Bite Risk by S.J. Wills

What worked:

The opening page is sure to grab the attention of young readers. It describes Sel getting ready for the evening by tossing a bloody steak into his mother’s iron cage. This routine introduces us to a world where adults and those around the age of fifteen transform into monsters every month on Confinement Day. Everyone in Tremorglade accepts that this is the way things are and kids are responsible for taking care of the adults when they Turn. Sel’s best friend is his neighbor Elena and her teenage brother Pedro goes through the changes. Together, they begin to realize the cause of the doldrums kids experience during Confinement and it’s only the start of even more stunning discoveries.

There’s a company called Sequest that provides a wide range of products to help the citizens of Tremorglade exist among Rippers. They produce medical supplies, tranquilizer darts, and holding cells that are crucial for surviving the myriad of problems in the town. However, there are a few practices that might be invasions of privacy and Sel and her friends discover something shocking the night pigeons go crazy. An elderly friend named Harold, who is one of the very rare humans immune to the Ripper transformation, is convinced there’s a secret conspiracy that involves Sequest. Most people chalk it up to being a crazy old man but Sel and his friends slowly suspect there’s substance to what he’s saying.

There’s more to this book than readers might expect. It begins by describing a world with Rippers and then focuses on the complications in Tremorglade. The suspicions about Sequest’s motivations and policies add another layer of drama and create a mystery for the main characters to solve. Sel and Elana don’t know who can be trusted and they’re constantly worried about the welfare of their parents. The tension amps up more when an important character disappears which emphasizes the magnitude of the problem. Just when readers sense the plot may be predictable the author saves some big surprises and twists until the very end. Characters switch from allies to enemies and vice versa.

What didn’t work as well:

The timeline of events seems a little off. Confinement happens once each month and there are a number of them in the plot. However, it doesn’t feel like enough time passes between them. Also, the revelation about Tremorglade’s past doesn’t make sense when readers consider the age of the adults.

The final verdict:

This book is more than werewolves and the unexpected developments in the plot are highlights. It reinforces the fact that those people in control of information are also the ones who create reality. Overall, this book is very engaging and creative and I recommend you give it a shot.