Teenager Terra Slater’s life is turned upside down when she discovers she is a golem, a creature constructed from mud and magic by a fugitive warlock named Cyrus Quill. When mysterious bounty hunter Thorne Wilder comes to town, Terra and Thorne must team up to master Terra’s magic and find Quill before any harm can come to Terra and Quill’s other golem’s.

Woven from Clay was a very cute read. I enjoyed the premise and thought it was unique to center a story around golem’s — creatures that rarely get the main character treatment in fantasy novels. Before diving in, my knowledge of golem’s was strictly limited to Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge so I was delighted to learn more about their mythology. I am also a big fan of contemporary fantasy, and loved the juxtaposition between Terra’s teenage life vs. her magical roots.

Unfortunately, I was a bit underwhelmed with the romance. Thorne’s feelings towards Terra seemed to change on a dime and I think having his POV would have been helpful to know when those emotions actually shifted. Without it, it just seemed like he hated her then quickly flip flopped into liking her once they started actually talking. Also, I know he was dealing with some revelations of his own but the way he would ghost her when she needed him felt immature to me.

Overall, I would suggest this book to YA fantasy lovers and think it will be a breezy, magical read for the autumn!

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! The characters were intriguing and easy to connect with! I did find the plot to be a bit slow to actually become the focus of the book though the ending was well wrapped up! Overall I enjoyed this one and found it to have a fun unique premise! Definitely recommend checking it out!

3.75 out of 5 stars!

This was so good. I was enthralled. I did find some of it to be unethical but it's a book so we can explore those feelings.
I'll be reading more books by this author.

Woven From Clay is a beautiful YA fantasy filled with magic and adventure. Terra Slater is the perfect high school student; on student council, in school plays, A student, volleyball player, and good student. When she’s tasked to show around new student Thorne Wilder, Terra’s senior year is turned upside down.

Terra’s world is rocked at the discovery she is a golem, created by a warlock who is loved in her town for bringing families together through adoption. She and Thorne must try to work together to prove Terra’s humanity and, although created, the magic inside of her is alive.

Jenny Birch has created a magic system filled with so much love and creativity! The golems, their magic system, witches, warlocks, all of it was beautiful and simply presented. I loved all the earth names for characters. Terra was a wonderful character, and I loved following her self-discovery. I wish we could have seen more of the other golems and how they handled all the events that unfolded.

There was one thing I did not like about this book. Brick, after being rejected by Terra, was rude, cruel, and showed a terrible display of character, sounding entitled to a relationship with Terra because they have been friends since childhood. Highschoolers can be cruel. But no one called him out for his shitty behavior toward Terra rejecting him. He never apologizes. Terra thinks HE needs to forgive her. For a book about love, acceptance, friendship, and family, this was not a good message.

This was my first book about golem's so I am unsure if I just didn't enjoy this concept or if it was the execution. However, I did enjoy the writing and the atmosphere which is usually a big factor for me.

Such a clever and creative storyline. I was intrigued to read a book about golems and this one kept me interested from the beginning to end. It definitely didn't play out the way I expected which is great. I love to not know how a story will roll out completely.

Terra is our main character and the changes she goes through over the course of this story were beautiful and flowed naturally. But there is just so much that happened that I can't even summarize it. I just found that it was such a solid story and had a good message about how people judge others for "being less" when they are actually so much more - - at least that is one of the things I came away with.

I really enjoyed this author's writing style and hope she will bring more stories like this to life.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audiobook was done quite well, and I listened to it and finished it in one day. 4 1/2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

A light, YA/teen read with a FMC who finds out she is a Golem. It definitely did feel very middle school read with a lot of things that just happened with no context. I listed to this as an audiobook and thought the narrator fit the role well.

I think this would be a good book for me as a young kid and the people that say this is twilight-esque, the “new mysterious boy in town” yes. The rest no.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This story gave me major throwback vibes to the YA series I grew up loving, like Twilight and Vampire Academy.

It was really unique though - I don’t think I have come across a book with a golem FMC before! It definitely leans younger and is perfect if you’re in the mood for that middle or high school style of YA

I have to say, the cover is amazing!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the ARC.

3.5/5 for Woven From Clay

Thank you so much St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books for the arc!

Woven From Clay had a very unique plot and it was very easy to read. I think it would be perfect for a -new to fantasy- reader. There's just the right amount of magic, and a very charming romance between MC's. I feel like this would have hit HARD for 16 year old Laura (and 32 year old Laura enjoyed it too).
A journey of self discovery, the coming into one's own power, and a sweet first love romance made for the perfect YA read.

