Think Lord of the Flies + Catherine House, presented as fragments of journal entries, The Unworthy in an immersive speculative fiction about a small community of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. Soaked in vibe and purposefully ambiguous, do not go into The Unworthy expecting an traditional narrative with a defined exposition, and closure with answers (also, stayed away from the synopsis on Goodreads, as it essentially covers 60% of the plot), instead, the strength of this novella lies in its poetically grotesque imagery (sadistic behavior within a religious environment), world-building, powerful prose, and bread crumbs of clues available for interpretation.

Tender Is the Flesh is a difficult one to follow, as the subject matter in that novel was so under-discussed (in fiction), and the presentation so effortlessly shocking. In comparison, The Unworthy was almost too obvious of an attempt trying to recreate a similar impact, but its theme / commentary felt overly familiar (there are already loads of medias out there covering similar topics), and the violence less well-integrated, but mostly there for shock value. However, judging on its own it is still a provocative read with vivid writing and morbid imagination, just don't let the halo of Tender Is the Flesh cloud your expectation.

liana stovall <lianastovall@gmail.com>
9:42 PM (0 minutes ago)
to me

While I was impressed by Bazterrica’s writing style, her storytelling felt flat. This felt like a half-baked, more violent and abstract version of The Handmaid’s Tale; it’s like rotting fruit arranged in a beautiful basket.



In a dystopian post-apocalyptic disaster, the narrator writes on forbidden paper in her cell of the House of the Sacred Sisterhood. She lives in a class of women deemed the Unworthy, living in a weird religious sect that seems to be the only surviving group left of civilization. The ranks (in order of hierarchy, and matched with corresponding HMT knockoffs) are:

- Him (heavy-handed metaphor for the patriarchy);
- Superior Sister (Great Value Aunt Lydia);
- The Enlightened (Wives);
- The Unworthy (handmaids); and,
- And the servants (Marthas).

Daily life in the sisterhood demands sacrifice, atonement, self-mutilation and abuse, and depraved creativity to design punishments to inflict on your fellow sisters when they piss off the Superior Sister. Everyone is pitted against each other for survival.



Bazterrica cleverly disguises her hollow story with descriptive writing and torture porn scenes that would give even a US federal prison guard nightmares. There’s no discernible depth or layers to any of it. The world she built is one-dimensional. She gives you *just* enough details to give context, but not nearly enough to persuade the reader that even the author buys what she’s writing. The premise is fascinating, and I am sorely disappointed in the outcome. The author abused shock value and cruelty to distract her audience from the lack of substance.



I’d just read Handmaid’s Tale and call it a day.

Another excellent novel from Agustina Bazterrica, “The Unworthy” is a dark thriller that will certainly haunt me for a while. In today’s climate, it hits close to home. The narrator was perfect in every way, telling her story while still keeping a sense of mystery and dread. I enjoyed this book!

Agustina Bazterrica’s The Unworthy is a chilling, provocative journey into a crumbling world where violence and faith intertwine, and survival often means surrendering to unthinkable forces. Known for her harrowing novel Tender Is the Flesh, Bazterrica once again demonstrates her mastery of literary horror, crafting a story as gripping as it is unsettling.

Set in a dystopian future ravaged by environmental collapse, the novel takes place primarily within the confines of a secretive convent. The narrator, a low-ranking member of the Sacred Sisterhood, recounts her life through whatever means are available—blood, dirt, and scraps of ink—highlighting her desperation and the constraints of her existence. Her voice is raw, fragmented, and achingly human as she grapples with her desire to ascend to the Enlightened, a mysterious elite within the convent, and to gain approval from the ominous Superior Sister.

Bazterrica weaves an oppressive atmosphere that feels both otherworldly and disturbingly familiar. The convent’s rigid, punishing structure reflects the broader chaos of the outside world, where society has crumbled under the weight of environmental disaster. The juxtaposition of these two realms—a controlled yet abusive sanctuary versus a brutal, lawless landscape—raises compelling questions about safety, autonomy, and the cost of survival.

When a newcomer disrupts the convent’s fragile order, the narrator’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel. This new relationship forces her to confront buried memories, question the truth about the Enlightened, and reconsider her role within the Sisterhood. Bazterrica excels at exploring the dynamics of power, loyalty, and manipulation, all while maintaining an air of dread that permeates the story.

Moses’s translation captures the novel’s lyrical yet visceral prose, ensuring that every detail—no matter how grotesque or beautiful—lands with full impact. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, with tension building to an unforgettable climax that leaves readers reeling and questioning the systems we cling to in times of crisis.

The Unworthy is not a comfortable read, but it is an essential one. Its exploration of ideological extremism, environmental ruin, and the ways humanity can warp in the face of desperation is both timely and timeless. Bazterrica invites readers to confront their own fears and complicities, offering a story that lingers long after the final page.

It is a dauntingly haunting and descriptive book about such dark elements and why they exist. This book is riddled with eerie tides and the walls that confine them. I implore you to enter a world filled with punishing imagination and ruthless elegance on this grungy cult capture.

This novel is one that twists its way deep inside, carving out a space for itself to grow and infest your thoughts. It is a striking examination of power and autonomy, and the many forces at play that threaten our ability to experience ourselves, fully.

The novel is short but uses its pages wisely, cutting to the bone repeatedly. There is some repetition, but that is part of the world-building, part of really developing the atmosphere. This is what is probably most intense in this story, the world and how it is presented to us. As the whole story is written as essentially secret entries in a forbidden journal the world is built first around a small thing, a personal experience, and then it grows outward until we have more and more of the world revealed. It is really skillfully done and it leaves the reader in a constant state of anticipation. The state of the world is detailed enough that we can really feel like we are there, and yet it is still riddled with questions. How it got to be the way it is and how it might have changed since our main character entered this “convent,” these are all left open. This isn’t by accident, the desperate grip of not-knowing, the pain and fear that comes from that lack of control, is a pervasive aspect of this story. The world feels very real and complete and yet also a painful mystery, striking a really enticing balance. The character work is splendid as well, but again something that is done in a cryptic way. We get a good picture of our main character, but it takes a while, her life is one of dissimulation as a means of survival. Similarly her descriptions of the ancillary character often reduce them to how they affect her, so in some ways we learn more about her when she discusses them than we do about them. Still, while we don’t get any robust lives or interiority of the other characters they do all feel genuine and real, they fit in this environment, this broken world. None of them feel convenient or simple, even when we only get to experience them in glimpses.

There isn’t a whole lot of story here, or narrative. We are slowly brought into this world, and for about half the book the terror of the mundane is established, and instead of strong narrative we get an exploration of character and place, a deep disquiet and sense of unease, mixed with confusion and a clear sense of injustice, of betrayal (without knowing quite where to aim that experience). About halfway through there is a major inflection point and there starts to be the semblance of something more narrative, but the story is never really driven by narrative or plot. It is there, eventually, but it is all in service of the character and the ideas the story is asking. The writing goes a long way to develop that atmosphere and parallel those ideas. Obviously there is an intimacy, a complicity, whenever a book is structured as journal entries, magnifying the normal intimacy of first-person narration to a sometimes uncomfortable degree. But another wonderful technique employed here is that there are frequently terms or even passages that are crossed-out or struck-through, the terrifying inner parts of our main character that she is scared to admit, that escape her but she has to hide them even from herself. We get to learn a lot about her by seeing what she is afraid of having said. This isn’t overused, it isn’t a crutch, but it does add a lot to the overall experience. The writing often comes off as descriptive and demure, a woman afraid to let her feelings show through. But it is a barely contained fury, a gnashing of teeth and a vicious snarl, hiding under almost every word of these journal entries. Sometimes the subtext does make its way to the surface, with these poetic, almost elegiac phrases and ideas, speculation about reality, about beauty, about power and violence, about destruction and preservation, that never feel indulgent but instead really help shape the character. This mix of unadorned description with poetic and emotional experience works really well. It kept me captivated and continually lost in this world, hoping for the best but never feeling safe.

