A novella of depth, almost like a journal of someone’s thoughts and days, told in first person as a look of the sacred and chosen and those who are not and left to clean it up. And the word blood a lot of times. Our point of view is that of the fighting to be chosen, behind the walls of what is described like a plague. As the story progresses, gives very religious cult vibes. You start to wonder the brainwashing these young individuals must endure to want to be this “chosen”

This is a darker look on the other side of those of faith, so if religious related stories are not your take, skip this quick novella. An interesting novella, relying on much detail around a mostly unreliable narrator and quick synopsis into a mostly dystopian world. Another quick novella watching a descent into madness. But with nuns! Please check your trigger warnings; I wasn’t a fan of what this progressed to. I wish I had liked this more- but for as short as it was, some of it felt repetitive and like it needed more.

If you support women in any way, this novella will make you very angry. It did for me.

This tale is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of gore, cruelty and vicious punishment, while others take pleasure in the fact that at least it’s not happening to them in that moment. No one is safe. Woman plots against woman, one-upping each other to see who can rise in the ranks by being “pious” enough. It’s everyone’s dream to become one of the Chosen, who are often never seen again, and the “Unworthy” do vile things to each in the hopes of achieving that goal.

Be careful what you wish for…

The manner of relating the story is brilliant, told through the account of one who writes furtively and hurriedly in the dead of night, hiding the pages in different places once daylight comes. She knows she will be tortured and killed if they are found. We, the readers, learn as she learns, and the horrors do ever increase each day that goes by.

If, at the end, you see some similarities to another tale, complete with the image of women in red who are ordered to do despicable things by one of their own (who considers herself “superior”), methinks the author very much intended it to be so.

first things first, i didn’t know this book was sapphic! realizing this while reading made my experience even more lovely. the womens’ relationships at the convent reminds me of the girls’ in yellowjackets, too. if you didn’t like tender is the flesh, i would still 100% recommend the unworthy. it’s way lighter compared to bazterrica’s other novel, but still has its fair share of triggering content.

THE UNWORTHY
Agustina Bazterrica

If those who have given their life to God are not safe, what does that mean for the rest of us?


There are servants, there are auras, those that are spirits, those that are enlightened and those that wander.

And there are THE UNWORTHY.

It took quite a while to lay the groundwork for this short novel. The world-building supersedes the plot and takes up a majority of the novel. It felt like reading a prequel as if I were to expect a novel to come after.

I imagine Bazterrica has thought a lot about what the end of the world might look like. Each of her novels explores a dystopian world where there is a different hierarchy and rules for surviving are rethought. What you can’t imagine doing becomes everyday life.

If Bazterrica has created a world for her characters, the point of this one is to be a testament to faith. And what we know of faith is now perhaps forever changed after watching CONCLAVE.

“Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore no need for faith.”
CONCLAVE (2024)

About the book…

I don’t know what I expected. I don’t know what I got.

Instead of reading THE UNWORTHY, it feels like I have summoned it. Like saying Mary Mary in the mirror three times and falling asleep playing the Ouija Board, only to wake up frozen with sleep paralysis. A dark figure leering over you.

It is not meant for this world.

And it never tried to be.

Thanks to Netgalley, Libro.fm, and Scribner for the advanced copies!

THE UNWORTHY...⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bazterrica has somehow merged the vibes of Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, and Jacqueline Harpman along with her own unique voice in the realm of dystopian fiction. We are reading through the journals of a woman in one possible not too distant future as she has spent years trying to survive in the wasteland at the height of the climate crisi. The limits of humanity are tested and broken in the confines of a transformed monastery turned cult torture center as a group of women have turned their back on god, govt and each in a world where drinking water can drive you mad and there is no ready sustenance. How far will we go when the world is ending and will we lose what it is to see others as humans in need, what of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice to receive the glory of the deity we have created that will save us . . . Augustine is peering into the future, and it is bleak.

Thanks to Schribner and Netgalley for getting to enjoy this book early in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Tender is the Flesh so much so I was very excited to start The Unworthy. The writing was great, the story was dark and intriguing however, I felt very detached while reading it. For some reason, I just couldn't fully immerse. I loved the religious themes and the bleak, dystopian feel to everything and I just wanted a bit more.

Thank you to the publisher, Agustina Baztarrica and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.
 
Firstly, I want to state and clarify that this book was a DNF for me as I do not believe I have the comprehension capabilities for this storyline.  
 
The premise is interesting and I felt compelled to read it as the plot is incredibly unique. I have read Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina and loved it. However, the beginning of this one fell short of my expectations and was DNF’d at 10%.
 
I do not do well with complex stories without context and the stream-of-consciousness thoughts left me incredibly confused as a reader.
 
Since this book takes place in a dystopian world and starts off with this type of treatment, i felt I would’ve enjoyed the beginning had I known more background and context of what and why things were happening as they were.

I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a dire and difficult situation in a completely different world and did not know where or how to channel my thoughts and comprehension. I was not in a frame of mind to go into it with more questions than answers so early on.
 
However, if you are a reader that enjoys this type of storytelling and dystopian thrillers, then this one is worth picking up and I encourage you to read it because Agustina is an excellent author and storyteller!

The Unworthy reads like a fever dream. It’s fast paced and has such a growing feeling of dread. The writing pulls for your attention and was good and helping me envision these women’s lives. I read this in a single sitting because I didn’t want to break the immersion.

There is a great deal of torture and mistreatment here, which may put some people off.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 🌟 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of The Unworthy. I honestly still don’t know how to feel about this read. It was equally parts interesting, disturbing, difficult to get through, but then I also found myself wanting to finish the story. I’m landing between a 3 or 4 stars- maybe a 3.5 rating for now, which let me be clear: is not a bad rating AT ALL. Anything 3 stars and above comes recommended by me. Not everyone is going to like this book and that is okay!

This was so weird and uncomfortable but in the best way! I was cringing but I could not stop reading. I loved the writing, it felt like I was in a dream (or nightmare) I couldn’t wake up from.

Such a great horror novella! Five stars!

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is unhinged; just what I expect from Agustina Bazterrica at this point. The narrator is part of a cult called the Sacred Sisterhood that is run by a man we only know of as called He or Him. He is very "Wizard of Oz"; the women of the convent never see him and only hear him orating from behind a wall or a curtain. Our main character is off the wall but you quickly find that the other women of the convent aren't much better. It makes you wonder how much of this behavior or these thought patterns are indoctrinated into them as part of them being in the Sacred Sisterhood. Our narrator doesn't even remember parts of her past from before arriving at the Sisterhood at first. There is another woman at the Sisterhood that as the reader you are kind of set up to think of as a low level villain but by midway or the end you realize she's just as much of a victim as everyone else (if not more so). I spent the majority of this book questioning everything that the narrator was being told; about the outside world, about herself, about what goes on beyond the black door. This novel was gripping and disturbing and I loved every second of it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of The Unworthy.

Still trying to figure out how I feel about this book. Overall I did enjoy it. I was a little confused in the beginning only because of the writing style. Sometimes sentences would just abruptly stop in the middle but you do find out that it’s intentional and the reasoning behind it. After that it makes so much more sense and it definitely adds to the story. I felt a wide range of emotions while reading this. Ranging from sadness to anger and everything in between. If a book makes you feel things it’s done its job. My only wish is that it was longer. The ending felt a little rushed.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and absolutely did NOT disappoint! The premise is wild and the story had me hooked right away, I love religious horror and this book is absolutely fantastic. The way the story was told with both present tense and flashbacks was really compelling. In this post apocalyptic world it is important to know or try to know what happened in the past. Warning, there is animal cruelty in this story and some body horror.

Absolutely brilliant.

From the start, I couldn’t put "The Unworthy" down and found myself instantly captivated by the main character’s journey. Interestingly, we never learn her name—real or given—but it never bothered me because I was so deeply invested in her story. The pacing was wonderfully executed, keeping me hooked from start to finish. While this was a short and quick read, I know I’ll be thinking about it for some time to come.

I really enjoyed the unique narrative structure Bazterrica uses, particularly the diary-style reflective writing and the crossing out of thoughts the narrator wants to retract. This technique not only drew me in but also helped to make the narrator’s increasing uncertainty about her reality feel authentic.

Not only do I feel that Bazterrica did a fantastic job with the writing, but I also deeply enjoyed the story itself. It felt strikingly realistic in its portrayal of the human condition, especially in how people often follow what’s considered "the truth" or deemed "correct." And let's be honest, if a group of despicably evil men killed my cat during an apocalypse, I too would probably crash out and join a cult.

While The Unworthy is labeled as horror, I would absolutely recommend it to non-horror fans who are okay with a bit of gore, and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who enjoys dystopian stories. I know I will certainly be picking up Tender is the Flesh in the near future to dive deeper into Bazterrica’s work.

Once again a winner in my opinion. Only got about half of the book so can’t leave a solid review on Goodreads yet but from what I read, I’m sold.

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica is a riveting story about the atrocities faced by a small group of women after the world ends due to extreme climate change. And that is about all I want to tell you about this book. I encourage everyone to go into this a little blind, a little confused, and a lot curious.

This book was fantastic is the most disturbing ways. It made me feel emotions that I don’t normally feel while reading, like horror, disgust, fascination, and apprehension. Not to give too much away, but the creation of a new religion in order to control and take advantage of vulnerable women does not feel to far from reality these days.

If you’re someone who enjoys somewhat disturbing stories that feel real, and absolutely plausible, I would encourage you to pick this up. I cried, I gasped, and I left this book feeling fearful for our future. But also seen in a way only another woman can see another.

I would caution those who need to, please check out the trigger/content warnings. There are some tough scenes, and some difficult implications surrounding sexual assault and death/mutilation of a cat that I would warn you about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. Truthfully, the first 2/3rds of it were a STRUGGLE to get through. It was very detached and confusing. Then I hateddddd the ending with Circe (trigger warning for dog death, fully knocked a star down for that one) and then the ending was just really heartbreaking to be honest. This was a sad one from start to finish. I’m grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before it’s publish date but PHEW at what cost haha.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the whole end of the world aspect about it. I wish it was longer just so I know what had happened to the two characters at the end. The survival aspect of this book is just well written if you ask me. I do love how everything came to together at the end. It just felt well put together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book immediately throws readers into the dystopian world created by the author. This coupled by the way it was written (as journal entries from our main character) make the story immediately immersive. I did appreciate how the author wove such brutal acts (please check trigger warnings!) with moments of love and clarity for the main characters. Although I went into this knowing it was a short read, I still finished this wanting something more as it felt like readers saw a small snippet of a world that was so much bigger than the characters we were introduced to. Overall though, a solid horror book with a unique concept.

Another dystopian novel by Agustina Bazterrica - this time rooted in climate crisis and religious trauma. It fits the bill - just like what we’re experiencing in America today. Great book.