Reviewed by: Sue Eaton
TITLE: The Awakening
SERIES: Jaguar of the Backward Glance #1
AUTHOR: Andrew J Peters
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 275 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 30, 2025
BLURB:
A nonstop action-packed adventure, set in the hidden world of feline shifters.
For tens of centuries, dual soul magic has endured, harnessed by an ancient king who sacrificed himself to the jaguar god. But conquest and extermination have crippled werekind. Feline shifters live in hiding, mostly solitary, and some are quietly uniting to avenge the atrocities of the past. The wereshaman, who know the sacred ritual to awaken the feline soul, are few, as are suitable subjects. A human must have a blood link to one of the five feline-worshipping tribes that now exist only in archeological artifacts and colorful myths. Feline shifters are on the brink of extinction.
None of this is known to Jacks Dowd, a twenty-one-year-old college senior who has never been able to put his finger on the reason he’s always felt so separate from other people. It’s something deeper than his gayness, though that made him an outsider in his papermill hometown in Pennsylvania and aggravated the dysfunction of his Evangelical family.
When he joins his roommates for a wild weekend in Montréal, he meets Benoit, a handsome drifter with magnetic charm and red flags galore. Their chance meeting plunges Jacks into the secret world of feline shifters, where he realizes he’s connected to ancestors who understood the power of cougar mysticism. But the world of dual soul creatures is fractured, violent, and constantly at risk of discovery by humans who would lock them up as freaks of nature. Jacks must learn how to survive, and as he’s pulled deeper into the struggles of his kind, he embarks on a breakneck adventure that will determine the future of both his shapeshifting brethren and humankind itself.
REVIEW:
This is a thrilling and deeply moving fantasy . With Jacks Dowd at its heart, this first book of The Jaguar of the Backward Glance series is a bold, myth-infused adventure that pulses with urgency, heart, and transformation.
Peters crafts a richly imagined world where ancient magic and modern fears collide. The feline shifters descendants of long-lost tribes live in hiding, hunted and fractured. Their survival depends on secrecy, and their rituals of awakening are rare and sacred. Jacks’ arrival is both a miracle and a threat, forcing him to navigate a society on the brink of extinction while coming to terms with his own transformation.
The world-building is immersive, but what sets this novel apart is how it uses fantasy to explore real-world themes: identity, alienation, and the fight for belonging. Jacks’ awakening is not just physical it’s spiritual, emotional, and political.
Jacks Dowd is the central protagonist. His role is pivotal, serving as the entry point into a hidden world of ancient magic, shapeshifting, and spiritual transformation. Jacks’ journey begins during a spontaneous trip to Montréal, where he meets Benoit, a mysterious and alluring drifter. This encounter is the catalyst that draws him into the secretive world of feline shifters beings with dual souls who can transform into big cats. Jacks discovers that he is descended from one of the five ancient feline-worshipping tribes, giving him a rare and powerful connection to the mystical jaguar god Balam. This bloodline makes him a candidate for “awakening” a sacred ritual that unlocks his werecougar identity.
At the center of Jacks’ transformation is his relationship with Benoit. What begins as a spark of attraction evolves into a bond forged through danger, trust, and shared vulnerability. Benoit is both a guide and a mystery, and their romance is as tender as it is fraught with risk.
As Jacks undergoes his transformation, he’s pulled into a fractured and endangered community of shifters. He must navigate internal divisions, external threats from a human world that would see them as monsters, and his own fears about who he is becoming.
Jacks is not just a passive observer, he becomes a symbol of hope and resistance. His personal awakening mirrors the broader struggle of the werekind to survive and reclaim their place in the world. Through him, Peters explores themes of identity, belonging, and the power of embracing one’s true self. In short, Jacks Dowd is the emotional and narrative heart of The Awakening. His journey from alienated college student to awakened werecougar is thrilling, poignant, and deeply empowering.
Jacks and Benoit are a relationship of discovery and danger. Their connection is immediate and electric. Benoit is handsome, charismatic, and enigmatic, with a charm that draws Jacks in despite the many red flags. For Jacks, who has always felt like an outsider, due to his sexuality, his strained family ties, and a deeper, unnamed sense of difference. Benoit represents both escape and possibility. Benoit is not just a romantic interest; he’s the gateway to Jacks’ transformation. Through him, Jacks is introduced to the secret world of feline shifters and the ancient magic of dual souls. Their relationship becomes the emotional and narrative spark that launches Jacks into a world of danger, mysticism, and self-discovery. As the story progresses, their relationship is tested by the violence and secrecy of the shifter world. Benoit’s past and motivations are murky, and Jacks must decide whether he can trust him. What begins as infatuation deepens into something more complex, a bond forged through shared danger, vulnerability, and transformation.
If you’re looking for a fantasy that breaks the mould, The Awakening is your next must-read. It’s fast-paced, emotionally rich, and unapologetically queer. Jacks Dowd is a hero you’ll root for, cry with, and cheer on as he claws his way toward truth and freedom.
This is the kind of book that doesn’t just awaken its characters—it awakens something in you.
RATING: 
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