3.75 stars.
Anything Lisa Jewell writes always keeps me on the edge of my seat. I won't lie I was a little hesitant to start this because it's so different from her other books. The first 2/3 of this book was a little slow, but the last 1/3 will keep you from putting this book down. I still have so many questions from the end!!!

Even if this isn't your typical genre I encourage you to give this a read! The characters, the storyline, the suspense all top notch. Can't wait to read the next Lisa Jewell. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Lisa Jewell's Breaking the Dark plunges Jessica Jones into a chilling mystery: a mother's desperate claim that her twins have been replaced after a foreign trip. Jewell crafts a suspenseful narrative, drawing Jessica into a remote village where strange occurrences and unsettling transformations lurk.

Despite my usual preference for other genres, Breaking the Dark kept me thoroughly engaged. Jewell's ability to build suspense and deliver unexpected twists made this a compelling read, even for someone less familiar with the Marvel universe. Jewell's prose creates a palpable sense of unease, perfectly complementing the story's dark and mysterious atmosphere. The slow burn of the investigation kept me guessing until the very end.

Fans of Jessica Jones will appreciate Jewell's faithful portrayal of the character's gritty realism and sharp wit, while Marvel enthusiasts will enjoy the blend of supernatural elements with a grounded, noir-style mystery.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4 1/2 stars)

Breaking the Dark is a bold, gripping addition to both Lisa Jewell’s impressive thriller catalog and the Marvel Universe, bringing Jessica Jones to life in a way that’s raw, immersive, and deeply compelling. Jewell seamlessly blends psychological suspense with eerie, supernatural undertones, crafting a mystery that keeps you hooked from the first page. Jessica’s sharp wit, self-destructive tendencies, and relentless determination make her the perfect lead for this gritty, noir-style crime novel. While the pacing slows at times, the atmospheric tension and unpredictable twists more than make up for it. A must-read for both Marvel fans and psychological thriller lovers alike!

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was a bit out of my comfort zone given that I'm more of a thriller/mystery reader. I was pleased that this had a bigger focus on the crime and investigation part of the story more than the Marvel part of it. I also enjoyed that there was multiple perspectives which helped the book develop well. What piqued my interest about this book was the fact that Lisa Jewell wrote it and she did not disappoint. It also helped knowing that it was a Marvel book so I was expecting that to come up. This is a good intro book for anyone who wants to dip their toes into the marvel universe but still wants more of the crime part more than the superhero aspect.

Genres: thriller, superheroes, crime fiction, mini romantic subplot

I was hesitant about this book at first. I like superheroes, but I had never heard about Jessica Jones. I also love thrillers and crime fiction, and that is what first drew me in. The first 30% of the book was rough for me to get through because it was not Lisa Jewell's regular style (which I love!!!!). Once I was able to pull myself out of my own expectations and accept the book for what it was, it was such a fun and creepy ride.

This book has everything from self growth to murders and kidnapping to sci-fi / dystopian scaries and superpowers!!! I think that this book would be enjoyed by anyone who loved The Substance and also enjoys reading crime fiction. The intersection between science fiction and crime fiction from the perspective of a private investigator is so fun.

I think this book had a LOT of moving pieces, but I never felt like I was getting lost. I definitely never knew where the book was going, but the last 30% of the book had me sweating!!

TL;DR: This book was a fun and eerie read with a slow start and strong finish! Perfect for lovers of movies like the Substance and books like None of This is True.

I am not a huge Marvel fan but I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell. I did have a little bit of a hard time getting into it at first. But I ended up liking it more than I thought. It was a good story and well written. After I got into it, it kept my attention and was fast paced .

If you are a fan of Jessica Jones, you will love Lisa Jewell’s Breaking the Dark. Jessica is done with her super hero days and in her private detective mode. Her latest case takes her to England to investigate why 16 year-old twins have started acting strange since their visit with their father.

Jewell is already a master of thrilling suspense, and she knocks it out of the park with her take on Marvel’s Jessica Jones. She really gets to the heart of issues of insecurity and vanity along with other tropes. Character development is great and the action is non stop. There is a bit of a supernatural element, which is normal for a Jessica Jones escapade delving deeply into darkness. There is also a second timeline to supplement the main plot, but it wasn’t too confusing.

What is even more exciting is that there will be two more books in this Marvel series with the next featuring on Luke Cage. I’m sure it will be another wonderful portal to the world of Marvel superheroes.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely loved this mystery in a semi-fantasy world! It takes place in the world as we know it, but it’s Jessica Jones! Yes, Marvel’s Jessica Jones! She is a private investigator following a traumatic event that has upended her life. She takes on a very mysterious case, involving altered reality and a little magic…… while also dealing with some strange very real personal issues and events. I really enjoyed the suspense and the little clues and breadcrumbs leading up to the truth of what happened to the twins during their summer in the UK. Such a layered, complex story that really kept my interest throughout!