This story brings up a lot of ideas, from climate destruction to misogyny to blind devotion to purity and morality and more. But it doesn’t ever really give any clear answers about anything. Sure, exploitation and abuse are bad, I suppose that is clear, but everything else is murky. What does it mean for a victim to become an abuser, especially if that is in service of (or believed to be in service of) their own survival (both physical and mental)? How can power and faith be majestic and salvific while also crippling and dehumanizing? What responsibilities do we have outside of our own preservation, especially in a broken world that seems like an active threat to our mere existence? And more. This is where your enjoyment of the novel may vary. Because like I said, these are ideas that run through the whole story, but there is never any nice or clean resolution. Many of them are unspoken, with shame and frustration being the tea leaves left behind through which we divine them. The story is asking you to confront these complicated ideas and isn’t particularly interested in holding your hand in the process. That is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you want to see characters reason and struggle through these ideas, and if you want to see journeys that pay off those struggles, well, you might feel a little underwhelmed here. This novel is a rich and messy exploration of a lot of things, and it does have some clear opinions, but the characters and the experience of the novel aren’t situated within any sort of comfortable, neat and tidy resolution. It is a series of painful boils being lanced and exposed, humanity in its glories and flaws being laid open to contend with, but not to solve.

I am really glad I read this story. It is short, like I said, read in a day. But I can already tell it will sit with me. It has some really poignant imagery, with an almost tactile feeling to the prose, to the sentimentality. I do appreciate narrative and wouldn’t have minded if there was a little more here, but that kind of momentum or propulsion clearly isn’t the intent. The characters are somehow covered in shrouds, hidden under the shadow of veils, and yet rich and specific. There may not be a strong narrative but there is a journey, and I felt for our main character, she drew me in. I don’t know this is a fun story, it has a constant atmosphere of danger, of discomfort and mystery, but it is certainly one I appreciate.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I want to thank the author, the publisher Scribner, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"I wonder if God is the hunger behind hunger and if behind God lurks the hunger for another God."

Set in a convent, The House of the Sacred Sisterhood, and its after the climate crisis has brought almost complete devastation and infections into the world. The sadistic convent has replaced God with a mysterious "he" who is followed by a ruthless woman, aka "mother," who revels in torture, violence, and murder...

The book is short but extremely repetitive, moving from prayer to punishment and then right back again. Plus, the women are all separated into classes that basically compete to climb the social ladder and be chosen as an Englightened.

This just wasn't for me. I won't say it's a bad book, but between missing plot holes and no character development or depth, it just wasn't for me. The splatterpunk element is done very well 👌🏼 and maybe I am missing something or even the whole point of the book 📖 🤷🏼‍♀️

without faith, there is no refuge

this mantra repeated throughout the book is kind of what you have to tell yourself to get through the beginning. while i'm almost certain how disorienting it is to be thrown into this world is at least somewhat intentional, it does make it a bit of a slog to get into at first. once you can being to piece things together it gets much easier to read. the author is wonderful at describing the oftentimes horrific scenes, making them seem almost beautiful despite the dread you feel as you read what's happening to these women.

unfortunately, the ending is a bit rushed, unfolding within a few pages and ending abruptly. despite this, it's an overall good read. the world outside of the sacred sisterhood is interesting, especially towards the end.

overall, 3.5 stars, rounded up.

I tend to really enjoy religion-themed thrillers and horror, so that's why I thought I might like this book. I really wanted to like it. Of course, there were parts I did like, the imagery being the main highlight. But otherwise, I just never really knew what was going on. Everything was too vague, or maybe it all just went over my head. Either way, I got to the end and I am left wanting more. It's too bad.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review!*

I had been anticipating this book since it was announced. I love Agustina Bazterrica's books that have been translated. This was my third book by this author. It is very dark and brutal. The punishments and cruelty that humans can do to each other is very detailed and graphic. It was a bit confusing remembering some of the characters. There are quite a few since its a pretty large cult and they have different rankings. Love the commentary of religious horror. I thought it was a great story with a lot of dread and wondering who was going to be punished next.

I really enjoyed the flashback scenes. I loved reading how earth was slowly being destroyed by natural disasters. I wish there would have been more of that, but I still enjoyed this book. If you have an insect phobia, there's a couple of times that the scenes can be a bit triggering.

Would recommend to those that love dark graphic books with a slow build up.

this is my "third strike" with Agustina Bazterrica, and I fear her stories are just not for me. While she has undeniably beautiful (and expertly translated!) prose, I just can't muddle through being left in the dark for as long as we were in this one.

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica is a dark and chilling read that delves deep into unsettling themes of human worth, societal control, and the consequences of dehumanization. The ambiguity that permeates the narrative only adds to its unnerving quality, as readers are left to question not only the characters’ fates but also the larger societal structures that have allowed such horrors to unfold.

