3.5 ⭐️

What did I just finish?! The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica was a wildly visceral, horror-inducing, poetic and sad exploration of religious cults in a truly post-apocalyptic world.

The novel follows an unnamed female protagonist, a member of the unworthy, at the lowest level of her religious cult. Her actions are horrible, but with faith, there is refuge. She and her fellow sisters inflict damage on each other in attempts to become a member of the Enlightened (each order of the Enlightened have their own disfigurements (eyes sewn shut, ear drums punctured, tongues removed)) and impress “He”, the unnamed cult leader.

While the exploration of inflicting harm for the sake of a male figurehead isn’t anything new, Bazterrica’s writing style here really impressed me. The narrator writes bits and pieces as she can with whatever she can find. The story is fragmented at times, correlating with when the narrator can find time and resources.

Things change for our order when a new arrival comes, and the narrator begins remembering her old life and her humanity. For me, Lucía’s arrival is when the book picked up pacing. The book explores love, questioning the status quo, the lengths we would go to protect those we love or to maintain safety, and humanity or lack thereof in the wake of world destruction.

While I wish I had more time with the characters and some plot questions answered, I think The Unworthy will stick with me for quite some time. Much thanks for Scriber for the ARC. All views and opinions are my own.

Thank to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster/Scribner for the Advanced Reader Copy.

This was a wild ride - truly. I never knew what was going to happen next on the journey but I was 1000% here for it. Following a woman that is part of a religious convent with questionable practices in a world falling apart, you are left on the edge of your seat the entire time trying to figure out the purpose behind this institution. We are never given our FMC's name, but we are able to learn more about her through her own journal entries. Oh, and her journal is against the rules, so she must keep it hidden at all times. Definitely check trigger warnings ahead of time. I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of Parable of the Sower and Talents by Octavia E. Butler and I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. This is the in same vein as these works and will not disappoint.

4 stars' worth of "what the fuck did I just read?". Gory, disturbing, eerie, and hey, sapphic! I don't know what else to say about this book other than it's fucked up and beautiful and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to to author Agustina Bazterrica, translator Sarah Moses, Scribner, and NetGalley for this free aARC of The Unworthy in exchange for an honest review. Agustina Bazterrica is a must-read author for me, as I loved her previous work: Tender is the Flesh. This is why I was ecstatic to be approved to read this novel a bit early--it has to be one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

The Unworthy follows our unreliable narrator as she lives what seems to be life's final days in a religious cult secluded from the rest of the deteriorating world. In-universe, this story is written in a way as if our main character is writing in her hidden journal. This results in a stream of consciousness style of writing that oftentimes gets cut off when she is interrupted--if she is caught writing, surely she will be brutally punished like others who defy their leader. Ink is a rare commodity in this world, so our Unworthy woman uses whatever she can--blood, berries, wet dirt--to document her life and the dynamics of those around her.

While it is unclear exactly what year this takes place in, what I can tell is that the story takes place in a dystopian future in which the world that we know is on the brink of ending. Existing as a blend of religious horror and a lesson on a potential ecological collapse, this is a simple story of survival at all costs. While I thought the Mysterious Stranger mentioned in the summary would play a larger role in the story, in reality she was just a means for our narrator to come to terms with the world, its ends, and her past. Our narrator is a solid character herself, and is actively (yet subtly) remembering her past despite the cults immense indoctrination. From what I understand it is never revealed how this cult originated or how the world became this way, as our story starts and ends with our narrator amongst the Unworthy. I do wish we got more background about this, but I do understand the limits of our character's POV.

Overall, the writing is lovely and very atmospheric. I can only give a review on the English translation done by Sarah Moses at the moment, however, I do trust that she followed Bazterrica's words in the best way she could. While this story was not as dark and gruesome as Tender is the Flesh, both serve commentary on the worst ways our world can end up if we make all the wrong choices.

This was my first experience with Agustina Bazterrica and WHOA BABY. This was dark and horrifying but in many ways quite lyrically beautiful as well, with religious horror and eco horror combining with an epistolary unreliable narrator device to make for a unique and deeply unnerving reading experience. The end of the world due to climate collapse combines with a doomsday cult as an unnamed narrator desperately writes down her thoughts and experiences as she is living in a holy order of women who are at the mercy of a sadistic Superior Sister and a mysterious Him. When a newcomer they name Lucía is taken into the order, Narrator is drawn to her and they connect, and Narrator reflects on her life up til now, the horrors she's seen, and wonders if a different outcome is possible beyond being an Unworthy. This one has some really, really upsetting moments, but the world building is well done, as well as brutal. It's probably not for the faint of heart, but wow, what a nightmare in the most positive way.

