Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

Kylie Lee Baker has honestly become one of my go to authors. The premise of this book was horrifyingly perverse to me and it didn't disappoint. The quality of the writing is just so engrossing. The one thing I did notice was that in the beginning-middle the plot did not really further. This is still a 5 star read for me though because the writing was just so good and I can understand some of the set up. The last 80% got real really fast and I was very freaked out. I'm not a constant to the horror genre and I was a bit concerned if I'd be freaked out. This is 100% horror, but I never felt like I needed to stop.

I would totally recommend this book, the social horror definitely hit very close to home for me.

When I started reading this book I was prepared to be emotional. It’s set during the pandemic and from the very first chapter it’s clear this is a book of loss. Of injustice. It shines a light on the abhorrent way people responded to fear. The way they still respond to fear and intolerance for anyone different than them. A misplaced mindset of “there’s not enough of us”.

Cora’s story is heart wrenching and raw. Are there ghosts? Yes. Are they freaking terrifying to think about? Of course. But the real terror is being scared to walk down the street because you may be attacked. Of having to have three locks on your door because people feel they have the right to take what’s yours, to take your life.

The elements of horror were spectacular and the plot wrapping up was incredible and gut wrenching… I don’t even truly have the words to describe the way it made me feel. I think it’s important to read things that make you feel. That make you uncomfortable and put yourself in other people’s positions.

I will never understand the experiences of Asian people living in the United States but getting a glimpse into the emotions behind those experiences is priceless. I cannot reccomend this book highly enough. Read it.

Wow, this was a really captivating horror novel! I haven't read Baker's other works, as I believe they're YA and I don't read a lot of YA, but I may need to change my mind about that if this is how strong a writer she is. This was atmospheric, creepy (also really, really gory, which is not something I actually enjoy, so heads up if you are like me and don't love lots of gore), and so strongly rooted in the 2020-2021 COVID setting that I felt like I was back in that awful, uncertain time. Baker is an excellent writer, to force my headspace back into those days.

Cora is a young Chinese-American woman who struggles with obsessive-compulsive tendencies around cleanliness. Her sister, with whom she had a complicated relationship, was horrifically murdered and Cora's life was derailed, and she has ended up as a crime scene cleaner during the COVID pandemic in NYC. The story is driven by Cora's anxieties and disconnection from Chinese culture, her difficult relationship with different family members and her hesitation to let people into her life. It's a fascinating away to introduce readers unfamiliar with the Hungry Ghost festival and the traditions and rituals it entails, while also heightening the tension as Cora begins to encounter two inexplicable things at once: all the dead bodies she's being called to clean up are Asian women as of late, and a terrifying figure is lurking in the shadows and eating chunks out of her coffee table.

I love horror driven by social forces, and horror that explores if humans or monsters are the real monsters. This book does both beautifully. I kept having to set it down and walk away because it was too tense and too creepy and I needed a break. That's a pretty high recommendation from me. Cora is a fascinating character, and her two friends, other crime scene cleaners, are great foils for her. There were some things in the book that didn't work for me. As noted, I don't really love gory books, and this was super gory. I can't really dock it for that, though; that's what this book was, and me not liking it is a personal thing. However, I felt like the last quarter of the book was rushed, with some major things happening that didn't feel necessary for the story. It also had some pacing issues occasionally, getting a little bogged down.

Overall, I did love this. I waited to write my review for several days after finishing, because I was still mulling over all of the themes and impacts of the book. It may not be perfect, but I still think it's a fantastic read that people should pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC for review; all opinions are my own.

First I would like to say I’ve been in a horrible reading slump and somehow the prose of THIS horror novel is what to took to snap me out of it. Bat Eater and other names for Cora Zeng is the kind of book that sticks to you, both in grief and hope. Writing a horror novel that spins both real life tragedy and the horrors of white supremacy along with Chinese folklore during the global pandemic in 2020 is nothing short of brilliant. Kylie Lee Baker takes both real and spiritual fear and builds a web of terror that’s sure to stick with you past the last chapter. Besides being incredibly scary, it’s just so dang important. I think the Xenophobia of the COVID pandemic is something that was/is largely overlooked if that is not a community you’re actively part of and the reality of those deaths were never properly mourned as a society for their tragedy. The “fictional” corruption that lead to so much, for lack of a better term, horror in this novel mirrors so much of the racism still felt in 2025. I wish I could read this again for the first time, there’s so much beauty between the bones and gore of Cora Zeng. Kylie, you’re a genius.

Short synopsis: Cara witnesses the brutal murder of her sister, and the murderer yelling “bat eater” at her while he flees. Now Cora isn’t sure what’s real as a hungry ghost starts following her.

My thoughts: Wow. This book is brutal, and gruesome, and completely bingeable. I don’t read many horror books, because I’m kind of a whimp and I did have to pick up a lighthearted book before going to sleep, but I could not put this down.

This is probably the first book I’ve read that has a Covid-19 pandemic focus, and it might have been too soon. That being said there were many things mentioned that are big pandemic memories, Cora searching for toilet paper actually had me laughing out loud.

If you’re squeamish know going in there is a lot of gore, but the story and the meanings behind it are so good. I was blown away at the way Kylie was able to discuss such difficult topics in a way that be equally educational and entertaining, her authors note at the end left was very impactful to me.

Read if you love:
* Bingeable horror books
* Hungry Ghosts
* Ride or die friends
* Difficult topics

Don't let the cover fool you!!!! This is an amazing horror/murder mystery/thriller novel set during the COVID 19 Pandemic as we follow Cora, a crime scene cleaner (and trust me the gore and blood is explained in perfect detail <3). The first chapter starts off with a literal bang as we witness a hate crime unfold in front of Cora in the New York subway. Her sister is targeted and thrown in front of an incoming train, and the rest is described in detail... don't want to spoil the gore for you.

As you read this novel looking back at what we went through you feel and connect with Cora's emotional journey as she trudges through isolation due to Covid and her with her broken family. We can't acknowledge Covid without mentioning the rise of disturbing anti Asian racism Cora encounters throughout the novel. The countless times "Bat Eater" is thrown at her as if that's what the people only see her as.

A true emotional horror book this is a must read for everyone.

Taking place during the COVID-19 Lockdown, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a harrowing story of Isolation; isolation from family, friends, society, culture, and most disturbing, from yourself. Cora suffers a lack of identity to the point where she not only has no sense of purpose but no sense of self. When her sister, Delilah, is killed in a racially motivated attack, Tension and horror continues to rise as Cora discovers someone out there is murdering Asian women in brutal ways and leaving behind bats, all while becoming increasingly convinced she is being haunted by the hungry ghost of her sister. I struggled at first to connect with Cora because she felt like such a flat character in the beginning, but as the story progresses you can see her develop and grow. A truly horrifying look at family, mental health, culture clash, and racism within the confines of a quarantine, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a modern take on classic horror tropes that will keep you reading late into the night.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng follows Cora, a crime scene cleaner who witnesses her sister's murder. While she deals with her sister's death, Cora begins to notice a troubling pattern: many of the recent deaths involve Asians. Set during the pandemic, this book delves into darker themes such as mental health, racism, hatred, and grief. I have enjoyed Kylie Lee Baker's previous works, and this one was different but equally amazing and more darker and more gory than her other works. It’s a unique read that is not for the faint of heart. Even if you enjoy horror, be sure to check the trigger warnings. I highly recommend it. Thanks to the Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

This was an incredibly fascinating and disturbing look into life as an Asian woman following the emergence of Corona , wrapped in a murder/mystery/horror/thriller. The first 50% of the book I felt crazy and wasn’t sure what was going on (intentional as the character isn’t sure what’s real or not), but as the story became clear, and the character cleared her head, I flew through the last 40% and can’t believe the the societal statement the author was able to make with this book.

Thank you NetGalley, the Author, and the Publisher for the ARC Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is the first book I've read that is set during the Covid pandemic. As I'm sure most people can agree, we all experienced different traumas, while living through the collective trauma of the scary unknown. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng perfectly captured the fear of that time and the intense racism & hatred that so many Chinese people experienced. I was completely absorbed in the story, the way that Kylie described the changes in the once vibrant New York City to cold and desolate was visceral. I could see the shadows she created in my mind so vividly, as if they were in the room with me. I very rarely get actual chills while reading a horror novel but there were a few moments that I was actually scared. If you have a hard time with body horror, be warned that there is quite a lot of that in this book. PLEASE read the authors note at the end. I was moved by Kylie's sentiment. If you choose to pick any fiction book up about the pandemic, I highly urge you to pick this one up.

4.5/5 stars

This book is so much more than I expected it to be -- it's a horror novel, but so much more than that. At its core, it focuses on the anti-Chinese racism and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic while also dealing with past trauma and a serial killer. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this and couldn't put it down. While it was difficult to read at times, it deals with some very important themes and commentary on the last few years.

The only reason I rated it 4.5 stars is because this is a gory novel, which is not something I personally enjoy. It comes with the territory, since the main character is a crime scene cleaner, but it was a bit more than I could handle at times.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The book started off with a jaw dropping moment and it never really escalates in the same way again. Cora goes through the book as a "meh" character. It's 2020 and covid has hit NYC and Cora goes through extra steps in her day to prevent getting infected, almost to an extreme. Cora and her work mates try to solve a paranormal problem with mortal consequences. As people begin to get hurt it starts to take a fall. Throughout the book it addresses the racial discrimination to Chinese people from those who think that all Chinese are to blame since "their people" ate bats that started the pandemic. It was a great social commentary but the pacing is a little off for my taste. Overall not a bad story just not timed very well.

#netgalley #bateaterandothernamesforcorazeng #harlequinenterprises

After witnessing her sister's murder at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Cora Zeng must deal with what's haunting her - literally and figuratively.

So this was devastating and terrifying and grief-filled, all in an amazing way. It's hard to write a usual review gushing about the parts that "I loved" considering, it's all tragic. This book makes you scared, and full of regret, and angry. Despite some dragging pacing in the middle, I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a different kind of pandemic novel, or just a really effective ghost story.

Kylie Lee Baker is great at the gory and ghostly horror elements, never letting the reader truly relax before splashing blood or ravenous ghosts on the page. The tension is thick, the horror makes you squirm, and the commentary if effective. Along with the outside horror, the interior of Cora's mind is also overwhelming as she tries to reconcile being Asian, a woman, and feeling purely alone during the pandemic (and a haunting). But seeing Cora grow closer to her coworkers, her culture, and gain more confidence in herself was wonderful. The characters make this story, and I felt for every one.

Overall a gory, ghost-filled, and thrilling read.

What a book.

Bat eater tells the story of Cora after her sister was pushed down in front of a train in the midst of the COVID pandemic. It’s horror, full of gore, anxious atmosphere and hungry ghosts but also uncomfortable truths. It explores racism, mental health, bigotry, hatred, pandemic frenzy -never shying away from any of it- making Bat Eater a unique and important book.

It’s bleak and depressing, sometimes a little too much and not for the faint of heart, but absolutely fantastic.

4.5 stars because this book is ahead of its time. Most books that are written about the pandemic are books that trigger me so much i end up not enjoying it, but this one I feel opposite. Now grated it is still triggering because of the racism and assault against Asian women and content but it was so good. The gore, the body horror, the beautiful ways that this author woven into this story was so captivating. I highly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend this to my audience

This story went places I didn’t expect, and I am so glad I was along for the ride! Bloody and tense, filled with grief and self-loathing and despair, this story shines reaches into the darkness at the heart of systemic violence and discrimination and grabs tight with bony claws.

