The premise of this book was fascinating, with a unique magic system and seemingly high stakes. But in the execution, the protagonist and plot became repetitive, hitting the same notes repeatedly. Brick keeps melting. Jett keeps being an evil jerk. Thorne leaves and Terra doubts him, again. Rather than continue to raise, the stakes grew static. It also felt like there was no real growth arc for Terra, and while Thorne had great potential in the beginning, the chemistry between them didn't feel organic. I really wanted to love this, but found myself struggling not to skim the back half of the book.

2.5 stars, rounded down
——————

Not much to really say about this one, other than I hated it.

This was mediocre at best. I was really excited to start this because on paper it sounded like something I would love. I was utterly let down really early on. The plot is boring, somehow with too much and too little happening. Even the side plots weren’t great. I mean Terra’s jealousy of Brick and Marina despite her insistence on him being like a brother was ick. Terra is one dimensional and I just generally didn’t like Thorne early on and it stayed that way. Zero effort went into names especially. Terra, Clay, EARTHA. I mean really? We get it, the golems are made with the mud.

This will find it’s audience, but it wasn’t for me.

Woven from Clay is a contemporary fantasy novel from debut author Jenny Birch.

The story follows Terra, a bright, popular girl who loves her community. When Thorne shows up and starts hinting that he knows she’s not who she pretends to be, Terra is confused and frightened.

When Thorne exposes her as a golem doomed to die, Terra doesn’t just sit back and let it happen. She’s not willing to let the lives of everyone she knows get uprooted. She cares about them too much. She’s not willing to go down without a fight.

It’s Terra’s fight and her compassion that carry Woven from Clay forward, giving readers a protagonist worth reading about. And Terra’s relationship with Thorne — their back and forth, their banter — that will appeal to romantics.

Woven from Clay is a story of identity and what defines it. Mix that in with a slow-burn romance and magic that is literally weaved throughout, and you’ve got a strong standalone YA read that sparks imagination.

Definitely YA but it will be a big hit for my teens in class. I think it has alittle bit for a lot of different kids -- suspense, mystery, tidge of romance, fantasty.

I've read more fantasy and romantasy in the past few years than I care to count. Fae, witches, vampires, shapeshifters… we’ve covered the bases. This is the first one I’ve picked up about golems, and honestly, that alone had me curious. Turns out, it works.

Jenny Birch takes a piece of myth we almost never see in YA and turns it into a fully realized world. The magic is intriguing, the pacing moves, and it still manages to thread in thoughtful notes on family, devotion, and what it really means to be a parent. The romance is sweet and steady. It didn’t make me swoon, and it didn’t make me roll my eyes. The real hook is the golem lore. It feels fresh, which is no small feat when most of us have been tripping over the same magical creatures for years.

In a genre crowded with the familiar, Woven From Clay shapes something new and makes it work. If you’re a YA fantasy reader looking for a change of scenery, this is worth picking up.

I ended up DNFing this one. I could r get into the story or the characters. I’m sad this one didn’t work for me

This is a good YA book for Twilight fans who miss the series but also want something different. Small town, and instead of a vampire's focus, we have golems. Can you imagine, the main character is a female teen who has no idea why there's mud everywhere? She has power, it's awakening, and the arrival of an inconvenient, arrogant boy will set all in motion, because he... is a hunter. Well written, good pacing, interesting characters.

A new spin on a golem story about a girl who is actually a golem and must find a way to control the magic in her or lose everything and the only person who can help her is the mysterious boy who has showed up... to destroy her. Terra Slater thought she was a normal girl, she never really knew her real parents and didn't question it until she meets Thorne Wilder, a magical bounty hunter who has come into town to destroy her... only he finds out that she didn't know she was a golem. Terra and Thorne have an undeniable connection and form a pack to help each other... but in order for Terra to help both her friends and Thorne she'll have to find a way to prove her worth to the coven by learning to control the magic within her and if she fails they all perish. It definitely leans on a younger YA teen drama level. I do think that younger YA teens will have a fun time reading it and its definitely a unique premise. It's a slow burn romance and the ending wraps things up fairly nicely. While it didn't wow me, it wasn't bad and I do think this could be a great read for Younger YA Fantasy readers!

Release Date: August 12, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thorne Wilder is a witch in a coven that is charged with bringing lawbreakers to justice. He is sent to bring a murderer to justice, but then he meets Terra a golem. He learns that not everything is as black and white as he first was taught.
I found some places in this book a little bit angsty, but not too bad. It really shines when it comes to the unique magic system and world building. I loved that the world building was done with intention, not just world building for the sake of world building. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to people looking for a unique story that is well told and has phenomenal world building and magic system.

Woven From Clay is an incredible debut from Jenny Birch. I couldn’t put it down! Terra is adopted, but this has never bothered her before Thorne came to town. When the mysterious Thorne reveals secrets about her world, Terra finally understands the strange things that have been happening to her. Terra is a golem, but Thorne is tasked to hunt down her maker. As Terra learns about her new magic, she must prove to Thorne that she’s more than she was created to be.

Woven From Clay is one of the first stories I’ve read that has a character POV who is a golem and I really enjoyed it. The sensations of what the magic felt like were so well-described! This was such an interesting and creative magic system. Terra is a lovable character who is determined to show the magical world that she deserves to exist regardless of how she came to be. Thorne and Terra have a slow-burn romance, which was very cute. I enjoyed how Terra’s connections with her friends and family were shown and made it clear that her magic is based in love and connection. Readers who love unique magic, contemporary fantasy, and excellent YA will enjoy Woven From Clay.

Thank you to Jenny Birch, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Terra Slater didn't care that she had no knowledge of her birth family until magical bounty hunter Thorne Wilder arrived. She is a golem, crafted by fugitive warlock Cyrus Quill. His sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra and all the other golems that he crafted together. Desperate to save herself and her friends, Terra strikes a deal with Thorne and his coven to preserve the warlock’s life and his magic. If she can prove her worth to the coven by mastering the magic within her, the golems will survive. If she can’t, they’ll perish along with Cyrus. As she studies, Terra learns about her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her.

We know Terra is a golem, so we understand her confusion about the mud before she does. She is an overachiever of a high school senior, and Thorne arriving shakes up what she thinks is real about the world. There's magic and rules about its use, but she has feelings and hopes for the future that aren't usually what golems are created for. She has to prove to others that she's worthy of life while hiding magic from those she loves, a difficult task.

The description of magic as threads is a beautiful one, and shows the ties that Terra has to others. It's her strength, and it brings her to the conclusion of the novel. She is more than clay and bone wound together with magic, and we see it in how she deals with her friends, the impossible task, and the final showdown itself. I enjoyed seeing her develop and show what it really means to be human.

Terra Slater is adopted, and knows nothing of her birth familu, but knows that her adopted parents care for her. She has friends, is busy with school and activities, and then, meets the mysterious and attractive Thorne Wilder, who brings her comfortable life crashing down around her.

He informs her that she, and a number of her friends, are golems, and were crafted by Cyrus Quill, a warlock, who is on the run from witch covens are hunting him and want him to pay with his life for crimes he's committed.

This is horrifying to Terra, as she knows Mr. Quill as warm and caring. Terra bargains with the witches to save Quill's life, knowing that if she fails to master her own magic, his sentence, and all the golems he's made (including her) will die.

So, much as I was looking forward to this, I found it predictable and lacking in complexity. The characters were too simply defined, and much as I liked Terra, I found Thorne, her love interest, kind of irritating.

I both listened and read this novel, and Yael Rizowy does a great job voicing all the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

The premise of this story was so so so good. The execution... not so much. I realize that this is a young adult novel, but the writing felt like it was geared more towards middle schoolers with how juvenile some of the text was. Terra is sweet, but one of the most unintelligent female protagonists that I've seen in a while. Thorne is one of the most obnoxious male main characters of all time, and I don't know why Terra chooses to give him the time of day. The fact that the story starts out with him being downright rude to her, making fun of her, and not taking her seriously while she is telling him that she has no idea what he is talking about gave me the ick. There was no real redeeming moment for him, she just chose to start liking him immediately after.

None of the characters were likable, I didn't really care whether the gollums lived or died, and a lot of the plot didn't really make much sense. While the cover is gorgeous and the premise is great, this book is skippable to me. Middle schoolers might really like this one!

📖 Title: Woven from Clay

✍🏾 Author: Jenny Birch

📅Publication date: 8/12/25 | Read 8/9/25

📃 Format: eBook 320 pgs.

Genre:
*Romantasy
*YA
*mythology

Tropes:
*slow burn
*found family
*enemies to lovers
*small town
*LGBTQIA+ rep
*magic/witches

👆🏾POV: 1st person single

⚠️TW: bullying, murder

🌎 Setting: North Heights

Summary: Terra is starting her senior year and when a mysterious new student Thorne arrives her world is turned upside. She was adopted and Thorne tells her she is a golem Quill created with mud and his bones. Terra dives into the magical hunter guild to find Quill, save her friends, and herself.


👩🏾 Heroine: Terra Slater-17, A+ student, agrees to learn magic from Thorne

👨🏾 Hero: Thorne Wilder-a magical bounty hunter looking for Quill

🎭 Other Characters:

* Cyrus Quill-an adoption attorney, uncle-like to Terra
* Brick-Terra's BFF, in love w/ her
* Kate, *Avani, *Marina-Terra's BFF, Kate's love interest, Terra's nemesis
* Willow- Head Witch of the coven/Thorne's mother
* Jett-a witch skeptical of Terra, enrolls in Terra's school
* Ailani + Shailesh- young witch turned Terra's ally & old Guild member/Thorne's mentor
*Ivoire + Etienne-young witches
*Rose-Terra's rabbit

🤔 My Thoughts: Terra thrives for self-discovery, afraid to lose her parents' love. She has a strong friend group even though she lost Brick's friendship. Thorne acted as her teacher in magic, and they became friends. I loved Kate's support for her and Thorne's faith in her. Willow and Jett wanted to protect Thorne, but their scheming only hurt him. Quill showed remorse but the guilt followed him for years. It ends with a nice balance of the magical world and the human world with Terra and Thorne's HEA!

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 1/5 🌶️very PG, kissing only.

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, and Jenny Birch for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

THOUGHTS

This book felt like a throwback to early-2000s-style "urban fantasy," and I do mean that in the absolute worst way possible.


PROS
Adoption Rep: There was a lot that I didn't like about this book, but the adopted kid representation wasn't one of those things! I liked this bit of representation (even if the overall picture here gets a bit... convoluted by the end). At times, this issue is handled more textbook than not, which isn't that great for character development, but it was still nice to see. You don't get a lot of adopted kids in YA lit.

Solid Bones: I really liked some of the ideas behind this book, even if the execution ended up being... less than ideal. I liked the themes of atonement, of dark magic and just consequences. I liked the oozy, drippy golems living their happy-go-lucky lives. I liked the concepts. It's the execution that fell flat for me.

Creepy Coven: I liked best of all the weird witch coven we get in this book. Some mild spoilers ahead, so beware! But why do they live in caves? Why are they almost kinda like a cult? Why are these witches subterranean? I've got a lot of questions, and I've got no answers. Which to some extent I like. It adds to the mystique. I would rather have read a book that looked into this whole side of the worldbuilding than anything that we got. Alas.


CONS
Let Bygones Be: Trends happen in teen lit not because they're good but because they're where the money's to be found (whatever money that happens to be). Usually, they're kicked off by a good book, the kind that brings in a lot of money for publishers because of how good it is. And when a trend dies, no sense in beating a dead horse, right? Well, apparently not. Maybe it's this whole current culture surrounding revivals. Like, the author maybe thought if the film industry can reboot and reboot, why not literature? But some things should stay in the past, and this particular type of teen urban fantasy is one of those things. I think the way I would describe this book is "immature." It feels Wattpad, but without any of the fun tropes. She's so special; she's not like other girls. And she doesn't even get any witty banter. And you know what else feels 20-years-old? Writing about a type of magic with roots in one particular cultural group without so much as mentioning that culture. Why are we writing about golems and not mentioning Jewish mystics? If there's one thing we should really be leaving behind, it's appropriating a culture without even paying it tribute.

Secrets, Secrets, Secrets: Secrets, secrets, everywhere! And what was the reason? Every time Terra learns something new, she decides for literally no reason to keep it to herself and to her mystery boy only. The whole side plot with her "brother" Brick ends up feeling pretty icky because of this (in the vein of City of Bones; if you know, you know). The secret-keeping was irritating and sad. I didn't like it.

Bland as Mud: I liked the concepts, but the execution was particularly boring. The magic system is so bland, and even though a chunk of this plot revolves around learning magic, we don't get to spend any time learning about magic. And having the drawback of your magic system being that... you need to eat some food and get a good night's sleep? That's just called being alive, actually. It could have been a more interesting give-and-take system if we leaned into it, but that didn't happen. Overall, everything ends up being rather uninspired. The characters are flat as boards. They're all surface-level, and they don't change from the beginning of the story to the end. So I didn't even have an interesting cast to root for. I wanted more from this, and all I got was... sad.


Rating

⭐⭐
2/10
Those who enjoyed Cassandra Clare's City of Bones might like hopping back in time to the same brand of urban fantasy. Those who enjoyed Dana Claire's Hunterland will like diving into this regular high school with its supernatural hunter/hunted twist.

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Woven from Clay is a unique story with an interesting magic system and golem seeking to find their place in the world. It had a lot of potential but for me it just fell a little short.

While Terra and her character make sense in the word of the book, it is fully explained why she is who she is it just doesn’t make for an interesting read. She doesn’t break the rules, which she clearly does at one point, she is so kind and caring and perfect if you get where I going with this. Which yes it does make sense when Quill explains his reasoning but it just doesn’t translate well into a character that is well rounded and makes her a little bland. I didn’t hate Terra, I just think the other characters having stronger character arcs would have helped with Terra.

I wish the secondary characters had more to do. Other than Thorne they don’t get much to do other than to be there to prop up Terra and her development. Thorne has a secondary plot that the book doesn’t really need, I wish it had been more about the golems. This should have been their story, not just Terra but allowing the golem to carry the story as there was a lot of potential there. Especially Brick who I thought would have something more to do because he was written as an interesting character that was different than the other golem.

Everyone in this book feels very young, they are supposed to be high school seniors but it felt like they were originally younger and aged up to meet a different age demographic for publishing. It makes sense with the author being a middle school teacher, it felt like she wrote this for middle school age kids or based on her experience with middle school kids. I do think that it would be a well suited book for middle school or early high school age kids, its a book about self and identity and finding your place in a world that doesn’t feel you belong in it. It is also written and handled in a way that was easily approachable for a younger reading audience. I wish it had been crafted more for younger readers because as is it feels like a bunch of seniors that never fully developed. Maybe we need a new category for books that hit that 12 – 16 year old since YA is such a broad category.

The magic system in this book is interesting, I liked that golem were the center for the story, we have had many other mystical creatures before so it was fun to have one that doesn’t see much attention. I loved the idea of the guilds and the magic that they use unfortunately many time it is surface level, just barely scratching the surface but I still liked it.

While this book wasn’t exactly for me I do believe that a middle school audience would be a perfect target audience for this book as the themes of the golem and their identify was really well done.

Thank you to the author, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

2.5 rounded up. The premise of this sounded very cute but unfortunately the execution felt a bit cheesy. I feel like we had 48 scenes where Brick is having some sort of physical crisis (good time to add that all the earth-based names were also so bad - Brick?? Really??) and more important lore/things that could have been more interesting were kind of yadda-yadda-ed past. The end felt pretty anticlimactic and I was just looking forward to it being over. Now to never think about mud again.

In this story, Terra’s senior year takes an unexpected turn when she’s assigned to help Thorne, a frustrating transfer student who insists she help him find someone. He acts like they already know each other, but won’t say much. As strange events start happening—and Terra keeps mysteriously ending up covered in mud—she learns she may not be entirely human. Thorne reveals he’s searching for the person who created her with magic, and he needs her help to find them.

The premise is creative, with a unique magical element I really enjoyed, though it’s introduced somewhat abruptly. The plot is straightforward, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it does make the story feel predictable at times. The tone and writing style feel more suited to a middle-grade audience, despite the characters being in high school. It has a bit of a cheesy charm that I probably would have appreciated more when I was younger.

I liked the way Terra’s relationships with her friends were portrayed—she clearly cares for them and puts effort into those bonds. However, I didn’t find any character especially memorable, as they all felt a little bland and predictable in their actions. The romance was harder to connect with; Thorne comes across as unlikable at first, though he does improve as the story goes on.

Some conflicts resolve a bit too conveniently, which adds to the middle-grade feel. Still, the core idea and worldbuilding are interesting, and I think readers who enjoy lighter, easy-to-read fantasy with a predictable but satisfying storyline may enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All her life Terra Slater has been unaware that she and a lot of her friends aren’t actually human. They’re golems. It turns out that they are the creation of a powerful warlock named Cyrus Quill. To Terra, her parents, and the rest of their community Quill is a wonderful, caring individual. They don’t know that Quill is a wanted man on the run from the Hunters Guild. Terra and her best friend have been so looking forward to senior year. Now she finds herself in a race to save both her and Quill’s lives.
Terra is on one emotional roller coaster throughout this engaging novel. She is such a great character; not a mean bone in her body and so determined too. It’s a wonderful story about what makes us human, about how power corrupts, and about prejudice against those who are different. It’s a reminder that just because someone is different than us, they still have feelings, they’re still human. 4.5 stars

This book was only okay in my opinion. The writing style wasn’t my favorite and it was definitely lacking in some areas.

A big thing I didn’t like about the book was that most of the problems could’ve been solved so easily if the characters just sat down and actually talk to each other. This made a lot of the conflicts seem forced and ridiculous and just brought down the book overall.

I don’t think it was the worst thing I’ve ever read, but it could definitely use some improvements.