The Unworthy sets a mood so dark and unsettling which is what I have come to expect from Agustina Bazterrica. Set in a future where the world is dying, religion and patriarchy still have a foothold. The young woman narrating the novel is living at the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, a fundamentalist order of women ruled by a mysterious man. This is a survival story written at times in the narrator's blood, interrupted by violence and unnerving in the realities of this world. Despite the darkness, there was something affecting in reading from the perspective of a lonely young woman seeking connection in a world of isolated survivors. It is in these moments of connection that there sits a reminder of what we stand to lose in the face of violence, climate change, and oppressive symptoms and the horror of not investing and imagining a world different than this.

A nameless narrator, main character, tells of struggle, sacrifice, heartache. I feel as though remains nameless because her story is everyone’s, she is us and we are her. Everyone has trials and tribulations, but it’s when you maintain your humanity and mercy do you overcome. Don’t lose yourself to the pain. It was well done and while it is tough to get through, it is well worth it.

This is the third book that I've read by this author. This was a great dystopian/horror read, and I agree with other reviewers that compared it to I Who Have Never Known Men and The Road. I liked it better than both of those books because I found them both to be too monotonous. This book, however, had a lot more going on, including an unexpected love story. There are some graphic depictions of violence that some people might not like. The main character goes back and forth between the current storyline and a past one, which depicts her life trying to survive when civilization has collapsed. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

The Unworthy is a lyrical fever dream that I couldn’t put down.

If you’re expecting another *Tender Is the Flesh*, go ahead and tuck that thought away because the writing and atmosphere here are completely different. I’m so excited to experience another side of Bazterrica—this book isn’t just a dystopian, end-of-the-world, climate-disaster story teetering on the edge of horror. It’s also a deeply moving, melodic prose experience that encourages you to savor every moment.

I know this won’t be for everyone, but it resonated with me. I tend to love meandering plots paired with heavy-handed prose, and *The Unworthy* delivers both beautifully. It’s easily a favorite of the year, and I’ll be yearning for a physical copy.

I only wish I could read it in the original language! I’m so grateful to live in a world where Bazterrica’s work is translated.

There is something special about Bazterrica. This new novel definitely shows that 'Tender' wasn't just a piece of random luck, but that she clearly has the chops for a long career. I think between the sheer creativity of voice in these two books, that the next book Bazterrica I hear of will immediately jump to the top of my tbr list.

Honestly if you read the official blurb and it caught your eye then you don't need to know more than that of the plot Just let her voice and narrative do its work. this is terrific dystopian horror and I actually imagine her clear harsh images would translate wonderfully to the big screen.

and oh how my heart aches for Circe.

highly recommend.

I read this in one sitting and it absolutely eviscerated me....will be thinking about it for a long time. Thank you for the ARC--will absolutely be recommending!

Set in a world ravaged by environmental collapse, the story follows a woman trapped in the brutal hierarchy of the Sacred Sisterhood, a secretive religious cult.

Very eerie and chilling story, with dark setting that leaves you hooked from the first page. Loved the dystopian horror vibes!

I would’ve loved to get better characters descriptions and more of a back story but for under 200 pages, this book truly delivered.

The writing was done well, I just felt it was a little disconnected or did not have a defined plot. The pacing was slower. After reading Tender is the Flesh and seeing the hype for this book, it was a tad disappointing. It did pick up towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Unworthy has a lot of my favorite things: sapphic romance, weird cult stuff, and journal entry style chapters. Unfortunately, it ended up falling flat for me. If this wasn’t an arc, I probably would have dnfed it around 30% of the way in because I was just never particularly interested in anything that was happening. I also feel like a lot of the horror tapered off towards the end. Without any spoilers, there were some dark themes later on in the book, but I never felt like they were given the time or weight to feel consequential.

Tender is the Flesh was amazing but unfortunately this one disappointed me. For being on the shorter side, this took me forever to get through. I didn't love the writing or format (written as journal entries) and I thought a lot of it was vague.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Scribner, and Agustina Bazterrica for allowing me to read “The Unworthy”.
As soon as I heard that Agustina Bazterrica has a new book out it immediately went to the top of my TBR list. As someone who read Tender Is the Flesh years ago, I knew that whatever this new book was about it would entertain me, disturb me, and probably break something deep in my brain, and overall, it succeeded.

