Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Unworthy

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

115 reviews

kidface08's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

theblackswanlibrary's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

snaphuntsman's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was an excellent novel. Points deducted for the predicability of the banalities of evil and horrors of religious cults.

Content Warnings

daydreamsofareader's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Agustina Bazterrica is the moment - what a book!

Content Warnings

moppyy's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

marge19's review against another edition

2.5

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

klosterphobia's review against another edition

3.0

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Having read Tender Is the Flesh, I came into The Unworthy prepared for graphic content.. but this was something else entirely. For me, it veered beyond disturbing into territory that felt genuinely traumatic. It wasn’t just depictions of abuse; it was torture, described in graphic detail. That left such a strong negative impression that I needed to get it out of the way first, just to begin thinking about the book more critically.

Like many authors who experience a breakout debut, Agustina Bazterrica seems to have felt emboldened to take bigger literary risks here. Some work, some don’t. The diary format is one that mostly lands, but occasionally strains believability particularly when you consider the character writing it (A girl raised in isolation, with no formal education beyond what her mother gave her before dying young, is somehow writing by candlelight, in her own blood, using words like avarice and irascible?

That said, the word choice throughout is fascinating, especially knowing the book was translated. I found myself wondering if the original Spanish was equally esoteric, or if some of the vocabulary choices were shaped by the translator.

The plot itself left me wanting more in terms of substance. The ending felt half baked, and the central question: why is this happening? never gets a satisfying answer. The love interest also falls flat: they’re idealized to the point of being one dimensional, with no real backstory or flaws.

One major issue I had was the portrayal of the cult. It’s all negatives, all horror, all control—without the balancing warmth or sense of belonging that usually makes cults believable and dangerously seductive. Without that, the structure doesn’t feel like it could have ever worked. I wanted more insight into the religion itself, more depth into what made people stay, and I didn’t get it.

Ultimately, this reads like trauma porn disguised as something profound. There are moments of insight- particularly the depiction of a slow environmental and societal collapse, which felt eerily realistic. But, I often felt that the vagueness was intentional in a frustrating way. There were points where the narrative seemed to be trying to confuse the reader on purpose, and I found myself rereading passages just to make sure I’d understood them correctly.

To its credit, the book is engaging. I finished it in a single day, and it absolutely held my curiosity. I just wish the payoff had been stronger, and that the gore had served more purpose beyond shock value.

Content Warnings

hels_archive's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This story began with me in a similar headspace as the one I found myself in for Tender is the Flesh, only feeling more prepared for the despair and agony Bazeterrica had to offer since we’ve met in some way before. There’s a high degree of that at times, but I also shockingly found myself hopeful at the end. Enraged still yes, but not so much enraged in a nauseating way but productively enraged. In this novel this there is violent honesty, unobtrusive understanding, and tender hope born from love. A S.C.U.M. crafted narrative that rejects all potential false compassion mistakenly directed at those who most brutalize society. What Bazeterrica did here reminded me that we are all capable of harm, we are all to some degree motivated to avoid and subsequently instigate harm, but the powers pushing us to those places all share something irrefutable in common that only really AFAB/ queer/ transgender/ effeminate readers can accept unflinchingly as the truth. A good omen to reflect on during the current state of affairs.

Content Warnings