This was definitely the most dystopian book I have ever read! It reminds me a lot of a mix of "The Handmaid's Tale" & "American Horror Story". I only gave it a 3 stars because I have too many questions!! Like I wanted more information about the world outside of the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, the "before" world-ending happening,the after (like they did escape?)... I know sometimes it feels ok to not over shared details, but the details were under shared and I wanted more!

[ arc ] the unworthy | agustina bazterrica 🔔

publication date: march 4, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

thank you to @netgalley and simon & schuster for the opportunity to read and review an early digital copy of this novella!

* please check trigger warnings prior to diving in to this story *

after reading tender is the flesh last year, and more recently nineteen claws and a blackbird I was SO excited when I saw this available on netgalley and applied immediately despite not typically reviewing many arc’s. I saw descriptions stating “sapphic horror” and was v intrigued.

once again, agustina has such powerful writing. she creates such beautiful imagery, despite the fact that she’s often handling incredibly horrifying stories. I’m always in awe of her ability to capture people and their surroundings in such honest ways.

the format of this novella is essentially collected “diary” entries of the main character who we never learn the name of. she captures her lives experiences in a way that feels, naturally, somewhat chaotic while the prose itself is still incredibly well written.

I think it’s best to go into this relatively blind (aside from trigger warnings), so I won’t get into too much detail, but the exploration of the memories and various details of the 3 main “time periods” of our main character gave us just enough information to have a good comprehension of the surrounding world and who our lead is / was, while still leaving aspects open to questioning and interpretation. the way agustina painted the picture of both the world at large and at the main characters immediately surroundings was incredibly effective.

I recently read “i who have never known men” and while I did enjoy that, I felt that this novella of similar vibes gave me all the bits that I felt were missing from the other that I desperately wanted. we’re left with many questions at the end of this piece, but I did overall feel satisfied with the information we do have and the conclusion of the story itself. this piece also drew me in emotionally, even sending me to tears on at least two occasions. not a book for everyone, certainly, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and will be thinking about for some time.

I was so excited to read The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica because I really enjoyed her other book Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird and I really enjoyed this book too! It follows a woman living at a convent and her questioning her life there. I found the writing utterly captivating and I loved how the writing was just like journal entries. The horror scenes are definitely intense and the mysterious aspects in this novel are haunting. I definitely want to read Tender Is the Flesh now!

A claustrophobic, sapphic feminist horror that will have you questioning your worth.

I have no idea what I expected with this book, but it wasn't what I read (positive). I love the format of the book, which is a series of journal entries from a young woman trapped in a merciless cult during an eco-apocalypse.

I love the slow reveal of the worldbuilding and the history of our character through each journal entry. I also love that not all the questions have been answered. Give me an ambiguous story any day of the week.

The prose is gorgeous. I highlighted SOOOO much of this book. It's stunning.

Our main character was written so well I felt really connect to her, especially as the book started to get more intense at during the last 20%. I definitely wasn't ready for the book to end.

Read this if you love
🌙 Sapphic feminist horror
🌙 Eco-apocalypse
🌙 Torture/violence
🌙 An evil religious cult
🌙 Gorgeous prose
🌙 Unexplained 'miracles'

This book is best read while hiding in the woods, as you screaming through sewn lips.

What an incredible short novel! This was my first book by Bazterrica and now I definitely understand all the hype around her previous work.

Incredibly dark and profoundly unsettling, this book managed to paint our world and its natural beauty in a stunning new light. And it shows us how dangerously close we are to losing it all.

Even though it was a short read, the characters were so real and their love, agony and hopelessness could be felt so deeply. They push the boundaries of normalcy and make us wonder what atrocities we are able to commit and endure to survive. But also to what lengths we will go in order to protect those we love.

I think the writing style isn’t for everyone as it can be quite vague and a lot of questions are left unanswered but it contributed so well to the atmosphere of unease and made the reader feel as trapped and lost as the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Unworthy follows a woman writing her story within the confines of a convent, separated from a world that has suffered some type of ecological catastrophe. The Sisterhood is divided by ranks, those deemed unworthy are all vying to achieve the rank of Enlightened. After a woman from the outside makes her way into the convent, it leads to questioning the Sisterhood and what exactly is happening within and outside of the convent.

I had mixed feelings about Bazterrica’s novel, Tender is the Flesh. It was well received and loved by so many, and I just didn’t find it as engaging or disturbing as so many others did. I was hoping I would connect more with The Unworthy, but unfortunately this one didn’t work for me either.
I find both books try really hard to gross out the reader, but unsuccessfully. The Unworthy really pushes the shock factor of the torture that all of the women in the convent do to one another and the different torments they can all devise against those they think are even more unworthy than they are. But it goes so hard into these moments of torture or disturbing scenes, it entirely leaves out characters growth or plot points. We get glimpses of story, but for me it was few and far between everything else that I didn’t care. If I cared more about about the characters, maybe then the gross out scenes would have more of an impact, but instead it just reminds me of those “torture porn” movies where you just want it to be over and done with and don’t care what happens to anyone. My general reaction to those is to actually stop watching, and I wish I had stopped reading in this case.

