I became a fan of Agustina Bazterrica when I read Tender is The Flesh. In my mind, that book hit all the emotional cords. I had high expectations for The Unworthy, and it met them. It wasn’t quite as good as Tender is the Flesh, it still had Bazterrica’s excellent prose, characters, and haunting themes. This is an easy book to recommend to fans of literary horror or literary science fiction.

I loved this authors book Tender is the Flesh. This one for me wasn’t as good. It’s still a well written piece of work but I found it a little more bizarre than I like. It’s post apocalyptic and dark, oh so dark and eerie. There isn’t really anything good that happens. If you like dark, eerie, extreme body horror then this is for you. I’ll be on the lookout for the next book. I like her writing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3.5⭐️

This was a very strange book and I don't think that I liked it. I haven't read <i>Tender is the Flesh</i> -- and, quite frankly, I don't have much of a desire to do so -- so this is the first book I've read by this author. I went in pretty blindly and I am admittedly very confused as to what I just read.

The pros: Pretty much the only thing I enjoyed about this book was the concept. The book is told from the writings of a woman trapped (not that she thinks she's trapped -- kind of) in a violent, religious cult while the rest of the world is ravaged by the apocalypse. It's a fascinating premise and I enjoyed this aspect of the book. I also liked piecing together the protagonist's scattered writings to try and put together a story; while confusing, it fits in well with the general vibe.

The cons: I wanted to know more about the setting but you don't really get any answers as to why things happen. You get a few tidbits, but it's not enough to satisfy any curiosity as to why the world is the way that it is, what's really going on, etc. Instead, there's a seemingly gratuitous amount of graphic depictions of torture and violence. I found myself skimming past those portions quickly (or the best I could so I wouldn't miss parts of the plot). I truly don't even know what happened in this book. As other reviewers have said, for the most part, nothing at all happens, and then a rush of action happens in the last 10% or so. I personally wasn't a fan and just wanted <i>more</i> of everything that wasn't violent depictions of torture, which I definitely wanted less. If there's a message to this book (relating to women and religion), it didn't come through clearly enough for me.

The Unworthy
Agustina Bazterrica

ARC courtesy of Scribner and NetGalley.

In a dystopian world besieged by plague, climatic disaster and death, this novel is about a Sacred Sisterhood, in whose chapel we are witness to the Unworthy, the title given to the lowest members (akin to novices or initiates) seeking entry into the sisterhood. An even darker setting in the midst of a dark, bleak outside world. This is the mood that Bazterrica sets.

That being said, this novel is not for everyone. It is not plot driven. If you are looking for a formulaic work of fiction, with facts, a neatly progressive plot and a clear cut denouement, then you may be disappointed. It is a literary work. It conveys mood and feeling, dread and darkness. Prayer and punishment, violence and gore – successful in its shock value. I myself prefer some questions left unanswered at the end, as it keeps me thinking, as this novel has.

Dark and dystopian are two of my favorite things in a book and this covered both. The Unworthy made me cringe at times but o my because the author is the can describe some of the most grotesque things in the best way.

Agustina and I have a checkered past; she writes something - I love it - she writes something else - I make a face 🥴 - She writes something else - I'm obsessed again...but one thing remains true...
I͟'͟m͟ ͟g͟o͟n͟n͟a͟ ͟r͟e͟a͟d͟ ͟w͟h͟a͟t͟e͟v͟e͟r͟ ͟t͟h͟i͟s͟ ͟w͟o͟m͟a͟n͟ ͟w͟r͟i͟t͟e͟s͟. 🤣🥰

The Unworthy was stunning. I was so excited and grateful to receive this as an ARC from @netgalley and @scribnerbooks (don't worry it comes out in a couple weeks!) and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all of you.

Be forwarned - there are no chapters here - it's just a single stream of consciousness; a hidden journal penned from the perspective of one young woman; one of The Unworthy. This book is going to seem absolutely bonkers the first time you try to read it - but if you stick with it, the further you go, the more you'll sink in.

The writing is full of rich descriptions and heady dialogue which makes you feel as if you're reading about a different planet altogether at times. I went back and forth contemplating so many options: Is this story being told from the perspective of an asylum patient? Is this a story being told by animals? Is this medieval times? Is this a glimpse of the future? Is this even on Earth?

