I thought this was a horror story. And, honestly, there were some horrific things. But despite the running death and paranormal themes throughout this story, I'm left more depressed than frightened. But my eyes also opened more than they were during the worst of the pandemic to more than just the death, disease, and fear. I never thought about how deep the racism against Chinese and Chinese Americans ran during that time. And not just verbal but horrific physical assaults that these idiots thought were somehow justified. Disgusting.
Now I realize this was fiction. But it was based on unfortunate truths.
I'm glad I read this and that it made me look at that bigotry. But I think my heart is going to hurt for a while.
4⭐️
As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

content warnings (please note i may have missed some): OCD obsessions and compulsions (mainly related to contamination), grief, murder, hate crimes, racism, gore, covid-19 pandemic, animal death, sexism, body horror

this book follows cora zeng, a crime scene cleaner with OCD, during the covid-19 pandemic as she yearns for justice for her sister, whose murderer was never caught. as the shadow lurking around cora becomes more prominent and more east asian women are murdered in chinatown, cora realizes that her sister wasn’t the only victim—someone is targeting east asian women, and some*thing* is targeting cora herself.

i’ve been a fan of kylie lee baker since reading the keeper of night a few years ago, and i know how much she loves the horror genre, so i was highly anticipating this book! though i knew what this was about, nothing could have prepared me for the journey this book took me on. though i will, occasionally, read horror that does not have real-life tie-ins, i love political horrors so much more. i thought it was incredible how kylie lee baker incorporated the paranormal horror of hungry ghosts into the real-life horrors of anti-asian hate crimes and the covid-19 pandemic. she also explored a complicated kind of grief, with cora missing her sister, delilah, deeply but still acknowledging the ways delilah hurt her. overall, this was an amazing adult horror novel. i highly recommend this book.

It's 2020 in NYC, and COVID has shut everything down. Cora Zeng witnesses her sister Delilah's murder when someone pushes her into an oncoming subway. The killer's last words, "bat eater," still haunt her. She works as a crime scene cleaner and is increasingly called to scenes involving murdered East Asian women. A serial killer appears to be targeting them. Is it the same person who killed Delilah? Why can't the police catch this person?

This book was dark, creepy, and gory—everything I want in a horror book. It was also thought-provoking and eye-opening. It definitely made me glad I wasn't living in NYC during the pandemic. The Asian hate, unfortunately, was very real, and so were the author's depictions of it. The Hungry Ghost Festival was fascinating, and I loved the supernatural aspect of the story. I kept wondering if Cora was running from the killer or the ghosts, or both. There were some slow parts, but overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MIRA and Harlequin Trade Publishers | Harlequin Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this novel by Kylie Lee Baker, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Natalie Naudus. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner—but the bloody messes don't bother her, not when she's already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train. The killer was never caught, and Cora is still haunted by his last words: "bat eater." After a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself.

Horrifying in so many ways, brutally honest in others, all wrapped up in a novel that is not for the faint of heart, but one that will open your eyes. Covid brought so many of us to our knees, but the Asian Americans were subjected to that as well as all the racism and blame for the virus. Add a cultural ghost story and a murder mystery into the mix, perfectly executed, and this book is a winner. I loved Cora’s circle of found family - Yifei and Harvey – who were there for each other until the end. This is dark but has so many important themes. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end.

I was provided both an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley and the team at Harlequin, all opinions are my own.

This book was strange, and unlike anything we've seen from Kylie Lee Baker before. I try to avoid fiction based around the COVID pandemic, mainly because it is a time that I'd rather forget rather than something I want to relive. This however uses very real social horrors and reframes them into a very creative horror novel to tackle how terrible humanity can be.

Cora is struggling in New York as the pandemic hits. As an Asian woman, specifically a Chinese American woman, she faces discrimination and hatefulness as news breaks that the virus that impacted the world originated in China. She is having a hard time finding work, and when her sister is violently murdered in front of her her life is changed forever. She eventually finds work as a crime-scene cleaner, which isn't the most glamourous job, but it pays the bills. She doesn't mind as she likes things to be clean. She along with her two cleaning partners discover that there seems to be a trend in Asian women being violently murdered. They may have uncovered a serial killer, and as they clean more scenes the closer they get to the killer.

