Dark and Intriguing

Breaking the Dark is a mystery/thriller about Superhero/Private Detective Jessica Jones and a case that has her questioning power, perfection, and motherhood.

Retired from Superhero duties, Jessica is struggling with day-to-day life and is fighting even more to avoid drinking. When a wealthy mother of twin teenagers acting weird asks for her help, she reluctantly agrees. This case takes her to a remote village in England, where she discovers a powerful and dangerous secret that takes Jessica far out of her comfort zone, forcing her to confront her deep-seated demons. Adding to the mix is Jessica’s flailing relationship with Luke Gage.

The case has many layers, all linking to a mysterious woman named Ophelia.

Narrated primarily by Jessica, the POVs of Ophelia and a woman named Polly are also shared. All three are powerful female characters with distinguished voices and intriguing backstories.

The plot has many layers and moving parts. Also, because this takes place in the Marvel Universe, fantastical elements play a large part in the events.

This is not your typical Lisa Jewell novel. Beyond focusing on a Marvel character, Jewell brings otherworldly elements for Jessica to battle. Jewell has written some dark characters, but perhaps Jessica is the darkest as her inner battle rules her mind. The darkness within Jessica is palpable. Despite not being a huge Marvel fan and only knowing Jessica Jones from the Netflix series, I think Jewell has captured Jessica’s voice and essence.

In addition to the darkness, a growing level of tension and suspense develops as the plot evolves. And despite the darkness, there is a glimpse of hope for Jessica's future. There is also a lovely message about self-acceptance and understanding the barriers in the never-ending quest to achieve perfection.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. It was a little strange at first adapting to the Marvelisms, and it took me time to adjust to the rhythm of Jessica's character. However, it all comes together. I am surprised that I am looking forward to reading the next edition of the Marvel Crime series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this first entry in a new series commissioned by Marvel, with established thriller writers taking on the characters of Jessica Jones (this novel), Luke Cage (S.A. Cosby, coming out in 2025), and Daredevil (Alex Segura, also coming out in 2025). Personally, I really enjoyed Jewell's first foray into fantasy/supernatural fiction, and I thought she did a great job exploring Jessica as a character. I have no idea how much guidance was given to the authors by Marvel, but Luke Cage played a not-insignificant role in this book, and I imagine the established storyline will have to play into his book in some way going forward, which will definitely be interesting!

In this outing, Jessica takes on a case where a wealthy woman's twin teenagers come back weirdly changed from a visit to their father in England. The first quarter or so of the book felt self-consciously cinematic, like Jewell was focused on screenwriting instead of novel-writing, but that eased up as the book progressed, or else I just noticed it less as I became engrossed in the mystery of why these kids were acting so bizarre. Jessica heads over to England to try to figure out what's going on, and we also get an alternate storyline/timeline which hints at the power behind the mystery. Eventually the storylines all converge in the present and all is revealed, after some very weird, eerie, and dark happenings.

I think traditional fans of Jewell who aren't familiar with Marvel and don't read fantasy may not enjoy this, but I thought it was a fun read and I'm really looking forward to S.A. Cosby's Luke Cage novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a digital review copy.

Jessica Jones is a former Marvel crime fighter who had had a very bad experience previous to the Lisa Jewell book Breaking the Dark. This is not a world I normally inhabit, but it was not hard to figure out the "rules".
Jessica Jones was trying to stay out of that world, trying to keep her head above water, not trying too hard to stay sober. She is doing private investigations to pay the bills. Amber Randall finds her and says she really needs her help with twins who went to the UK to visit their father for the summer, and when they came back, they were two other people. Jessica rolls her eyes (inside of course), but she says she will check into it. When she does, it seems the mother is justified in her assessment. Jessica goes to a town in the UK named Barton Wallop where the twins had stayed and the story just expands from there.
There are some women who seem to never age, a son who seems to have the highest IQ in the world (maybe), and a vampire-like man that Jessica has to contend with. The plot becomes thick but thankfully not overly complicated for newbies like me. Unraveling this situation has global implications, it was an exciting read, I did not know I would be interested in a Marvel story.

This was so cool! One of my favorite authors doing her version of one of my favorite Marvel characters, Jessica Jones. I really think she captured the character that we know and love on television. I hope they continue to do more print Marvel. I was very entertained, however the formatting for this was a bit off. It was all one big chapter instead of separated. 4.5/5 ⭐️ thank you Lisa Jewell, Netgalley, and Hyperion Avenue for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Jones is new to me- I'm not a Marvel follower and never watched the show- but this made me a believer. Jewell has done a good job of creating a protagonist who is, ahem, different and setting her off on a mystery that is, ahem, different. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did but it's good entertainment. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Now I'm off to find Jessica on television.

I really went into this one having no ideaaaaa!!! a Marvel crime retelling? hell yes!!!! Lisa Jewell definitely killed this one I absolutely loved the characters, the plot and everything in between for this one!!!

I did not enjoy this one by Lisa Jewell.
I usually love hers, so I was excited to see it coming out.
I just couldn’t get into it or relate to the characters.

The formatting was also terrible trying to read it on my Kindle.

Sometimes you gravitate towards a book because you know that the author is amazing and this was the original reason why I wanted to read this book. Lisa Jewell is a fantastic author and I couldn’t pass this up. On the other hand, I am a Marvel comic novice and am not really attracted to these types of books. I also knew nothing about Jessica Jones or her superpowers. However, I am glad I didn’t skip this because once again, Lisa Jewell didn’t disappoint and despite it being outside of my normal genre, I really enjoyed it.

Throughout the book, details were revealed about Jessica Jones’ past and I kept thinking I was missing something important Initially, I wondered if I was really going to enjoy the book and got a little lost in the details and some of the connection points. However, I stuck with it and as the book progressed, I really got into it. In fact, towards the end of the book, I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what it the world happened. Plus, the book explores the topic of perfection and it made me reflect on how much energy we place on physical appearance – especially for women.

Jessica is a retired superhero working as a private investigator in Hell’s Kitchen, NY. She is sought out by Amber Randall, who believes that her teenage twins have been replaced by something “perfect” after their summer visit to their dad in the UK. This concept of perfection leads Lisa down a path of secrets and dark energy as she tries to solve this mystery. Throughout the story, there is this constant push and pull between perfect and our imperfect reality and are the costs of perfection worth it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#LisaJewell #BreakingTheDark #JessicaJones #MarvelCrime

⭐️: 3.5/5

Retired superhero Jessica Jones is focused on surviving day to day as a private investigator in Hell’s Kitchen, after a traumatic experience made her leave her crime-fighting days behind her. When a visit from a mother, concerned about eerie changes she has noticed in her twin children, Jessica travels across the ocean to a small town in England, where she find herself embroiled in a sinister plot of a social media influencer who promises perfection, but at what cost?

I don’t actually know much about the canon of Jessica Jones, since I don’t think I ever fully watched the Netflix show, but I like intermittently keeping up with the MCU movies, so I was interested in reading this fun story. Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors, so this crossover was an intriguing concept. Whatever Jewell writes, you can count on it being full of suspense, and this book was no exception. The mystery really drew me in, along with the mysterious and off-puttingly sinister flashbacks to the past. I did have a few complaints throughout the book through, the first and most obvious being that the author is British, but Jessica Jones is categorically a New Yorker, so the language used just felt a little…inaccurate? I also felt like to me, the science behind the sci-fi aspect of this felt just too squishy, which kind can be a let down when you’re looking for a big reveal. Jewell, while admittedly a great thriller and suspense author, hasn’t ventured into sci-fi genres, and I think that shows in this, her first foray. Ultimately though, the story and mystery of it all wrapped up nicely and satisfyingly, without too many loose ends, and set this new series of Marvel stories written by different popular authors off to a great start, especially since I absolutely cannot wait to read S. A. Cosby’s version of a Luke Cage story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @hyperionavebooks for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was part of a marvel crime series, which really surprised me. I did not love this one as much as I have loved her other novels, but I think thats just a style preference

Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell is a very highly recommended private detective crime thriller. Yes, it does feature Jessica Jones, a retired super hero from the Marvel Universe, but knowledge of that universe is not required to enjoy this excellent investigative mystery.

Jessica Jones, ex-super-hero, is now a private investigator in New York City. Amber Randall asks for her help in figuring out what happened to her teenage twins, Fox and Lark, when they were with their father in the village of Barton Wallop, UK, for the summer. They came home changed and don't seem like the same teens who left. The two have freakishly perfect skin and have lost their distinctive tics and habits. Everything is "perfect" when asked and there is secret talks about a girl named Belle. Amber is seriously wondering if they have been replaced.