3.5! Huge fan of Jessica Jones and Lisa Jewell so it fit perfectly on my TBR list. I’m not a huge fan of reading science fiction or supernatural but I was still able to enjoy the plot and writing style. I think I would definitely still pick up the next book in this series

Jessica Jones is done with spandex and saving the world. After years of crimefighting trauma, she’s traded her superhero cape for a bottle of booze and a desk in Hell’s Kitchen, trying to survive one messy day at a time. But when Amber Randall walks into her office with a bizarre story about her “replaced” twins, Jessica’s curiosity is piqued—despite the hangover that’s practically glowing in her eyes.

Amber believes her children, after a visit to their father in the UK, are no longer themselves—suddenly flawless, eerily perfect, and obsessed with a mysterious girl named Belle. So Jessica heads to the small, strange village of Barton Wallop, where things are definitely not what they seem. Enter Belle: an isolated teenager with too many questions and not enough answers. And a village that’s brimming with enough dark energy to make Jessica’s old crimefighting days seem like a walk in the park.

What works so well in Breaking the Dark is Jessica’s voice—sharp, self-deprecating, and utterly compelling. Her dry humor and emotional baggage give her an authenticity that makes her both relatable and endlessly fascinating. The pacing moves swiftly as Jessica unravels the mystery, balancing the tension of supernatural intrigue with her gritty, real-world struggles. The setting of Barton Wallop is steeped in eeriness, creating a perfect backdrop for the unsettling events that unfold.

If you’re a fan of the Marvel Universe but prefer your heroes flawed, cynical, and battling not just villains but their own demons, Breaking the Dark is a must-read. It’s a thrilling ride through mystery, suspense, and the complexities of human (and superhuman) nature, with a heroine who might be more broken than we realize—but still willing to fight.

Thank you Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this advance copy for my honest and voluntary review.

#BreakingTheDark #NetGalley #LisaJewell #HyperionAvemue #MarvelCrime

I've been a Lisa Jewell fan for a good time now, and this one was a must-read for me!
It did not disappoint!
Breaking the Dark" is a one-of-a-kind novel, that blends superhero action and mystery within the Marvel Universe! The story is gripping, inventive, and packed with thrilling action and intrigue. It’s definitely a book I’d recommend! Jessica, a private investigator battling depression, is hired by Amber, a divorced mother whose twins have started acting strangely after visiting their father. Amber wants answers, so Jessica travels overseas to uncover what happened during their stay. Along the way, Jessica discovers she's pregnant. As a superhero, she's torn—her powers could complicate things, and she’s uncertain whether she'll face this new chapter of her life alone, both in pregnancy and parenting.
Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review this one! I loved it!

This was my first novel and entrée to the Marvel universe. Lisa Jewell did an excellent job of providing the background to Jessica Jones and her powers as well as the darkness that drives her. In this particular novel, Jones is tasked with investigating the strange behavior of twins who have returned from visiting their father in the UK. Their mother has determined their use of the word “perfect” and their un-teenage like behavior is a huge red flag for both her and the school administration.
Jessica flies to the UK to begin meeting with the twins’ father attempting to determine what elusive social media influencer they crossed paths with during their visit. Amid the investigation, Jessica stumbles upon some nefarious characters with some devious plans. Will she be able to thwart them? I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Jessica Jones and will pick up more books in the Marvel series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Lisa Jewell’s Breaking the Dark is a gripping blend of noir mystery and supernatural thriller, bringing Marvel’s Jessica Jones into a fresh, eerie narrative. Jessica, a hardened PI with a troubled past, is drawn into a chilling case when a mother insists her twins have been mysteriously altered after a visit to their father in the UK. The case takes her to a small English village shrouded in unsettling secrets, where the enigmatic Belle and her guardian seem to hold the key to the children’s transformation. The novel effectively balances Jessica’s signature grit with an atmospheric sense of unease, weaving psychological suspense into the Marvel Crime universe.

While the premise is undeniably compelling, the execution has a few stumbles. The pacing occasionally lags, especially in the middle, and some character interactions—particularly Jessica’s personal struggles—feel underexplored compared to the central mystery. However, Jewell’s knack for creating tension and her skillful depiction of Jessica’s sharp, cynical voice keep the story engaging. Breaking the Dark delivers an intriguing start to the Marvel Crime series, offering a fresh take on Jessica Jones with a haunting, slow-burn mystery. A solid 3.5-star read for fans of gritty detective fiction with a supernatural edge.