Although you never learn her name, you'll become drawn in and emotionally invested in our main character, how she came to be a part of a post-apocalyotic cult, why she remains there, the people she loves and the ones she loves to hate (Lourdes, ya salty bitch)

The story really picks up in the last third and I was glued to the book for a whole day, devouring every page of this confession, needing to know the truth of it all - and the closer I got, the more I suspected - but in the end it was still a shock to me how quickly it was all over and how much I want to read it again.

I mean this in the best way possible: Augustina Bazterrica is insane.

This book is so beautifully grotesque, I couldn't look away. I never thought a book with so many in-depth cockroach descriptions could make me cry, but here we are.

There's so much said in these pages about religion, cultism, fanaticism, climate disaster, and female love and hate in its many forms... and she somehow does it in less than 200 pages. Bravo.

And also how dare you with the cockroaches...

I’ll start off by saying I LOVE Agustina Bazterrica—“Tender is the Flesh” and “Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird” are some of my favorite reads, and her version of dystopian horror holds a special place in my cold, dark heart.

Weirdly though, I was a little thrown off by “The Unworthy”. The vibes are dark, but not what I was expecting. The writing style doesn’t scream Bazterrica to me, so much so that I had to check whether she used a different translator for this book (she didn’t). It kind of distracted me from the story, and I feel like I might enjoy it more if I approached a second read without expectations for it to be completely on brand with her other writing.

My not-so-favorite part: The backstory for the apocalypse.
There was so much left unexplored. You know there was a climate crisis, but it almost doesn’t feel crucial to the story—like you could use any number of reasons for why these women are isolated and don’t leave their religious cult and convent. Maybe that’s the nature of a sub-200 page novel, but it felt underdeveloped to me.

My favorite part: The characters.
They are brilliant. They are devious. They are cruel (oh, the CRUELTY). But even with violent competition and sabotage dominating their world, companionship and love still somehow manage to survive. You’re awarded these beautiful glimpses into the narrator’s past—precious moments in time spent with her mother before the planet completely fell apart—and the stranger brings with her fragments of hope for the narrator’s future.

Definitely read this. Just be warned you may not get the same flavor of fleshy, body gore as you did with the processing of special meat or the attempt to be perfectly circular.

thank you netgalley & the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy!

this book was so interesting, and unique. the premise and cover art really drew me in and it definitely was an experience

I feel like tender is the flesh is such a beloved and hyped up horror book and it’ll be so interesting to see how audiences react to this one.

the story centers around our mysterious unnamed main character living in a non traditional convent while trying to survive in an apocalyptic world.

the premise of this book is so cool and so creative! I for one love religious, and apocalypse horror. Especially when combined. It took me about 30% of the book to not be confused and to finally understand what was happening in the book. It’s a non linear, and at times felt very scatter brained. But i definitely think that was on purpose!

This isn’t a perfect book by any means but i was pretty entertained once I figured out what was going on! There’s some horrific self mutilation and horrors in this story. Everything about this was just so unique and genuinely like nothing I’ve read before.

I’m excited to get my copy, upon its release and for everyone to read it!

I enjoyed this book! It’s not the kind of book I typically read, but I heard great things about the author and wasn’t disappointed. There were several points when reading where I had to stop and think about what was going on in terms, especially at the end. I really enjoyed the prose, it flows off the page. The pacing felt erratic, but it worked with the plot and the style of narration. It has a lot of dark and tense moments. Overall a solid, medium-length read.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Unworthy is a dystopian horror novel that follows a woman in a fanatical religious cult. She is narrating her experience as best she can on hidden bits of paper written in snatches of time. If her words were to be found it would surely be nothing but misery and punishment to follow and yet she is unable to stop herself from writing it all down. There are holes in her memory, things she can't quite remember about who she once was outside before The Sacred Sisterhood. The world is desolate and plagued with contagion but if one has faith they will have refuge.

I was thrilled to see another English translation by Agustina Bazterrica. As a big fan of Tender is the Flesh I was very eager to get my hands on another story by her. Unreliable narrators and religious fanaticism are two of my favorite things in fiction and this book has both. I really enjoyed the writing, the sort of hastily done pieces of narration where our narrator only has so much time or is interrupted. This story doesn't shy away from the gruesome. It's certainly a sort of skin crawling experience to read about the torture and violence these women exact on each other in the name of being faithful and dutiful. It seems untenable the things they all do in the hopes of becoming more than an Unworthy and ascend to being Enlightened.

