There's a bit of time for you to adjust to what and where and when you are with this book. It's a short book or it was for me at least on netgalley, but it takes some time to get into the writing style and what the MC is saying is happening.

It's some 40-50 years into the future and humanity was on the brink of extinction between climate collapse and starvation.

The cult/religious group that our MC has stepped into is very alarming and disturbing to read about. There are systems of torture and compliance that the leaders enforce and the followers seem to willingly subject themselves to.

I found that it was very repetitive in some places even though it was so short of a read. I don't think that the repetition was helpful in reinforcing anything other than to mark that these ideas are constantly swirling in our MC's head. From a reader's standpoint, where we're desperately trying to uncover the what, why and how, it just seems to get in the way.

I don't think this was Bazterrica's best but I am still eager to read forthcoming works.

This was good, but the ending felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic. There was no dialogue, as this book is written like a diary in past tense. A few major details flew completely over my head, and I'm not sure if it was intentional by the author to be a later reveal or if it's just because of the way it was written, but one detail involving Circe in particular really confused me. As for the horror, I wouldn't say it was scary, but it was definitely unsettling. Overall though, a good time. Dropped half a star for the ending.

I was hooked almost immediately, then considered DNFing. Then got hooked again, and then again considered DNFing. All of this occurred within the first half hour of starting. Once I hit my stride, I was in for the ride, but the beginning is kind of uneven.

The end was not really all that surprising (although I also didn't find the end of Bazterrica's Tender is the Flesh all that surprising either, and seem to be in the minority there), but was still incredibly effective.

Wow, The Unworthy left me reeling, and I’m still processing everything I read. I was thrilled to get this ARC because I really enjoyed Tender is the Flesh. Bazterrica’s writing is undeniably unique, and her ability to craft unsettling, thought-provoking stories is unmatched. With Tender is the Flesh being such a standout, I was eager to see what she had in store this time.

Set in a dystopian future (not far from our own), humanity has pushed the Earth to its breaking point, depleting nearly all of its resources. The story follows the narrator, one of the "unworthy," who seeks refuge with the Sacred Sisterhood, dreaming of becoming one of the Enlightened. However, inside the convent lies a dark reality—violence, torture, and relentless control. It’s a brutal place to exist, yet the outside world is no better.

This book is incredibly violent, even more than I expected. While I understand its classification as horror, some of the graphic scenes felt excessive and unnecessary to convey the story’s message. Another aspect I struggled with was the lack of chapters, which made the pacing feel relentless at times.

That said, Bazterrica’s storytelling remains captivating. Her ability to provoke deep discomfort while exploring human nature and societal collapse is remarkable. Though this book wasn’t perfect for me, I’d still recommend it, especially to fans of Tender is the Flesh or those who enjoy bold, thought-provoking horror.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing February 4th!

I'm an odd one out with this apparently, in that I liked this quite a bit more than Tender is the Flesh, Bazterrica's first novel that was translated into English. The pacing can be a little uneven, but I found the post-apocalyptic setting fascinating (even though we didn't see anything outside the convent where the story is set except in brief flashbacks). There is violence, although in my opinion not enough to term this "splatterpunk" like some other reviewers have. We don't get much depth from any character besides our protagonist, but I didn't mind it much in a shorter-form novel like this one. Really liked this overall.

⭐️ 3.25/5

Short story about a woman living at a covenant in a post-apocalyptic world.

This one was interesting to some extent but then got repetitive and nothing really gets answered. How did this covenant come to be, who are these people, what actually happened to the outside world (we get a peek into this but nothing concrete).

3.25 stars to the ending which I liked and to our main character, a heroine who regains her empathy over the course of the book and breaks the rules to tell her story and document the lives of others so they’re not forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!

3.5 stars, rounded down

Though many will start with Agustina Bazterrica's Tender is the Flesh, The Unworthy was my first foray into her writing. I went in with no real expectations but was still shocked by the writing style and graphic nature of the book. I think this novel will appeal to a very specific set of readers, and I'm not sure if I am in that group.

Told through a series of diary entries, The Unworthy follows an unnamed member of a religious group known as the House of the Sacred Sisterhood. This commune composed entirely of women worship Him, the one true God, and cast out all previous belief systems when they arrive - by force. The Superior Sister rules with a violent hand and doles out punishments for even the smallest infractions in the House's code of conduct. As time passes, the reader gets to learn more about the House of the Sacred Sisterhood through the eyes of the narrator and begins to question the laws that keep this organization running.

