I really enjoyed this book! I'm not a huge Marvel fan but since it's Lisa Jewell, I thought I would give it a try and I'm glad I did!

As usual, Lisa Jewell delivers! What a great pairing for this franchise. Thank you for the advance copy, I loved it.

I wanted so badly to like this book, as I ADORE Lisa Jewell. However, I'm not a Marvel girl and never read the comics or watched the movies, so I feel like this wasn't really the book for me and was also a DNF (something I don't do often). It might be right up someone else's alley, but I was lost on the obvious backstory of Jessica Jones being a superhero.

I have to say, this won't stop me at all from reading Lisa Jewell's psychological thrillers in the future! She remains one of my favorite authors, and I applaud her for trying something a bit different. Thank you so very much to NetGalley for providing me with the arc!

Not a typical Lisa Jewell read, however I did enjoy the book. It is not necessarily something I would have chosen to read if Lisa Jewell was not the author. I definitely prefer her other books, but this one was good! Kudos to Lisa to be able to step out of her typical genre of writing and do something different. I’m sure there will be many superhero Marvel fans who are going to love this book!

Jessica Jones is living the life of a retired Super Hero Private Investigator in the comfort of Hell's Kitchen in New York City. She has no intention of returning to the stressful day-to-day life of fighting crime in the big city until Amber, a highly distressed mother, contacts her regarding the unusual behavior displayed by her twins, who have just returned from a visit from their father in England. Gone are their usual habits; they are noticeably acting differently. They are suddenly obsessed with their flawless skin and a girl named Belle. Amber fears that her children are different people and have been taken over by a foreign presence that has made them strangely perfect.
Jessica travels to the countryside village of Barton Wallop where the twins spent their time, and meets with Belle, who lives in a farmhouse with a strange woman who is her guardian. Jessica is overcome by the strange energies in the village and fears that Amber’s intuition about the sudden changes in the twins is real.

Breaking the Dark is a Jessica Jones crime story. It’s dark and gritty, like her. The plot has twists and keeps you reading. The writing is good, but sometimes it slows down. If you’re a Lisa Jewell, Jessica Jones, or Marvel fan and into crime stuff this is your jam.

Even though I am not a Marvel fan, I am a fan of Lisa Jewell, and this book lived up to expectations. The mentions of Maricela are limited, and the superpowers are used minimally. The theme of beauty, perfection, and the ties to social media were intriguing and allowed a suspenseful story to be told.

Breaking the Dark is the first book in the brand-new Marvel Crime series, which is supposed to present a grittier, street-level side to all the colors and the capes. Jessica Jones is a fan favorite enough to work into a premiere, and to my understanding author Lisa Jewell is also a fan favorite within her genre. Even though this outing might not be quite as yummy as peanut butter and chocolate, the Jones and Jewell combo is certainly garlic-hummus-on-an-everything-bagel substantial.

This story has the Hell’s Kitchen PI taking on a case for a mother who thinks her twins have been replaced with pod people. Jones is going through her own internal biological takeover (aka preggers) but is stubborn enough to fly to England to follow some leads. The set up is Anthony Horowitz by way of Brian Michael Bendis straightforward with tailing, spying, and hacking on the agenda. Once in Merry old England (and into the home of a carpeted bathroom), Jewell crafts something downright unique. She bangs together science and sorcery, and transfuses the dusty arcane into a digital app. Her antagonists are a beauty influencer who seeks to be as charming as Victor Von Doom, and a vampire who is well beneath the Daywalker’s concern. The end result is clamorous Marvel-style mayhem packaged into a self-contained novel perfect for those not as invested in a four-color process.

No matter how you like to view your Jessica Jones, be warned, Breaking the Dark is firmly set in the 616 - not the Netflix cinematic U with Krysten Ritter. While you do not need to worry about Jessica being visited by a friendly neighborhood hero or arm wrestling with the Odinson, rest assured Luke Cage does play a significant part of this story, alongside a few other quick cameos. Sweet Christmas, indeed.

Jewell has a firm grasp on Jones and all her foibles. There is an underlying narration that opens the hard shelled character into being vulnerable, and feminine. Jewell provides depth and exploration and plants the seed for transforming Jessica into being a mother.

Breaking the Dark borders on being YA cheese - c’mon, it’s a crime novel about a superhero - but Jewell takes what could be a standard punch-in-the-face action story and distills it into a slow cooked mystery. The overall read? Not quite as gritty as the hype on the cover. Marvel Max this was not. But Breaking the Dark is pleasantly distracting and perfectly entertaining for fans.

Ironically though? Breaking the Dark could have used a few more punches to the face.


Thank you, NetGalley for the Marvel-ous preview. Excelsior!

OMG!! I was worried I would be lost without a lot of knowledge regarding the characters but it did not matter! This book was a great read from start to finish! I would have just sat and read it all the first day of life would have stopped for me to absorb it. Definitely will recommend to any reader!

TBH I struggled with this one. It wasn’t the usual love affair I have with Lisa See books, even though I love marvel, it just didn’t do it for me.

I Read this as a Lisa Jewell fan, not a Marvel fan, (I knew nothing about Jessica Jones) and it did not disappoint! A great thriller with a little super natural element and not too much superhero stuff. Jessica is hired as a private investigator and it turns in to quite a mystery to solve! Such a fun read even though the start was a little slow for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the arc!

I love Lisa Jewell and her thrillers, but Breaking the Dark is a bit off course for what I like and what I've come to expect from Jewell. It wasn't bad, just different. Some of the writing felt very simplistic and even stilted. With that said, I could see this more as a visual book or even better as an audiobook. It had that presence even with the writing.

Not being a huge super hero fan, this was something pretty new to me. I liked how we got a little taste of Jewell's writing, but it definitely was a departure from her normal thrillers. And the actual storyline? Intriguing to say the least. Jessica Jones is hired by a wealthy mother to twins after they return home acting just a bit off. Jones enlists the help of a teen that is only to eager to be hired on and befriend the twins. Meanwhile, Jessica heads off to the UK to the small village of Barton Wallop, where the twins had spent the summer with their father. Things are a little off there and Jessica even experiences something that is not normal. When she returns back to NYC, she slowly begins gathering everything and trying to piece together what happened in the UK to how the twins, Fox and Lark are now that they are home with their mother.

This supernatural thriller was so different, yet intriguing and kept me on my toes. I wasn't quite sure how the past POV was all going to come together with the present, but it does. And even though this wasn't in my wheelhouse, I still had to know what was going to happen. It was just an unusual story that will definitely appeal to the right people. Not sure if I will continue on with the series, but I do like the other authors, so we will see.

If you are a thriller and superhero fan, I think you'll really like this one. I liked the fact that Jewell gave us a "true crime" and superpowers of a superhero and still mixed it with very now and relevant topics of beauty, filters and social media. Overall, not exactly a book for me, but will appeal to a certain audience.

📖 Breaking the Dark
🖋️ Lisa Jewell
✨ Marvel Crime

•What to Expect•
Whodunnit
Marvel comic characters
Interesting world

•Review•
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I would recommend this book!

Creepy… some say
Bizarre… they say
Thrilling in only Lisa's way
Perfectly perfect writing

This book sucked me in from the very beginning I've been waiting and watching for this book to be released ohh and it did me in good. Jewell does a great job exploring the Jessica Jones mythos and blending it with the crime fiction genre. The story was modern and interesting, I like how she essentially made modern technology and this sort of disconnect with the real world and expectations of beauty and self-esteem the villain of the tale. By far my favorite book by Lisa I've read.

I have to admit when I received this book I was nervous because I am not a Marvel girlie AT ALL but I LOVE Lisa Jewell so I went in not knowing what to expect. I LIKED IT A LOT but I will say I am not hugely familiar with Marvel so I can not speak to that portion as much. What I loved was it was not heavy on the Marvel  aspect so I wasn't lost or confused at all.  I found I related to this book in so many ways with being a parent trying to navigate tech and the way the internet wants us to portray our lives as perfect whether it be houses, beauty , lives! Was a super fun suspense mystery that made me want to know the answers to WHAT IS GOING ON ? I recommend this book!

