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A review by raychelbennet
Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
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.
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
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Transphobia
Minor: Alcohol