This Article is by Guest Writer Cathaleen Quinones As someone who's been out of the Magic loop for several years, I found it somehow refreshing to read a book and really enjoy a character as much, if not more so than the actual story line itself. Although this book starts out a little slow, once the main character, Chandra, gets out of the monastery in Regatha and on her way pursuing the stolen scroll, which she had already gone through so much trouble stealing herself, the story really takes off.

Chandra, a fire wielding, hot tempered, planeswalker from somewhere in the Multiverse, is sent to steal a scroll on another plane and bring it back to Regatha so that the monks can finish examining it and learn it's secrets. Even before she leaves, she finds out that she is being pursued by an official in the city and although she's not sure why, she thinks she has a pretty good idea. After several attempts at her life by some of the more angry creatures on Regatha, Chandra starts her journey in pursuit of the mysterious scroll.

This is where the book picks up. You learn things about Chandra, like just how careless and immature she is, and also, just how determined, and powerful she is. In Chandra's feistiness, she manages to catch things on fire (people too), blow things up, scald people with boiling water, create walls of fire, and did I mention blow things up?

After she blows up the Sanctum of Stars, gets captured, gets tortured, and finally escapes, she accidentally winds up in a miserable dark plane that is ruled by a vampire who sucks the life force out of people in order to stay alive. Unfortunately for Chandra, this means that only Black mana is available and she cannot work her magic because she thrives on Red mana. At this point, she and her unwanted, yet handsomely welcomed, companion Gideon have to find a way to kill this vampire prince in order to access the Red mana that they need in order to planeswalk -- and you should see how they do it. After all the blood had fallen, they were able to planeswalk back to Regatha, but Chandra is empty handed.

She goes back to the monastery where they lay siege to capture Chandra and at this point you start learning hints of Chandra's past and why she is so secretive about it. She decides to turn herself in and this is really the only point in the book that refers to the 'purifying fire'. The leader wants to put Chandra in it so that he can reap the benefits of it, but after Chandra learns how to live through it, thanks to Gideon, she not only survives it but she blows the place up. Did I mention that she blows stuff up?