It is set in New York City in 202, right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and at the start part of me wished it wasn’t placing itself so directly in actual history, because the discrimination and violence that the pandemic brought to light existed before and after it, and my initial impulse wanted this story to find its voice outside of a very specific historical event. By the end of the novel, though, I realize how wrong I was, and while the story could have existed outside of that historical moment it actually brings the novel closer to the audience, closer to our real life, and in many ways an indictment of a status quo many quietly tolerated if not actively profited from. Additionally, it went a long way to help the world-building, because the emptiness of NYC during the early months of the pandemic is an eerie and palpable reality, and then add in what it was like in New York’s Chinatown at that period and there is a visceral, emotive quality to the world that feels genuine and real and intensifies everything else in the story.

The main character and the few ancillary characters are all really lovingly, wonderfully realized. Not in any way perfect, our broken, traumatized protagonists form an incredible found family, and those emotional connections keep the heart of the story beating. The other ancillary characters, namely the aunties but also the random strangers and antagonists don’t have as much depth, necessarily, but they actually still feel real, like genuine people you know. I really appreciated the emotional journey our main character took, from a past filled with violence and trauma that never gets revealed in full, only in critical details here and there, to a type of blossoming into herself and the realities she is choosing to face and not hide from or try and wash away.

The story itself feels like it is at the crossroads of a number of different genres, with mystery/whodunit vibes type of violent slasher/thriller vibes mixed with paranormal folk horror, all of which live within an introspective social commentary. It flows between these seamlessly, with really strong writing that is descriptive, emotional, and nail-bitingly tense. There is a yawning despair to the writing, a feeling of lack, of never having enough, not in a bad way but in a way that is pulling you along, desperate morsel after desperate morsel. This works really well with the pacing, and once the story gets its claws into you it is hard to put down. The unsettling combination of violence and apathy fuels a type of rage in our characters and the writing and pacing just help stoke a similar blaze in the reader.

My nitpicking critiques would be that the worldbuilding and atmosphere does rely somewhat heavily on the reader’s personal memory and experience of living through the COVID 19 pandemic, and I wonder if reader totally unfamiliar with what NYC was like in the summer of 2020 would feel the world of the novel sufficiently well-developed. While I enjoyed the directions the story took, with some action being very abrupt and some a slower type of simmer, the resolution did feel a little bit easy or expected. It is hard to say unearned, given what the characters had to experience and understand to get to that climax and resolution, and yet it did feel thin. The story has multiple simultaneous stories to navigate, the paranormal aspect and the serial killer aspect, and it felt like things fell into place easier than they should have. Nothing was handed to our characters, they did have to work for every revelation, but I wanted a little more. I think this is also because I just wanted more time with our central trio, a found family of outcasts that I enjoyed more and more every time they were together on the page. The way they transformed form coworkers to something else, what they shared that brought them together and what their developing relationships looked and felt like, those are all things I would have liked to spend more time with, and it feels like if we had been given that time it might have resolved my other critiques as well. That is all to say I wouldn’t have minded an additional 50 pages to this novel, because it read really quickly and I wanted to stay in the world with these characters, through frightening times and times of joy, too.

A gory, emotional, character-driven story that doesn’t pull its punches when looking at systemic problems but never feels preachy. This is a story where trauma and violence fuel an understandable anger, yes, but also a deep empathy, and a recognition that humanity is more than any individual, for better or worse. It navigates heavy and important topics through a combination of biting honesty and supernatural revenge, and I am glad that I had the chance to read it.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a short, quick read that brings us back to NYC during the early COVID days. Cora, an obsessive compulsive germaphobe (my interpretation even though I’m not sure it was ever specifically stated) is just trying to live her life after sister gets murdered. I felt Cora was so endearing and I honestly loved her and her weird quirks and compulsions.

At face value, not much happened - but the deeper message was so emotional and you could tell the author felt deeply about this. But I am quite certain Baker deserves jail for what she did towards the end bc how dare she?? I couldn’t believe what she did to my poor Cora 😭

As someone who HATES bats, parts of this one had me 🤢 but don’t let that discourage you bc I swear it wasn’t that bad - I just get grossed out by weird things. I also totally understand if you’re hesitant to pick up a pandemic themed book, because I was too. But this one had so many more layers to it than just the pandemic story.

