It was a bleak day. The rain added to the misery she was experiencing. Another day, another crime scene to clean… if she could just experience one glimpse of joy… but life wasn’t allowing that at the moment. She enters the crime scene, ready to do her job, but this one is different… more sinister than the usual scene.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a horror novel set during the pandemic. Cora is a crime scene cleaner and after the murder of her sister finds herself dealing with some scary things.

I wanted to love this book. It started off very strong and I was immediately intrigued, but then it started dragging at the 30% mark and I didn’t want to pick it up. It was eerie, haunting, and definitely a gory horror, which I liked, but the very slow middle really hurt this one for me. The social commentary in this story was important though and I definitely want to read Kylie’s other books.

Read if you like:

• Horror
• NYC Setting
• Haunting Imagery
• Serial Killer Mysteries
• Elements of Chinese Folklore

Kylie Lee Baker has become an instant-read author for me, and luckily Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is another winner.

The year is 2020, and a global pandemic has hit the world, upturning life as we know it. Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner with a fear of germs, living in New York City.

One day, her sister is pushed in front of a moving train and instantly killed. The anonymous murderer whispers “bat eater” right before running away. After months of waiting for the killer to be brought to light, there’s still no movement in the case. The city is instead met with a slew of murders. Cora and her team are called for the cleanups, which become more and more gruesome. Bat carcasses begin popping up at the crime scenes of Chinese victims. Cora realizes the new victims are all Chinese women and begins to worry that she could be the next target. She must somehow manage her sanity while trying to solve the mystery and bring her sister to justice.

I found this book to be one of the best I have read this year. The plot covers many different topics in a unique and impressive way. It not only explores Chinese culture and folklore but also the unjust hate that Chinese people had to endure during the pandemic. This is not a topic that is openly discussed and has since been swept under the rug. We also see how Cora is affected, as she is riddled with anxiety, stress, depression, and fear. She struggles with identity and abandonment as well. There are many other topics included that you’ll have to read to discover, but these are just a few. Baker was able to fully flesh out these multiple themes in a thoughtful way.

The mixture of gore and ghostly beings was perfectly executed. Cora begins to feel herself slipping away from reality and tries her best to keep it together. Watching the blurred lines between the supernatural and reality was just as confusing for the reader as it was for Cora. I loved that we were transported into her shoes and went through the ride with her. Some scenes are genuinely creepy and terrifying, so definitely keep a light on if you decide to read this book at night!

In conclusion, this is the perfect read to get anyone into the mood for the upcoming spooky season. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this book!

Amazing amazing book. Very few books give me goosebumps but this did. The mystery is amazing. The characters are amazing. And this book is horrifying.

This book was everything it promised and more. It was a dark and grisly look to the state of the world during the pandemic, especially the rampant racism during that time through the lens of Cora. This book made me sick to my stomach and I loved every second of it. Sometimes there are books that scare you in the most visceral ways and this book certainly did!

I absolutely devoured this audiobook. I always love Natalie Naudus as a narrator, and she did a fantastic job yet again.

As I am still somewhat new to the Horror genre and a huge scaredy cat, this was the perfect amount of haunting for me. Baker paints a perfect picture - and when that picture is a gruesome crime scene, it's disgustingly delightful. *Check the trigger warnings!

There were so many "HOLY SH*T!" moments throughout this story that it had me squealing to my friends who had already read it constantly as I needed to experience the feelings of shock and horror outside of myself.

The premise was unique to me as a crime scene cleanup crew, which is not something I've experienced in a book, movie, or TV show. The concept of not seeing the body, but only the aftermath, is detached from the who & how, yet they can still piece things together based on their experience.

The plot was immediately intriguing, then adding in the layer of COVID took it to another unique level, as this is the first book I've read where characters are experiencing the impact of it. Little things like not being fully comfortable in public again, the need to constantly sanitize and wear masks, with varying participation.

Then, the bat-eater insinuation itself. It makes me sick that this portion of a fictional novel was actually pulled from the reality of such terrible discrimination, which is, unfortunately, not new in our world. I teared up from the author's note, do not skip it.

I love how Baker wove in pieces of Asain culture, the experience of grief, terror, and friendships, in addition to SO much more! Words cannot describe the feelings this surfaced. This was phenomenal, and I cannot wait to read more from her.

A few things you will find:
🩸Murder (don't forget the gore)
🩸Not-so-friendly ghosts
🩸Grief
🩸Racism
🩸COVID Pandemic

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC - my thoughts are my own.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a powerful and unique adult debut that masterfully combines elements of horror, mystery, and deep emotional resonance. Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel follows Cora, a young Chinese woman in New York who becomes a crime scene cleaner after the racially motivated murder of her sister, Delilah.

This book is a hauntingly beautiful and sometimes gruesome journey that uses supernatural elements—specifically the presence of hungry ghosts—to explore real-world horrors. The story expertly captures the suffocating atmosphere of the pandemic and the chilling prejudice that was laid bare during that time. It's a gripping read that is both terrifying and unexpectedly heartbreaking, with a powerful emotional gut-punch that will likely stay with you long after you've finished.

The author, Kylie Lee Baker, weaves in her own heritage and experiences to create a story that is not only a thrilling mystery but also a poignant critique of racism and loss. The characters, especially Cora and her found family of colleagues, are vivid and relatable, facing both personal struggles and collective prejudice.

Ultimately, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is unlike anything else out there. It’s a striking, immersive novel that balances grisly horror with moments of unexpected tenderness and even humor. It’s a must-read for anyone looking for a story that is as thought-provoking as it is spine-tingling.

Bat Eater and Other Names by Cora Zeng completely blew me away. The prose is stunningly vivid and haunting, drawing me into each story with a sense of intimacy and unease. I loved how every piece felt carefully crafted, balancing dark, surreal moments with unexpected tenderness. It’s the kind of collection that lingered in my mind long after I finished, making me feel deeply connected to the characters and their worlds. Absolutely a five-star experience for me.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker is gory, spine-tingling, and ultimately very sad, which were all elements that I ended up really enjoying! Set during the COVID19 pandemic, the book follows Cora, a young Chinese woman and crime scene cleaner that witnesses the murder of her sister, Delilah, who is pushed in front of a subway train by a man who calls her a "bat eater." Shortly after her sister's unsolved murder, begins the month when hungry ghosts are able to return to Earth... and Cora begins noticing bite marks around her apartment and food missing from her fridge. In conjunction with the return of a ghost who could very well be her sister, Cora continuously comes face to face with a string of murdered women across Chinatown, as she cleans up crime scene after crime scene.

I really appreciated where this book ended up! It delivered a huge emotional gut-punch that I wasn't expecting and even made me cry, which I don't think a horror novel has ever done! It was heart-wrenching to see the depth of horrific prejudice that Kylie Lee Baker shines a spotlight on through the lens of the pandemic and the crimes committed as the plot unfolds. I loved the unlikely friendship that emerged between Cora, Yifei, and Harvey, as well as Cora coming to grips with her relationship with her sister. All in all, I really appreciated (and simultaneously dreaded) the way that this unfolded.

Overall, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was a great read that I'd highly recommend!

I loved this! Bat Eater marks Kylie Lee Baker’s adult debut, and it’s the first of her novels I’ve read. Drawing on her Japanese, Chinese, and Irish heritage, as well as her time living abroad as both student and teacher, Baker weaves those influences directly into this striking little story.

The novel follows Cora, a young Chinese woman living in New York during the COVID pandemic with her sister, Delilah. When Delilah is brutally murdered in what appears to be a racially motivated attack on the subway, Cora is left reeling. In the aftermath, she takes a job as a crime scene cleaner, where she bonds with her colleagues while navigating grief, racism, and fear. Soon, a series of murders targeting East Asian women begins to unfold, each crime scene marked by the presence of a bat, a detail that chills Cora since her sister’s killer had spat the slur ‘bat eaters’ before the attack.

What follows is a taut and inventive blend of horror, mystery, and social commentary. Baker captures the suffocating atmosphere of the pandemic and its racially charged violence with the ghostly presence of Cora’s sister, hungry for justice.

There is nothing else I’ve read like Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. It contains an expertly crafted balance of grisly horror, comedy, and social commentary; I was totally absorbed in it and I really felt for Cora and her colleagues, who each have their personal battles to deal with as well as facing collective prejudice and loss. The book functions simultaneously as a ghost story, an amateur sleuth mystery, a cultural study, and a pointed critique of the racism laid bare during the pandemic.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is unlike anything I’ve read before — dark, entertaining, and deeply moving. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Kylie Lee Baker and Harlequin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I read and listened to the audio of this book.

When this book came in at the library, I completely forgot what it was about. So I was not prepared for the first few chapters, or really any of this book. It was more graphic than I was expecting. It honestly made me a little queasy (my mom said I'm just too used to smut lol), but I couldn't stop listening/reading.

I so wanted to help figure out the ghost mystery and the serial killer mystery. And while we do get some answers, I'm left with even more. I'm so frustrated by that, but it honestly plays into the real-life horror (racism, murder) that this book centers around. And while I'm not far enough out from the pandemic to read books set during that time period, this book was the exception.

I also really enjoyed the narrator. The book is in third person (which I usually don't prefer), but Natalie Naudus still really brought this to life for me.

This was a heavy read in more than one way, but one I recommend.

As an Asian Amercian bi racial woman who lived through COVID in her mid 20's, this was so relatable and felt so real. I loved the horror aspect of this story because COVID time as an Asian woman truly did feel like a horror story. One of my favorite things about this story is the way Kylie Lee Baker was able make you feel like you were in Cora's head.

”Closing your eyes doesn’t stop monsters from devouring you.”"

When this book was first announced, I desperately wanted to read it and counted down the days until I could read it. I saw the blurb, and my interest was immediately piqued. COVID-19 changed so much about our world, and I think, like many others, it changed how I viewed the world. Given the heavy subject matter, it has taken me time to get to it. I would have liked to read it earlier, but unfortunately, I just wasn't in the right headspace. This book was incredibly impactful, and I thought the bits of social commentary were brilliant, especially about racism and how it impacted Asian Americans during the pandemic. Especially in the way that Asian Americans were painted with a broad brush. Not only was the social commentary impactful, but so was the commentary on mental health. Though it wasn't explicitly named OCD, I really related to some of Cora's compulsions and thought processes throughout the book. The beginning was *absolutely unsettling* and really painted a vivid picture. After the opening, I did feel it got a little slow. However, it picked up toward the middle for me, and after that, I simply couldn't put it down. The author's note at the end of the book is also worth reading, and it put thoughts I didn't know I had into words. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for offering me this ARC to read.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the ARC book.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng follows Cora, an Asian American woman, as she navigates life during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Her life takes a tragic turn when her sister Delilah is brutally murdered in front of her by a man who shouts “bat eater” and then pushed her in front of a train. This book explored a wide range of topics, but one aspect that stood out was the racism and violence that Asian people faced during the early days of the pandemic. The ending of this story did seem a little rushed but I overall give this book a solid 4 stars and would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
The Covid-19 pandemic was a horror show in and of itself, so writing a truly chilling novel, where a serial killer is murdering Asian American women, as a hate crime masquerading as justice for the “bat eaters” who he blames for this flu-well it’s brave, and brilliant, and downright frightening. Seriously one of the best things I’ve read this year.

Brutal and heartbreaking. A look back at the global pandemic we all experienced in 2020. Both harrowing and haunting.

So many books about global pandemics are out there, some came out before 2020 and some after. I’m finding that reading these types of books after experiencing the COVID pandemic helps me to process all that we went through.

Some parts of this book hurt to read. Others made me so angry because some of these interactions were inspired by real life.

It’s true that in terrible times, some of the best music, art, and books are created.

This book was raw and painful to read at times. It’s gruesome. If depictions of crime scene cleanup bother you, this book might not be for you. Although, I’d say it’s worth the read regardless of the depictions of crime scenes.

Just like the hungry ghosts in the story, this book will not be ignored. It demands attention.

If you’re into horror based in part by real life, I implore you to read this. Words really can’t express how good this book was.

As far as the audiobook goes, the narrator did an excellent job at portraying Cora. I was hooked from the first chapter. The narrator’s tone of voice is perfect for a story like this. There’s a scene at the beginning that sets the story up that’s so horrific. I really can’t stress enough how well the narrator performed the horror scenes.

This is horror at it’s best. A way to peer closer at the horrors of real life so we can process it better.

I’d recommend this to horror lovers, especially those who can read extreme horror. I wouldn’t say this is for beginners.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harlequin Audio, and the author for providing me with an ARC/ALC for review.

Actual rating 3.5-4.0 stars.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker is a standalone adult horror novel set during the COVID-19 pandemic that features elements of Chinese Ghost Month and hungry ghost folklore. Twenty-four-year-old Cora Zeng views herself as a shadow of her older sister, Delilah--until she witnesses Delilah's brutal murder at an NYC subway station. Cora cleans up crime scenes to pay the bills, while simultaneously struggling with OCD, her multicultural identity (Cora is biracial, Chinese and white), her grief, and the pandemic. But when the crime scenes she witnesses seem to point to a serial killer, what is she to do?

First of all, the message in this book is 10/10. This visceral book firmly criticizes the lackluster response to the anti-Asian hate that came out of the woodwork during the pandemic (read the author's note in this book--intersectionality and solidarity are key, especially in 2025). Points also for the OCD and mixed ethnicity representation, and for the haunting twist on hungry ghost and jiangshi folklore. (Reading the Taco Bell scene at night at a McDonalds was a bit too close for comfort...)

That said, the first one hundred pages were pretty slow, and probably could have been condensed. Also, while insight into Cora's monologues are important, there is a bit too much time spent there at times; she is a passive character, but there is a limit. However, while more time could have been given to fleshing out Cora's familial relationships, her time with Harvey and Yifei is perfect--these are some of the most memorable scenes of the book. I haven't read Baker's romantasy, but I would be interested in future horror stories by her!

CW: gore, body horror, animal death/mutilation, hate crimes

Readers who enjoy this book may also like: Kylie Lee Baker's other works, titles by Stephen Graham Jones and Nick Medina, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou, The Babadook (2014), and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Eiji Ōtsuka, among others.

This book is nasty and spooky; it was a thrill to read. I wish there had been more adventures with the three of the cleaners together, as I love a good buddy comedy, but alas. I wanted more explanation of the hungry ghosts, but I loved what I got.

This book was not my cup of tea. I finished it because the writing was good but to write about the pandemic I guess I just don’t wanna hear about it.

I am SO sad to say that I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it. I did do this via audio, and I’m thinking that likely impacted its effect, so I would recommend reading this physically as opposed to listening. There were some beautiful lines and there were some truly haunting moments and creept descriptions. Ultimately, though, what it came down to is that I just didn’t connect with the characters, and I’m not sure if that’s my fault because of how I consumed the book (via audio over multiple listening session), or if it’s the book’s fault because there wasn’t enough character development. I just never truly felt connected to Cora, and soe I couldn’t get as emotional as I wanted to be. Also, I think it’s worth saying that this took me nearly TWO MONTHS to finish via audio because I just never felt like listening :(

Some “If you liked” style comparisons: Haunting of Hill House vibes

Warning: Check content warnings if you need them...This is set during the pandemic and features a lot of racism and body horror.

I’ve never wanted to grab a character out of a book and give them a hug more than after reading Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng.

I closed this book and wished that girl nothing but peace for the rest of her days because it is well deserved.

Normally I have a hard time conceptualizing scenes in horror books, but Kylie Lee Baker had no issue of making me actually scared and worried that if I turned my head a Hungry Ghost is going to be waiting for me.

With this book being placed during COVID at the height of racial discrimination towards Asian people there was an added sensation of anxiety and dread. And Cora as a character just oozed that through the pages. On one had we didn’t know if she was going to be murdered due a hate crime like her sister or the Hungry Ghosts were going to get her first.

Definitely highly recommended! Thank you HTP/MIRA books for the arc copy!