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Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26Strixhaven University welcomes you. Begin your magical studies on a faraway plane, encountering new friends, mysteries, and dangers, in this fantastical dark academia.
Eula Blue was supposed to be a mage. That was before the war came—before the fight for the Multiverse devastated Eula’s home, and with it her hopes for a magical education.
But the destruction of the war also brought something new: the ability to travel to other planes. And when Eula receives an invitation to study magic at a distant school called Strixhaven, she leaps to take it.
Eula’s journey brings her closer than she ever thought possible to her fellow students, including the mysterious Segante, a boy whose secrets Eula longs to share. But not everyone is thrilled by the arrival of the new class, and Eula and her new friends quickly become targets.
To make it through their first semester, they’ll have to fight for their place in this new world—or else they’ll be dead before their final exams.
Eula Blue was supposed to be a mage. That was before the war came—before the fight for the Multiverse devastated Eula’s home, and with it her hopes for a magical education.
But the destruction of the war also brought something new: the ability to travel to other planes. And when Eula receives an invitation to study magic at a distant school called Strixhaven, she leaps to take it.
Eula’s journey brings her closer than she ever thought possible to her fellow students, including the mysterious Segante, a boy whose secrets Eula longs to share. But not everyone is thrilled by the arrival of the new class, and Eula and her new friends quickly become targets.
To make it through their first semester, they’ll have to fight for their place in this new world—or else they’ll be dead before their final exams.
- GenresFantasy
432 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 7, 2026
2 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Seanan McGuire
508 books17.2k followersHi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).
I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 6, 2026
So, I am someone who is vaguely aware of Magic lore, and once attended a Magic convention to watch the live D+D session that the BG3 cast was doing. This got me interested in deeper Magic lore, and honestly, I think WotC chose the best possible author to bridge the two worlds. Seanan already is great at doing magical boarding school, and that's one of the best ways you can use as a worldbuild rapid download, and I now know way more about Magic lore than I did before. I would absolutely read more of this cohort if more were greenlit. Extremely here for this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I picked up Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos because I’ve grown deeply invested in Magic: the Gathering lore and was hoping for an exciting, magic-rich story. Instead, the novel delivers a dull coming-of-age narrative featuring young adults who read more like children, set in a magic school that showcases surprisingly little actual magic.
Everything about Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos is stiff and rigid. The characters speak and move around the world like cardboard cutouts of the Planes they’re from and the dialogue is stilted. There are times when there were pages of text between one character asking a question and another answering.
While Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos includes a significant amount of worldbuilding it comes at the expense of an interesting story and engaging characters. The characters are walking representations of their Planes with no other personality or traits.
The novel devotes much of its attention to exploring cultural differences among the characters and the issue with the Planeswalkers. However, given how the story ultimately concludes, Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos would have benefited from being told from a Planeswalker’s perspective, as this central conflict is emphasized throughout the novel yet results in little meaningful plot progression.
Overall, Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos prioritizes rigid worldbuilding and thematic concepts over compelling storytelling, leaving both its characters and plot feeling underdeveloped. While longtime Magic: the Gathering fans may appreciate the lore on display, readers looking for a dynamic, magic-driven narrative are likely to come away disappointed.
***I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Everything about Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos is stiff and rigid. The characters speak and move around the world like cardboard cutouts of the Planes they’re from and the dialogue is stilted. There are times when there were pages of text between one character asking a question and another answering.
While Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos includes a significant amount of worldbuilding it comes at the expense of an interesting story and engaging characters. The characters are walking representations of their Planes with no other personality or traits.
The novel devotes much of its attention to exploring cultural differences among the characters and the issue with the Planeswalkers. However, given how the story ultimately concludes, Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos would have benefited from being told from a Planeswalker’s perspective, as this central conflict is emphasized throughout the novel yet results in little meaningful plot progression.
Overall, Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos prioritizes rigid worldbuilding and thematic concepts over compelling storytelling, leaving both its characters and plot feeling underdeveloped. While longtime Magic: the Gathering fans may appreciate the lore on display, readers looking for a dynamic, magic-driven narrative are likely to come away disappointed.
***I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews