I've read Agustina Bazterrica's novel Tender Is the Flesh, her short story collection Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird, and now also her latest novel, The Unworthy, and it's clear that Bazterrica is a queen of vibe. Her worlds are unsettling, often downright disturbing, and that's the point. She's very deft at atmosphere and aesthetic. However, vibes along can't make up for a story that doesn't quite manage to stand on its own two feet. The routine spectable of shocking and sadistic atrocities committed against young women (often by other young women) in the name of religion throughout this book somewhat overshadows the fact that you don't really get anything of substance out of the narrative. This could have been a lot more fleshed out, and the characters more thoughtfully developed. Really, really love the vibe though!

As a huge fan of Tender Is the Flesh and several stories in Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird, this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year.

While I love a short book, I think this one would have benefited from… more. I loved some elements such as the haunting atmosphere and the visceral flashbacks, but the story lacked a strong through line to give those elements more meaning.

I also struggled with the fragmented arc of the main character. Her change from cold and detached to magnanimous and noble, though obviously affected by Lucía, felt rushed.

That being said, the strongest part of this book is by far the relationship between the main character and Lucía. I would have liked to see more of it.

Though this wasn’t the slam dunk I thought it would be, I am looking forward to reading more from Bazterrica in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the eARC

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Writing a review for a book like this is extremely challenging. Overall, I don't have any solid complaints or enjoyments. The story is well written, it's just very dry and I think that's the authors point/ style. The book has a lot to say and shows the consequences of society not listening to one another and not believing the consequences of how we are living aka climate change and treatment of animals. I am glad I read this book, I don't think it will stick with me in a way I hoped it would. I am looking forward to hearing what others think of it, I think it would make a great group read which may enrich some conversation that may be difficult to dig up as a solo reader. In summary, this book will benefit from discussion because there is a lot there it just requires you to think on your own and explore meaning outside of the novel.

This book was exactly what I thought it would be like achingly beautiful yet disturbing. Just like tender of the flesh if you like to be disturbed but have beautiful writing at the same time I would definitely recommend this book. 10 out of 10 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley for an early advanced copy of this book I loved every second of it!

My Selling Pitch:
Dystopian nunnery. I’d warn you that it’s a sex cult, but I didn’t wanna be redundant.

Pre-reading:
I liked Tender is the Flesh, but I wasn’t gagged over it.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
No, because ever since The Mummy bugs crawling into my head is one of my greatest fears in the entire world.

I didn’t know this was another dystopian book. Although to be fair, I didn't know anything about this book because I never read blurbs.

Why is it always cults? Why is it always a dude?

Oh shit, is this gay? (Very.)

I’m assuming it’s just whoever he wants as his sex slaves like-

Do you think the weird religious preoccupation with self flagellation is just because some sadist was the preacher and wanted to jizz his pants at how far he could convince people to go? Or do you think it’s some self harm devotee? Like which came first? Chicken and the egg and all that.

lugubrious

lucubration

cilice

You are hungry and I respect hunger. (Ninth House, the chokehold you have on me with this quote.)

Oh, she knows she’s a woman because they’ve fucked.

Kinda bored tbh

Oop there it is. This is just one big sex cult. The murdered girls are pregnant, no?

It’s very Manhunt.

Is Circe a cat or a person? (Cat)

Mutilated pussy by stabbing with a sorceress's name is JUST A BIT HEAVY HANDED THERE. But also fuck men. Fuck the patriarchy.

This book is such a rapey bummer, and I'm tired, grandpa.

I like how this book sidestepped the Catholic Church by being like no no, it’s a new religion while also sending a big fuck you to the Catholic Church.

Post-reading:
I love femme horror, but jesus christ, does it always have to be such a rapey bummer? Yes. Yes, it does. Maybe if it wasn’t so pervasive and such a universal experience we could do silly little ghost books like boys club horror.

I don’t know, man. It’s well written, but I think you open this book and can immediately guess what’s going on. The violence never feels gratuitous exactly. You’re just kind of resigned to it. Like oh, we’re doing one of those books. It doesn’t have much commentary to offer. It’s kind of like climate change is bad, men suck, religion is evil. And my problem always with these books is you are preaching that message to the choir. No one who doesn’t already believe that is picking up this book.

I do appreciate how this book sidestepped being canceled for railing against a certain poisonous religion, while also blatantly being like fuck your faith, you're enabling predatory men. I respect the audacity.

I don’t think it pushes the envelope enough. There’s one or two juicy quotes, but it needed something gripping to make this little novella memorable. It never made me wince, and I think both Manhunt and American Rapture do a better job with the same sort of themes. If you want the dystopian examination of gender and sexuality, you pick up Manhunt and try to survive it. If you want to grapple with religious hypocrisy, you pick up American Rapture. I don’t know if this book adds anything to the genre that I didn't already get in a better form from those two books.