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

What a unique premise!!! This follows Terra, a normal if not overachieving high school senior who just wants to have a great year. Enter Thorne, a mysterious new kid, who wants nothing more than to get in Terra's way and keeps spouting off weird nonsense that she doesn't understand. She also can't understand why there is mud everywhere she goes either and why Thorne is so interested in Mr. Quill the nice old guy in town that is like everyone's grandpa. Thorne opens Terra's eyes to the world of magic and exposes himself and Mr. Quill as warlocks. Turns out Mr. Quill is kind of like everyone's grandpa as he created golems, hence the mud, for all of the families in town under the guise of adoption. Terra quickly comes to understand that some of her feelings around being adopted are warranted, but not because she was abandoned by her birth parents, but because she was created. Thorne was sent on a mission from his guild, but Terra changes that mission so she can save herself, Mr. Quill, and those like her. She has to work with Thorne to prove that she can control magic and is a force for good. In doing so she uncovers a vengeance plot within the guild that Terra and Thorn have to stop if they want to save the other golems.

This had some really great commentary about adoption, loneliness, inadequacy, friendship, abandonment, and finding your place in the world. I didn't know this was a YA book when I picked it up, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult. I also think this would be great for middle grade and YA readers as well. The magic system was well explained, there is no graphic content (there is some kissing), it has diverse characters, the pacing is great, and the plot was entertaining.

Terra is set to start her senior year of high school and have it be the best ever — full of friends, family and achievements she has meticulously laid out. However all that changes when Thorne rolls into town glowering and harassing her about things she knows nothing about. As he inserts himself into her life, Terra is forced to face a truth about herself — the fact that she is a golem and there is a greater world of magic existing in her community. As Terra learns to embrace this news and the dangers it triggers, she is also faced with new feelings toward Thorne. Will she come out on the other side of this or will mud and old biases prevail?

I enjoyed this novel as it definitely explores a different kind of paranormal vibe in a contemporary setting. It also has a deep connection to issues of belonging and how this relates to being an adopted child. It really focuses on the good nature of people and how positive acts can truly make a difference. If you need a book about finding ones’ place in the world while also spreading kindness and understanding, this feel good, light romance is for you! I enjoyed. 4 stars.

This is an honest review based on a digital Advanced Readers Copy provided by St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a contemporary fantasy that blends magic, identity, and love into a heartfelt story. It follows Terra, a girl who discovers she isn’t human but a golem bound by magic, and how that revelation changes everything she thought she knew about herself and her future.

What I really loved about this book was the way it explored self-worth and humanity. The high school setting was the perfect backdrop for this kind of story, because it’s such a universal time of questioning who you want to be versus who others expect you to be. I found myself instantly connecting to that, even picturing my own high school while reading. The magic system was another highlight. It had familiar mechanics but added just enough unique twists to feel fresh and fascinating without being confusing. I especially loved the relationships: Terra’s connections with her friends, her bond with her creator, and the gentle enemies-to-lovers dynamic between her and Thorne all made the story feel rich and layered.

There honestly wasn’t anything I disliked. For me, this story worked beautifully on every level.

Overall, I found this to be a gorgeous, emotional read about love, humanity, and finding your place in the world. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven fantasy with magic, romance, and heartfelt themes of belonging.

DNF. I really wanted to like this book as I’m interested in golem lore, but I just found it too ridiculous. The whole turning to clay thing just weirded me out too much. And it was so obvious that all the other children were also golems given their earthy names, it was too on the nose and I just kept rolling my eyes

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ugh, that hurt to read. I probably should have DNFed. Overall the main plot just felt like the author picked up a picture book about magic once and decided to write her own. The use of gollum lore, which is very richly and deeply embedded in Judaism, but then zero reference to any of said deep rich history or even bothering to mention anything Jewish? Awful. And then twice very randomly the author dropped in that the guild witches were following “Wiccan law”… I’m sorry but there’s absolutely nothing Wiccan about this story or the magic structures. Just another stolen point represented with zero background knowledge.

The writing wa dust mediocre at best as well. The character names were so trite and unnecessary (Brick? Clay? Gaia? Terra? Ugggghhhhhh). The characters all felt shallow and lacked any emotional depth. The romantic relationships all felt weird and forced. The plot dragged immensely and the climax felt predictable and therefore dull. Overall just not a book I wish I had spent time on.