This idea for this book is cool as hell. After some unnamed apocalypse, women seek shelter in this commune of religious extremism. Apparently, whatever happened on the outside was bad enough for them to opt for beatings and brutality rather than return to the world outside. Personally, I like a bit more explanation into a story and found myself a bit frustrated by the writing at times. Everything the reader sees comes from the narrator, so we are completely at her mercy in terms of world-building, which she doesn't seen particularly eager to share.

In the House, we learn that there are servants, Unworthy, Enlightened, and several other smaller subcategories of women in the convent. Each group has a different mutilation - tongues removed, eardrums shattered - to bring them closer to their God. Though the narrator does explain in part why these groups are so important, we never really learn why there are so many and how, exactly, new ones are chosen.

While the narrator's voice - which becomes increasingly insane as you move through her journal - is truly unique in a horror novel, I found that the general lack of character development or narrative really left me asking, "What was the point of this?" by the end. If you have read Tender is the Flesh and enjoyed it, you will probably also enjoy this new work. This one simply was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC of this title.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to ARC read this novel.
If you know me at all, you know that Tender is the Flesh is my Roman Empire novel. It is my go to recommendation and I have read it at LEAST 10 times. When I received the ARC for Augustina Bazterrica’s newest novel, I literally almost cried!!

Augustina Bazterrica is a mastermind when it comes to dystopian fiction. Chilling and wicked, this novel tells the story of a woman’s life in the midst of the world’s demise. How she came to be under the roof and control of a horrific religious cult for survival. This novel is written as “journal entries” and you feel like you’re living in the exact moments with her- I.e. sometimes sentences are crossed out or they’re ended without being finished.

Was it as good as Tender is the Flesh? No.
Is this novel for everyone? No.

But I loved it. And I adore the way she writes and the imagery she’s able to invoke. Her novels live rent free in brain.

The premise of this book was fascinating, but I do feel like there was something missing. We were kept in the dark about what was really going on and I wish we were given just a little more context to ground ourselves in this world.

Wowowowowow. After reading Tender Is The Flesh I was unsure if I would read anything from this author again, honestly. When I was approved for this arc I was excited but mostly apprehensive and I definitely took my time getting to it, but my god I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long!

We’re reading the secret diary of a woman in The Sacred Sisterhood, a convent kept (mostly) safe from the outside world, a world ravaged with devastation. The Sacred Sisterhood is kept safe from the world within their walls thanks to their devotion to faith & their sacrifices. These women are punished, tortured, pitted against each other, and so much more all because they have been given this idea of safety with their new god.

An Incredibly poignant, unsettling, and heartbreaking story written in a “found footage” style (as another reviewer mentioned) that I absolutely loved.
We are being shown what the future may hold for us due to climate crisis, selfish human condition, war and famine, and even Artificial Intelligence. The glimpses into our MC’s previous life were so gut wrenching and intriguing. It became almost easy to put myself in her shoes; to imagine what life would be like once the (inevitable) end comes. What will that look like? What would I do to survive? Will I have faith?

Overall I really enjoyed this. The vibes and themes were so dark and disturbing but all very atmospheric. I will absolutely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publishers for this arc :)

This short novel suffused my thoughts with agony of what our world could become. Implications of climate crisis, ideological warfare and oppression run heavy through the pages. Think the Handmaid’s Tale, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451. Grotesque, disturbing and corrupt.

The prose is incredible- devoid of logic and uncouth. Until descriptions of the “other” world (pre apocalyptic) begin. Words come alive as the narrator experiences forbidden nature, animals and even love.

But this novel is unpalatable unless you are prepared. Unfortunately, I do not think I was in the right headspace to read this book currently, as I normally am drawn to bizarre reads. The ending was also unfortunately very predictable and disappointing. There was a lot of promise with where it was heading, and it just wasn’t developed as I had hoped.

That being said, this is still a magnificent instructive read. If you enjoy Bazterrica’s other work, Moshfegh, Atwood, Murata- you will enjoy.

The beginning of this book got me hooked. The concept pulled me in immediately, as I love any type of dystopian world and it half the fun was trying to figure out how the main character came to be in the convent and how the world became to desolate. The second half fell a little flat for me. Overall, Bazterrica has a beautiful writing style, and the climate change and feminism type themes of The Unworthy made for an interesting read.