I know there is an underlying statement about environmental impacts in The Unworthy, and Bazterrica is alluding to the damage people have done to the world. It also has some statements about the patriarchy and how women are treated, but it just feels heavy handed rather than working within the story to get the point across. It isn’t built into the plot seamlessly, it’s just dropped it about how these things are bad and we should care. Obviously we should care, but I want a story where the characters make me care because of what’s happening to them not because the world outside the book definitely does suck most of the time.

Some of the nuance of this book could also be lost in translation, which is also how I felt about Tender is the Flesh. The author might be fantastic at what she’s alluding to and making you care more, but maybe the translation loses that ability, I’m not sure. But unfortunately, whatever the case may be, this one just wasn’t for me, and after two books that I’m rather indifferent about, I don’t think I’ll try more by this author.

As a fan of the authors other books, I immediately ran to request this title, and I will say it did not disappoint. It left me absolutely sick to my stomach just like “Tender is the Flesh” and I love it. At first I was struggling to figure out how the story is progressing because you’re kind of just plopped into the middle of story without much knowledge of what is happening, but as the story progresses you get the hang of what is happening. The atrocities the cult commits against its members is spoken about in such a blasé manner that it really makes you question the narrator and the world outside this cult. What cruelties could the outside world bring if this is what the narrator is willing to put up with. There’s even a romance, which was surprising to see but it was a nice reprieve from the brutal reality the mc lives in. Overall it was an intense book that I read in one sitting, would 110% recommend!

Following her previous international hit, Tender is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica returns to allegorical dystopian fiction in The Unworthy. However, she diverges significantly from the liminal speculation of the former work, instead here plopping readers into a bleak future that slowly unravels into something familiar and perhaps, less distant than one can hope. Unfortunately, this approach comes at the expense of the novel's worldbuilding and character development and left me struggling with this one despite my interest in its unique blend of nunsploitation and eco-horror. Moreso than Bazterrica's last novel, I'd think this may appeal to fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War - sapphic sci-fi driven by first-person prose which leans heavily into verse.

Quel roman dérangeant et dévastateur qui dégoûte puis donne envie de pleurer. Le livre se déroule dans une alliance religieuse qui est gouvernée par un dictateur comme une « sœur » qui punit physiquement, torture et humilie quiconque ne respecte pas ses règles. Ils font tout cela au nom d'un homme divin qui vit là et que personne à part les Éclairés n'a vu.

With so much horror, torture, extreme religion and even a love story, this one captured me from the get go. What a torturous, sad but beautiful work.

So, I have long been obsessed with the fiction of Agustina Bazterrica. The Argentine writer has published some of the best horror works of the past 30 years, including "Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" (short story collection), "Tender is the Flesh" (novel) and "The Unworthy" as well. It's -- she is amazing. So when I herd that Bazterrica had a new novel coming out and that it involves nun horror, I was like OMG yes, sign me up please.

Basically, the story is that a woman writes her story when she's in a convent as part of this Sacred Sisterhood. She's looked upon lowly but dreams that one day she can be one of the top people there, the Enlightened. But it's also at a time when the world is immersed in catastrophes like a "Mad Max" thing. Then, there's a stranger who joins up and the two of them get closer. They also have to figure out yes, but what does being Enlightened mean?

Bazterrica's writing has the unique gift of being short and to the point, visceral, but with breaks of lyricalness. If your jam is horror novels set in creepy, cloistered convent or church places and Catholic imagery, you're going to love this book. It's also very much in the style of someone who is writing and chronicling their experiences of what happened so that someday, someone will know the truth of what went on here, and what it was like to write this during apocalyptic survival times. The atmosphere is so lush and transports the reader there. It's one of the things I loved most about this book.

The other major running undercurrent to the book is the notion that Mariel is definitely an unreliable narrator. We want to trust her as the reader, but there's things and lines crossed out, and other aspects where you kind of get the sensation that you're not getting the entire truth or you're getting a version of the truth.

Overall, highly recommended. I think this book is going to scratch a lot of itches for horror fans who love this particular vibe, and more feminist horror. Brava!

This was my second read from Agustina Bazterrica and I could NOT put it down.

We are introduced to a nameless narrator who is a member of a mysterious guarded covent, "cult", after the outside world has fallen into a post apocalyptic state due to climate chaos.

The unnamed narrator is apart of the Sacred Sisterhood, in which she has been labeled as an Unworthy, dreaming of her life as being amongst the Enlightened. One day, a stranger makes her way inside the walls of the covent and begins a relationship with the narrator. The stranger forces the narrator to remember the gruelling details of life before she found herself trapped within the Sisterhood, forcing the two to examine the extremist views of the Sacred Sisterhood.

I will admit I was a bit confused for the first 10 pages or so, but immediately after I could not take myself out of this story. The Unworthy analyzes extreme ideologies, climate crisis and relationships. Most horror I find begins very strong but usually runs a bit too long and loses its initial shock, however, The Unworthy could have been longer in my opinion. It was the perfect balance of horror and gore with a critique on systems that many of us question today.

For feedback, the word 'envelope' or 'enveloped' was overused!!!

Having the opportunity, the pleasure, and the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of Agustina Bazterrica’s upcoming novel “The Unworthy” is a very exciting thing. I was completely floored and absolutely mesmerized by Bazterrica’s sensational novel “Tender is the Flesh” that it stayed with me for months after reading it.

Full disclosure upfront, I was raised as a practicing Catholic, and some of my worst childhood fears and nightmares have religious connotations to them. That did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying novels with religious backdrops, stories of exorcisms and hauntings, even if some of them caused me nightmares as a grown adult. Although that may make me slightly more receptive to religious plots and settings, it does not deter me from being able to objectively review the quality of religion-based storytelling.

Bazterrica sets the scene quickly in The Unworthy. The story is told as the narrator writes a personal journal. We are privy to uncanny descriptions and justifications of the ways and beliefs of an isolated sisterhood following world-changing events. There’s a poetry to this setup that resonates and stays with you. I can only imagine how captivating it must be in its original language, but kudos to the translator for such excellent work in making the English version so rich and vivid.

There’s a constant aura floating around between the narrator’s words and what is left unsaid and unexplained that further adds to the otherworldly religious setting. The use of strikeout also significantly contributes to the storytelling and adds an extra layer of depth to the creepiness. It gives the reader a sense of being privy to the narrator’s thoughts and feelings, especially the unauthorized ones in this overly strict and rigid Holy place.

The sense of urgency, of secrecy, and of the all-knowing all-mighty is omnipresent throughout this book. The setting is so perfectly and powerfully depicted that it blurs the lines between being the backdrop and being an actual character in the story. Its contribution to the story is quite simply remarkable and really adds to the understanding of what may have transpired, and the extent of how iconic symbols and meanings have changed.

Bazterrica is also a master at describing the mood so well that you also share the narrator’s sense of impending doom if caught! With The Unworthy, she writes what is both an incredibly haunting religious revisiting as well as an all-too real and relatable ecological disaster tale. I’ve read many great post-apocalyptic stories, but The Unworthy is one of the most timely and impactful ones. The desolation of the past modern world echoes vividly in the narrator’s words.

Given that there are rules to follow when reviewing advanced copies, I cannot provide quotes, which is a shame as there are so many powerfully worded phrases that really resonate. Kudos to both Bazterrica as well as the translator for making the English version so poetically worded. I’m not one to provide quotes in my reviews except when they truly are astounding, and The Unworthy contains so many of them! It’s more than just a reflection on organized religion and a cautionary tale for climate change, it’s a story about power, symbolism, fear and survival.

Agustina Bazterrica has done it again, proving beyond a doubt that the genius and literary prowess of “Tender is the Flesh” was no fluke. The Unworthy will echo in my thoughts for weeks to come, and it’s eerie enough to creep into my nightmares too. I give it a resounding 5 out of 5 stars, and simply cannot wait for Bazterrica’s next novel.

I’m really disappointed. I loved tender is the flesh but didn’t enjoy her short story collection. I assumed that it was because I tend to not be a huge fan of short story collections and novellas but after reading this, I think it’s because the author focuses more on shock value than actual world building, character development or plot. This novella leaves you in the dark for world building. We get minimal world building about why the world is this way and why these people are so convinced that this flagellation and torture is actually helping things. Our unnamed main character is telling the story through diary entries. She claims that she stole paper and ink to write it and no one has noticed yet… yup she knew how to write and they somehow had all these supplies and she was dying to become enlightened. She’s presented as a cruel character but we didn’t get enough background to understand why she’s like this and minimal growth throughout it. That would be fine if we got more world building or plot but both were not there. Our plot was just people getting tortured. This isn’t one I can recommend because of how far it missed the mark for me unfortunately.

2.5 rounded up. The Unworthy follows our unnamed protagonist as she navigates her role in the Sacred Sisterhood, a convent bent on less than conventional forms of worship, with a very different deity and uncouth hierarchical systems. They have a focus on pain, torture and keeping the "unworthy" under a very strict leadership, with little exposure to the outside world. This is explored in snippets of recollection by the protagonist as we begin to piece together the fall of civilization, a dystopic world of famine and death outside of the Sacred Sisterhood. The problem with that is, our protagonist cannot remember her life before joining the sisterhood; we are met with an unreliable narrator trying to parse through her own past to see if she can trust the information being told to her. When an outsider enters the convent one day, and develops a close relationship with our protagonist, suddenly her priorities shift and she begins to question her place in this world.

On paper, an excellent concept. In execution, this novel was mildly frustrating to read. The narrative style used keeps readers in the dark along with the MC. For over half of this very short novel, it is difficult to establish what is happening and why. The dreamlike quality of the writing further alienates the reader. What was employed for artistic flourish only inhibits the enjoyment of the novel, making it more of a slog to get through. I found I could not connect with the story, the protagonist the horror of the convent of the dystopic world laid out by the author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest opinion and thoughts!!

the U N W O R T H Y .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dystopian .
Mysterious convent .
Cult .
Feminist horror/literary horror

You are reading the accounts of a woman living at a convent in a distopian world. Within this cult like convent, if you're well-behaved, pure, and chosen, you get the title of the Enlightened. The position comes with special benefits and plenty of the unknown.

Our narrator is willing to sacrifice a lot to change her position of The Unworthy and become an Enlightened.

You see what all the women are capable of sacrificing for this position. It's disturbing, sinister, and absolutely bizarre.

There are moments we get glimpses into our narrators past and a bit more understanding of who she was before the convent.

There is something intoxicating and addicting to be reading her diary, essentially. With makeshift paper, ink, and stolen moments.

The story starts off dark and twisted. Proving the lengths, one might be willing to go for survival and hierarchy in a post-apocalyptic world. This was very suspenseful and couldn't put it down at the 50% mark.

If you enjoy horror/mystery like Midsommer, I think you would love this book.

🦗🐀🐿🩸

Released on March 4th, 2025 .

Thank you, @netgalley & @simonandschuster for this arc!

I'm unfortunately struggling to process this as an e-book, but I will definitely give this another try once I can obtain a physical copy

Disturbingly sad, religious dystopian horror
The main character remains unnamed throughout the story with an ending so abrupt and painful it has you questioning whether the author had more to write or if this could've been added as a short story in the last novel, 19 Claws and a Black Bird
after the MC escapes a cruel wasteland of environmental chaos, she joins the Sacred Sisterhood and deemed an Unworthy and writes her story in broken diary form with scrap paper and ink made from horrific sources
The sacred sisterhood has a weird religious hierarchy, the unworthy have opportunities to be chosen for the Enlightened but all positions seem a version of torment, punishment and sacrifice
When a stranger appears and is chosen as an unworthy the mc starts to change and reveal more about herself, her past and the bounds she creates
please research the content warning! even though this is adult horror, this is one of those times where readers would appreciate content warning pages

Unsettling. but not Uncanny.

I was hoping for something that settled with me more than what I got from this. It was horrifying and gross and uncomfortable, but it was also a bit predictable and I felt like it sometimes took the easy way out. The descriptions of the girls cruelties and the order of their lives is interesting only insofar that it feels shocking and taboo, and our main character, while a compelling voice, doesn't propel any real narrative. This feels more like a slice of life book, than a mystery or a horror, if that life was truly one of the most awful outcomes a girl could ever invent for an apocalyptic setting: organized religion with no oversight or adherence to morality.

The biggest mystery of the book is what happened to the world to get to this state where this cloister seems to be the only shelter from something terrible, but the story treats the biggest mystery as if it is what happens behind the doors to their upper echelon. This is where the book, to me, becomes predictable. A cult story where women are forced to endure horrible punishments and acts of horrifying servitude, led by an terrible, secretive, controlling man? I wonder what could possibly be going on behind the curtain? More abuse? Who would have guessed.

Perhaps I wouldn't be so bitter about the predictability of this if it were adding something new or fresh to the conversation. It doesn't. It's the same, uncomfortable story, told in a way that mostly presents these tidbits of abuse like a shock reveal. It is neither shocking or revealing, so alas, I cannot find it in myself to enjoy any aspect of this book.

Coming off of a 5-star read of Tender is the Flesh, which I still think about nearly a year later, The Unworthy had high expectations to live up to. Unfortunately, while they book is filled with lots of things that would work for me in theory, in practice they just did not add up the way they should.

The Unworthy is the story of an unnamed narrator living in an environmental apocalypse sort of situation in a convent-like fanatical cult of women. What ensues is a kind of religious torture in this place, where very little information on why or even what is occurring is provided. The reader must try to parse and put together the small snippets of details given, and frankly, it's not satisfying. If you are hoping for a great smack in the face ending that Tender is the Flesh had, you will not find it here. This book ends more with a whimper.

All in all, while the writing is lyrical and beautiful even it its grotesquerie, the narrative style and lack of information left me more frustrated than intrigued. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.