It just felt a little rushed. We meandered around with nature descriptions a little too much. It got a little trauma bingo-y. It’s good. It’s not great, and I think if you wanna tackle something weighty, you really have to bring it.

Who should read this:
Religious commentary fans
Queer horror fans
Manhunt fans

Ideal reading time:
Spring

Do I want to reread this:
I think I'll just remember it.

Would I buy this:
Yes? It’s not a you should rush out and buy this full price, but if you see it on sale, it’s worth picking up.

Similar books:
* Manhunt by Gretchen Felker Martin-same book, different font dystopian queer horror
* American Rapture by C. J. Leede-dystopian horror, religious commentary
* Private Rites by Julia Armfield-dystopian horror, queer, cults, religious commentary


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another marvelously dark offering from Bazterrica. A dystopian horror set in a convent in the near-future, this short novel probably raises more questions than it answers, but the story is compelling, the narrator not entirely likeable and the writing is top notch.

I really enjoyed this book. Throughout most of it I found it so tantalizing and I wanted more-- more details about what had happened to the world, more information about the strange belief system ("religion?") in the convent. However once I finished the novel I realized it was perfect. The narrator didn't have language to explain all that had happened to her, and the strange rituals are far more powerful when they are hinted at and your have to use your imagination. I found this book riveting, dreamlike, and heartbreaking. It was great!

I have been thinking about "Tender is the Flesh" since I read it, so I was excited to pick this up. This one didn't compel me as much as the former, but there were moments of beautiful prose. Ultimately, I found it so bleak that I didn't want to reach for it, but I was curious to see where it would go. I wish there were more romance or human connection or action, but the setting and world was extremely well-realized.

First, I’d like to give thanks for receiving a digital copy of this book. This is the second book I’ve read by Agustin’s Bazterrica, and there’s some parallels of my experience between reading The Unworthy and Tender is the Flesh. Although I enjoyed it, as it was a quick read with disturbing elements, I can’t help to think that I’m reading an outline of ideas that were not fleshed out to its maximum capacity. Bazterrica’s writing has an excellent way of expressing dystopian futures filled with desecration, isolation, and violence only to leave the reader wanting more. I wish the story would take its time exploring its timeline and elaborating on its concepts instead of springing between future/present/past scenes.
Some disturbing scenes would carry more meaning and be more impactful if it would take its time developing its climax, there’s so many parts where the writing was moving so fast that disturbing scenes didn’t affect me as much as I thought.
I appreciate short books but I think some stories just need to take its time and consequently be longer. This is exactly how I felt about Tender is the Flesh.
Sidenote: at this point, where the amount of media we are exposed to throughout the years is infinite, I think It’s time all authors hang up the traumatic dead cat/dog trope.

Final thoughts: It was a good story, but the pacing is so fast there’s no time to fully savor it. I wish this could’ve been longer, expanded on the effects of AI, pollutants, social decline, all leading to the dystopian “religious” cult where our main protagonist ends up.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

In The Unworthy, we follow the life of a woman living in a convent, secretly writing her story, after the world has been ravaged by war and nature. When a mysterious newcomer shows up, our main character suddenly begins remembering her past and everything in it, and seeing her present more clearly.

I enjoyed the almost lyrical quality of the text. I thought the author did a good job presenting the mind of someone who has bought into a cult's teachings, and has joined the hive mind. I also liked seeing glimpses of the MC's humanity and rebelliousness versus the behavior and thoughts she had learned while at the House of the Sacred Sisterhood. The contempt the MC shows for the "false god" was amusing.

I enjoyed the pacing of the book and thought the point at which the MC's past was weaved in was good timing; it was far enough in that it didn't overwhelm the story but not so far that we forgot about it.

I recommend this book. It has mild horror elements, some mystery elements, and dystopian elements.

In this new short novel we go to a different location, ruined already by climate disaster “allegedly” and where we find our main character “safe” in a refuge call the Sacred Sisterhood, where you guessed it, lives a cult of women; here’s a brutal and sadistic hierarchy where they label them between Unworthy and Enlightened, and they have to endure very strict rules and punishments.

Our narrator documents all of this in a form of diary, where she reminisces about the life she had before all of this happened, while going through this a new member arrives and with her comes a new opportunity to escape from this madness.

I loved Bazterrica’s writing style in Tender is The Flesh, and this follows that same path with all the graphic violence that characterizes her, but i would’ve love to have more of it’s background story, a lot of it is not very well explained and left to the imagination but in these kind of scenarios i feel like the world building could’ve been more detailed and of course the whole book could’ve been a little bit longer, but still i enjoy it a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange of an honest review. This book is out now so you can go get it and enjoy it too.