While the story’s tone and themes keep the reader engaged, the ending does leave something to be desired. The resolution, or lack thereof, doesn’t feel as satisfying as one might hope after such a tense and thought-provoking build-up. It feels somewhat unfinished, as though the novel had more to say but couldn’t quite find the right way to conclude. The lack of a clear payoff may leave some readers feeling disappointed, especially after investing so much in the story’s dark and complex world. While ambiguity can be powerful, in this case, it feels more like an opportunity missed for a more fulfilling conclusion.

Despite the unsatisfying ending, The Unworthy is a compelling read that lingers in the mind long after the final page. Its exploration of morality, society, and the human condition makes it a thought-provoking novel that challenges readers to reflect on the systems around them. Bazterrica’s ability to evoke discomfort and curiosity throughout the novel is impressive, even if the story’s conclusion doesn’t provide the closure one might expect. It’s a book that may not be for everyone, but for those willing to embrace its ambiguity, it’s a haunting and memorable experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book for review.

Having read Tender is the Flesh and feeling that story on a whole different level than most other books, I had to read The Unworthy. Like all readers and individuals in their own right, we all have our own interpretations of what we experience while reading, and I now share with you mine. This is a dystopian religious horror written from the point of view of one individual who experiences very horrific things. The story starts out in a religious cult and the narrator's interpretations of what she sees and knows of the others who share this space with her. The hierarchy, the punishments, the belief systems expected of you to follow. The belief of otherworldly beings existing inside this cult teeters her on the bring of madness, but this is later explained by exposing us to the journey she endures before finding ending up here. "Without faith, there is no refuge."
Food is scarce, water is dangerous, the animals and most all insects have disappeared. There's acid rain and spirits everywhere to be wary of. 'This filth, nesting in the servants' skin, in their cells, is the anger of the sea, the fury of the air, the violence of the mountains, the outrage of the trees. It's the sadness of the world.' - 19%. Our narrator shares her thoughts and experiences with us through a secret clutch of pages she can only write when the sisters aren't watching for fear of being punished or killed. 'But I have to because if I write it, then it was real; maybe we won't just be part of a dream contained in a planet, inside a universe hidden in the imagination of someone who lives in the mouth of God.'-42% We eventually get to learn about her existence that slowly bleeds through to her current consciousness after such a time of having forgot. A sweet mother, kind words, loving to read and compassion. None of which exist in her current state. To have these traits gives you a deficit and puts you in great danger with the other sisters. We learn that our narrator had to build these scabs over time and adjusted well enough because she endured the loss of a group she was with before. Something horrible happened and she had to move on, forget and harden herself. 'Without mercy you survive. Without mercy there's more water for the others. Without mercy there's time to read stories about women who fill candles with cockroaches.' 44% 'If you did things wrong it could kill you. Succumbing to anxiety was dangerous.' -60% We continue along the journey with Circe in tow and find out why it was so hard for her to write about Circe. These will be my 2 trigger warnings of rape and animal murder. I will say that things are written in a way for the reader to get the idea but not forced to read anything even resembling a detailed event. I think if a story has it, this is one of the better ways of having done so.
Eventually there's a new character that comes to the cult upending everything the sisters try to enforce, and it is beautiful. Truths are exposed, positive feelings are offered and experienced. They're written in such a poetic light that you can deeply feel the shift and growth in our narrator. 'I'd never experienced the pleasure of another's skin; no one had left me breathless, panting, at their mercy, my will gone, having surrendered;' -66%. 'At this moment, in this instant, like a revelation, I understand that my body will await the sound of her voice. Forever.' -68% It's just so beautiful. For someone who had endured such a horrible existence to finally experience such ecstasy and love.
I will conclude my review by saying this was a style I enjoyed and something of an acquired taste, but my goodness for this genera, the delivery was phenomenal. Bazterrica is passionate and daring in her work. Like finding someone who shares the same language and thought vein most don't understand or are aware of. Hopefully this creates exposure, entices more readers to think about the things in this story. I can't wait to share this review closer to release time and very much look forward to future publications by this amazing writer. She builds challenging worlds, but all be damned if I don't muster the courage to traverse them.

somewhat brutal but i enjoyed it. fast paced and mysterious, which made it hard to put down. the narrator was intriguing. recommend for those interested in religion/cults and understanding a woman’s role within that.

