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!

A huge fan of Lisa Jewel. I do not know anything about Jessica Jones or Luke Cage, so this book was quite the surprise learning about their characters. I did enjoy the story. I thought the character development and the story building was very good. There are a few parts in the middle. I got a little lost. I don’t know if it was reading it on my Kindle, where the formatting was slightly off or if this is something that was just the way it downloaded to my book as an advanced reader, copy. However, it flowed really well. The story continued to build, and I was truly invested. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the twins and with the development of Miranda. When physics came into play, I was very interested and wish they would’ve told a little bit more as I do enjoy the nerdy parts and would’ve liked a little more science.

I would recommend this book. It was a good read. Definitely different than most any other book. I’ve read of hers. Well done.

This book was not what I was expecting at all! For someone who doesn’t love marvel movies, I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I knew going in I loved Lisa Jewell, and she just proved that she can write just as good outside her regular niche!

This book had a bit of a mystery feel which I honestly liked. I love when books read like mysteries even when they aren’t exactly categorized that way.

This book had me hooked right from the start and made me want to keep turning the pages!

4.5 - Honestly, I didn’t think I’d love this as much as I did. I don’t dislike Marvel or anything, but I’ve never been super into it. I’ve seen the movies and shows thanks to one of my close friends, and I even know someone who used to draw Marvel comics. I wasn’t expecting to be this hooked. I absolutely fricken loved this. It was action-packed with just the right amount of eerie tension. The “Perfect Children” were SO creepy and fascinating so naturally I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what was going on.

This was also my first Lisa Jewell novel. I am very grateful to have received a digital copy to read and review.

I'm not necessarily a Marvel fan, but do like a good Lisa Jewell whodunit, so thought I'd give this a go. Jessica is based on a Marvel comic book that later became a tv series about the super hero and her exploits. It starts out with Jessica nursing a hangover when a mother enlists her help to find out what happened to her twin girls, who came back from a visit with her father, a little 'different'. Apparently under the influence of another teenager called Belle. So Jessica goes off to Britain to see Belle and try to figure out what's going on. There's a good amount of tension and suspense here, which is typical Lisa Jewell, but at 400 pages, it does drag a bit when Jessica ruminates about her past and overthinks each decision. Some knowledge of her characters' backstory would have been helpful, but doesn't take away too much from the story. It's a crime thriller mixed with some superhero elements, but Jessica's humanity still manages to shine through at the end. Great for fans of Ms. Jewell and the Marvel franchises.

Release: March 25, 2025
Author: Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Pages: 400

Rating: 4 ★ 

“Breaking the Dark” is the inaugural novel in the Marvel Crime series, introducing readers to a more grounded, street-level perspective of the Marvel Universe. The story centers on Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private investigator, who operates out of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Jessica is approached by Amber Randall, a distressed mother concerned about her teenage twins, Lark and Fox. Since returning from a summer visit to their father in the UK, the twins exhibit unsettling changes: impeccable appearances, improved academic and athletic performances, and altered behaviors. Amber insists that these are not her children but replacements, repeatedly mentioning a girl named Belle.

Intrigued and empathetic, Jessica travels to the quaint village of Barton Wallop in the British countryside to investigate. There, she encounters Belle, a mysterious teenager living in seclusion with a peculiar guardian. As Jessica delves deeper, she uncovers dark secrets within the village, drawing parallels to her own traumatic past, including her experiences with the Purple Man and her current personal dilemma of an unplanned pregnancy with her on-again, off-again partner, Luke Cage.

Lisa Jewell masterfully intertwines elements of suspense, mystery, and the supernatural in “Breaking the Dark.” The novel offers a fresh perspective on Jessica Jones, capturing her complexity as she grapples with personal demons while confronting external threats. Jewell’s portrayal of Jessica’s internal struggles, particularly her battle with addiction and the implications of her pregnancy, adds depth to the character, making her relatable beyond her superhero persona.

The atmospheric depiction of Barton Wallop enhances the narrative’s tension, with the village’s eerie perfection contrasting sharply with Jessica’s gritty reality. This setting serves as a character in itself, harboring secrets that challenge Jessica’s investigative skills and resilience.

However, some readers might find the novel’s pacing uneven, with certain sections delving deeply into Jessica’s introspection, potentially slowing the momentum. Additionally, familiarity with Jessica Jones’ backstory enriches the reading experience, though it’s not a prerequisite.

Overall, “Breaking the Dark” is a compelling addition to the Marvel Crime series, offering a nuanced exploration of heroism, identity, and the shadows lurking beneath perceived perfection.

Favorite Quote:
"sometimes you're forced to face the parts of yourself you wish you could forget."

This is the first installment of the Marvel Crime series with big name crime writers taking on Marvel properties. This is a Jessica Jones story, and kind of a twisty horror novel. Jones doesn’t really use her powers much, and this felt a bit like a Jewell idea she grafted on to superhero story. I liked it’s conceit with a supervillain Instagram influencer. I was a comic book kid, but as an adult, I am more likely to read something like this. There is an upcoming Alex Segura Daredevil novel and an S.A. Cosby Nick Cage book, and I am excited to check those out.

I was routing for Jessica to figure out the mystery. I was bothered by mention of things that happened in her past that weren’t really well explained but maybe that is because I don’t know the Marvel characters.

I love Lisa Jewell books! This book was a mix of Marvel Character Jessica Jones and mystery. Although this book was good, I did find I didn’t care for the ending and I felt some questions were left unanswered. But, if you love Lisa Jewell books, give this one a try!

What an interesting book of the Marvel character Jessica Jones. I didn’t know much about her before reading this but I got some more information from my husband about her and the book seems aligned with what Jessica Jones does in Marvel. It’s a mystery thriller book about Jessica getting a case about some kids who are “perfect” and acting differently than what they normally would after a trip. It kept me interested and reading it to find out what happens. I loved the story with Luke too. Malcolm was a great side character. Some twists and interesting turns but ends well.