This is a deliciously strange, twisted tale, with an immaculately crafted world. If a violent cult residing in a convent that seems to be a better option for the women residing within than the outside world intrigues you (it should), then this is exactly the book for you.

I couldn’t imagine what a follow-up to Tender is the Flesh, an iconic novel, would look like but The Unworthy delivers. Agustina Bazterrica continues in her apocalyptic style of creating an alternate universe where we are forced to atone for our treatment of the Earth. It’s challenging to divorce yourself from Bazterrica’s reality check because the aftermath she creates is eerily similar to what’s happening all around us. Bazterrica is hauntingly descriptive in her portrayal of the future and leaves you feeling unsettled in the best way.

Thank you Agustina Bazterrica, Scribner, and Netgalley for early access to The Unworthy!

I'll read anything Agustina writes.

The Unworthy was equal parts harrowing and addictive. I loved the world-building and everything that isn't being said. Literary horror is one of my favorite genres, and Bazterrica is a force. Shout out to translator Sarah Moses whose translation reads like liquid.

Despite a slow paced story, I still had so much trouble following the plot of this one. We're following an "unworthy", in some sort of cult/community in a post-apocalyptic world. We only get bits and pieces of what happened to the world, hearing briefly about metal trees or the final blackout. Yet nothing we learn made me get gripped into the story. While the ending picked up, I don't feel as if there was enough character/world development along the way that made me want to care what happened.
As of right now, I seem like the outlier, and I am conscious of that. Not every story is going to grab ever reader.

This was such an incredible, atmospheric, terrifying, trippy, and meditative ride through a post-apocalyptic world. We read the diary of a member of the House of the Sacred Sister who recounts wandering through a scorched earth, but now wonders if staying in this monastery is safe, especially once ‘she’ arrives.

Thank you so much to Scribner and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my review.

My feelings about this novel are conflicted. I feel if you've seen any horror media featuring a cult or people trying to survive post-climate-collapse, this book won't bring anything new to the table. It's also epistolary, and I kept getting stuck on how our protagonist was able to keep finding paper and keeping her journal hidden. I wondered if the story might be better off as regular first-person instead.

And yet... I finished this book before going to bed and I dreamed about its imagery. I didn't think it was scary in the moment, but clearly this book got under my skin. I found it to be oddly beautiful? I liked how our protagonist developed a stronger personality as she regained her memories from before she joined the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, and her goals also shifted accordingly. I actually really liked the way things shook out in the end.

While it didn't give me the "creepy evil nuns" vibes I was looking for, I'm still glad I read it.

Creepily immersive, and a story that leads you along a dark hallway by torch light. Following the Narrator through their journal entries, allowed the dystopian world to feel imaginable which heightened the horror of this fictional world. This is a must read for dystopian and religious horror fans.

Thank you so much to Scribner for the earc, all opinions are my own.

In a dystopian world in the far off future we follow the journal ramblings of a member of the Sacred Sisterhood. There is different levels to this cult, and our narrator is in the lower levels. It is confusing, and that’s the point. We hear about her mother, her time spent alone after her mother dies, and how she is surviving the cult on her own. This book gives me similar chills as Tender is the Flesh. Agustina really pulls in the real issues going on and turns them in a true horror.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to ARC read this novel!

We follow along an unnamed MC in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world where she is in a secret covenant that is protected from the outside world. She writes to us in her secret diary of the events going on around her. I know some people don't like the unfinished or unanswered aspect of this book, but I quite enjoyed it. I found that sometimes I don't always need all the answers to have a good time with a book. It is grotesque, unnerving, and horrific. The story reminded me of the film, 'The Village" by M Night Shyamalan.

The MC flashes back and forth between timelines, the time before she joined the covenant and her current timeline. A wanderer joins the covenant and her world changes, together they unmask the truth of the cult. I did feel like that the ending did feel a bit rushed and would have enjoyed a longer book that was more flushed out. It was a short read, but would have liked more world-building to gain a fuller experience.

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.