Jessica takes the case because Amber is wealthy and she needs the money. She has teenage intern, Malcolm, assist her by getting close to the twins and looking for more information about what happened to them. Then Jessica travels to the UK, meets the twin's father, and finds the mysterious Belle, a teenager living with her guardian in an old farmhouse. Then things get weird. While working the case, Jessica is going through some personal issues too.

I found Breaking the Dark wildly entertaining, extremely well-written, suspenseful, and un-put-downable. I'm probably not the target audience since I only have a passing knowledge of the Marvel Universe and am hardly knowledgeable about the lore and background of all the characters. What I am is a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's writing and if she writes it, I will read it. I was actually a bit surprised at how much I loved this novel.

The narrative follows the current investigation with occasional chapters covering events from years ago leading up to the present that provide needed background information. The two timelines coalesce at the end. The plot does have a dark mysterious, evil, and dangerous undercurrent. The plot enters into fantasy, obviously with the ties to Marvel, but also has some real lessons about modern life embedded in the plot. Including the current control social media and influencers have over people's lives in the plot is a timely addition.

Jessica is a fully realized imperfect character, full of flaws and shortcomings who is also worried that she may be pregnant, so this concern is always there. She doesn't rely upon super powers here, which should make the novel appealing to those who enjoy thrillers. Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.




The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

**Features:**
- A mystery novel set in the Marvel universe that will take you deep into the uncanny valley.
- Jessica Jones and other familiar characters living and working outside of a ‘superhero’ role
- Explores topics of motherhood, mental health, and finding your place
- Set partially in New York and partially in the British countryside

When a panicked mother comes into Jessica Jones’s office worried that her kids have returned from their father’s house too ‘perfect’, Jessica thinks this is just another overprotective parent. However, when she sees the kids for herself, Jessica also realizes something is very off. This book is an interesting blend of detective novel and superhero action that seeks to explore the grittier side of the Marvel universe. It definitely has the telltale weirdness of a superhero story, but I also love how human both the characters and the overall mystery end up being. This novel definitely goes to some dark places as Jessica deals with some of her past trauma and tries to figure out who she wants to be moving forward. This book would be a great first step into the Marvel universe for anyone who is a fan of crime and mystery fiction but is also a refreshing take for those familiar with the characters.

**Pro: Different take on the superhero tale**

Jessica Jones was once a superhero complete with spandex uniform, but the dangers of the hero world left her broken in more ways than one. Now, Jessica is a private investigator living job to job as she tries to piece her life back together. Just as a pregnancy scare rocks Jessica’s world once more, a desperate mother approaches her with an odd case that will take Jessica to a small village in the UK. This case not only might provide a brief financial reprieve, but it also might be the perfect opportunity for Jessica to figure out just who she wants to be.

In all of her versions, Jessica Jones has been a character who has a complicated relationship with her powers and the superhero life. However, this particular version does a great job really exploring Jessica’s struggles in a way that feels very human and relatable. Even though the main cause of her trauma is hero related, the way we see Jessica trying to manage it and how it has affected her overall life and sense of self feels familiar. There is just enough of the Marvel universe in here to satisfy fans, but it is fundamentally a detective novel that deals with some very real issues.

**The Breakdown: A weird and wonderful world**

Though I am familiar with the Marvel universe, I am not as familiar with the Jessica Jones character. This book manages to provide enough information that people who are unfamiliar with the characters involved won’t feel lost. However, there are many moments where it is clear that a character, location, etc. Marvel fans would recognize has been introduced and this book does not always do a great job explaining them clearly. Where the minimalist approach is probably good for Marvel fans and there is enough information to follow the story itself, newcomers to the Marvel universe will likely be left feeling like they are missing out on information. This definitely improves as the story develops, but it never quite finds the right balance between reaching old fans and introducing new people to this world.

Like most superhero tales, readers should be prepared for a heavy dose of weirdness despite this book’s more ‘grittier’ take. However, I think it is still very accessible and would be a great introduction for people trying to dip their toes into this subgenre for the first time.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Jessica Jones is a retired superhero, trying to live a quieter life as a private investigator. She meets Amber Randall, who is convinced her twins are different since they returned home from their father's in the UK. After a little bit of investigation, Jessica thinks Amber might be right. Taking the case takes her to a small village in the UK, where things are both perfect and weird at the same time. As she tries to unravel what is happening to the twins, Jessica must also face personal issues that will change the course of her life.

