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Without faith, there is no refuge: Reviewing The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses

Hey everyone! I hope your October is going well. As I write this, the temperature has dropped, and all of the Halloween decorations are up. I think it’s time for another creepy book review. If you would like to, you can check out my review for Tender is the Flesh, also by Agustina Bazterrica. It’s time, though, to talk about The Unworthy.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Sexual Assault, Disturbing Imagery, Animal Death, Religious Trauma, Psychosis

The world has ended. Sea levels rose, fires burned, and the population was all but wiped out by their own doing. The survivors grouped together to find some sort of salvation. One particular survivor joined a cult called the Sacred Sisterhood. Deemed one of the unworthy, she goes by unseen during the day but hopes that she might become one of the Enlightened. At night, she secretly writes her story in the hopes that someone will read it. One day, an enigmatic and charming woman named Lucia arrives, and the survivor is inexplicably drawn to her. As she develops a relationship with Lucia, the survivor reconsiders her past and realizes that she can no longer ignore the danger that lies within the Sacred Sisterhood.

Agustina Bazterrica is nothing if not intense, morbid, and profound in her writings. Much like Tender is the Flesh, The Unworthy is a speculative tale of a ruined world and desperate people. Unlike Tender is the Flesh, this novel is a bit more abstract in its prose. Bazterrica’s choice to have the nameless survivor as the narrator makes it all the more immersive. What drew me to the novel was Bazterrica’s use of religious imagery juxtaposed with stark images of a world ruined by humanity. With that being said, I can’t say I liked this more than Tender is the Flesh. The prose was a little too choppy, and there wasn’t enough “showing” for me. Just when I thought I was going to see something shocking or exciting, the novel would jump to something else. There was so much lore in this book, and it was packed very tightly into 175 pages. I would have loved a full novel of this book. With all of that being said, you may consider this my soft recommendation if you want something disturbing and atmospheric.

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Inevitably, with memory comes pain: Reviewing I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, Translated by Ros Schwartz

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. The weather is beautiful where I live and I have some extended time off so I am going to finish off some novellas that have been sitting in my TBR pile for some time. I continue to pile on to my book pile because I am unable to excersize any self-control in a book store. I am also fully expecting to get a few more books for my birthday next month, but that is exactly what I want. Anway, this particuar novella has been making the rounds in recommended reading so it’s time for me to talk about I Who Have Never Known Men.

Content Warning: Some Disturbing Imagery, Grief and Mourning

For seemingly no reason, thirty-nine women have been locked in an underground prison. None of them can entirely remember how they got there or what their lives were before they were imprisoned. The fortieth prisoner, a young girl, is shunned by her fellow prisoners. One day, for seemingly no reason, the guards flee from the prison and the women are able to escape. They realize that the young girl is their key to survival and their only hope in the strange world that awaits them.

I can see this book becoming a staple in literature classes in the near future. I Who Have Never Known Men is a tense, existential novella that asks broad questions about humanity, civilization, and gender. It is also a story of survival, friendship, and perserverance. Harpman keeps the reasons behind the circumstances for this novel frustratingly ambiguous, but that is one of the more compelling elements of this novella. There is plenty to speculate about and theorize, but we are ultimately left with a fascinating mystery. I don’t want to say too much because this is a book worth experiencing for oneself. You should definitely consider picking up I Who Have Never Known Men for your summer reading pile.

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When you’ve been set up to lose everything, what is there left to fight for?: Reviewing Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Hello everyone! Holy cow! I’m so excited to review this book. I swear I will get to my other books but I had to drop everything for this one! For those of you who don’t know, I have been a longtime Hunger Games fan. I was obsessed with the books in middle school and high school. My first ever midnight movie premiere was the first Hunger Games movie. Needless to say, I was so excited when Suzanne Collins announced that she was going to write another book about Haymitch’s Games. Anyways, I’m going to stop yapping and get to reviewing. Let’s talk about Sunrise on the Reaping.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Harm Towards Children, Animal Death, Substance Abuse

It’s the morning of the Reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. This game is a Quarter Quell, which means four tributes will be chosen from each District. It is also Haymitch Abernathy’s sixteenth birthday. He tries to push aside his fears by focusing on what he loves the most: his family and his girl, Lenore Dove. His fears are realized when his name is called during the Reaping. He and three other tributes are ripped from their beloved homes and forced to be the Capitol’s entertainment. Along the way, Haymitch meets other people who want to bring an end to the Hunger Games and he takes a chance on these secretive rebels. Once he’s in the arena, though, all bets are off and Haymitch what’s worth fighting for.

Suzanne Collins has done it again. She has delivered her most poignant, heartbreaking, and remarkable entry to her franchise yet. Before I even begin talking about this, I urge all of you to read the quotes that Collins included at the beginning of the book. Everything about Sunrise on the Reaping is so deliberate and topical. I love the themes of this book. On top of that, we also get some really interesting bits of lore that all Hunger Games fans have been dying to know. Haymitch is a great main character as his personality shines with equal parts charm and reliability. This book, though… This book is brutal. No punches are pulled before, during, or after the Games. I had to set this one aside a few times just to process what had happened. I was in genuine shock, but that was the best part. If this book doesn’t make you uncomfortable, then you aren’t truly reading this book. I could write a twenty-five to thirty-page essay on this book, but I will refrain from doing so. I will leave you with this: go pick it up immediately because it needs to be experienced, especially in the current political climate.

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Posted on by bookreviews628

Like a caged beast born of caged beasts: Reviewing Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Hello everyone! It is officially October and a chill is in the air. I wanted to kick off spooky season ASAP for you all, so you could settle down with something chilling to read. I am fully committing this year and want to watch a couple of horror movies I have been meaning to get around to for a bit now. I will include a massive trigger warning for this novel before I get into it. I suggest you do some research for yourself, if you so desire. Let’s kick off October with Tender is the Flesh.

Trigger Warning: Violence, Gore, Animal Abuse, Sexual Violence, Derogatory Language

A virus has swept the world, infecting every animal and killing all livestock. In order to prevent starvation, society decided that the only suitable replace for animal livestock would be human livestock. Marcos Tejo makes his living at a processing plant, which he had to take over after his father developed dementia. Marcos is wracked by the guilt caused by his job, still mourning the loss of his infant son, and trying to get his wife back. One day, he is gifted a live female specimen by one of his business partners. Contact with her would result in Marcos being sent to slaughter, but that doesn’t stop him from developing feelings for her. For the first time in a while, Marcos has a sense of hope and may be able to create a better world for the future.

I’d heard amazing reviews of this novel and now I can say that it lived up to expectations. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting going into this, but I was shocked and riveted by every page. Bazterrica creates a terrifying introspective narrative that makes you question what it means to be human. The imagery is as gruesome as it is powerful. It was hard to look away from the violence being depicted on the page. It was a truly provocative experience that I want to read again, but will wait as I still have other spooky reads to get into. This novel isn’t for the faint hearts or the weak stomachs, which is what makes it all the more of an unputdownable novel.

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Power Has Its Price: Reviewing The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Hi everybody! I hope a lot of you are at least seeing some improvement in every day life. I’m from the US so I don’t have many positive things to say at this exact moment. It felt very serendipitous that the prequel to The Hunger Games be released now. I had almost forgotten it was coming out this year until I saw the display at the store where I work. Of course, I bought a copy immediately. In my opinion, The Hunger Games trilogy still holds up as I read it through adult eyes. Now, let’s relive our pre-teen/teen glory days as we talk about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

As the tenth annual Hunger Games approaches, a young Coriolanus Snow is desperate to restore his once great family name to glory. When he’s given the opportunity to be a mentor for the Hunger Games, he realizes the odds are stacked against him as he must face his better prepared classmates. His initial anger with being tasked to mentor the tribute from District 12 turns into an opportunity when he meets the enigmatic, charming, and spontaneous Lucy Gray Baird. With a new sense of hope, Coriolanus must make sure that Lucy Gray survives the dangers of the arena, while he tries to survive the dangers outside of the arena.

Like many fans of the original trilogy, I was nervous at the idea of a prequel coming out so many years later. I, however, quickly became swept up in the world of Panem once again. Coriolanus Snow is an interesting character study, given the impression we have of him from the original trilogy. The novel presents an interesting dilemma as it shows someone who is so close to the edge of compassion for the reader, but still manages to be unlikeable. He has an almost similar origin story to Katniss, but with a different approach to the systems that have been used to oppress a population. Some work against it from the outside, while others work for it from the inside. The world of Panem was still just as familiar, but Collins adds a level of uncertainty as the Hunger Games are still in its infancy in this novel. I found this to be a very compelling read with the same no-holds barred level of violence and brutal honesty from the trilogy. I would say that fans of The Hunger Games will find this an interesting addition that offers an even more complex look at the dystopia of Panem.