The Unworthy

"Which holds greater importance in today's world: the principles of religion or the essence of humanity?"

What are your thoughts on it? 😊

I think humanity should be the only religion we all should follow to make this world a better place to live.

Name of Book: The Unworthy

Author: Agustina Bazterrica

Publisher: Pushkin Press

Publication Date: 13 March 2025

No. of Pages: 160

Format: Netgalley ARC

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 Opinion

Agustina Bazterrica's The Unworthy is a dazzling dystopian religious fiction taking us to new depths of cult and religion. I have read the author's earlier works also and each one of them is just mind blowing. The Unworthy points out some glaring questions on how some people can deceive the world in the name of religion. The story is set in a futuristic world and creates an absolute dark aura around us making it more enjoyable. At the beginning the plot is medium paced giving us in depth information of the surroundings and characters. But, its the climax that is an unforgettable one.

The story will test your thoughts on religion and friendship. But, there are some brutal details that can be traumatic for the readers. Still, this will be an unmistakably the most wonderful reads of 2025. The book deserves 5 stars.

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