The Unworthy is set in a post-apocalyptic world in a mysterious convent, ok say less I am already hooked. Two of my favorite thing’s apocalypses and religious extremism (in fiction…not real life)
The story is told through the writings of one of the members of the convnet as she is determined to write her story down, even if it is never read by anyone else. While most of the story is what is presently going on in her life there are flashes back to when she was younger and how she got to where she currently is. Those parts were some of the harder sections to get through. Don’t get me wrong, this was by far easier to digest than her previous novel (pun intended), but even so there are quite a few graphic depictions.

The reader, meaning me, is only getting bits and pieces of the story and that is being filtered through by the narrator, which gives the lovely unreliable narrator’s vibe, yet I ended up believing everything she wrote down. I witnessed the birth of her disillusionment towards the cult she was a part of, which was interesting.

The only complaint I have is that I wish that it was longer and that there was a more in-depth look at the convent and maybe what had happened in the world to cause women to willingly join it. I neeeeeed for Agustina Bazterrica to write a horror series so that her plots can get fleshed out because I am obsessed with the bits and pieces of these worlds that she gives us.

In a post-apocalyptic world after climate change destroys civilization, a woman keeps a secret journal in the mysterious and brutal Sacred Sisterhood.

The writing is brutally evocative of the end of the world. The horror and narrators rushed secrecy permeate every line. It was an unsettling read that will stick with me.

This is my 3rd book written by this author and it did not disappoint. I was left speechless and couldn’t put it down. This was very interesting and impactful. Thankyou for the arc i had to preorder immediately

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“Without faith, there is no refuge.”
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“Words that are forbidden. Words with sharp edges. Words of fire.”
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Sharing with you some thoughts on 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐘 by @agustinabazterrica
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This story is told in an epistolary format, weaving together scattered memories and clandestine experiences from the POV of an unnamed novice living in a religious order in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by ecological collapse. A new member’s arrival prompts the MC to reflect on faith, doubt, and disillusionment within the sanctum.
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I needed to take a couple days after finishing to realign my expectations for this one, I’d advise NOT anticipating the same shock value as Tender. Bazterrica’s prose is still strikingly powerful, functioning as both testimony and confession. Through fragmented, visceral, staccato-like sentences, she captures the MC’s shattered memories, fractured identity, and the urgency of a secretive diary-style format. This style mirrors the dehumanizing and oppressive world she inhibits, while hauntingly poetic and atmospheric moments provide a stark contrast to the brutality, illustrating fleeting hope and the indomitable spirit of survival.
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Like Tender, Bazterrica once again delves into the darker corners of human behavior set in a bleak, dystopian world, offering a sharp critique of power structures and societal complicity. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐘 delivers a thought-provoking exploration of humanity’s capacity for both cruelty and resilience. Thank you @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
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“The truth is changeable, it contracts, implodes, it’s powerful like a bullet. And it can be lethal.”
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Included in monthly horror round-up at BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/2025/03/13/the-chill-quill-march-belongs-to-women-with-these-gripping-new-reads/

Agustina Bazterrica is back with a new novel and I liked it, even though it starts out a little too slow. The Unworthy is set in a dystopian world that has been decimated by climate disasters and wars over water, leaving nothing but a wasteland of disease and violent weather events. In the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, women seek refuge but end up trapped in a brutal cult. The Mother Superior rules with an iron fist, and above her is “Him," a mysterious figure no one is allowed to look at. The story is told through secret diary entries and they are bleak.

If you've read Tender Is the Flesh, you know how this author writes. It's all dread, all the time. The Unworthy is about survival in a world where hope is a dangerous thing. Even though it's a short novel at 192 pages, it takes a while to get a good feel for exactly what is going on. The second half of the book saves it and is worth the slow buildup to get there.

I think my review is going to be as messy as this book. The first part was like getting cold water thrown in my face. It was shocking, and left me confused. But I was also willing to give the book time to help me understand.

The cruelty and horror at the beginning eventually levels out and becomes less psychedelic, but the horror doesn't stop. Check for content warnings!