We find ourselves in an apocalyptic world where water is impossible to find, the world has gone into chaos and our main character is stuck with creepy, culty nuns. It seems to be the only place that has any semblance of resources to feed people and even then that’s a stretch. The world as we know it now is a thing of the past and all that we know and can see if fear and pain. The human race has become this debased version of themselves and only the most perverse survive. This is the first book I’ve read by Agustina Bazterrica and I feel it’s time to change that and even try to read the original version in its original language. Hearing the story and Circe and their journey together and how it ended made me sick. Most of this book is read with horror at the situation that’s occurring as well as the sad reality that it’s going to get worse. She went through so much and lost so many people, and the ending was heartbreaking.

In Bazterricas's new novel, we follow our narrator
in a post-apocalyptic world caused by climate change. We learn she's in a covenant called The Sacred Sisterhood, where we follow her journey as an "unworthy" looking to climb up the social ladder until Lucia is introduced to challenge this sadistic covenant.
The real star of the book was the beautiful writing, and its vivid descriptions made it immersing. While I felt the book was slow initially, it picked up, leaving me with questions and enthralled in the story, curious about how this world came to be. I especially enjoyed the flashbacks before the covenant and was left wanting more. I loved how the book explored themes of societal collapse, global warming, and the dangers of humanity; it felt so real.
My critiques are the lack of world-building, character development, and plot holes. Despite these, it was a fun book that I would recommend!
For people who like: The Witch, Grotesque, The Handmaid's Tale, I Who Have Never Known Men, Eyes Gut Throat Bone

You know that I wanted to love this, because <I>Tender is the Flesh</I> is one of my favorites and I like the environmental dystopia vibe that Agustina Bazterrica does so well. The plausibility really effectuates the horror. But, I never felt really attached to this story and it didn't hit the level of horror of TITF.

Agustina Bazterrica continues to find ways to charm and terrify. This was a fantastic read. 4.5 stars.

Our narrator writes the story of her life on hidden paper, detailing both her current circumstances in the current decidedly creepy convent she has joined, and her past, as it comes up in bits and pieces at exactly the right moments. The Sacred Sisterhood, run by the Superior Sister and Him, a man we never see despite having a larger-than-life presence, is clearly not a happy sunny place to live, right from the start. Our narrator is smart, and witty, and also somehow so blind to her emotions. Her growth throughout is a highlight.

I read Tender Is the Flesh at the start of 2024, and while I do think that work is stronger, The Unworthy is a fantastic book. It feels designed to prompt a discussion about how the cult of modern-day religion swoops in at times of major moral or ethical crisis in our world, without us - the common everyday people - thinking about the organizational motivation behind it. Although there is much aside from religion to think about here: misogyny, climate change, queer love and acceptance.

I did find it a little harder to get into this one than TISTF, or her short story collection. But once I did, wow. She really never misses. So so grateful for the chance to read this early.

Thank you to Scribner & Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review to be posted on socials closer to release.

It was pretty interesting in the beginning especially the descriptions of the the women in the convent. However it did seem to lag towards the middle. It all felt to repetitive for me and it was that that made me feel like I’m reading the same page over and over again.

The Unworthy follows our main character in a post-apocalyptic world, as she writes about her days living within the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, and later of her life before. I felt that I was very confused until around just before the halfway mark, but afterwards became hooked on the story. Though this book is short, the writing was “flowery,” making it so reading it took longer than expected.

I wanted more from the story, more answers, more explanations, though I suppose the point was to leave some things up to the interpretation of the reader.

No one, and I mean NO ONE creates a vibe like Agustina Bazterrica. I felt like I was physically at the dirty, creepy convent while reading this. I was immediately hooked into this bizarre dystopian world and extremely curious about our narrator. I was very invested the entire time in part due to the insane characters and the bleak atmosphere. While other reviewers disliked the vagueness, I liked the mystery and had no problem feeling entangled in the story. Highly recommend this one for my horror and dystopian fans!

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first book I read by this author. I love her writing style. The pacing keeps me focused and immersed. Characters are interesting, human and the MC was courageous and embodied what many women wanted to do when they felt persecuted.

A feminist read that the reader will be satisfied with in the end. My only gripe is I wish there was more back story/information about He, the Superior Sister, occult etc.. a little knowledge would’ve made the story more cohesive.

I did enjoy the mini love story within the story. Inspiring and heart wrenching to say the least.

I’d recommend for those who like cults, religious horror and the like.