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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lisa Jewell's Breaking the Dark marks an ambitious step into the Marvel Universe, blending her signature psychological suspense with a supernatural crime thriller. While I didn't love this book as much as I hoped, I still found it intriguing and engaging enough to keep turning the pages.
I'll be honest-the supernatural elements didn't quite grip me the way I had expected. It's been a while since that genre truly fascinated me, and while Breaking the Dark had its eerie moments, l couldn't connect with it enough to give it a full five-star rating. However, Jewell's writing is as compelling as ever, which kept me invested even when the plot veered into the more fantastical.
The story follows Jessica Jones, the gritty, no-nonsense private investigator and former superhero, as she takes on a chilling case involving a mother convinced that something unnatural has happened to her teenage twins. The premise is undeniably intriguing, and the book evokes an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you guessing. However, I found the execution to be a bit uneven. Some parts felt rushed, and the ending didn't pack the punch I was hoping for.
For those unfamiliar with Jessica Jones, this book provides enough context to follow along without prior knowledge of the character. That said, longtime fans might find themselves wishing for a bit more depth in her backstory. The pacing is solid, with short chapters that make for a quick read, but at times, it leans more toward YA territory than a hard-hitting thriller.
Overall, Breaking the Dark is an entertaining, darkly atmospheric read that some will love and others may find a bit out of place within Jewell's usual style. It's not a Lisa Jewell classic, but it's still a fun ride. If you're a Marvel fan or enjoy crime stories with a supernatural twist, it's worth picking up-but maybe don't run for it.
What I Liked:
*Fast-paced with short chapters
*Intriguing premise
*Strong atmosphere and suspense
What I Didn't Like:
x Lacked major twists
x Felt more YA than expected
x Ending was somewhat predictable
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Lisa Jewell's Breaking the Dark marks an ambitious step into the Marvel Universe, blending her signature psychological suspense with a supernatural crime thriller. While I didn't love this book as much as I hoped, I still found it intriguing and engaging enough to keep turning the pages.
I'll be honest-the supernatural elements didn't quite grip me the way I had expected. It's been a while since that genre truly fascinated me, and while Breaking the Dark had its eerie moments, l couldn't connect with it enough to give it a full five-star rating. However, Jewell's writing is as compelling as ever, which kept me invested even when the plot veered into the more fantastical.
The story follows Jessica Jones, the gritty, no-nonsense private investigator and former superhero, as she takes on a chilling case involving a mother convinced that something unnatural has happened to her teenage twins. The premise is undeniably intriguing, and the book evokes an unsettling atmosphere that keeps you guessing. However, I found the execution to be a bit uneven. Some parts felt rushed, and the ending didn't pack the punch I was hoping for.
For those unfamiliar with Jessica Jones, this book provides enough context to follow along without prior knowledge of the character. That said, longtime fans might find themselves wishing for a bit more depth in her backstory. The pacing is solid, with short chapters that make for a quick read, but at times, it leans more toward YA territory than a hard-hitting thriller.
Overall, Breaking the Dark is an entertaining, darkly atmospheric read that some will love and others may find a bit out of place within Jewell's usual style. It's not a Lisa Jewell classic, but it's still a fun ride. If you're a Marvel fan or enjoy crime stories with a supernatural twist, it's worth picking up-but maybe don't run for it.
What I Liked:
*Fast-paced with short chapters
*Intriguing premise
*Strong atmosphere and suspense
What I Didn't Like:
x Lacked major twists
x Felt more YA than expected
x Ending was somewhat predictable
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I’m not a Marvel fan but I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell books so wanted to give this a go. It took me a good few chapters to get into but after that I was hooked. I particularly loved the closing chapter. I don’t think I’ll be picking up any other Marvel books any time soon but I’m thrilled I stuck with this one. As a mother of two small children it really plays on my fears of growing up in a world of smart phones & I found the concept fascinating. I never should have doubted that Lisa Jewell couldn’t make me love a Marvel book.
Hold up, you’re telling me Marvel recruited a NYT Bestselling author to write a dark CRIME THRILLER for my girl, Jessica Jones? The same Jessica Jones that Netflix & Disney did so dirty by not bringing her series back like they did for Daredevil?? That Jessica Jones?? I’m in!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I just finished this book and wanted to share my immediate thoughts since I have some mixed feelings. I am a Marvel/Jessica Jones fan (and a Lisa Jewell fan!) so I was very curious to see how this novel would turn out.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a little disappointing regarding the Marvel/superhero part of things. In my opinion, if you didn’t already know who Jessica Jones & Luke Cage were and what their backgrounds and super powers were… it was never really explained. I found it to be very lack luster in terms of there being superheroes with powers as it was only mentioned a couple of times and didn’t add anything to the story.
Marvel/superhero stuff aside I found the storyline interesting and her PI adventures to be intriguing to follow along with even if it was pretty far fetched.
I liked that there was a diverse variety of characters including some side ones with great personality. There seemed to be some things in the story that weren’t really necessary and didn’t make sense but I still enjoyed my time reading it to see what happened.
Overall I think Lisa Jewell should stick to thrillers and Marvel should stick to comics or on screen adaptions lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Lisa Jewell is a well known must-read thriller author. Breaking the Dark is a different type of book for her. It is a super-hero, crime, female detective book and I enjoyed it all. As I started the book, I was not sure how I would feel about stepping out of what I expected from Lisa Jewell to read a different type of book. I enjoyed every word, chapter, and page. I could not wait to find time to read more, even if it was just a few more pages. I am excited to continue this series. The Marvel Series might just be one of my favorites.
Jessica Jones is a detective searching for answers on why the twins came home from visiting their father as different kids. I was so invested in figuring out the why and the how. The small-town Jessica visited was full of secrets and villains. I love putting the clues together, seeing Jessica figure it out, and solve the crime.
Jessica Jones is a detective searching for answers on why the twins came home from visiting their father as different kids. I was so invested in figuring out the why and the how. The small-town Jessica visited was full of secrets and villains. I love putting the clues together, seeing Jessica figure it out, and solve the crime.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes