WOVEN FROM CLAY, by Jenny Birch, Wednesday Books, Aug. 12, 2025, Hardcover, $21 (young adult)
A golem must master the magic that binds her together and finds an ally in the mysterious boy sent to ensure her demise in Woven from Clay, by Jenny Birch.
Terra Slater might not know anything about her birth family or where she comes from, but that’s never stopped her, and she fully intends her senior year to be her best yet. Until the dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder―a magical bounty hunter―moves to town, bringing revelations that wreck all of her plans.
When Terra learns she is a golem, not born but crafted from mud and magic by a warlock, her world is upended. Worse, Cyrus Quill, the warlock who made her, is a fugitive, on the run from the witches who want to hold him accountable for his past crimes. But Quill’s sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra―and all of 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 Thorne helps her to see and manipulate the tapestry of magic that surrounds them, their unexpected alliance evolves into something more and Terra comes to understand the depths of her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
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.
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