Wow…this kind of blew me away. I went in thinking it was one thing and got so much more. This is a difficult book. Yes, its horror so at the surface its gory and spooky. What makes it much “scarier” are the real-life scenarios and monsters.

This book broke my heart, opened my eyes and made me think HARD. COVID was a scary time for everyone but for people of Asian culture it was a freaking nightmare. I loved that Baker did not shy away from ANYTHING. She added all the elements of a traditional horror story and added all the real-life horrors.

I really find cultures fascinating and this novel delved into some of them as well as spiritual beliefs. I wanted to also highlight there are some witty moments and the grief/sisterhood bond was just… *sobs* This book is important. Thank you @netgalley for my copy!

I felt the pace was fast initially and slowed down until about 60/70%. The action really picked up and I could feel my heart racing waiting to find out what happens next. I quite literally screamed in my car...

Kylie did a wonderful job with crafting a horror story with Chinese folklore on ghosts around covid/pandemic, aapi violence, grief, mental health difficulties, racism, and corporation corrution. I felt angry, frustrated, enraged, and this feeling of sadness in the end.

I need to say... I don't typically read horror and I have come to realize I need emotional connections to the characters to feel the story as a blue/yellow reader. I wasn't feeling connected to Cora and the side characters.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend to other horror readers.

Thank you to Harlequin & Mira for the eARC.

I think I'll read anything Kylie Lee Baker writes! Even if it is horror... and I'm a wimp

There are two stories happening in this book, both of them horror. One is a story about ghosts and the other is a story about a serial killer. They're kind of connected, but not really, but that didn't bother me and I felt there were equal amounts of both plot lines happening. There's lots of description of blood and guts in this book, as our main characters do crime scene cleanup.

Also, if you can't handle a story about covid times, maybe don't give this a read, it takes place during the heart of the pandemic.

The writing is absolutely beautiful and I really connected with the characters and the stories and when the scenes were scary, I was scared!

My biggest complaint with the book is that there was one ideas introduced that never got resolved and I kind of get why it wasn't resolved, but I want to know the answer! sorry no spoilers

As a general rule, I don’t do pandemic books, because I was there, and I’m still here, and I’m not ready yet. I decided to give this one a try, however because I really like Kylie Lee Baker’s writing and I’m glad I did because it was amazing and because it deals with a topic that everyone who isn’t Asian and Asian-American decided to forget about really quickly: the anti-Asian sentiment that was rampant between 2020 and 2024 and is still happening in a lot of places (hi, Jewish, I see you).

This is a horror novel in more than one way. It’s a horror novel because there’s a serial killer. It’s a horror novel because Cora and her friends are being haunted by hungry ghosts. And it’s a horror novel in that very Shirley Jackson way (ya’ll know this is my twisted favorite) in that it reminds us that there is no monster more horrific than other people.

The things people do to one another in Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng are so much worse than the things the COVID does to anyone or the things hungry ghosts do to people (though the hungry ghosts do spawn my new favorite lines from a horror novel ever:

“She ate all my plates”

“She ate your roommate.”)

that murder is the least of them. At least the people who are murdered are dead(ish). But the racism, the spitting, the assault, the evictions, the microaggressions, those people have to live with and will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Even when the mind locks things up or glazes over them, bodies remember, the same way so many bodies remember COVID in the way they were changed by the virus. Cora’s body will never forget the way her Aunt Lois insisted she forgive Delilah’s murderer (not a spoiler). It will never forget someone else’s spit between her lips or the fingers on her arm. Blood spray on her face.

People who haven’t experienced these things don’t get it but Bat Easter and Other Names for Cora Zeng is so honest, so visceral you’ll at least get a sense of it, an understanding of the way bodies remember and the way people were changed, and are still being changed by what other people did and are doing to them. Of the way people were treated by other people just because they looked a certain way or spoke a certain language or were from a different country. Because racism is easier than science and kindness and it shouldn’t be.

It’s also a fantastic ghost story with a lot of insight into Chinese death traditions which I, as an end-of-life doula, really appreciated.

Come for the other-worldly horror, be brave and stay to confront the horror in this world. Maybe learn something. Your life will be better for it.

