, but I loved him anyway. He is not a saint and he 100% owns this fact. He´s charming and witty which makes it impossible not to fall at his feet. I was intrigued by this dark-haired morally grey guy from the first moment. Yes, I got smitten by this sarcastic assassin. In the end, I guess I loved him more than our heroine Valeria did. Talking about his background would be spoiler-ish so let me just say that I wanted to give him a big hug.

Let´s talk about Valeria, the Viscount's daughter, now. She was great. I rooted for her. I admired how persistent she was. She´ll do anything to avenge her mother´s murder. She´s a fierce young independent woman who greatly values her morals. She is a heroine fighting for justice at all costs which isn´t always so easy thing to do. Read the book and you´ll see what I mean. I loved to follow her journey, figuring out what is justice and that people are not black and white.

THE ENDING destroyed me. Without getting into spoilers... I can say that I expected the murder mystery plot twist so I was not shocked at all. At the same time, I got surprised by the other thing which... looking back... should not surprise me either. Overall, it was bittersweet, heartbreaking, satisfying, and refreshing. Not what you usually expect from YA books with two young people from the opposite sides of society. I feel like I won´t stop thinking about the ending for a while. It broke my heart but absolutely made sense. It was the best!

While it took me a little while to get deeply invested - I was invested but not forced to turn pages fast - the second half of the book really picked up. It was a ride! As I said, I expected the plot´s conclusion, I started to have a feeling somewhere in the middle, but it only forced me to read faster and verify all my suspicions. I loved the twists and turns in the second half.
Read it if you want a solid YA murder mystery book with interesting characters and an original ending.

It includes a 190s London and New York-inspired setting, a charming hitman, a fierce heroine from high society, forced allies, secret identities, a bit of violence and arsony, investigation, drugs and their "magical" influence, enjoyable twists and turns. Plus, look at that GORGEOUS cover!

This author has a lot of potential indeed and I am already excited about any of her books that will come in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley & Lost Island Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I started this book, I was worried that it was toeing the line between trope-y and too trope-y, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. What I was worried would be a typical period piece mystery was different and new, and it had twists and turns that I definitely wasn't expecting. The fantasy was a nice touch, and the world-building around it was stunning. The characters are engaging and interesting, and it doesn't take the same cliched romance track as a lot of these books do, though it does hint at it throughout the book. I loved the open ending, and I definitely recommend it to people who like Victorian England-Esque period piece books and to people who like YA mysteries with strong, smart, girls. 5/5 stars from me!

This was a highly entertaining read. The twist at the end was amazing, I definitely didn't see it coming.

For a debut novel, this was pretty enjoyable, but also average in all aspects. It took a while for the story to progress and move from the catalyst to the actual plot and for that reason, the beginning felt pretty slow to me. I loved the pairing between the assassin and our MC, but their dialogue was confusing and felt childish. The writing style didn't really suit it. The author has potential and the plot twist certainly showed that.