Just as Terra is getting ready to have the best Senior year ever, she finds out that she and the other adopted kids in her town aren't human. They're golems created by Cyrus Quill, a warlock on the run, hunted by dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder, who wants to use Terra's connection to Quill to hunt him down and have him face his death sentence. But if Quill dies, so do Terra and all the other golems tied to his magic. After Terra convinces Thorne and his coven to give her a chance to prove that Quill's creations are fully human by mastering the magic within her, the unexpected alliance she finds with Thorne grows to be something deeper. She'll have to find the true depth of her humanity and love to save them all.

It's an interesting story, and there is so much humanity in all the golems and the small town they live in that you can't help but connect with them even as the story focuses on just Terra and Thorne. You get to see a little bit of all their lives, which gives Terra the best kind of motivation and readers another reason to want her to succeed.

I really enjoyed the magic system and how Terra and Thorne explore the magic around them. It's a great way to show connections, and it puts her in a position to see how much she has going for her, despite the feeling of loneliness she often experiences from being adopted. I appreciate its emphasis on giving and taking to get things done instead of it just being an all-powerful thing. And the way that Terra ends up recharging after using magic is a cute tie-back to her being a golem, which is just one of many fun little details Birch sprinkles in between the ticking-clock urgency of her mission.

One thing I didn't particularly enjoy was mostly on me, as I dislike how overly dramatic YA can get. I understand that teenagers are all in their feelings and tend to take everything way too seriously, but toning that element just a tiny bit down would have made this a perfect read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the fun and emotional read!

Woven from Clay brought me back to my pre-teen years when I devoured every possible young adult paranormal romance book. New, mysterious boy in town? Check. A main character who learns secrets about her identity? Check.

This story follows Terra, a perfectly normal girl–or so she thought. After a new guy, Thorne comes to town, she soon finds out she is a golem which means she was crafted from mud and magic by a warlock. Only the warlock who crafted her is a fugitive on the run. If the witches catch him, they will sentence him to death… and his golems because they are tied to his magic. Terra must prove to Thorne and his coven that she can master the magic within her or else her life, and the other golems, is forfeit.

Woven from Clay was a fun, entertaining read. I’m not rating it higher because I didn’t feel fully invested in the story. The characters didn’t grip me as much as I’d like. If you’re interested in a lighthearted book reminiscent of the older YA paranormal books, check this book out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

This one surprised me- in a good way! Woven from Clay is a beautifully atmospheric paranormal fantasy with a slow-burn romance, a unique magic system, and a main character you genuinely root for. It’s got that quiet, haunting charm that sneaks up on you and pulls you in before you realize how invested you are.

The story explores identity, belonging, and power through a lens of magical realism, with golems, witches, and mysterious origins all wrapped up in a suspenseful plot. I especially appreciated how grounded the magic felt—it wasn’t flashy, but rather deeply woven into the world and characters (pun intended). The emotional layers, particularly around the main character’s discovery of what she really is, added so much depth.

There are a few pacing issues, and I did find myself wanting a bit more from the male lead, his behavior toward the protagonist was hard to warm up to at times. Still, the strong writing and immersive worldbuilding kept me turning the pages, and the ending gave just enough resolution while leaving the door open for more.

If you enjoy thoughtful fantasy with a little romance and a lot of heart, this one’s worth picking up. I’ll definitely be watching to see what Jennifer Birch writes next.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fresh new premise on supernatural creatures! Terra is a golem, made out of mud and magic, crafted by a warlock who is on the run from a witches' coven. When one of the witches comes after Terra in order to find out where this warlock is hiding, her life is upended and everything she thought she knew thrown into question.

I enjoyed this book's creative premise, when all the other supernatural books seem to focus only on vampires and werewolves. A golem is an entirely new kind of creature and magic, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a new type of supernatural entity.

The magic was described in such a cool and descriptive prose, very lyrical.

The relationship and character development aspects in this book were very strong. The entire premise of Terra's magic is built on her relationships with her friends and fellow golems. Her strong emotions tying her to these people is literally what allows her to see and develop her magic, as well as her sense of self along the way.

I did like both the main characters, Terra and Thorne. The chemistry felt a bit forced to me, especially with how rude Thorne was in the beginning. But the development of their like for each other made sense, it just developed a bit fast for me.

