Think Lord of the Flies + Catherine House, presented as fragments of journal entries, The Unworthy in an immersive speculative fiction about a small community of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. Soaked in vibe and purposefully ambiguous, do not go into The Unworthy expecting an traditional narrative with a defined exposition, and closure with answers (also, stayed away from the synopsis on Goodreads, as it essentially covers 60% of the plot), instead, the strength of this novella lies in its poetically grotesque imagery (sadistic behavior within a religious environment), world-building, powerful prose, and bread crumbs of clues available for interpretation.

Tender Is the Flesh is a difficult one to follow, as the subject matter in that novel was so under-discussed (in fiction), and the presentation so effortlessly shocking. In comparison, The Unworthy was almost too obvious of an attempt trying to recreate a similar impact, but its theme / commentary felt overly familiar (there are already loads of medias out there covering similar topics), and the violence less well-integrated, but mostly there for shock value. However, judging on its own it is still a provocative read with vivid writing and morbid imagination, just don't let the halo of Tender Is the Flesh cloud your expectation.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**