Did I mention Cora has a ghost in her apartment? Baker always does a good job weaving mythology into her novels, and this is no different. Cora's Auntie Zeng keeps tabs on her and always makes sure she follows Chinese traditions and takes care of herself. As the Hungry Ghost Festival approaches Auntie Zeng insists that Cora take proper precautions to prevent being haunted. Cora doesn't heed her warnings, and finds herself with a very hungry supernatural companion.

I really loved how the supernatural element and the thriller came together. At first I wasn't sure how they were linked, but the author did a great job bringing everything together. This does get gory at times, but it isn't all gore all the time. If you are at all squeamish, you may want to skip this or skip those parts. Cora was such a unique character, and I'm so glad we got to go on this weird journey with her. Through Cora we get to relive one of the most horrible times in recent history, but for me we get to walk in the shoes of someone who experience vastly differed from my own, but in this case it has a supernatural horror twist. We get to understand her obsession with cleanliness, solve a murder, make friends, and learn about the supernatural all in one book. This was a rollercoaster ride that I'm so glad I got to experience.

Overall this was a really great horror novel. It tackles social issues and packs a punch when it comes to the horror elements. There is the right amount of gore and tension. You also come to care about the characters. I really enjoyed it!

I have never considered myself a big horror fan, but this book transcends genre. It's gripping, thought-provoking, and inciting. Part ghost story, part murder mystery, part reflection of the very real-life horrors and impact of the COVID pandemic.

This book is dark and gory. A tale that lingers with you long after it's over. A small book that packs a massive punch.

I won't spoil anything, but if you enjoy horror and mystery, or you want to try something new, give this book a shot.

✨ Review ✨ Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker; Narrated by Natalie Naudus

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harlequin Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

After her sister suddenly dies, Cora Zeng begins seeing ghosts, and they seem to be trying to communicate with her. This is particularly awkward because her job is as a crime scene cleaner, which is even more horrifying to be happening during COVID.

As a serial killer style mystery unravels around Cora, she seeks to understand the ghosts while also trying to figure out how to get them to go away. She thinks her sister is reappearing to her and she wants her to be free from her. Overall, the book brilliantly weaves in Chinese folklore / beliefs around ghosts and the Hungry Ghost Festival.

This book, however, doesn't flinch. The violence and ghosts are gory, and the book shows the rampant and horrifying racism faced by Chinese and Asian American people during COVID across the U.S. She uncovers terrible violence against East Asian women in particular.

Despite all the seriousness, the book brought a touch of lightheartedness - through the relationships between Cora and her friends, the work of crime scene cleaning, and the general ghostiness of the book.

🎧 The audiobook was so engrossing - I stayed up late one night just binging it. I loved how the narrator brought the story to life and brought out all the creepiness that filled the book.

(check out trigger warnings around gore, violence against East Asian women, serial killing, COVID-19, germphobia, etc. if these are issues for you).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Genre: horror, mystery/thriller
Setting: New York City during the COVID era
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes
Reminds me of: Stephen Graham Jones, Nat Cassidy
Pub Date: April 29, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ ghost stories
⭕️ family drama
⭕️ gory horror and mysteries
⭕️ Chinese folklore and traditions

Baker’s novel is a cheeky, yet serious story about Cora Zeng, who confronts her fears and connects with her family and culture. Throughout the novel, Cora learns to navigate New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the string of murders committed against Asian American women. Baker integrates magical realism/supernatural elements throughout the plot, which positively contributes to the story and the characterization of Cora. Originally drawn in by the cover, the story examines contemporary racism and feminism alongside a critique of the romanticization of gore and violence.

This novel is compelling and informative. Cora explores her connection to religion and her familial practices. Cora is overall a complex character, who has her own internal mental, social, and emotional struggles. Throughout the course of the novel, we get to know Cora more and get to see her grow and lean into a sense of agency she denied herself for so long. If you’re looking for a horror novel that has something deeper to say, this book is for you.

thank you for the arc!
i listened to the audiobook as i read it and that really added a layer of depth to the story. hearing the emotions in the narrator’s voices through the dialogue was great. i also really enjoyed the audiobook because with it being in 3rd person pov, it’s like im listening to a true crime podcast or show and that really drew me into the story. i just felt like some of the scenes were repetitive but overall it was enjoyable. the horror and thriller was beautifully done.

I found Kylie Lee Baker when she wrote the The Scarlet Alchemist duology and she made me a fan of her writing so much that I’ll be reading every new book that comes out, so I was so excited when I saw she was writing a horror novel, and I knew I’d be reading it asap! I think my favorite part of this book is that it mixes both real-life horror through racism and prejudice, and paranormal horror in the terms of ghosts not able to move on, it shows how there can be horror in the mundane but also in the ghost stories we hear as children through adulthood, and both can have deadly consequences.

I was shocked at the first death and then I continued to be shocked at every character death till the end, but I started to feel the foreboding of the later deaths as the pace of the story gets faster and faster as Harvey, Cora, and Yifei are rushing to find a serial killer killing Asian people living alone. As it goes on, the story gets more and more sinister in both the ghosts and the serial killer, and Cora struggles to adapt to all the changes, fear, and grief she is still going through, while also all living through COVID-19. While I know a lot of people might still be afraid to touch books set during the COVID pandemic, I think you should pick up this one. It’s funny, ghostly, gory, and so many other wonderful adjectives, but also a story that touches on the horror and racism Asian’s went through and still do, when discussing the COVID pandemic.


I’ll post my review on my instagram: goodbook_clearminds and on Amazon on release day

After her older sister Delilah was pushed off the subway tracks and murdered, Cora Zeng's been doing her best to make it through each day. But the year is 2020, New York City is under COVID lockdown, and more and more Asian women are turning up dead each day. Worse, it is the 7th month of the lunar calendar, when the spirits of the deceased return to the earth, and the dead are clawing at Cora's door, hungry.

Miss Kylie Lee Baker is an auto-buy author for me, always. I love her messy, bitter heroines, and Cora Zeng is an excellent protagonist. Frankly, she's a mess, which worked really well for the horror atmosphere. Baker's writing is perfect for setting the chilling tone and dark twists of Cora's inner psyche, while also infusing the warm moments with heart. This is her third protagonist I've seen who is Wasian and struggling with her identity and envy toward a full-Asian sibling/cousin, but Baker always manages to paint different facets of the Wasian experience with each book. With Cora Zeng's contemporary New York setting, we get to see both sides of her heritage intersect and shape her, during a recent time of violence against the Asian-American community. Cora is besieged on all sides by the living and the dead alike, and her journey toward finding who she is and how she can put these demons—within or without—to rest is so satisfying. I also can't give enough kudos to her supporting cast of Auntie Zeng, Yifei, and Harvey.

With this, Baker delivers another artfully messy, layered book. As always, I look forward to seeing what else Baker might have in store for us next.

Gives you a glimpse into the life of a crime scene cleaner, and believe me this has convinced me I would never want this job. But give that Cora was witness to her pretty, borderline perfect sister who she both loved and resented being shoved by a racist into a train, I guess not much would phase you after that. the PTSD would be too overwhelming. This is set in what feels like a dark gothic alternative universe during the pandemic and afterwards and focuses on the worst of humanity and how they can focus on a minority to sate their issues, and there’s a good bit of gore and horror mixed into seal the deal. The writing is quite vivid and I don’t want to post a review with too many spoilers but it’s a good dark gritty read.

[arc review]
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an arc, and to Harlequin Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng releases April 29, 2025

Kylie Lee Baker’s first foray into horror with a pandemic setting offers nuanced social commentary surrounding anti-Asian hate crimes, which saw a rise during COVID-19.

