3 stars.*

I was not sure what to expect when I downloaded this one and I forgot what the synopsis was when I decided to start a new title.

Typically I only like horror stories that are more mystery than terror. The unworthy is the story of a young woman in the dystopian future living in a mysterious convent where she has escaped to survive an unknown catastrophic event that seems to have ended most life, technology and culture in the world.

The writing is intriguing and I was gripped trying to figure out what was going on. The ending was not satisfactory and left me still mostly confused and sad.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I had a really good time with this story. It is the perfect length for what it is trying to accomplish. The writing is lush without being overly flowery. Instead, it is used perfectly to convey the devastation and commonplace violence of the eco-dystopian world and cult, the Sacred Sisterhood. The story is told non-linearly, which helped convey our MCs confused state of mind. This story’s themes of misogyny were a bit too on the nose for me making the ending predictable. However, it didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. Overall I highly recommend!

The book takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where the main character who is a unnamed woman living in a violent convent of women who are all deemed unworthy and I think are trying to be the chosen one so that they will be sacrificed... to??? I felt like the entire book I was trying to understand what was happening and why was it happening. I have learned after this book, that I don't think that this author's work is for me.

This was incredible. Not at all what I expect, such a quick thrilling read. The tension and utter gloom was incredible, this future isn’t all that fantastical. Water wars due to AI, true horrors. Always love religious cults in horror.

Agustina Bazterrica’s books have intriguing ideas but lack depth, often spelling things out instead of letting readers draw their own conclusions. This novel, about a cult in a climate-ravaged world, misses chances for subtlety and nuance. Dark and unsettling as her stories are, they still feel too straightforward to leave a lasting impact

•Rating: 3.5⭐️
•Genre(s): Horror/Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic
•Book bite: I still don’t know how I feel about this book, but I didn’t not like it? I was surprised by some aspects, especially how much these women were willing to go through to survive (…and for what exactly?), and not surprised by other aspects, such as what is actually going on behind the curtain. This book is definitely meant to make you uncomfortable: Mission Accomplished.
•Notables:
-Queer🏳️‍🌈
-Religious/cult aspects
-Climate-change/environmental + theorized Y2K Apocalypse
-Children vs. adults
-Body Horror

From the author of Tender Is the Flesh, The Unworthy imagines a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by climate collapse and artificial intelligence. Told through the perspective of a woman in a mysterious convent/religious cult, the story unfolds in scraps of blood, discarded ink or whatever else she can find to record her testimony.

Readers are thrown into a brutal dystopia where members of the Sacred Sisterhood are ranked as servants, unworthy, Chosen or Enlightened, proving their “worthiness” through grotesque acts such as having their eyes sewn shut or licking the floor.

The premise is promising, but the execution left me wanting more. The first half of the novel drags before finding momentum in the latter chapters. At less than 200 pages, The Unworthy tries to tackle an ambitious mix of themes — sisterhood, grief, survival — but the story often feels underdeveloped and at times confusing. With more space to breathe, the book could have fully delivered.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader copy of #TheUnworthy.

I had high hopes going into this one based on the blurb, and while I wasn't disappointed per se, it seemed like this wasn't the right length of story to fully convey what I was expecting. It's written like a journal from the narrator's perspective, an idea that totally makes sense within the confines of the story, so of course there's not a lot of dialogue or insight into other characters except for what the narrator perceives of them. On the other hand, it would've been nice to get a bit more information about what's going on in this dystopian world and what exactly happened to get them to this point, which is played off with an "I was a newborn, so I only know what my mother told me." But her mother was a very learned woman who encouraged her to read and discuss things, so it seems like she'd have a bit more knowledge than your average person at this point. I'm not opposed to just throwing readers into the middle of a world and having them "figure it out" along the way... but you have to actually give them the ability to figure it out. This didn't feel like it quite accomplished that feat, as there are little drips throughout the book, but not really enough to paint a full picture, IMO.

I was pretty sure I knew how it was going to end about halfway through, and though I was right, it was still nice seeing how we get to that point and the actual reveal. All in all, I just feel like this could've been a little longer with the narrator remembering a few more details from "before," even if it's just things she recalled talking about with her mother or overhearing from others during her time before the Sisterhood, as that would've helped me understand the actual point of the Sisterhood and what they're attempting to do there a bit better.

3 stars

**I received an advance review copy from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

Thank you netgalley for allowing me early access to this book. I loved Tender is the Flesh and had high hopes for this, and luckily it met my expectations! It was very atmospheric and mysterious, I loved how isolating it felt.

This is one of my top reads for this year. Absolutely fantastic. I got lost in this book and read it again as soon as I was done because I wanted to experience it again.

Slow writing, it was hard to get into especially with there not being any chapter breaks. It was creepy and ominous.

i had a really hard time connecting with the writing. I really like the concept and I wish it had worked better for me

The Unworthy is a short novel whose concept was intriguing, but the execution fell short. The story felt shallow, underdeveloped, and riddled with plot holes. I believe my enjoyment of this novel would have been greater if Bazterrica had made this story longer to give time to fully flesh out some of the great ideas and themes that were only briefly explored. The sapphic romance was arguably the best part.

I received an arc from Netgalley and publisher in return for sharing my review.

Agustina Bazterrica's books always seem to have better ideas than execution.

In Tender is the Flesh, we're introduced to a post-pandemic society where animal meat is unsafe due to a virus so the government has legalized "special" (human) meat only available to the highest bidder. Rather than let us digest (hehe) the connections between this form of human exploitation and the form we are living in right now thanks to capitalism, we are tidily told what the metaphors are (and somehow also subjected to a boring—sorry, not sorry—account of a factory worker's life).

Here, as in there, we are dropped into an indeterminate dystopian future where the climate crisis has caused population collapse and the remaining few have to fight for survival. We follow an unnamed woman living in a convent with a strict hierarchy of Sisters. She, along with the other Unworthy, are the lowest in the caste and have to prove themselves through grueling self-mutilation if they want to attain status of Enlighted—the chosen few who are able to communicate directly with their invisible leader, "Him." She forms a bond with another woman who she chances upon in the surrounding forest and is conflicted between a growing resentment for and attraction to her goodness.

[SPOILER]
The themes are a bit obvious here, particularly when we find out that the notorious "Him" is just some guy who is exploiting the women of the convent for his own purposes and using their self-mutilation to repress them and turn them against one another. And sadly, surrounding them, we have another boring—eek!—backstory of this woman's life interspersed with a fair amount of self-flagellation, which eventually loses its shock value over time.
[END SPOILER]

This book is not for the faint of heart but if you're looking for a quick, horrifying read this will satisfy that craving for sure! It grabs you right off the bat with the bugs and body horror - if you aren't a fan of these things this may not be the book for you.

Dystopian culty horror!? Loved it!

This was my first Bazterrica book and I officially need to read her other books and every single one that is to come in the future. This was a dark, bleak, read but it was absolutely fantastic! 4 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Unworthy is a haunting and atmospheric novel that explores power, survival, and faith in a postapocalyptic world. The story unfolds through the journal entries of an unnamed narrator, a low-ranking member of a strict religious order living in a ruined convent. Using whatever materials she can find—ink, dirt, berries, even blood—she documents the rituals, punishments, and buried memories that shape her life.

The writing is spare and evocative, creating a chilling, claustrophobic environment. The novel captures how power can be internalized and enforced within closed communities, especially among women. The horror builds slowly and relentlessly, more psychological than graphic, and leaves a lasting impression.

Some readers may find the worldbuilding intentionally vague or the plot somewhat underdeveloped, but the emotional weight and thematic depth make this a powerful read. It is a sharp, feminist examination of control, shame, and resistance in a crumbling society.

Recommended for fans of literary horror and dystopian fiction who are drawn to stories about the cost of survival and the quiet forms of rebellion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Agustina Bazterrica explores a post-apocalyptic world through an unnamed woman, who joined the Sacred Sisterhood, a convent where she is protected after climate crises and economic and system collapse has made the world a wasteland. Told in epistolary-like style, of her writing her story in bits and pieces as she finds time and material to write, the horrors of the world are unraveled and revealed. If you liked Tender is the Flesh, you will appreciate what Bazterrica is doing with this novel.

This is my second book I've read by Bazterrica and unfortunately I just don't think that this author is to my taste. As with Tender is the Flesh, I found this to be overly gratuitous torture porn. Set in a post apocalyptic climate-destroyed world, the story follows a woman who lives in a cruel all-women cult led by a man. I found myself reaching the end of the book and realizing that all I read was women being brutally maimed or killed over and over for 200 pages. Bazterrica's prose can be elegant and dreamlike, but without character development or proper world-building, I found this to be lacking anything deeper than gratuitous violence and edgy vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this read but it was confusing at sometimes .. I also hate cockroaches lol .. it was a good read however I love how descriptive the author is!!!

Circe dying killed me!! After everything she went through and they also did that fucking cruel