Title/Author: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

Page Count: 304

Publisher: MIRA BOOKS

Format: NetGalley/eBook

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time reading

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9780778368458

Release Date: April 29th, 2025

General Genre: Horror, Suspense & Thriller, Crime

Sub-Genre/Themes: Dark Comedy, Crime Scene Cleanup, COVID-19 Pandemic, Asian Hate, Serial Killer, Grief/Death of a Sister, Gory & Violent, Ghost/Paranormal, Chinese Folklore, Friendship, Feeling Like an Outsider, Sibling Rivalry, Murder, Mental Illness, OCD, NYC

Writing Style: Character-Driven, Compelling, High-Stakes, Gruesome

What You Need to Know: Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner, is haunted by her sister Delilah's murder - she was pushed in front of a train by a killer who yelled "bat eater." Crime scenes don't faze her, but germs and hidden viruses do. Since the murder, reality blurs for Cora, and she ignores her aunt's advice to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival. Despite her efforts, she can't shake the dread as bat carcasses appear at crime scenes, and all her recent cleanups involve East Asian women. Cora will soon learn you can't ignore hungry ghosts.

My Reading Experience: This book surprised me. Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng captures that strange, anxious, isolating time by introducing us to Cora Zeng who is really struggling. The more I read, the more I fell in love with her, which horror readers know is dangerous territory for your feelings.

The way Kylie Lee Baker writes about grief, loneliness, racial tension, and the rise in anti-Asian hate feels incredibly grounded and honest—never heavy-handed, just real. Real and painful, and perfectly attuned to a very specific time in history. Cora Zeng is one of the most compelling characters I’ve read in a while. I genuinely wanted to be her friend. She's smart, sharp, a little messed up (in a very human way), and you root for her immediately. Her emotional arc is handled so well that when things get intense, you feel it. The stakes felt personal, and I was fully invested.

The crime scene cleanup crew she works with, who are also sorta-kinda her friends, are my favorite aspect of this story. I would read a spin-off just about them. Their banter, their weird humor, and the way they support each other offset all the dark, gruesome events that unfold around them. They’re hilarious and weird in a way that feels authentic—not quirky for the sake of it. What worked for me was the blend of genres. You’ve got ghosts, Chinese folklore, a serial killer plot, and a genuinely scary atmosphere, but it never feels out of balance. Everything ties together naturally, and the pacing is super tight. I didn’t want to put it down, and honestly, I didn't.

Final Recommendation: I wasn’t expecting this book to hit me on so many levels—there are moments that made me laugh out loud, others that made me emotional, and at least one or two scenes that straight-up freaked me out. It’s rare to find a story that can do all of that without losing its voice, but this one pulls it off. By the end of it, and after I read the author's note, I was a wreck. This book pulled so many emotions out of me like only horror can

In my top 10 horror novels of 2025 for sure

Comps: The Fervor by Alma Katsu, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

This was such a good read and also gave perspective of what it would feel like to be Asian-American during COVID. I loved the supernatural element as well and that I learned a bit of culture outside of my own as well!

This book is very different from what I was expecting and was so much more! I was thinking it was going to be more of a serial killer slasher but I was not expecting it to have so many Supernatural elements and honestly some of the best characters in any book I've ever read. I loved Cora, Yifei, and even Harvey so much. They were just such honest characters who weren't trying to pretend to be anything other than themselves, and I loved them. I mean, especially Cora. If you've ever felt like a shadow or a wallflower in your life, you'll definitely have a soft spot for her.

This book is set very early during COVID, which I was kind of turned off by initially because in ways, it feels a little too soon, but for obvious reasons, this setting was needed. This is a book where the true horror is the fact that the events in this book mirror real life. Asians were targeted with a lot of hate/racism during COVID, and that is definitely the central theme of this book. It also explores how racism can fester on anonymous places on the internet and take on a life in ugly ways in the real world.

Somehow, I've never heard of the Hungry Ghost Festival before, and this was one of my favorite parts of this book! I think it was incorporated so well with Cora dealing with the death of her sister.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing /MIRA for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will start by saying you should go read the first chapter sample if you're interested in reading the book because that will convince you better than anything else. Page 1 I knew this book was going to be fantastic.

This book hooked itself onto my shoulders and did not let go until I finished. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking of it. I was (and still am) recommending everywhere I can because I just love it and need everyone to read it and understand. This was my first Kylie Lee Baker novel and I have no doubt her fantasy books were gorgeous, but she was born to write horror. I hope she writes more after this. And as for Cora herself, I am the same age as her and I related so much to her at times I maybe cried a little. She's one of my favorite FMCs I've read. I also loved her coworkers and their bond.