Eventually, the narrator starts having flashbacks, and begins to remember her life before the convent. It was interesting, and I could have read an entire book about the narrator's survival story. But she ends up in the crazy convent and it felt like the book is two different stories.

In the end, I think a lot of horror fans will love this book. I'm glad I read it, and would recommend to readers who like lyricism mixed with their horror.

I was excited to pick up The Unworthy, having been deeply affected by Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh and its disturbing vision of a dystopian society. Once again, Bazterrica crafts a chilling, thought-provoking world—this time centering on a ruthless religious order operating in the midst of global turmoil.
The novel centers on an unnamed young woman confined within a rigid and oppressive convent ruled by the Sacred Sisterhood. Branded as an "unworthy," she is forced to endure harsh rituals and strict hierarchies while desperately striving to earn a place among the revered Enlightened. Isolated and silenced, she secretly records her thoughts and experiences in a forbidden diary, scrawling her truth with whatever materials she can find—discarded ink, dirt, even her own blood— no matter how crude or desperate.
Bazterrica’s writing is both haunting and poetic, pulling readers deep into the grim reality of the protagonist’s existence. She has a rare talent for crafting dystopian worlds that feel disturbingly plausible—less like an imagined future and more like a hidden truth lurking beneath the surface. Her storytelling doesn’t just depict bleak realities; it immerses you in them, making every brutal detail feel urgent and unavoidable. The Unworthy once again blurs the line between fiction and foresight, leaving readers unsettled by how easily her nightmarish vision could become our own. Told through diary entries, the narrative feels intimate and immediate, heightening the novel’s emotional impact—I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting!
Having grown up Catholic, I found that the religious rituals in The Unworthy, though grotesque and extreme, struck a deeply unsettling chord. Agustina Bazterrica draws from her own experiences in Catholic school, where she witnessed a stark contrast between the ideals of love and the often cruel reality of human behavior. While some aspects were definitely hyperbolic, they didn’t lessen the novel’s impact—though they may be more divisive for certain readers.
Overall, The Unworthy is a harrowing and hypnotic read, one that lingers long after the final page. Bazterrica masterfully weaves horror and social commentary into a narrative that is both visceral and thought-provoking, forcing readers to confront unsettling questions about faith, power, and survival. Her ability to create immersive, nightmarish worlds makes this novel an unflinching and unforgettable experience. Fans of Tender Is the Flesh or dystopian fiction that pushes boundaries will find much to admire here.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Agustina Bazterrica has done it again! First off, the cover is incredible and stunning. I liked that Agustina went in a completely different direction from Tender is the Flesh. The beginning was confusing for me but paid off as far as setting the scene of this apocalyptic "convent". The pacing felt intentional and well executed. One of my most anticipated releases for this year and I wasn't disappointed. I love Bazterrica's prose. Will review on. my page when I pick up the physical copy.

3.5 Rounded Down!

After "Tender is the Flesh", Augustina Bazterrica has become an author whose works I will pretty much automatically seek out. However, it seems like her standout novel has already been written...

"The Unworthy" only partially worked for me and I had to get close to the end to enjoy it. The first half is very slow, methodically explaining how the covenant operates and infused with generously detailed scenes of self-flagellation. There's no real plot to be found until halfway through the book, and then things finally start to pick up.

Once the ball got rolling, I was really enjoying the world building. Like "Tender is the Flesh", "The Unworthy" is set in a world ravished by environmental disasters and diseases. Our narrator describes her wandering expeditions before finding the covenant and it's extremely bleak. I thought it boded well with the introduction of Lucia, a new member of the covenant that our narrator is inexplicitly drawn to. Lucia embodies what our narrator has lost- mercy, love, hope. I loved this character and this arc for our narrator. It gave the novel the necessary emotional aspect it was lacking in the beginning.

Eventually, the novel wraps up without too much explanation. There's sort of a twist that I had guessed at, but the purpose behind everything is never explained. Personally, I felt like a little exploration of the why and the how would've been really interesting. However, I think that our narrators journey had an appropriate character arc and eventual end. I'm not mad, but I'm not in love with this one.