A novella of depth, almost like a journal of someone’s thoughts and days, told in first person as a look of the sacred and chosen and those who are not and left to clean it up. And the word blood a lot of times. Our point of view is that of the fighting to be chosen, behind the walls of what is described like a plague. As the story progresses, gives very religious cult vibes. You start to wonder the brainwashing these young individuals must endure to want to be this “chosen”

This is a darker look on the other side of those of faith, so if religious related stories are not your take, skip this quick novella. An interesting novella, relying on much detail around a mostly unreliable narrator and quick synopsis into a mostly dystopian world. Another quick novella watching a descent into madness. But with nuns! Please check your trigger warnings; I wasn’t a fan of what this progressed to. I wish I had liked this more- but for as short as it was, some of it felt repetitive and like it needed more.

If you support women in any way, this novella will make you very angry. It did for me.

This tale is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of gore, cruelty and vicious punishment, while others take pleasure in the fact that at least it’s not happening to them in that moment. No one is safe. Woman plots against woman, one-upping each other to see who can rise in the ranks by being “pious” enough. It’s everyone’s dream to become one of the Chosen, who are often never seen again, and the “Unworthy” do vile things to each in the hopes of achieving that goal.

Be careful what you wish for…

The manner of relating the story is brilliant, told through the account of one who writes furtively and hurriedly in the dead of night, hiding the pages in different places once daylight comes. She knows she will be tortured and killed if they are found. We, the readers, learn as she learns, and the horrors do ever increase each day that goes by.

If, at the end, you see some similarities to another tale, complete with the image of women in red who are ordered to do despicable things by one of their own (who considers herself “superior”), methinks the author very much intended it to be so.

first things first, i didn’t know this book was sapphic! realizing this while reading made my experience even more lovely. the womens’ relationships at the convent reminds me of the girls’ in yellowjackets, too. if you didn’t like tender is the flesh, i would still 100% recommend the unworthy. it’s way lighter compared to bazterrica’s other novel, but still has its fair share of triggering content.

THE UNWORTHY
Agustina Bazterrica

If those who have given their life to God are not safe, what does that mean for the rest of us?


There are servants, there are auras, those that are spirits, those that are enlightened and those that wander.

And there are THE UNWORTHY.

It took quite a while to lay the groundwork for this short novel. The world-building supersedes the plot and takes up a majority of the novel. It felt like reading a prequel as if I were to expect a novel to come after.

I imagine Bazterrica has thought a lot about what the end of the world might look like. Each of her novels explores a dystopian world where there is a different hierarchy and rules for surviving are rethought. What you can’t imagine doing becomes everyday life.

If Bazterrica has created a world for her characters, the point of this one is to be a testament to faith. And what we know of faith is now perhaps forever changed after watching CONCLAVE.

“Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore no need for faith.”
CONCLAVE (2024)

About the book…

I don’t know what I expected. I don’t know what I got.

Instead of reading THE UNWORTHY, it feels like I have summoned it. Like saying Mary Mary in the mirror three times and falling asleep playing the Ouija Board, only to wake up frozen with sleep paralysis. A dark figure leering over you.

It is not meant for this world.

And it never tried to be.

Thanks to Netgalley, Libro.fm, and Scribner for the advanced copies!

THE UNWORTHY...⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bazterrica has somehow merged the vibes of Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, and Jacqueline Harpman along with her own unique voice in the realm of dystopian fiction. We are reading through the journals of a woman in one possible not too distant future as she has spent years trying to survive in the wasteland at the height of the climate crisi. The limits of humanity are tested and broken in the confines of a transformed monastery turned cult torture center as a group of women have turned their back on god, govt and each in a world where drinking water can drive you mad and there is no ready sustenance. How far will we go when the world is ending and will we lose what it is to see others as humans in need, what of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice to receive the glory of the deity we have created that will save us . . . Augustine is peering into the future, and it is bleak.

Thanks to Schribner and Netgalley for getting to enjoy this book early in exchange for my honest review!

I loved Tender is the Flesh so much so I was very excited to start The Unworthy. The writing was great, the story was dark and intriguing however, I felt very detached while reading it. For some reason, I just couldn't fully immerse. I loved the religious themes and the bleak, dystopian feel to everything and I just wanted a bit more.

Thank you to the publisher, Agustina Baztarrica and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.
 
Firstly, I want to state and clarify that this book was a DNF for me as I do not believe I have the comprehension capabilities for this storyline.  
 
The premise is interesting and I felt compelled to read it as the plot is incredibly unique. I have read Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina and loved it. However, the beginning of this one fell short of my expectations and was DNF’d at 10%.
 
I do not do well with complex stories without context and the stream-of-consciousness thoughts left me incredibly confused as a reader.
 
Since this book takes place in a dystopian world and starts off with this type of treatment, i felt I would’ve enjoyed the beginning had I known more background and context of what and why things were happening as they were.

I felt like I was dropped in the middle of a dire and difficult situation in a completely different world and did not know where or how to channel my thoughts and comprehension. I was not in a frame of mind to go into it with more questions than answers so early on.
 
However, if you are a reader that enjoys this type of storytelling and dystopian thrillers, then this one is worth picking up and I encourage you to read it because Agustina is an excellent author and storyteller!

The Unworthy reads like a fever dream. It’s fast paced and has such a growing feeling of dread. The writing pulls for your attention and was good and helping me envision these women’s lives. I read this in a single sitting because I didn’t want to break the immersion.

There is a great deal of torture and mistreatment here, which may put some people off.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 🌟 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of The Unworthy. I honestly still don’t know how to feel about this read. It was equally parts interesting, disturbing, difficult to get through, but then I also found myself wanting to finish the story. I’m landing between a 3 or 4 stars- maybe a 3.5 rating for now, which let me be clear: is not a bad rating AT ALL. Anything 3 stars and above comes recommended by me. Not everyone is going to like this book and that is okay!

This was so weird and uncomfortable but in the best way! I was cringing but I could not stop reading. I loved the writing, it felt like I was in a dream (or nightmare) I couldn’t wake up from.

Such a great horror novella! Five stars!

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is unhinged; just what I expect from Agustina Bazterrica at this point. The narrator is part of a cult called the Sacred Sisterhood that is run by a man we only know of as called He or Him. He is very "Wizard of Oz"; the women of the convent never see him and only hear him orating from behind a wall or a curtain. Our main character is off the wall but you quickly find that the other women of the convent aren't much better. It makes you wonder how much of this behavior or these thought patterns are indoctrinated into them as part of them being in the Sacred Sisterhood. Our narrator doesn't even remember parts of her past from before arriving at the Sisterhood at first. There is another woman at the Sisterhood that as the reader you are kind of set up to think of as a low level villain but by midway or the end you realize she's just as much of a victim as everyone else (if not more so). I spent the majority of this book questioning everything that the narrator was being told; about the outside world, about herself, about what goes on beyond the black door. This novel was gripping and disturbing and I loved every second of it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of The Unworthy.

Still trying to figure out how I feel about this book. Overall I did enjoy it. I was a little confused in the beginning only because of the writing style. Sometimes sentences would just abruptly stop in the middle but you do find out that it’s intentional and the reasoning behind it. After that it makes so much more sense and it definitely adds to the story. I felt a wide range of emotions while reading this. Ranging from sadness to anger and everything in between. If a book makes you feel things it’s done its job. My only wish is that it was longer. The ending felt a little rushed.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and absolutely did NOT disappoint! The premise is wild and the story had me hooked right away, I love religious horror and this book is absolutely fantastic. The way the story was told with both present tense and flashbacks was really compelling. In this post apocalyptic world it is important to know or try to know what happened in the past. Warning, there is animal cruelty in this story and some body horror.

Absolutely brilliant.

From the start, I couldn’t put "The Unworthy" down and found myself instantly captivated by the main character’s journey. Interestingly, we never learn her name—real or given—but it never bothered me because I was so deeply invested in her story. The pacing was wonderfully executed, keeping me hooked from start to finish. While this was a short and quick read, I know I’ll be thinking about it for some time to come.

I really enjoyed the unique narrative structure Bazterrica uses, particularly the diary-style reflective writing and the crossing out of thoughts the narrator wants to retract. This technique not only drew me in but also helped to make the narrator’s increasing uncertainty about her reality feel authentic.

Not only do I feel that Bazterrica did a fantastic job with the writing, but I also deeply enjoyed the story itself. It felt strikingly realistic in its portrayal of the human condition, especially in how people often follow what’s considered "the truth" or deemed "correct." And let's be honest, if a group of despicably evil men killed my cat during an apocalypse, I too would probably crash out and join a cult.

While The Unworthy is labeled as horror, I would absolutely recommend it to non-horror fans who are okay with a bit of gore, and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who enjoys dystopian stories. I know I will certainly be picking up Tender is the Flesh in the near future to dive deeper into Bazterrica’s work.

Once again a winner in my opinion. Only got about half of the book so can’t leave a solid review on Goodreads yet but from what I read, I’m sold.