Adult, ARC review, book review

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (ARC Review)

Title: The Unworthy
Author: Agustina Bazterrica
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Horror
Publisher: Scribner (Simon & Schuster Canada)
Date published: March 4, 2025

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can find—discarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophe—cities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe.

But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried past—and what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why can’t she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened?

A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.

⤖ My Review ⬻

The Unworthy made me intensely uncomfortable…which I liked. I really must be a horror fan, haha.

The dystopian world Agustina Bazterrica created felt terrifyingly real—I could vividly visualize this very possible future, with its rigid, cult-like structure and dehumanizing systems.

The body horror was visceral, often making me cringe in the best way, and I wouldn’t be surprised if cults like this exist already, which just made everything all the more horrifying.

The protagonist was interesting to read about—I found myself both liking and disliking her, which made her feel more real to me.

There were definitely moments where I had to go back and re-read portions of The Unworthy because of how the transitions were done, but honestly, I think that this style was used on purpose—it added to the disorientation and unease.

I did feel a little wobbly at times. I will definitely be reading more from Agustina Bazterrica (and yes, I need to read Tender is the Flesh ASAP).

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⤖ Let's Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

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