ŷ������

Tender Is the Flesh was fantastic, but I did not like this book at all.

The Unworthy is a strange read, yet one that feels like it's been done many times before. Bazterrica drops us into the middle of a bizarre dystopian world, offering no immediate context and only slight tidbits throughout, and tries to propel the story with little more than increasingly horrific depictions of whippings and torture.

We find out that this is set in a convent, the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, after the climate crisis has brought about some vague devastation and infections in the outside world. Though short, the book is slow and repetitive, moving from prayer to punishment and back again. World-building, character development and an actual story are notably missing from the book.

I have said this before, but I really dislike being kept in the dark this much. I find it extremely boring when I don't understand what is happening or why I should care.

It felt like The Unworthy was an attempt to be mysterious and edgy. Almost nothing happens until the end of the book and even that was unsatisfying. If it was intended to provoke thought about women and religion, it missed the mark for me.

I Who Have Never Known Men is another short, mysterious dystopia about women and I would recommend it over this one in a heartbeat.