Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica

171 reviews

arch_angl3's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional sad tense 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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A lot of complicated feelings around this book. I think the gore got a bit repetitive, but part of me feels that was the point- to desensitize you to the horror happening. The ending left me emotionally gutted and raw in the best way though, and I really enjoyed it all around though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy

So many trigger warnings. It is a heavy book and does not pull punches.

mcplen's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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If you can’t deal with body horror, look the other way. This book is very strange and disturbing. It’s the first of Bazterrica’s I’ve read, and it may be the last. I felt like the book was building to something bigger, something unexpected, but the ending felt predictable and mildly disappointing, and fell flat for me. I was hoping for some bold message, but it never revealed itself to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Self harm

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Blood

Minor: Animal death

yilliun's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent

madisonrosehager's review against another edition

2.5

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Diverse cast of characters: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Torture, Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pregnancy

readnrunml's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Brutal, poetic, horrifying 

love?

story about a woman in a convent-like society in a post apocalypse world. She meets a newcomer and reflects on her past life when she was wandering. I couldn't put this book down! A short and fast read although I wanted it to last!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail

though it's pretty gory it is hopeful in the end. I hope this is a first book in the series! The ending death(s) we're not explicitly known.

lisacanteven's review against another edition

4.0

dark 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

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This was unexpected in many ways. Years after life seems to end, there is a group called the Sacred Sisterhood who live safely sequestered away from the world. There is a hierarchy that helps the women remain passive until things start to unravel with the arrival of a new woman. This is all portrayed through the journal of the narrator. There are no chapters because this is completely written by the narrator, which made it very different than most books. I usually would hate this, but the pacing worked so well. At the halfway point things started to make sense and I really enjoyed the ride.

I wouldn't compare this to Tender is the Flesh. Not much about it besides the genre is similar. Both are horror and both explore the horrors with which our world is headed for. The depravity is still there, although in The Unworthy it is more subtle than TITF. 

Does the dog die?

In this book the dog (cat in this case) does die, and it is a bit traumatic so prepare yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

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

kristenloverly's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 28%

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The writing is great, it’s just not for me. It looks like it’s meant to act as a journal, but the lack of dialogue makes it feel like a slog despite being a pretty short book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence

akardian's review against another edition

3.75

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Rape, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder

compassrosa's review against another edition

4.5

dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape