I was lucky enough to be approved for an ARC of this book. When I first heard about it, I had to have it - if Lisa Jewell knocked it out of the park with None of this is True last year, then she’s knocked it into orbit with this crime novel with a difference.

Breaking the Dark parachutes the hallmarks of a classic Lisa Jewell novel into the Marvel universe and it absolutely works on every level. I was rooting for Jessica Jones as soon as I started reading as she tries to unravel a gripping mystery that ultimately asks us what it means to be human.

Dual timelines, fully fleshed out characters and a loveable protagonist drive this novel and it is guaranteed to be a massive hit when it is published on 4 July 2024.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors. Her imagination and versatility has no bounds and this book definitely blows the imagination.. A very different book from Lisa but well worth a read. I can see a film coming on.

This is a very different style of writing for Lisa Jewell. I absolutely love all her other books and as I love Marvel this was a no brainer. The story is pacey, the characters well developed and the overall effect is a gripping read. I was expecting a little bit more marvel, but even with just a hint it made this book something very unique, I would totally recommend anyone who likes Lisa or Marvel to give this new series a try.

A a huge Lisa Jewell and Jessica Jones fan, I've never requested an ARC this quickly. I really enjoyed the dual timelines in this story, as well as the light touch storyline regarding Jessica and Luke's relationship. I struggled to visualise most of the other characters, however this isn't unusual for me when it comes to popcorn thrillers. I liked that fact this story dealt with larger social issues and how Jessica's own personal challenges were able to link into some of the key themes regarding self worth. It's a shame we didn't get more substance to Malcolm, he didn't really seem to have any skills such a tech savant or a critical talent to bring to the mix. I was secretly rooting he might be set up to become a regular character to the PI practise; sort of a KING Finders Keepers Jerome. Overall this was a really pleasant read, I enjoyed to the pacing and managed to complete this in only a few sittings.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. A Marvel story, but from Lisa Jewell, whose novels are usually firmly grounded in tales of folk who have no superpowers. I always enjoy Lisa's writing, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was gripped from page one! There isn;t a whole lot of superhero stuff in it (I'm thinking flying, superstrength, etc), which I found to be a good thing. The plot was engaging and moved along at a pace, alternating between present day and the past, which explains the present day. I'm excited to read more in the series from other authors after this.

Read from Miss Jones perspective, I loved this book and read it in two sittings. It’s about two teenagers who return from their vacation in the UK totally transformed! They are now excelling in their grades at school, their skin is absolutely flawless in their tone, and they are absolutely calm no longer playing with their phones. In a normal world, this would be considered normal but for these teenagers it’s the absolute opposite of how they were when they left the states. This obviously upsets the mother andconcerns her, so she hires a private investigator to look into what happened in the UK for the children to be so transformed.

So Jessica Jones,the investigator, follows the teenagers and notices their abnormalities. And he sent to the UK to look into it further . There she meets the father in his new house which doesn’t look untoward, however she has explainable feeling and concerns about the basement. She looks into the new friend Belle who seems to be unaware of her surroundings and unsure as to whether she’s real or not because of things that are happening to her. She can’t remember where she’s been at times and doesn’t understand why she can’t leave the house even though she wants to.

Jessica after reading into some interesting history into the town, discovers that she has probably been kidnapped and her name changed and tries to rescue her but she becomes trapped herself and transformed into the perfect person. She has been brainwashed, but because she has superpowers, she’s able to pull herself out of the revere of it. The police are called and she is rescued by her associate Malcolm who is also undercover as slyly to infiltrate the twins daily lives to see what he can find out.

She immediately comes back to the United States, home where her investigation takes her even deeper into vampirism, abductions and murders.

This book has it all and I highly recommend that you read it you will thoroughly enjoy it. I personally love Lisa Jewell and love all of her work, but this has to be her best yet.

I absolutely love Lisa Jewell’s darker novels and also Marvel so when it was announced that she would be writing a Jessica Jones X Lisa Jewell novel I was thrilled.

