A Review of "The Scribbled Victims"

Introduction

Author Robert Tomoguchi sent me a .mobi file of The Scribbled Victims in exchange for an honest review, and because it's the first of its kind that I've reviewed on Bitty Book Nook, I'm excited to say that I enjoyed it! The novel was a twisted tale of empathy, comedy, and self-discovery, and I was extremely pleased with it, particularly because I think it's hard to nail vampire novels.

My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: "Living the immortal life of a vampire hasn't been easy for Yelena Solodnikova. With all her heart, she loved the ancient vampire Marcel who made her, and expected to spend eternity with him. But after over a century together, Marcel disappeared without a word, leaving Yelena brokenhearted. To make things more difficult, Yelena goes completely against the nature of her vampiric race by developing a conscience and begins to feel guilt for all the mortals she kills each night in Los Angeles.

A chance encounter with twelve year old orphan Orly Bialek changes everything for Yelena, as Orly has a supernatural gift. Orly is able to scribble portraits of people and see the evil deeds they have committed. With Orly's ability to find predators of all sorts--murderers, rapists, drug dealers--roaming the streets of Los Angeles, she is able to provide Yelena a way to feed without feeling guilty even when the deaths are violent and torturous.

The pair bonds quickly, forming a mother/daughter relationship and this begins to heal Yelena's broken heart while allowing Orly, who has lived in a string of foster homes, to feel loved for the first time. It's the perfect symbiotic relationship except for one thing--Orly is rapidly dying of leukemia.

If Yelena allows Orly to die, she will lose the daughter she has come to love as well as the guilt-free meals she's grown accustomed to. But if Yelena saves Orly's life by turning her into a vampire, not only will she be going against the rules of vampiric tradition, she will be dooming Orly to an eternal existence devoid of true romantic love, as Orly will always appear to those around her, both mortals and immortals alike, as untouchable, as she will forever be trapped in the body of a child." (via Goodreads)

Thoughts and Comments

Pros

Tomoguchi does an incredible job at bringing Los Angeles to life. I visited the city within the month, and I believe that he truly captured the essence of the City of Angels.
Throughout the novel, there is a repeated concept of a vampire's ability to cry blood, which I thought was interesting.
The narration is written in a unique way that a reader doesn't typically see in modern times--it's written like a third-person story is being told from a first-person narrative (a la The Great Gatsby), and in my opinion, it made the novel more personable and allowed the reader to create a greater empathy link with the characters.
The psychological similarities that the main character, Yelena, ties between love and murder is both strange and enthralling, and it was a really cool concept to watch her struggle with.
Tomoguchi illustrates the vampire-food relationship by saying that a vampire's heightened senses cause food to be more delicious rather than the traditional dry, dusty sensation that a vampire would get from human food, and I found it to be very charming indeed.
The gore in the novel is ample, but not unrealistic, which is commendable.
The relationships between vampires are comedic and almost satirical of typical LA relationships.
The mixing of traditional vampire lore with modern-day tribulations (like, for example, the pretentiousness of art museums) is both nostalgic for vampire fans and delightful for readers of modern literature.
My favorite part of the entire novel was that Tomoguchi was consistently an honest writer. I could tell from the first chapter that when he writes, he writes for himself, and I truly believe that such an act is deserving of great respect.

Cons

The biggest issue that I had is with the novel is that there are consistent grammar and syntax issues, and while I can see some readers getting used to it after reading for a while, I found it to be constantly distracting.
One of the biggest themes of the novel is about Orly's psychic abilities, but when the abilities were first introduced, I felt completely lost. I had no idea what was going on--it felt very sudden and jarring.
This is neither here nor there, and it certainly didn't count against the rating that I gave the novel, but because it's a warning, I felt like it would belong in the cons rather than the pros--the novel is filled with adult themes. There are many sexual situations, as well as an abundance of violence, so if you are particularly sensitive to that, I would take heed before deciding to read this book.

Conclusion

The Scribbled Victims is a classic vampire novel with a modern spin on it, and I found it to be incredibly well-told! Vampire fans will not want to miss out on this read! Mr. Tomoguchi, thank you for giving me the opportunity to review your work! I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

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