After witnessing the traumatic death of her sister, our 24-year-old protagonist goes from being an art major to a crime scene cleaner.
Alongside her two coworkers, Cora navigates the perilous world of hate crimes, hungry ghosts, her own inner trauma, and a serial killer whose calling card is bats.

Cora’s type of OCD, the way she viewed her place in this world, and her biracial identity were all so deeply relatable to me, and I think that trifecta was a huge reason as to why I was so invested in this story.

Natalie Naudus is a superb narrator, and her diction of Yifei’s dialogue expertly brought Baker’s darkly funny undertones to life.

At this point, I’m convinced that KLB is incapable of writing a bad book!

I think Kylie Lee Baker was brilliant for using the Covid-19 pandemic in such a creative way to tell a story that's also creating awareness of biases and racial disparities at the same time. Adding to the complexities of the story is a suspenseful thriller of a murder mystery. Overall, this was a really good read.

This (at times gory) murder mystery/horror story sees Cora, an Asian American crime scene cleaner getting caught up in a series of grisly serial killer like murders that seem to be connected to her sister's violent death. Set in NYC during the pandemic, the book tackles anti-Asian racism, grief, mental health, killer cannibalistic ghosts and more. It was also good on audio narrated by Natalie Naudus and pairs well with books like The eyes are the best part by Monika Kim. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love those moments when I just started a new book and immediately knew it was going to be amazing just from the first few pages. And HOLY SHIT, what a wild ride it turned out to be. The way that first chapter ended??

Set in New York during the Hungry Ghost Festival, right in the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic….the story follows Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner struggling with contamination obsessions, grief for her sister who died in a hate crime, and the painful complexities of their multiracial family dynamic. The atmosphere is dark, gritty, and gloriously gory. Some scenes genuinely caught me off guard with how brutal they were. One scene in the second half genuinely made me put the book down for a few hours.
I loved the eerie mystery throughout and the deep cultural roots in every part of the story. And I honestly wasn't prepared for how attached I'd become to the little found family that slowly forms around Cora. Their messy, tender dynamic added so much heart and warmth to this otherwise disturbing story.

This book also didn’t shy away from highlighting some of the deeply disturbing realities Chinese and other Asian people faced during Covid. The hate crimes, cruel slurs, mistreatment, fetishization, dehumanization of Asian people, Asian women in particular. It was devastating to read but so important to acknowledge and highlight. It still enrages me that so many of those crimes were never solved, and the sheer amount of unchecked racism people unleashed during that time was (and is) horrifying.

Without giving too much away (because trust me, you want to experience it yourself), if you're looking for a slow, creepy, eerily unsettling horror that gradually unravels into full blown chaos and with a dash of dark humor and found family feels. This is the read for you. Also, shoutout to the audiobook, the narration was really phenomenal!

Thank you @The Hive and @Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker Releases on April 29th!

Xèxiè and many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Kylie Lee Baker’s exciting and timely new novel Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. I was excited to find this title since the novel uses horror as a framework to examine current issues in society like racism and violence against minorities, especially Asian American women. The title alone is intriguing and led me to request the book. While I was excited to read this book, it’s gory descriptions and psychological intensity exceeded my expectations for the focus and themes of the book, and made the book even more thrilling and entertaining; however, I also recognize that these elements might not be for all readers, so please be warned that the book not only tackles issues like racism and sexism through the lens of horror, but also since Cora Zeng, the main character, is a crime scene cleaner, there’s some pretty graphic descriptions regarding the victims, who are all Asian Americans and mostly women. Furthermore, the book opens in the early days of the pandemic, and Cora witnesses the violent and gruesome death of her sister, Delilah, at the hands of a masked, white perpetrator, and seems to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, so there are plenty of descriptions about Cora’s depression, obsessions, ruminations, and intrusive throughout the narrative. I appreciated the honesty and detailed descriptions, as this made Cora a more relatable and human character, whose flaws and challenges readers may more easily relate to. However, I also know that this might be upsetting for some readers.
This was an exciting and compelling story, focused on two sisters, Cora and Delilah, who are living as relatively recent graduates in NYC. The story starts in March 2020, just as COVID has taken hold of the world. Cora and Delilah try to navigate what would become difficult daily tasks like shopping for toilet paper in Manhattan. As they wait with uncertainty for a subway, Delilah is pushed onto the tracks by a masked white man who refers to Cora and Delilah, Asian Americans, as “bat eaters”, the derisive term that was used to spread falsehoods and blame for COVID. Cora is unable to save Delilah and watches as the oncoming train takes her life, a traumatic event that will continue to haunt her throughout the story.
The story then jumps a few months later when Cora, who was laid off from her art museum position, secures a job as a crime scene cleaner. She works with two other Asian Americans, Harvey Chen and Yifei. Harvey and Yifei eventually develop a close bond with Cora, helping her solve the mystery of her sister’s murder, as well as recognizing patterns in the murder scenes that they clean up. Although they don’t see any bodies, they find that all of the crime scenes are of Asian women and one Asian American man, who is also a police officer. Although the methods of murder are different, they find bats at the crime scene, triggering Cora to recall the slur uttered before her sister’s murder. In fact, the more crime scenes they clean, the more complex ways the killer has worked to incorporate bats into the scene. These sections that detail the crime scene clean up and discovery of the bats are alternately humorous, although grim and gory, and inventive and clever. Baker uses the slurs and stereotypes to evoke the violence that Asian Americans continue to face in today’s America. Although I don’t know the first-hand, everyday experiences of being Asian American, Baker, through Cora’s experiences and the violence that other characters face, presents the challenges and dangers that arise in the post COVID world. The violence and gore is never gratuitous, but rather helps to emphasize the impact that these stereotypes and racism have on people of color, especially Asian American women.
Cora not only faces racism and discrimination in her broader social experiences during the pandemic, but as a bi-racial woman, she also seems to struggle with accepting her identity. We learn that Cora has two aunts, Auntie Zeng, from her father’s side, and Auntie Lois, from her mother’s side. She spends time with both aunts, but gradually realizes how the traditions and practices of Auntie Zeng help her better make sense of the racism and violence of the world. Auntie Lois, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to really understand Cora’s lived experiences of racism, violence, or even the trauma of losing her sister, who is actually more like Cora’s half-sister from another mother. There’s a really interesting and creepy scene that takes place in the Catholic church that Auntie Lois takes Cora to visit nearly every Sunday. Cora has an interesting experience with confession, that is atmospheric and highly realistic to the kind of creepiness that rites of confession evoke. Furthermore, this leads to another opportunity for Cora to “volunteer” to clean the basement tombs of the church. This was another highly descriptive and atmospheric part of the book, where I started to question Cora’s state of mind. As Cora is cleaning, she begins to hallucinate about figures in the tomb with her, and she sees two different versions of the priest who escorted her down to the tomb. Lee Baker used some of the best Catholic horror tropes like sin and evil, as well as death, to create an unsettling experience, but I also think that this continues to show how Cora’s experience with racism and her interactions with a white world that doesn’t really understand or seem to acknowledge the racism and discrimination she faces has impacted her mental state. This part reminded me of some other more recent books by Asian American writers like Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim, Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, and White Ivy by Susie Yang. Although Yang’s book is more of a thriller, it still shows how racism and indifference to the experiences of people of color can have psychological effects.
