4⭐️

this book literally had me SHAKING IN MY BOOTS…it’s not very often that a horror book actually scares me or freaks me out but this…THIS DID. i’m convinced i’m gonna have at least one nightmare about this book. it was so graphic and written so well the details really made the book!!


this book follows caleb, a young boy who is bullied for being different. caleb uses clay to cope with his anxiety and so everyone refers to him as, “Clay Boy.” one day while in detention, caleb comes across a video on how to make a Tulpa, a creation derived from one’s imagination and can only be created by those was telekinetic abilities. this Tulpa will do everything it can to protect caleb…even by destroyed everyone around him and those who have wrong him. 👀


Craig E. Sawyer, did you put crack in this book? cause it was absolutely ADDICTIVE. it’s a very short book (only takes about 2 and a half hours to read the whole thing) but it was written SO FREAKING WELL. i got goosebumps and shivers were timbered. overall an AMAZING spooky read that will keep you on the edge of your seat!


thank you to netgalley, brigids gate press, and craig e. sawyer for this arc in exchange for an honest review!! <3

I don't see a lot of horror lately using the subject of tulpas for the scares and I really enjoyed that something that I remember from the days of creepy pasta was making some kind of comeback. Very tense at points and able to keep my attention the entire time, finished in one sitting.

Caleb Jenkins is a bullied middle schooler that everyone calls Clay Boy, due to the way he uses clay therapy to cope with the tragic murder of his mother at the hands of a serial killer.

Super creepy. Great horror.

This was a good original book. Caleb makes figures out of clay because it helps with his emotions but the kids at his school think he's uncool. This isn't enough for Caleb and he creates a "Tulpa" from parts of his own personality to help him with his own emotions.
This all seems sweet until the story starts to become scary and dark and then just becomes an absolute nightmare. To add to this there is a serial killer on the lose and this all comes to a head.

I enjoy short chapters and getting to the point. There were some sub stories that I felt just weren't needed and felt the main story was great as it was.
Not read a story like this one before. I felt it could have delved deeper into Calebs emotions of how he was feeling and his Tulpa but for really good first read.

The book was stilted and weird for me. Some examples from the beginning of the book are characters just regurgitating every important point in their lives as soon as they’re introduced. A weird omniscient moment to what happened to the teacher when we had been in strict third person perspective before, which made me wonder if the Caleb knew something for a moment. Really awkward dialogue and actions taken by characters. And weird pacing throughout like in the first chapter it seemed like the sun was still taking roll call when the bell rang, like this didn’t seem like homeroom but an art class since she talked about them pairing up for a project, but there didn’t seem anytime between roll call and the clay being thrown.

This was an arc I was approved to read on Netgalley. Thank you so much for that.

This book was amazing! It’s about a kid Caleb (who presents as his somewhat autistic) who deals everyday with bullies at his school that are absolutely relentless. He was adopted by his Aunt and Uncle because when Caleb was young his mom had been murdered by a serial killer.

He learns how to conjure a Tulpa (google it). I absolutely loved everything and how it was laid out. It had some psychology and notes in it. Definitely creative and I LOVED it! I can’t wait until it’s released and can get the actual book. Bravo!

Thank you, Craig E. Sawyer and NetGalley for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

I truly enjoyed reading this book. This was more than horror. It was teaching a lesson and not only that, I got to learn about something I had no idea about. Truly interesting it was. I also enjoyed all the characters. Caleb, of course, was my absolute favorite. My second would definitely be Helen. This book does contain some gore, but it's not too heavy on it. If you should worry about anything, it's the language, animal death, and bullying.

A boy tired of being bullied, and being alone does something to change all that. He creates someone to be his friend. Doing so, of course, that requires a lot more than you think. If you could do this and they keep you safe, would you? Even if, in the end, bad things were happening?

This book was also a murder mystery of sorts, and I did not expect who the murderer was. This is definitely a book I'll be rereading again in the future. I absolutely loved reading it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available. The cover and synopsis intrigued me. I'm a sucker for small town supernatural stories involving a creepy kid. Clay Boy is a good blend of bloody thriller and psychological horror story. It utilizes a rarely used supernatural phenomenon called a tulpa. It's a supposedly real creepy thing. I will not go too deeply into it here, you'll just have to read. Remember the Slender Man story of two little girls killing their friend? The tale revolves around a troubled middle schooler named Caleb who witnessed his mother brutally killed by a serial killer. He survived the ordeal, but the serial killer was never caught, and as you'll read, he has returned to the small community of Wheeler's Cove.


Caleb goes to live with his aunt and uncle. His uncle is a hellfire and brimstone preacher who tells his congregation that God shows him the future. The strictness of his home life, combined with his tragic past, and a bad stutter makes the boy an emotional train wreck. He is an obvious target for bullies at his school. They call his Clay Boy due to the way he always uses clay as therapy. He has no friends, but all this changes when he discovers a Youtube video of how to make a tulpa – a best friend that will always be there for you, but he fails to read the last bit that details that if you create one for the wrong reason and not follow the rules really bad things will happen, oh and they do! It's a great reinterpretation of the ol' golem story mixed with a Stephen King “Carrie” vibe and a dash of other possessed kid stories and movies. The recent movie Cobweb movie comes to mind, not the same, but a similar vibe.


The writer is a new one on the scene, I think, but he is one to watch out for. This was a really solidly written story with memorable scenes and an ingenious take on a lot of old tropes. I grew up in a small town and the eccentric characters feel authentic, and you really start to feel for the protagonist, but the big magic trick is the author makes you feel for the tulpa. There is a deeper meaning to the story that speaks to feeding the dark side of your soul and growing a monster that destroys the lives around you.

3 stars

This book wasn’t really for me. I liked the idea, I just didn’t connect. It took me quite a while to get through this. The story is pretty good, I just think it was my frame of mind at the time of reading it.

I know it will be a great read for many, just joy for me at this time.

I had to DNF this book. I gave it multiple chances but 54% of the way through I gave up.

I did not care about the characters and how they interacted with each other was not natural.

Granted I didn’t finish, but 54% through and it’s just not scary or suspenseful 🤷‍♀️

I don't see a lot of horror lately using the subject of tulpas for the scares and I really enjoyed that something that I remember from the days of creepy pasta was making some kind of comeback. Very tense at points and able to keep my attention the entire time, finished in one sitting.