First, a big thank you to Scribner and NetGalleyfor the advanced digital copy of this book.

The Unworthy delivers another unforgettable dive into literary horror, following the acclaim of Tender is the Flesh. Set in a devastated world of environmental collapse, the story follows an "unworthy" nun in a rigid, violent convent as she grapples with faith, identity, and buried memories. Through her fragmented, raw writings, the author crafts a chilling atmosphere where control and despair dominate.

The introduction of an outsider sparks questions about the convent's sinister hierarchy and the narrator's long buried past. Themes of love, survival, and humanity's capacity for both destruction and resilience shine through the grim setting, offering moments of poignancy amid the relentless bleakness.

While the book's brevity ensures a sharp, impactful read, it leaves some world-building and character depth under explored. Bazterrica's trademark unflinching prose and haunting symbolism make this a gripping but heavy read, earning 3.75 stars for its thought-provoking exploration of faith and survival.

Fans of dystopian horror will find plenty to appreciate, even if it doesn't quite eclipse her previous masterpiece.

A timely read— as odd as that feels to say. As time goes on, we start to see the gap between a Dystopian story and our reality grow thinner. The tiresome war on women’s rights, the censorship, and the suffering of many for the comfort of the few.
Bazterrica did a wonderful job crafting this story. I genuinely felt for the narrator and understood her motives. It was hard to understand the world in the beginning, but I soon caught on and appreciated the vagueness. It added to my curiosity as well as the dark and eerie vibe throughout. This is Bazterrica’s best writing so far, and I’m eager to see what they write next!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this early!

I screamed when I got accepted for this arc. I read tender is the flesh and was so taken aback by the story but so frustrated with the ending. I could not wait to see what else this author held and I was not let down

This enchanted me. Being dropped into the story and witness the cruel and demented acts of the sisterhood left me confused but wanting more! The pace was slow but with the experiences our narrator described through diary entries made it feel natural.

Mixing climate crisis, misogyny, power dynamics, jealousy, and religious fevor made for an erie backdrop. The thought of escaping this small hell wasn’t possible knowing the world was unlivable outside of the walls.

I was happily surprised by the characters. Their resilience, their backstory,
especially Circe, the ability to form bonds and save each other despite the mistrust.

The ending was predictable but there were few options to go in a story like this. I was left just as many questions when I started but only in the details of the character, not the plot line itself.

This was a 6 star read in my book. The story was immersive, chilling, and brutal. I devored it. It haunted me when I would take a break from reading, I needed to know more.

I really enjoyed all the cult stuff and I also enjoyed the horror parts, sadly it's a bit short and you don't really learn anything about what happened before the sacred sisterhood

now why does Bazterrica tend to soil her stories like that.. sci-fi and religious rites from hell didn’t have to go into forbidden love story with the Matilda of the Wormwoods!…let’s make love with nature instead of making love with AI…real eyes realize real lies… it’s silly and I’m aggy because it was enjoyable until it nose dived. three stars for halfway there!
Thank you Scribner & NetGalley for the e-arc!!

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

2.5 STARS ⭐️
I was really excited for this book because I loved Tender is the Flesh, but this really fell flat for me. The author doesn’t give us a whole lot of info about what is going on: the who, what, where, when and why are all pretty vague and it’s up to the reader to infer what is happening. With the premise of a mysterious convent in the middle of an apocalypse, this had the potential to be a really good story yet it had no semblance of a plot and was highly repetitive. The parts of the book I enjoyed the most were of the narrators flashbacks from before she found the convent (the narrator also remains nameless for the entire book), and I was pretty surprised when it’s revealed that Circe is an animal (what kind, we don’t know) and not a human. The reveal of “what was going on behind the black carved door” was pretty easy to guess and anticlimactic, but I did like that the ending implied that the letters are being found at some point in the future. All in all a weird little book that (although written beautifully) tried to evoke religious and apocalyptic horror and kinda failed at both. I could see how some people would REALLY like this, and it’s so short you might as well see for yourself.
Song pairing is AmEN! by Bring Me the Horizon ⛪️☄️

PUB DAY: MARCH 4TH 2025 🥳