In a world gone mad in a modern revival of the dreaded Burning Times of medieval witch hunts Deirdre Sterling, the daughter of the president of the United States walks a thin line supporting her belief in the rights of witches while doing her best not to undermine her mother's position. All the President can do is try not to make things worse. She balances between doing her best to moderate the executions while not losing her hold on power.

Deirdre's tentative efforts take an abrupt turn when she is kidnapped by one of the witches' rights extremist groups and her entire world view is blown apart when she discovers she herself is a witch, and one of great power. Her only guide in this new paradigm is a mysterious stranger who claims she is his, and that her hidden past life memories hold the power to save or condemn the world. Even worse, she and her protector have just 30 days from her Awaking to find a mystical shard that will join with the others to seal evil from the world.

In what is likely to be the penultimate book in the Awaking series, Hastings has revealed a few more secrets while ratcheting up the tension and jeopardy even higher than in the previous two books. i Although VISIONS OF CHAINS is possible to read as a stand- alone volume it is definitely a richer and more enjoyable experience when read as part of the Awaking series.