Review: By the Pact by Joanna Maciejewska

Blurb:

High mages lied: Veranesh, the demon who destroyed the continent is still alive. And it's up to their former student to expose the truth—even if it means another Cataclysm.

When Kamira, a once high mage student turned arcanist, discovers an imprisoned demon in underground ruins, she is forced into a pact that grants her powerful magic, but also ties her to the very demon that once devastated the continent… and Veranesh wants his freedom.
With one friend by her side, Veelk, a mage killer bound on protecting her, Kamira will have to outwit the archmages, other demons, and possibly her own demonic benefactor to survive. Her chances are slim, but with Veelk’s ever-present sarcastic repartee, Kamira might just pull through.

Plots and schemes, power and means—sometimes the price for victory is choosing which friend will die, but when you only have one friend, the choice is… easy?

Review:

I thoroughly loved this fun, fast-paced fantasy series with an intricate plot, sprawling world building and a large cast of characters. After experimenting with a few books outside my comfort zone over the last few months, it felt good to return to something that fit my comfort zone so well that it might as well define it.

The book begins by dropping us into a world that has been ravaged by a cataclysm. Much of the knowledge about the old powers have been lost. Over the centuries, the society has been taught that the demons and demonologists were the villains responsible for the devastations of the past, and the mages are the defenders of humanity. However, from very early on, it becomes apparent that there is quite a bit more to the story and the order of mages may not quite be the paragons of virtue they claim to be.

Our protagonist, Kamira Altrainne, is a girl from the noble society of Tivarashan, who was training to be a mage. But unwilling to bow before the unscrupulous demands of the high mages, she parts ways and embraces a different, unconventional path - that of an arcanist, one who draws power from a demon, through a mutually agreed pact.  With her companion Veelk, she travels around, scavenging artifacts from the old world - a wandering demonologist for hire.

An unexpected encounter with a powerful demon, Veranesh, who was long thought to be either vanquished or destroyed, changes the trajectory of her life. And Kamira realizes that at long last, she might have the power she needs to take the revenge she has been longing for. The only caveat is that the demon’s blessing comes with strings attached. If she succeeds in fulfilling her end of the bargain, she might end up leading the world towards another cataclysm.

While Kamira remains the focus of the story, we also see events unfold from the perspective of many different characters. Between the high mages competing for positions of power, the Devanshari people struggling to deal with their addiction of magic and demons unhappy with the precarious power balance in their society, this relatively short novel covers a lot of ground, weaving in many closely related tangents. 

I especially enjoyed the quest of Devanshari refugees recovering from the loss of Hajihali - an artifact that had protected them from the demon hordes in the past, at the cost of making them reliant on magic forever. While I found myself rooting for the benevolent prince Allyv, I will be looking forward to seeing how the story evolves further in the next book, with the three different factions competing to arrive at a solution. Irrespective of who wins, they are all racing against time, because the demons are forming an alliance which may just be powerful enough to pose a real threat to Veranesh. 

Some of the key players of the game make their appearance only towards the very end, and it is clear that Kamira, Veelk, Allyv and Ryell, all have an uphill battle ahead of them. To face what is coming, humanity will need a unified front - whether that becomes possible with the towers of deception tumbling down, remains to be seen. 

While it needs some effort to keep track of all the ongoing tangents, and the many characters, I found the presentation and pacing to be fun and enjoyable. I picked this book on a whim, but it was great to discover an author who cares about all the things that I have come to enjoy in a work of fiction.