I listened to the audiobook with reading along and enjoyed it a lot. As always, I love knowing the correct pronunciations of names and places and the narrator did an amazing job with this book. Highly recommend either format!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the advanced copy!

I’m normally not a fan of pandemic-era books, since we all just looked through it so I’m not really interested in reading about it, but but this book was so original and so haunting that I’m definitely glad I made an exception, and if you feel the same way that I do, you should to.

Cora is a half Chinese girl, living in New York City during the Covid pandemic, when she witnesses, her sister being pushed in front of a train. Just as the man shoves her, he says, “bat eater.” Four months later, Cora has taken a job as a crime scene cleaner, with a company in Chinatown, and her and her coworkers noticed a pattern: young women are being killed and bats left behind. Not only that, but it is the season of hungry ghosts and they seem eager to follow Cora.

It’s an amazing set-up right? Well, let me tell you, the book lives up to this premise and even more.

Now I do have to say, some of the descriptions are not for the faint of heart, because as I said, Cora and her friends are cleaning up crime scenes and they are described in detail. I mean, this is a horror novel, after all. But it all builds up attention that is just palpable throughout the entire book and I couldn’t stop reading as Cora is haunted both by the crime scenes she cleans and the ghosts that continue to follow her.

Would also makes it interesting is that Cora is a pretty unreliable narrator. She doesn’t go into a lot of of her mental health problems, but she definitely hints that there are several in her past, which means that some of this could be in her head, and she even admits that. That adds an intriguing layer to the story because not only are we dealing with the supernatural but we’re dealing with these small cruises that may or may not be real. It’s so creepy.

The ending was really spectacular because it’s both social commentary and just plain old good ending that I really didn’t see coming. The author did a really good job of really mixing the horror and mystery genres so that things go south quickly, but that there is a conclusion to the central mysteries of the novel, just like in both horror and mystery novels.

I’m excited to read more from this author and highly recommend this book. It’s truly one of a kind.

The height of COVID is the perfect setting for this claustrophobic (well, everythingphobic) horror about a Chinese-American woman who is haunted by the ghost of her recently-dead sister. Months ago, COVID had just made an appearance in New York and Cora’s sister Delilah was the victim of an Asian-hate crime. Now, Cora struggles to forget even as she spends her days cleaning up crime scenes, some of which are starting to seem related. There’s a serial killer on the loose, destroying the bodies of Asian women and leaving bats as his calling card. Worse, it’s August, the Ghost Month, and the hungry dead have started to creep into the shadows of Cora’s life. Her attempts to ignore them are as futile as her attempts to convince the police that she’s in danger, so it might be time for her to embrace her Chinese heritage, gather up some coworkers, and learn how to bust a ghost or two.

The ghosts are terrifying, as Chinese ghosts are wont to be (at one point, Cora worries that Delilah might be hiding behind her eyelids). Cora’s phobias are both excessive and surprisingly relatable, given the time period. The racism and hatred against Asians is oppressive and constricting, making a certain type of white man into a monster scarier than the ghosts themselves - and the ghosts eat people. Very much like Ring Shout in that way. I already wish that I could read it again for the first time.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was dark and disturbing but in the best way. This book was graphic and horryfying but I could not stop reading. After witnessing the horrific death of her sister, Cora cleans crime scenes in NYC during the pandemic. In addition to her trauma , she is navigating possible OCD and is held hostage by the fear of germs everywhere. She just can't get clean enough.

This book torn me apart. The social commentary on racism during the pandemic coupled with the graphic imagery was perfect. It is very much a horror book that filled me with rage and sadness especially given the current political climate.

The horrors are consistent throughtout the book. The very real horror of racism and the pandemic. The horror of the crime scenes that Cora cleans up. The horror of hungry ghosts.

Please check trigger warnings before reading this book. It's heavy. I also highly recommend reading the author's note at the end. Perfection.

As someone that does not love horror books. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. This is a definte recommend for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, author and Netgalley for this ARC.