Audiobook Review: A Werewolf in Riverdale by Caleb Roehrig

Move over, Riverdale, there’s a new take on the Archie-verse in town and it’s just as full of your fav characters and drama! See why A Werewolf in Riverdale is the perfect addition for classic Archie AND Riverdale fans!

A Werewolf in Riverdale (Archie Horror #1)

by Caleb Roehrig
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
on April 7, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Horror
IndieBound, Audible
Goodreads

Who is the Riverdale Ripper? And why is Jughead waking up covered in blood?
Based on the original Archie Comics characters!

Everyone knows the characters from Riverdale: popular Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, angsty Jughead Jones, and the sophisticated Veronica Lodge. But this is not the Riverdale you know and love. Something twisted has awoken in the town with pep. Inspired by the iconic Archie Horror comics, this reimagined universe takes the grittiness of the TV show and adds a paranormal twist.

Someone is killing the citizens of Riverdale. And after a bloody full moon, Jughead realizes he is the killer! Jughead is a werewolf. Can he keep this secret from his friends -- including werewolf-hunting Betty Cooper? Jughead has to get his dark side under control -- before it is controlling him.

The Archie Horror series contains all-new, original stories that fans of horror AND fans of Riverdale will eat up!

Review

The Archie-verse is multifaceted. You have the comics you’re likely most familiar with, plus a modern version with many spin offs (Katy Keene! Kevin Keller! Josie and the Pussycats! Betty & Veronica!). There’s Riverdale, Katy Keene, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for TV. And, if you like things a little darker, there’s Archie After Dark and Archie Horror. 

Enter A Werewolf in Riverdale, the first Archie Horror tie-on novel.In talking to Caleb, he shared that Werewolf ties into Jughead: The Hunger, a comic series. What I love about this alternative universe is that the characters maintain the things we love about them most. In Werewolf, Archie is tripping over his feet and making awkward entrances. Jughead is hungry. Reggie is…Reggie. And Ronnie is aloof but you know under it all, she’s a good person. We also see familiar characters in the verse, like Kevin Keller, and Bingo Jones (a character from way back) plays a central role in the story.

And Betty? Of course, she’s doing everything she can for her friends in the form of a werewolf hunter. Not going to lie – I totally want to go to her training gym. I appreciate that she and Archie are doing that are-we-or-aren’t-we and there’s some hint of the inevitable love triangle with Veronica, too. 

A Werewolf in Riverdale opens with an ominous feeling and a run through a graveyard. Surely nothing good can come of this, and no one is safe. Caleb balances the feel of the Archie-verse (friendship, small town familiarity) with the horror we’ve come to know him of. Oh, and there’s a good amount of snark, too. At the end of the first part, there’s a perfect quip that had me laughing out loud on a bike ride. I imagined Caleb typing with a sly smile. Ramón de Ocampo (who you may recognize from his extensive tv/movie/theater/audiobook parts) brings Jughead to life in a way that keeps you firmly in the story.

Werewolf is a solid start to the tie-in verse, with fans of Archie finding familiarity while looking for something a little different. I can’t wait to see what comes in Interview with the Vixen (and I hope we see more Caleb in Riverdale, with an ending like that!).