As Cora continues to encounter more and more grisly murder scenes of Asian Americans, hungry ghosts begin to haunt her as well, and one particular ghost, she believes is her sister, Delilah. The incorporation of the hungry ghosts and its monthlong festival was a really great way to incorporate traditional Chinese culture. It was something I heard about, but Baker uses it in a creative and informative manner, creating a truly terrifying ghost that Cora questions whether it is haunting her for not doing enough to protect her, or trying to help her solve the mystery of Delilah’s murder. Cora eventually enlists Yifei and Harvey to help placate the hungry ghosts, and this leads to some interesting outcomes. I won’t spoil the ending, but the novel has continued shifts, and the last quarter of the book really pick up to a propulsive speed, which I couldn’t put down. The first chapter that details Delilah’s murder happened quickly, and the subsequent chapters are much moodier and atmospheric, but Baker does a great job creating atmospheric events while also developing a strong bond between Yifei, Harvey, and Cora.
This was a really great book that uses horror to critique real social atrocities like racism and violence against women and people of color. I wasn’t expecting this to be quite so graphic and gory in the descriptions, but Baker balances this out with eerie descriptions of setting, like empty, cavernous subway tracks and church tombs. She also creatively uses traditional Chinese culture throughout the book, as not only an effective plot device, but also to highlight cultural traditions and differences. Furthermore, I liked how Cora was someone who was struggling with her identity, trying to understand and seek out more of who she was, especially after losing her sister and not having her parents around. It was interesting to learn more about her challenges of developing an identity, and learning more about her Chinese identity, especially in the face of racism, discrimination, and violence. The one question I had about Cora, though, was about her choice to become a crime scene cleaner. One of Cora’s obsessive behaviors, especially after her sister’s murder, was to use hand sanitizer excessively, to the point where Harvey and Yifei notice it and call her on it. Cora also seems to be highly aware of germs, dirt, and other pathogens, especially in her apartment. I can understand how both the traumatic loss of her sister as well as the emphasis on personal hygiene and sanitation during COVID might elicit more of these behaviors. However, it seemed like her choice of being a crime scene cleaner might have been conflicting with her concerns about germs and bacteria. Yet, she also seems to take an interest in recognizing the humanity of the victims, more so than her co-workers. It’s almost like this experience of trying to piece together the victims’ selves and lives that the murder has taken brings her maybe some solace that she lost from her sister. I’m not sure if that was the case, but I don’t really remember Cora’s reasoning being explained that in depth, and it’s not really needed since this was an exciting and compelling book. It’s also not just a horror book, but an interesting mystery that Cora and her friends work on finding who is responsible for these recent murders of Asian Americans. Most of all, I really loved how Baker uses horror to emphasize and critique the horrors of racism and violence against people of color. Make sure to read the afterword since Baker has some explanation about the book and how the racism that COVID resurrected and made more blatant and explicit was a motivating factor in writing this book. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. I tried so many times to get into it and it just didn't happen. Finishing it became a chore. I did not feel a connection and/or investment with any of the characters. There were certain parts of the book that did illicit some emotional reactions but they were few and far between. I struggled to follow the plot throughout the book as well. I have zero doubt there are many people that will enjoy this book. I chose not to post my review as I didn't want to sway someone away from giving this book a try.

(2.75 stars)
First I need to admit that this is not my typical genre; this book was definitely outside my comfort zone. But I was interested to give it a try based on the publisher’s blurb: Asian-heritage women being attacked and murdered in New York City during the early days of the COVID pandemic.

It starts off strong with the scene at the subway station, but gradually lost my interest/grossed me out until I nearly DNF’d it. I’m glad that I decided to keep going with it because the later chapters were pretty strong.

Bat Eater And Other Names For Cora Zeng (great title!) is not for the faint of heart. There are multiple gory deaths and ghostly encounters, as well as icky details from crime scene cleanups, which is how Cora supports herself. Along the way, it highlights anti-Asian racism/hate, which rose to a crescendo during COVID. It also taught me about the tradition of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

I bounced between reading and listening to the audio version. Natalie Naudus did a beautiful job with the narration.

Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

"Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng" was a haunting and gory novel that took me back to the pandemic as well as highlighting some of the horror from that time. Kylie Lee Baker knows how to capture personal horror as well as external and global. The book also has a moral compass without being didactic. Looking forward to reading more of her work. Recommended.