Sel has moved on after discovering a secret so big about his life in small town Tremorglade, that he and the outside world will never be the same again.

Now the effects on Tremorglade on all adult citizens at a full moon have spread far and wide, and Rippers (werewolves) appear everywhere once a month. But unlike Tremorglade’s original Rippers, now they are calm and non-violent. But many are still against them, wanting them locked up or even hunted down. Sel and his friends have a YouTube channel trying to prove to conspiracy theorists and haters that Rippers are perfectly safe. At least until they are accidentally filming when their history teacher staggers from the forest with a vicious bite.

He is not the same afterwards, along with others in Tremorglade who are showing strange bite marks. Tremorglade has become a Ripper mecca for people to visit after the Rippocalypse, and also a place for anti-Ripper groups or Immuntables. These are adults immune to the virus, stopping them becoming Rippers at the full moon.

Sel is now old enough to turn with other Rippers, but can never remember what happens when he does. When it’s discovered that only turned Rippers are the ones bitten, all Rippers are told to lock themselves up for their own safety. But something is still out there, and the gung ho Immutables with their guns, bravado and supposed right-to-keep-the-world-safe are a danger to residents too.

When another stranger arrives in town, at first Sel believes she is just another tourist. But one of Sel’s younger friends sees something suspicious. Who is she, and what does she want in Tremorglade?

As one of the group to expose Tremorglade’s secret and the mastermind behind it, Sel knows he has to investigate this new mystery. What is biting Ripper’s? Where has it come from, and what are the Immutables hiding?

This second book in the Bite Risk series is just as gripping as the first, with tons of action scenes, a terrifying creature on the loose, and the truth behind it even worse. 

There are twists and turns, great character development, and courageous kids trying to save not only their friends but their entire town. Not sure who to trust, the characters are constantly second guessing themselves, as they have been betrayed before. This time there are more entity’s involved.

Between the tourists, the anti-Ripper brigade, strangers in town and the shadow of the man who engineered it all in the first place hanging over them, Sel doesn’t know where to turn. I loved it that he turned to the people he could trust before, even though he’d fallen out with them. Realising he’d been a jerk was a great coming-of-age moment for a teen who has already had to deal with so much.

Bring on the third book! 

Author – S J Willis

Age – 12+

See a review for the 1st book in the series here

(2024, Simon & Schuster, Ripper, Werewolves, Werewolf, Series, Secrets, Lies, Betrayals, Twists & Turns, Creatures, Social Media, YouTube, Friendship, Courage, Bravery, Suspicions, Capture, Cages, Drones, Hacking, Experiment, Science, Fantasy)