But … I went in with trepidation, I’ll be honest. Had I built it up too much in my head? Would it feel at all like a Lisa Jewell book?

It was more, so much more! Complex, intriguing, dark, compelling and utterly unputdownable. Lisa has this talent of drawing you into her dark world, almost lulling you in softly, softly and then bam! you’re hooked and you need to know what has happened and where this is going.

Jessica Jones is a PI, but not your ordinary PI. Jessica has powers. But after some alluded to trauma in her recent past, we find our reluctant superhero now working as a PI. Her next job … a concerned mother worried something has happened to her teenage children. They’re not missing but they’re acting differently, and they look … perfect. Jessica’s sceptical at first but after doing some sleuthing, she’s intrigued and agrees to investigate, taking the reader on a taut ride from a gritty New York to a quaint English village and back, unravelling the mystery piece by piece in an intricately woven and fast-paced plot.

Yes this is a Marvel tie-in and yes, the main protagonist is an already established character but it still has all the elements that make it quintessentially a Lisa Jewell book.

I’m bereft it’s over and now I need a sequel … and a movie!

I was blown away to receive an eARC of this much anticipated release. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone!

This is something different with a magical fairytale quality about it. I don't normally read this kind of genre but I really enjoyed it. It's extremely well done and is entertaining, whilst gripping and intriguing. I liked the visual descriptions and can imagine it being made into a film/animation.
A great start to what will hopefully be a new series, as Jessica has her own captivating story to tell.

As a fan of Lisa i was so happy to be chosen to read and review this book. The forward written by Lisa explaining why she had taken up the opportunity to write this story actually put me off, it felt like she was changing genre, and to some extent she was introducing a leading character with supposedly super hero powers although these weren’t apparent throughout the story. This covers an English country village and New York, teenagers to very very old ladies! I have to admit that I didn’t really get the gist of this story, it was a little far fetched for my tastes, a little supernatural/AI based veering from missing girls in England to teenagers acting weird in New York. Overall I enjoyed the book but not as much as the other books by this author.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

Jessica Jones travels from New York to London to find out why two teenagers are suddenly behaving oddly and believing everything is perfect. A beautiful and engaging read. Full of mystery and great characters. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

The Marvel franchise has passed me by (it's an age thing!) so that wasn't what attracted me to this. What attracted me was the author. Anything by Lisa Jewell is a must read and she hasn't let me down yet.

It isn't heavy on Marvel and you don't need to know anything about Marvel or the characters back story to follow this. There are no gaps in your knowledge. In fact it is remarkably plausible. I kept finding myself thinking 'This could happen !' I was gripped throughout. There were twists and reveals that pull you on. Jessica Jones is a flawed human which wasn't what I was expecting from a super hero. I loved her sidekick. More Malcolm please !

There are some really valid points about social media and peer pressure. Every young adult should read this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

As a Marvel fan, Jessica Jones fan and a Lisa Jewell fan, I was so excited by being approved for this ARC. The excitement continued throughout the entire book. I absolutely loved it.

Breaking the Dark is the first of 3 crime novels from the Marvel Universe, this one features Jessica Jones, a private detective.

Jessica takes on a job from a mother worried about her twins. Lark and Fox spent the summer in the UK with their father and have come home behaving strangely. In her efforts to get to the bottom of what happened, Jessica ends up on a wild journey to the UK that sees some very peculiar things occuring.

I love that Jessica Jones is a flawed character, she isn't perfect but she's relatable, and likeable. Not even superheroes are perfect! The issues in the book are very relevant in today's society as we strive toward a certain image of perfection, using technology to aid us.

It was a fantastic read and I'd highly recommend it to crime, thriller and Marvel readers.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is fascinating and deep. Jessica’s character is fascinating too. Author has splattered light upon crucial matters that have become reality of today’s world. Amber Randall sends Jessica Jones to Essex, london to find out why her twins, Fox and Lark have changed. She go to Essex and discover so many crazy things are happening there. A man is obsessed with blood and the other mystery is connected with missing girls. Everyone’s reckless and irrational things are leading to destruction of the world, they must be stopped. Will Jessica be able to save Fix and lark from bad influence? Will the evil and dangerous games with technology lead to destruction?