I do wish this book had been a little less YA... maybe just becoming a genre I don't enjoy quite as much anymore. It does state right in the description that she is in her senior year of high school, but I didn't think her high school life would play quite so big a part in this. There was definitely a lot more teen angst and drama than fantasy aspect, and I just wasn't quite expecting that. I would have loved a bit more worldbuilding, especially when we got such neat glimpses of different types of magic, and then they weren't really expanded on.

The conclusion was definitely well done, and the "action" scene at the end was very satisfying.

If you like YA contemporary fantasy with plenty of teenage drama and don't mind more simple worldbuilding, this is definitely the book for you! I love to see new and creative premises in fantasy books!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.*

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 8/12/2025. Though the action-y plot follows the reckoning of a centuries old magical feud and an evil warlock on the run, the book is more properly about an overachieving girl who is not so much a girl as a golem (much to her surprise) and what it means to be human, what makes someone a person, and what binds people together. When a magical bounty hunter comes to her small town, Terra Slater suddenly has a lot more to deal with than Fall Ball and her senior project and the recurring angst over being adopted. A previously unknown world of magic is revealed to her as is the fact that she and all of the other adopted children in town are golems made by the local Kindly Old Man and Adoption Lawyer Mr Quill... Oh, and he's also a warlock on the run from punishment decreed by the witch council for very dark deeds indeed.

I have to admit that this one took some time to get into. It is not badly written at all, the magic system is an interesting construction of give-and-take, and a lot of it feels rather like a nice little mix of g-rated Buffy and Saved By The Bell. However, I spent most of the first half wanting to strangle the main male character. Thorne Wilder, yes really, is just such a complete and utter JERK. Admittedly, he was sent on this hunt with decidedly skewed information aka golems are evil/have no thoughts/are tools but he starts from King Jackass at his first appearance and it takes him too long to climb off the throne. I mean, even with prejudices, does one really kick mud at a girl you've never met and holler at her to TELL ME WHERE HE IS? And then proceed to be creepy and stalker-ish? Thankfully, he does grow beyond that but it is a slow thing (until it's suddenly NOT) and his treatment of Terra borderlines to abuse at times. (Not as horrible as another character in the book behaves, mind, but pretty rude indeed.) He does show a softer side in the second book and, while his awkwardness and obliviousness constinues grate some, Thorne does a solid turn in the second half.

Terra herself is a pretty sympathetic teenage character, confident and smart and hard working but also a teen who has her angst and moments of self-doubt. She is almost too kind and almost too good but there is a reason for it that makes sense. You definitely root for her as she struggles to learn magic and prove that she and the other golems are just as much people as the witches. However, the fact that she was adopted and her emotional uncertainties about it come up on an almost hourly basis, it seemed. It is a completely understandable issue; despite not being the only adopted kid in town, Terra never seems to forget the fact and has made it a pillar in her personality. It has lead to extreme people-pleasing, something that she is aware of thankfully and something that gives her more dimension. On the other hand, important plot point or not, I don't think Birch needs to bring it up quite so much. It reads like cheap heart-string-pulling.

The second half of the book definitely stands up better than the first and gives you a good push at both action and tension along with the continuing notion of who is a person, what is a person. In the end, that is the real message here and it's a good one. It might not be my favorite book (I might be a bit too old for the audience) but it would definitely appeal to a YA reader and proved a fun interlude.

Clay, magic, murder attempts… and high school drama.

Well, this was different. Turns out our girl Terra isn’t just your average YA protagonist dealing with tests, crushes, and the occasional existential crisis—she’s literally made of mud. Yep. Crafted. Molded. Baked at 350° until golden brown (okay, maybe not that last part).

Enter Thorne Wilder, a broody magical bounty hunter with enough attitude to power a CW drama, sent to ensure her literal unmaking. Naturally, they team up, because nothing says “romantic tension” like “I was hired to kill you.” You know, your classic “enemies-to-maybe-not-enemies” starter pack. 

This book is very into the whole “you have secret magic but must train to control it before the clock runs out” plotline. And yes, there’s plenty of magical worldbuilding, political covens, and mysterious tapestries of power—but also, the occasional moment where you remember our heroine is literally made of mud and somehow still manages to have better hair than I do.

The plot comes with all the essentials—murder plots, magical politics, and a main character who suddenly has to learn magic faster than most people can learn how to drive stick shift.

I loved the originality—golems don’t get nearly enough page time in fantasy, and the magic system felt fresh without making me read an appendix just to understand it. The romance? Let’s just say it simmers rather than boils over, but there’s enough tension to keep you rooting for them (and yelling at them when they make bad decisions, which is often).