Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

47 reviews

vlkyre's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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i knew this book would break me after lucia’s miracle. i cried so hard at one point that i had to get up and clean my cat’s litter box just to make me not think of what happened.
“Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâce, le Seigneur est avec vous. Vous êtes bénie entre toutes les femmes”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, Pregnancy

realouise's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

bookishfeminist's review against another edition

5.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

withali's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

rosemarygrace1211's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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While I did really enjoy this, I agree with a lot of reviews that label the plot as circular and redundant. Vibes? LOVED. Creepy freaky-deaky shit? Loved. Sapphic love? Loved. 
Feeling like we’re circling the drain? Didn’t love

Overall I think it’s worth the read especially if you are new to religious horror, Latine lit and like quieter dystopian/post-apocalyptic stuff 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture

alexandrarose's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment

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

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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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

amybeans's review against another edition

4.5

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Really disturbing and creepy, but the writing is incredible, and I love how the story is built in small bits along the way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

2.75

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Death of parent

figpudz's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide