Let me begin with I am a Lisa Jewell fan, however, I don’t know much about Marvel (I had to ask my husband for some background).
I struggled with the beginning of this, since I had no background of the characters. Eventually, I was able to get into it and I enjoyed it, once I understood who was who and their superpowers and all the Marvel stuff!
Jessica Jones is a retired superhero who now works as a private investigator. Her life is in shambles, but is hired by the very wealthy Amber, who is concerned about her twin teenagers. Her kids spent the summer with their Dad in England, and she feels since they returned they aren’t themselves. She believes something happened to them when they were away.
Jessica and her team investigate in New York, as well as in England to uncover what has happened.
Once it’s all done, did I really need to know the Marvel Universe to enjoy this? I think the reader needs to know a little, but I was able to enjoy and understand this first installment in Jewell’s new series.
Will I read the next one? I probably will!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for this eARC. This review is my own.

3.5/5 and while I overall enjoyed it I do have to rate it below a 4 because I think you literally have to be a marvel fan to enjoy this.

It took a bit to get interesting but honestly the last 40% was FASCINATING. I do think the last bit was a little unnecessary and essentially a summary of the entire book but that’s okay. I had a good time reading this and will likely read the rest of the series!

Also to be fair I think this was a tall task for the author to write a thriller about Jessica Jones, of all people, and I appreciate the work that was done to make Jessica seem more human and I liked all the nods to other marvel characters.

Some other quick thoughts - I thought the modernization of the thriller was interesting but also very unique so that was cool. And I did find the flashbacks to be interesting. Malcolm was a fantastic character and I loved his dynamic with Jessica - I honestly would have loved more of that. I do think Jessica’s relationship with Amber was weird, it felt more like friends than professional.

This was an entertaining book and I appreciated the jump by Lisa Jewell into a new genre. I liked the exploration of the Marvel Universe via novel instead of only via movie. Jessica Jones was a complicated but lovable character. The story was a little bit TOO bizarre for me, but the writing was good!

If you are looking for your standard Lisa Jewell thriller, then this book is not it. But Breaking the Dark is an amazing change of pace for Jewell and boy did she deliver.

I’m not a fan of the Marvel Universe but I loved this book. Go into it with an open mind, and you’ll love it.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I actually thought it was good. I did think the ending felt a little rushed. It just seemed to come to an end before I knew it. I liked Jessica Jones and I liked how she cleaned herself up throughout the book. I will probably read the sequel, but we shall see. Overall, I liked this Lisa Jewell book and would recommend it to fans of her genre. I'm interested in reading the sequel to see how the story continues.

This was an interesting read. If it hadn't been by Lisa, I probably wouldn't have been interested in the first place as I'm not a huge fan of the marvel world outside of the movies. I went into it with some understanding of the characters and was pleasantly surprised by how it did become more of a story versus the *comic* I had imagined in my head. That said, I probably wouldn't continue to read the series as the other books will be written by different authors and overall the story did not grip me the way I expect most of the author's books do. This makes sense as it isn't her original story, but will still probably stop me from continuing.

If you are looking to step out of your comfort zone and try something new this is the book for you! This book is part of the exciting new highly anticipated Marvel crime series. I am a huge superhero fan and thriller fan, so this was the perfect mix for me. This story focuses on a superhero turned Private Investigator, Jessica Jones, and is full of action and has a dark mysterious plot. If you enjoy books that involve family, trust, and betrayal this could be a good pick for you. I think it is fun that they came up with this concept and I look forward to seeing what happens in the rest of the series!

Thank you, Net Galley, the author, and the publisher, for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Lisa Jewell wrote a Marvel story, I had to read it. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. The story was just good and I’m content with that! Just the right amount of entertainment for this type of novel. Having Lisa Jewell write a Marvel superhero story was a fun idea! Thank you NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and Hyperion Avenue for this digital arc.

I am a Lisa Jewell stan, and have loved all her other books so definitely had to read this one. I'm not totally sure how i feel about the supernatural element to this book because its not something i usually go for, however i did find the suspense level to be perfect and couldn't put it down.

This is not the type of novel I usually read. I don’t usually pick up anything that is too sci-fi or fantasy. I don’t even have any background or context for Marvel characters! However, I like this author and thought i’d give it a try. I’m glad I did. There are definitely some supernatural elements, but it didn’t feel like too much. I didn’t feel lost or confused without any Marvel background. I thought it was fun and creepy and I really enjoyed it!

publication date: 03.25.25

thank you to netgalley and hyperion avenue for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think I'm the right audience for a marvel adaptation novel. It's fast paced, descriptive, and creepy. My tastes are more geared towards Jewell's typical thrillers and I don't think I will continue on to the next book.

Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell
🌟🌟🌟
This is an interesting and entertaining crime thriller. This book is part of a new Marvel crime series. It isn’t my favorite from this author, but it is still good. The story was more on the supernatural front, than her standard thrillers. This story focuses on a superhero turned Private Investigator, Jessica Jones, and is full of action and has a dark mysterious plot.
I enjoyed the dual timeframes, so that helped to keep the story a bit more exciting for me.

Even though the storyline wasn’t my favorite, the writing is still very good!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this interesting book!
*It’s out now!*

as much as i love lisa jewell and her other books... this was a dnf. the writing was definitely YA style which i wasn't a fan of, and the stakes felt very low. jessica also didn't feel fully fleshed out, but then again i'm not familiar with the marvel universe so maybe this just wasn't for me!

I don't like the give star ratings to books i haven't finished but i am unable to submit a review without a rating. .

Thank you for the arc!

Literally love anything Lisa Jewell writes and this one was no different! Loved the slight supernatural element and this had the perfect amount of suspense!

Not my typical read but I enjoyed it! It's a psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The novel centers around a complex and twisted narrative, exploring themes of family, trust, and betrayal. The plot delves into the lives of its main characters, who each have their secrets and hidden motivations. The book is well-paced and filled with emotional depth.

Breaking the Dark surprised me in the best way. I’ve never been a huge Marvel fan, so I did not expect this to be so hard to put down. I love the relationship between Jessica Jones and Malcolm. The way the dual timelines came together was well done. I think the ending was a little more complicated than necessary, but overall I honestly enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to Hyperion for the ARC!

What a story! I walked into this one not knowing much about Jessica Jones and found myself completely enthralled from the very beginning. She’s trying to get her life back together after a traumatic experience and finds herself diving head first into a case that is absolutely bizarre. When two twins from NY return home after a summer in England, seemingly “perfect” their mother hires Jessica to find the truth about what happened. Twists and turns follow in this insanely intense story based on the human compulsion to achieve perfection and the costs that come with it.

If you are like me, and are not familiar with the Marvel universe/lore, do not let that stop you from picking this series up! Lisa did a phenomenal job bringing her dark undertones into the already eerie story surrounding Jessica Jones. Her characters are so likable (or just easy to empathize) even the ones you’re supposed to hate. I really enjoyed the epilogue and how such a dark thriller novel still managed to wrap up with a positive message around the ideas of beauty standards, and the pressure to belong, to learn that we really are perfect just the way we are.


Thank you Lisa Jewell, NetGalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Was not able to finish. Storyline is a bit off from what I typically read so was trying to give it a shot but couldn't keep my interest.

Another great read by Lisa Jewell. I loved the story and how it played out. I dont feel like it was over the top marvel just a touch of the marvel part in the book. I did keep guessing what was going to happen and had to re guess my original thought. It definitely was a book that kept my interest. Thank you net galley for allowing me to read and review this book