This book had a different feel from Lisa Jewell's other novels but still lives up to the quality I am used to reading from her.
This book is about Jessica Jones a retired superhero working as a private investigator. She is fighting her own internal battles when she is asked to help a mother find out what happened to her twins as they were changed while with their father. It was a pretty wild ride and very enjoyable story. I would not pass this one up it was definitely worth the read. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Lisa Jewell’s Breaking the Dark is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that pulls you in from page one. With her signature blend of suspense and rich character development, Jewell keeps you guessing until the very end. The story is dark, twisty, and impossible to put down—one of those books you think about long after finishing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Really great book! Intriguing premise, some supernatural/superheroes thrown in, which was interesting. This book hooked me from the start and I loved it the whole was through. Really engaging writing style and a fast moving plot. Really enjoyed all the characters and the ending. I love Lisa Jewell and this was a departure from her usual style of writing, which was kind of cool! 5 stars!

Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel
by Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: Mar 25 2025
Ok, so when I saw Lisa Jewell's name on this preview, I didn't bother to read the tagline. I just thought, "Nice! A new Lisa Jewell thriller!" and dove right in. Then the name Jessica Jones popped up. Those who know me know my husband is a comic book fan (and I am too by default) and I thought "No way...!" (I love Jessica Jones btw).
This was awesome! Great crossover of bringing a well-known author into the Marvel world and vice-versa.
Jessica is a super-powered private investigator who has been through the ringer. Once known as Jewel (nice connection there to the author), she was abducted and brainwashed into using her powers for evil. Jessica feels the ick that remains even though it was not her fault and has not used her powers since, instead, barely making it as a hung-over PI.
Then comes the case of the perfect twins Fox and Lark. Their mother is concerned after they spent a month in England with their father and they came back picture perfect. It's as if a literal filter has been placed over them in real life, perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect grades, perfect athleticism.... everything perfect. As Jessica digs deeper into this mysterious glowup, she uncovers a sinister plan that feeds on teens' insecurities.
This novel speaks to all the endless filters we place on our social medias; the picture perfect presence so many people try to portray online hoping it will bleed into real-life.
Great read with a great moral tale without being preachy.
#netgalley
#lisaJewell
#breakingthedark

"Breaking the Dark" by Lisa Jewell is an enthralling psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of relationships, the nature of secrets, and the profound impact of the past on the present. Jewell masterfully weaves a story rich in suspense and emotional depth, leaving readers on the edge of their seats.

The novel follows the lives of its characters as they navigate the shadows of their personal histories. Jewell's character development is one of the standout elements of the book. Each character is intricately crafted, with unique backgrounds and motivations that provoke empathy and intrigue. The dual timelines enhance the narrative, allowing readers to understand how past decisions reverberate through time, shaping the characters' identities and futures.

Jewell's writing is both engaging and evocative, bringing vivid imagery and poignant moments to life. The pacing is expertly managed, with twists and revelations delivered at just the right moments to keep readers guessing. The atmosphere in "Breaking the Dark" is palpable, with a sense of foreboding that builds throughout the story, compelling the reader to turn the pages rapidly.

One of the remarkable aspects of the novel is its exploration of themes such as trust, forgiveness, and the struggle to overcome one's demons. As the characters confront their fears and unveil their secrets, the narrative prompts readers to reflect on their own relationships and the complexities that lie beneath the surface.

"Breaking the Dark" is not only a gripping thriller but also a deeply reflective exploration of human nature. Lisa Jewell's skillful storytelling invites readers to lose themselves in a world where every choice has consequences and where the darkness of the past can either bind or liberate.

Overall, this novel is a compelling read that will resonate with fans of psychological dramas and thrillers. Lisa Jewell has once again proven her prowess as a master storyteller, delivering a tale that is both thrilling and thought-provoking.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.