Rating: 3.5 stars

If I could rate this a 4.5 I would! The only reason why I removed the .5 was due to the fact I was left wanting more!!! I feel like this novel could eventually have a second series or a mini novella diving more into the whole Sacred Sisterhood and its true behind the scenes accounts.

I loved every second of this! As I was reading each page all I could think about was the movie "Immaculate" . Truly a mind bending horror book as we are essentially reading the recorded notes from our main character. As you continue through the story it stops and starts at different times as she needs to hid to record her life using anything as ink and hidden from view (from poisonous fruits, left over ink and even blood).

Super excited to share the short story to my friends and family! Another piece of art from Agustina! <3

Upon finding out the Agustina Bazterrica was releasing a book I wasted no time to come here and receive and arc. From Tender is the Flesh, Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories, to now The Unworthy, she continues to do it again and again for me. When it comes to the horror genre I feel as the she brings a personal tough to the scene, making it feel more personal and all the more scarier. While it is short it never felt dull and the pacing was even ditributed that at no point I felt it was dragged out - the words kept me throroughly entertained. And the characters...oh how I loved Lucia, I could not get enough of her and her journey and the relationships she formed with the people around her. All in all, the book was a beautiful book of literary horror that truly encapsulated our dark violent insticts and at times...are forced to light. I cannot wait to continue following along Agustina's journey.

Was unfortunately underwhelmed with this one after loving Tender is the Flesh.
The writing was amazing, as expected. I just did not connect with the story! I found it to be a little hard to follow & like I said, underwhelming.
I liked the flashbacks & the discussions about the world outside during the ‘apocalypse’ but there was few. Overall, 3 stars.

The world has fallen into utter chaos, cities have fallen, there is no food people are roaming trying to survive, people are killing one another, the water is so toxic. We are reading this in a form of a journal written by one women in her perspective, which she should not be writing.

The narrator herself is a little dark, a lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, who dreams about ascending to the "Enlightened" by pleasing Superior Sister. Everything changes when a stranger makes her way inside and becomes part of the "Unworthy". We have human sacrifice, turning against each other, self mutilation. There were some scenes that were very disturbing so please check the content warning. I highly recommend this novel that you can finish on one sitting.

I'm excited to read more work from Agustina, I bought the physical copy for this along with Tender is Flesh and Nineteen Claws.

Thank you NetGalley for the Ebook!

This was a bit of an odd one, but if you look through the lines of what's being told it's certainly a horror of what our world could become.

In some aspects it does become a bit repetitive because this is essentially our MC's journal. So what's happening in current day is a lot of the same thing, but we're also getting more glimpses into the monastery that she's living in and how they're being controlled and deceived. Through this she's also giving you flashbacks on how she got her and the horrors she had to endure to get to the current horror she lives in.

I think my biggest complaint is that I just wish there was more. More look back on how the world gold to where it is, more story on how our MC ended up here, more information on the monastery.

The Unworthy is a strange read that feels extremely reductive. We're dropped into the middle of a dystopian world, offering no immediate context and only slight tidbits throughout that make the process of figuring out what is going on bizarre, The story is moved forward solely through increasingly horrific depictions of whippings and torture, as if your investment is hooked simply on "oh God, how could it get worse???"

The setting of a convent isolated from the after effects of a climate crisis and disease creates a situation where the plot feels slow and repetitive, since there is only one place to be - I wish the world was a bit larger. And even in this setting, I wish I was told more so I could be invested in the characters, instead of constantly asking "wait, why is this happening? What is going on? Why should I care about this?"

It was more like this story was written with the intent of being cutting edge and aloof instead of the plot and characters creating that feeling naturally. It was like the author was trying to convince me of how edgy it was instead of it actually being edgy. That broke the 4th wall for me, like the author was over my shoulder waiting to see my reaction. I definitely raises interesting questions about women and religion, but everything else was so distracting that this one was a no for me.

I may need to revisit this at some point, but as it stands I couldn’t finish this book. I loved Tender Is the Flesh and read her book of short stories and enjoyed many of them, but this didn’t grab me in even remotely the same way.

This was too difficult for me to form an understanding of the place and circumstances. I made it a quarter through but felt very lost and not at all invested. DNF

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

If this book was meant to sway me from religion and the social order that comes with, it did the opposite. I now actually worship Agustina Bazterrica. This is a translated religious horror with EXTREME body horror set in a post apocalyptic monastery - home to the sacred sisterhood. You know the face you make when you’re white and listening to a really good beat? That’s the face I was making after every single sentence. BARS EVERY PARAGRAPH. this was just as beautiful as it was revolting. My only wish is that it were longer.