Thanks to the Publisher

I'm torn between what rating to give this. I have been a Lisa Jewell fan for ages and hadn't looked properly that this was a Marvel story. This made me a bit unsure but, as usual, her writing is fantastic and I was sucked in anyway.
Jessica Jones is a private investigator and is hired by Amber, who reports her teenage twins behaving oddly following their stay with dad in England. And here starts the investigation.
There were mentions of back stories I wasn't familiar with, however this was a good, if not a bit strange, standalone novel.

Many thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I loved Jessica Jones as a character and Lisa Jewell as an author so this was the perfect combination for me. It was fast paced, exciting and an interesting plot. My only niggle with it was that I didn't understand why some of it had to be set in the UK - it just didn't seem to fit with the story which would have worked just as well if all the book was set in the US.

An enjoyable read - highly recommend.

I am a fan of Lisa Jewell, but I was a bit taken aback when I realised ‘Breaking the Dark’ was set in the Marvel universe. Science fiction and superheroes are just not my thing. It transpires I was worrying unnecessarily- Jessica Jones is an archetypal Lisa Jewell heroine. She has suffered abuse and self doubt, but is able to tap into an inner strength to overcome her personal demons and help others. She may have super powers but these are used sparingly and don’t detract from her humanity. The plot is pretty crazy and requires a suspension of disbelief, but it also makes some serious points about the malignant influences of social media and the unrealistic pressures they put on young people. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this, but I did.

Whilst Lisa Jewell is an author I have loved since her debut novel, I have to say that Marvel is not something I have engaged in as a reader. In fact, I’d hardly heard of Jessica Jones and had to ask my husband for information about her character. I was intrigued by this story after hearing Lisa speak about it as how it came about.

Even though I knew nothing about Jessica’s character, I didn’t feel like this held me back from enjoying the novel. It begins in NewYork, with jessica being tasked in discovering how teenage twins have changed since visiting their father in England over the summer. This meant a relocation of plot to Essex for Jessica whilst she continues her investigating. The storyline with the twins had me gripped - just how were they so perfect? Jessica’s personal life and her interactions with the other characters also made me want to keep reading.

In conclusion, this is a Marvel novel in a Lisa Jewell style and I will (as usual) be recommending it highly. I will also be keenly awaiting a sequel!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

I love Lisa Jewell so this was an automatic request without knowing anything about it. I was surprised to discover it was a novel commissioned by marvel. Now I have enjoyed the off marvel film but would not call myself a fan so I wasn't sure this would be for me. How wrong I was, I bloody loved it! A fantastical adventure about superhero/ investigator Jessica and her involvement in a case to discover what happened to twins Lark and Fox whilst visiting their dad in the UK.

I’ve held off from rating and writing a review of this book for a couple of weeks, because I wanted to consider whether perhaps knowing anything about Marvel/ Jessica Jones would have made a difference to how I felt about the book!
Having considered it, I don’t think it would- it could perhaps have added another element (in that I knew nothing of powers/ back story/ connections) but I think the storyline on its own, along with Lisa Jewell’s great writing was enough that you didn’t have to know that.
Jessica Jones is a private investigator, hired to investigate changes in teenage twins, which happened after they’d visited their father in England. Jessica is ably assisted by the teenage Malcolm Powers, and later involves Luke (who we’re led to understand there’s a history with).
I thought the story was pretty good,the genre isn’t entirely for me, but I can appreciate where it was going. Without giving any real spoilers, it’s kind of an updated modern twist on an old story.
I’ve given it a 4/5 but it’s really a roundup from a 3.5/5. Would I read another book in this series- maybe, but I wouldn’t be in a huge hurry.