In the book Breaking the Dark, Jessica spies on Amber’s teenage son, Fox, while he is at a restaurant for his friend’s birthday dinner. She hasn’t eaten a proper meal in days, and the author goes out of her way to describe the warm, flaky bread that was served. We hope to give Jewell’s description the justice is deserves by sharing this recipe for 30-minute garlic parmesan dinner rolls courtesy of Taste of the Frontier.

Confession: I have zero interest in superheroes. My husband grew up reading a wide variety of comics, and he loves exploring the many facets of the Marvel Universe. When the movies started to come out (at an alarming rate, I might add), I tried going with him. I eventually gave up when he got annoyed at me for asking a billion questions about what was happening. If you don’t have a strong foundation of each character’s backstory in the Marvel Universe, watching the movies can be difficult.

All of that makes me either the best person in the world or the worst person in the world to review Lisa Jewell’s new book, Breaking the Dark. Jewell has taken over the Jessica Jones story line in the first crime novel of the series. While I can’t attest to how closely the book follows Jessica Jones’s life in the Marvel Universe, I can say that superhero background knowledge is not necessary to enjoy this book.

The book opens with Jessica struggling to make sense of her directionless existence.  She has left her extraordinary past and is trying to carve a new path for herself. After being subjected to mind-control at the hands of Kilgrave, who tried to get her to assassinate Daredevil, she feels outcasted from the superhero community. Jessica believes the experience will always put her on the outside of the superhero world, even as they try to assure her that she is welcome.  I promise that this is extent of the Marvel knowledge needed to read this book. Just remember: Jessica Jones = mind-controlled in the past. Oh, and please don’t come after me if you think my summary is off. Again, I haven’t read any comics, seen any TV shows, or watched any movies. I’m just going off this book.

Jessica has moved to New York City, where she opened up a private investigation business.  One day. she is visited by Amber.  Amber is an incredibly wealthy divorcee whose teenage twins just came back from spending the summer in the UK with their father.  Once they got home, however, they are acting different.  Their skin is flawless, and things that used to interest them no longer hold their attention.  They keep saying everything is, “perfect, ” and they often forget their phones. All of us parents with teenagers know that is a red flag.  Amber wants Jessica to  investigate their odd behavior to see what really went down in the UK.

Alongside Jessica’s investigation we are also introduced to Polly, a young woman who is willing to stop at nothing to quench the thirst of ambition.  One day, Polly encounters a powerful medium named Ophelia.  Convinced that she can capitalize on Ophelia’s strength, she breaks into her home to see what secrets Ophelia holds.  What she finds changes the course of her and Ophelia’s lives forever and puts her on a path to encounter Jessica Jones in the future.

I can’t really go further into the plot without revealing spoilers. However, I found this book to be really intriguing. It’s a compelling mixture of mystery and sci-fi. But, is sci-fi even the right word? What are the limits of technology, and what costs are we willing to pay to reach them? This book makes you question all of that while wrapping your head around the intriguing mystery of Amber and her two twins, Lark and Fox. Sometimes what seems beautiful is far from it, and what seems impossible is possible when you throw all morals aside.

While I suspect that Marvel fans might want more tie-ins to Jessica Jones’s history, I felt it was a good balance for those of us who are completely ignorant of her backstory. At the end of the day, Marvel and Non-Marvel fans alike can appreciate a good mystery from Lisa Jewell.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️