Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Killing Eve: Codename Villanelle

It's difficult to rate this without taking into consideration the show--Killing Eve. The only reason I picked up these novellas is to read more Killing Eve content and potentially parse out where I thought season 4 might lead. Instead, this was very reminiscent of r/menwritingwomen and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Here are a few of my major critiques and notes I made while reading:
-Eve is only 29 in the novella--very interesting decision to age her up. I wonder if they were wanting an older actress to begin with or they felt Sandra Oh was the best fit and just went with it. Either way, I think the significant age different works best for their dynamic
-Villanelle has a COMPLETELY different backstory. We are given it in the first handful of pages in the books as opposed to season 3 in the show. I think that would significantly affect how a person responds to Villanelle's violence. As awful as the content was, I do prefer the show's background. It made more sense with show V's characterizations.
-Anna again is different. Sexual assault warning with her--not by V!! I'm interested to see if she's going to be brought up again.
-One quote in particular about Eve left a bad taste in my mouth: "Do you think I should do something about, you know, the way I dress? That female intuition comment makes me worried I'm sending the wrong message?" Ew. Eve does not need feedback like that. She eats misogynistic men who view women as objects for breakfast.
-Eve is VERY self conscious of her looks. Very distracting based on Sandra Oh standards and how she acts in the show
-Transphobia is BORING Luke Jennings. BORING. There's a "ladyboy" minor character named Janie where some pointless and cringy transphobic language is used. Totally unnecessary.

Overall, I am disappointed and underwhelmed. There's a good chance I will read the rest of the novellas just to see where they go, but I'm left very happy that PWB and the rest of the female writers had a hand in the TV show rather than Luke Jennings.

Content Warnings

maddawg's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

sommer22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For Killing Eve fans, this book roughly follows the plot of season 1. There are large details and plot and character aspects that were changed upon adaptation, in my opinion for the better. Whereas Codename Villanelle reads like James Bond fitted with a fresh, unique and murderous protagonist that is much more plot-driven, Killing Eve is a lot more introspective, especially when concerning Eve's subplot and her reactions and emotions concerning Villanelle. The relationship between them is the key difference between the source material and the adaptation, and I would say the thing I missed most from this. I kind of missed out on Villanelle's motivation to mess with Eve besides protecting herself, and I miss the complexity in her character beyond a sociopathic, opulent killer as well. However, Codename is still a very satisfying and enthralling spy thriller. I usually judge mysteries/thrillers by if they motivate me to read the rest of the series, and in this case, I definitely do (both the Codename series and Killing Eve)

Content Warnings

fionac326's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Content Warnings

bronzeageholly's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Content Warnings

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