I always enjoy a story that has so much shrouded in mystery and leaves you as a reader trying to figure it all out through narrow glimpses. What happened to the world? What do all these states of being chosen mean? There's just endless questions and nothing to do except read on in the hopes of learning the answers. There are a lot of religious overtones as one might expect but there are lots of sharp barbs about climate change, bodily autonomy, and indoctrination buried in the story to examine. I thought the novel was beautifully translated and I'm always impressed by how much this author takes me by surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy

I really just couldn’t get into this book. It was slow and nothing really happened. There might have been some stuff sprinkled here and there but overall I was bored.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you, NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Part "The Road" and part "Midsummer" colored in the tones of your average cult fiction, The Unworthy is mostly well written but also like "The Road" doesn't fill in the picture as much as it gives strobe lit glimpses that you follow to a conclusion.
The narrator does feel genuine, but not fully fleshed out, like a teen writing in their diary you get less of who they are and more of what they portray.
Overall a good recomend if your looking for a dystopian story that is less about a journey and more an existence in a moment

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica follows a woman in a mysterious religious convent with different tiers of members. This has her journal entries of her experience there.

I don’t what to say too much about the plot because I think it’s best to go in blind but this does deal a lot with religion/cults so keep that in mind. I really enjoyed this book. I think the idea of this being journal entries was very smart and made me connect more with the main character. The way this author is able to craft this world in such a short amount of pages is very impressive.

I do wish that this would have been a little bit of a longer book. I really would have loved about fifty more pages to explore more about the convent and its inner workings.

That being said, this really cemented this author as a favorite for me. The way that she makes you see the world in a different way is really fantastic and I can’t wait to read more from her!

Not going to lie after I finished this book I totally disassociated for a good 5 minutes which I have found to be the exact same thing that happened when I finished Tender Is The Flesh. The Unworthy is an environmental dystopian horror that follows a woman who is part of a religious cult group who take part in horrifying and violent sacrifices for a chance to be the next Enlightened. This was heartbreaking and tragic but also the madness is so intoxicating you won’t want to put it down. This author is now an official instant buy for me. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGally for the opportunity to read this early.

I've been in a dystopian mood as of late so this was a fun (if harrowing) read. I adored Tender Is the Flesh, and I think Bazterrica just does dystopia SO well. Haunting and compelling stuff.

A compelling, if horrifying, short read. Interesting to read Bazterrica's new novel shortly after I happened to read John Wyndham's The Chrysalids--another post-apocalyptic tale set in a tightly controlled cult of survivors. Wyndham's 1960's take refers to nuclear war as the final crisis leading to collapse, but Bazterrica focuses on the climate crises that will inevitably follow from our contemporary actions.

More hinting at the climate catastrophe and resultant breakdown of society than really delving into it, this book chooses to focus mostly quite narrowly on our narrator and her experience of violence in the Sacred Sisterhood. The convent has become a relative refuge for survivors, but that balance will shift the moment any hope of restoration exists outside it's walls. Suddenly anything might be better than staying...if the world really is restoring itself. The act of surviving prevents one from actually living sometimes.

Probably more like 3.5 stars for me.

Written, this time, in diary style by an unnamed narrator set in a convent in a dystopian world, the suffering these women were going through in the name of safety was heartbreaking. Under the thumb of a single unseen man and an unforgiving Sister Superior, continuously striving to become one of The Enlightened, this book blended religion, cult, and semi supernatural elements flawlessly. This dark, claustrophobic, and heartwrenching story full of sacrifice pulled me in and kept me totally invested the entire way through.

To start off my review I will say this is the first book by Bazterrica I have ever read and it was fantastic! This story takes place in a dystopian future where the world is dying and our main character finds herself a member of a covenant, that believes their highest members are keeping them alive and safe in this broken world. Bazterrica wrote this story in a way that was both thrilling and terrifying, I could not stop reading, yet I wanted to close my eyes so badly at certain parts. Her writing is captivating, yet strangely haunting. This was a fantastic dystopian horror that shined light on the horrific realities of what religious fanaticism looks like. This book made me consider our world today, and look at the parallels between reality and the fictional world that Bazterrica brought to life. This was truly an unforgettable read that I will be thinking about for a long time!

This is going to stay with me forever. This is haunting and fascinating and I wish I could reread this for the first time again and again.