Lisa Jewell has entered the Marvel Universe with Breaking the Dark featuring retired superhero, Jessica Jones. I am not a big Marvel movie watcher and had not heard of Jessica Jones prior to reading this book. But I am a Lisa Jewell fan and decided to give this book a read. It is engaging, intriguing, entertaining, and well written.

This book gives readers a glimpse into Jessica Jones life. She is no longer a superhero and lives a quiet life. She doesn't like to draw attention to herself or to be noticed. Jessica Jones now works as a private detective who is presented with an interesting case. A distraught mother hires her to find out what happened to her children, who have recently come back from visiting their father in the UK. She claims that her children are not her 'real' children and have been replaced. The twin teens are behaving in a bizarre and strange fashion. Jessica is skeptical but soon begins to see where Amber, the mother of the teens in question, is coming from and begins her investigation....

This book soon takes a dark turn as Jessica makes her way to the UK and is introduced to some characters that readers are provided glimpses of at the beginning of the book. This book proved to be a fast read which kept me invested. This book did have a nice number of twists and suspense. It also gave readers a reluctant hero in Jessica and some other characters readers will want to boo and hiss at. While I enjoyed Breaking the Dark, I didn't love it. I believe if I had known more about the character of Jessica Jones prior to reading this book, I might have enjoyed this book more than I did.

Well written, well thought out, and entertaining. This is the first book in a series of books which will be written by various authors.

Lisa Jewell takes on a new challenge with Breaking the Dark, blending her signature psychological suspense with the Marvel universe. The story follows private investigator Jessica Jones as she delves into a mysterious case involving a mother convinced her children have been replaced. The setup is intriguing, and Jewell’s talent for crafting unsettling atmospheres is evident.

However, as someone not deeply familiar with Marvel, I found it difficult to get into the story. The alternating timelines didn’t feel as effective as they could have been, and the first half of the book moved at a slow pace with little happening. It wasn’t until later in the novel that the mystery gained traction, but by then, I struggled to stay engaged.

One aspect I did find interesting is that this is the first book in a series, but each installment follows a different superhero and is written by a different author. That’s a unique concept that could bring fresh perspectives to each book. While Breaking the Dark didn’t work for me, fans of Marvel and psychological thrillers might find more to appreciate.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I have previously enjoyed other books by Lisa Jewel so I was very excited to read an advanced copy of her work. This one felt a little lack luster for me though. A lot of the plot felt like I could see where they were trying to go with it but it was boggy to trudge through. The multiple POV thing was extremely confusing for the first several switches because I was thinking who are these other people and why am I supposed to care about them. Maybe that was supposed to add to the mystery that we didn’t totally know who those people were but it made for a confusing read. The personal issues that Jessica was going through during the book seemed like an unnecessary storyline that didn’t add to the plot. I finished the book mostly to see how things turned out but I probably wouldn’t recommend it, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I definitely started watching the Netflix series after starting this book to compare. While the book character and series character differ, I don’t hate it. As a new Jessica Jones fan this book enthralled me. I like the modern use of technology and AI/filters. The time jumps kind of confused me at first but as the story progressed I understood what was going on. I am interested to find out what happens in the next book and I would also like to read the Luke Cage book by S.A. Crosby.

“Breaking the Dark” is a mystery/thriller following Marvel superhero Jessica Jones as she investigates two teenagers (at the behest of their mother) who returned from their father’s house in the UK not acting like themselves. What she uncovers could lead to far-reaching consequences for all teens. We follow two timelines in this book: one in the present, following Jessica as she investigates, and one in the past, following the villain and leading to the present.

Knowing about Jessica Jones’s backstory would have been more helpful to better appreciating the story, especially since it tied into this particular investigation, but it was nothing a quick Google search could teach me quickly.

At times the pacing varied from slow and introspective to fast-paced and thrillery, but for the most part I was on the edge of my seat. My biggest struggle was the writing style; sometimes it read as if it were “closed caption” descriptions: choppy and overly descriptive.

Overall I enjoyed the characters and the story, especially the overarching message: the only true idea of “perfect” is “the one pure voice that exists inside telling you that you are fine, just the way you are.”

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a fan of Marvel and enjoyed seeing characters I know throughout the book! I really loved Jessica Jones and her story. Her history makes her relatable and human (well super human)! While I loved the character, I felt the story was a little drawn out. I do enjoy a book where the past/present comes together and it all makes sense and this is something this book did well. It’s a decent read and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read something I might have normally overlooked!