I don't know that I knew this was a Jessica Jones Marvel Crime book when I requested it, I think I just saw Lisa Jewell and hit "request". But since I love Marvel and really like Jessica Jones, it was all good. To be fair, my only exposure to Jessica Jones was the show but I really liked it. This book is a good mystery with a touch of the supernatural, which is of course, right up my alley. Jessica Jones has a lot of internal turmoil, which I think lends well to a novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available July 2, 2024.

I love Lisa Jewell’s thrillers, so I was excited to see her take on the Marvel universe. We follow Jessica Jones as she is hired to solve a case involving teenage twins who return home from Europe slightly changed. Jessica hunts down several secrets while hiding a secret of her own. Several twists and turns later, most without using her secret power, Jessica is able to solve the case, rescue several other people, and end a serial killer’s plan. Interesting, but also lacking the usual Jewell spark that I enjoy from her books.

Obsessed with Lisa Jewell but not a marvel fan. I couldn’t really get into this one unfortunately. It just feels like a money grab.

Not just for Marvel fans.

I am not a Marvel fan. Actually, I know basically nothing about the whole Marvel universe besides having watched a few „Jessica Jones“ episodes when the series first premiered (spoiler alert: I was not a fan of that, either. I guess I just don‘t really care about superheroes). I do, however, really like Lisa Jewell‘s books, so I decided to give this one a go.

In „Breaking the Dark“, super hero / private detective Jessica Jones takes the case of two teenagers who returned from a trip to the British countryside over the summer being „too perfect“. The mystery, while naturally a bit out there, was actually quite intriguing and well-written, raising interesting questions about society‘s hunger for perfection, the lengths we are willing to go to to achieve it, and how our views of perfection differ.

Furthermore, while I obviously cannot speak to continuity, I will say that I like this softer version of Jessica Jones a lot better than the self-destructive one from the TV show. And while there are references to her Marvel backstory, it’s not a prerequisite for the reader to know it; I managed just fine without.

The only true letdown for me was the ending, which felt a bit blah and very anticlimactic. Other than that, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this book held my interest, which is a testament to the author‘s stellar writing skills.

While I am not sure I will read the rest of the Marvel crime series (just too many superheroes for my taste), I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„Breaking the Dark“ is slated to be released on July 2, 2024.

I was intrigued when I saw a thriller author I love writing a Marvel Universe crime novel. I am a huge fan of Marvel, so I was intrigued. This book was a whirlwind. Sometimes I didn't know what was going on and that felt off- putting at times. I did appreciate immersing myself in the world of superpowers beyond my own realm of possibility. I had never seen the Jessica Jones TV show and that didn't hinder my ability to understand parts of her backstory related to this book. I think she was a relatable main character with her flaws. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I am not a Marvel fan at all but am definitely a Lisa Jewell fan. When I requested the advance copy I did not realize that it was a "Marvel" based book, had I known I probably wouldn't have requested. I am so glad that I did. It was written in the typical Lisa Jewell fashion with some suspense and twists; I enjoyed the story. I like that the author took on this challenge to shake up her stories. I had no idea who Jessica Jones was, at first I thought she was just a character in the story, after googling I found she's much more than that! I don't think being a Marvel fan is necessary for reading this book, it did get me a bit confused at times throughout the story. However, I would recommend giving it a read as I don't think it took away too much from the story.

3.5 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the ARC of this book.

This was the first novelization of a Marvel character that I've read and I very much enjoyed it. I have always appreciated the depth and darkness of Jessica Jones' character and Lisa Jewell did an excellent job of capturing all of it. The plot was interesting and well paced, and as noted, the characters were well developed and true to their Marvel roots. I'm excited to read more in this theme, and I know they intend to spread it around, but I hope this isn't Lisa Jewell's last foray into the Universe.

Breaking the Dark draws you in from the first to the last page.

This is not my usual genre and I know little about Marvel crime but I do love Lisa's books and I do love crime so why not.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and gritty suspensful read and hated the book to end.

Put realism aside and sit back and enjoy the story of the super hero Jessica Jones and her side kick Malcolm as they are hired to see if twins have been cloned.

I must say Lisa Jewell won me over and I wont hesitate to read Book 2 in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue Publishers for a read I wont soon forget and introducing me to a new catergory of books.