This book is eerie. It's unsettling, the way that an abandoned building in the middle of the night is. That distinct discomfort that arises when things are as they should be but just a little bit... wrong. You're finding unexplained bite marks, seeing things out of the corner of your eye that shouldn't be there; your comfortable crime scene cleaning job is becoming increasingly concerning. That sick feeling you get when Web MD convinces you you have a brain parasite and you're going to die.
I, like many of us, hate anything covid related in books. I lived it and I don't wanna do it again. But I have to say this book is an exception because as with everything else, it was so well done. And I was seeing it from the perspective of a Chinese American woman dealing with the very real racism I saw prevalent at the time, which is in itself a horror. This book is a fantastic blend of horror in the traditional creepy spooky way and also horror in the this shit actually happens way. Baker focuses on liminal feeling of empty places, the discomfort of trying to navigate the world when you're petrified of germs and illness and everything, including your coworkers, is possibly contaminated. Not knowing whether to hug someone. It's not the sickness itself but the way it changes the way we see other people (hazard) and the way we navigate the world (empty).
It did not make covid the main horror of the book or discuss it so much that I grew tired of it, which I appreciated.


"God loves you as you are."
And how am I? Cora wants to ask.

Vibes:
Paranoia, fear, shadows, echo of raindrops in an empty building, gasping for air, feeling dizzy, feeling sick, isolation, hearing something move in a dark room, the sound of bat wings getting closer to you, suspicion, being inside an empty church, red stained glass, the slow way blood moves across a tiled floor and seeps into the cracks, an animal banging in its cage, numbness, who's afraid of little old me?

There are so many quotes I want to add but I don't want to spoil anything for you more than all my blabbing did. You'll see when you read it 🖤

P.s. chapter 13 scared me so intensely I had to stop reading and walk away, and it was daytime. Maybe I'm just a weenie but I dare you to read it in the dark, alone.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC 🖤

Baker has a strong writing style. The characters are well written and there are great themes. The setting is well developed. It's a strong story with good pacing. I'd recommend this book to other readers.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang!!

I have been pretty excited for this one, since it was actually the Evernight pick for January, as the book had an earlier release date in the UK!!

This book is a unique blend of supernatural horror, which isn’t my favorite honestly, and also slight serial murder horror, which is more my speed. But I think Baker did a great job blending the two together in a way that kept me engaged and curious to see how things ended.

I am struggling with a rating as I normally do when I find a book that has a more personal representation in it. My small brain says “yes, five stars because the main character thinks just like you do” and my big brain says “remain critical, 4 stars.” I think I’m going to settle with a 4.5 star rating and move on 😂

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng 🦇

Thanks @netgalley and @kylieleebaker for this ARC!

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng comes out later this month.

Synopsis:

In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic.

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train.

Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater.

So the bloody messes don’t really bother Cora—she’s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can’t be sure what’s real and what’s in her head.

She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can’t ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women. As Cora will soon learn, you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts.

Reviews:
I really enjoyed this book! I will say if you have any type of anxiety that makes you want to clean or wash your hands- this can be a hard read. I actually took a break in the middle of it.
I loved the ghosts and the tension of the last 20% had me unable to stop reading. It was creepy! I was hesitant to pick up a book about the pandemic, but I ended up not minding the setting. It definitely added to the horror of the novel and the uncertainty that the characters would be feeling.

Has anyone else read this yet? If not, are you looking to pick it up once it comes out?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a complimentary early release copy of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker.

I am intrigued by Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng! The premise of the book is interesting. I was drawn in due to the crime scene cleaner part of the story. I’ve read a lot of thriller/horror novels but surprisingly I don’t see a lot of crime scene cleaner story elements involved in them. The pacing of the story was good, there was always something going on that kept me invested in the story. I found the story to be equally in parts thrilling and horrifying. I didn’t know how things were going to play out with the hungry ghost aspects but I was pleasantly suprised with those horror elements! The hungry ghost elements were some of my favorite scenes throughout this novel. I also really enjoyed these characters and how their friendships evolved during the story. I liked the ending of the novel but there were a few things that I wished were played out just a little bit more differently.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is deep, timely plunge into the rage of exploitation, racism, power inequality, and community fragmentation that characterized some pandemic experiences. Set in NYC in 2020 and 2021, the reader is thrust into the anxiety of the COVOD-19 crisis, further heightened by hungry ghosts and a serial killer targeting young Asian women. Cora is neurodivergent, traumatized by a life changing event at the start of the novel. She's left to cope with surviving in the pandemic urban landscape, barely making ends meet as a crime scene cleaner. As the blood and bats carcasses pile up, Cora must confront all of her many fears and anxieties, and finally find her voice and power. In a vein similar to Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang uses horror to show both the vulnerability of young women when they find themselves in situations beyond their control---and the power they harness to change their lives and their circumstances.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for the advanced reader copy. As always, all opinions expressed were exclusively my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I love a good social commentary horror and I love Kylie’s writing. There was so much Asian discrimination going on during Covid and I’m so glad there are books that can discuss that. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

This horror novel is perfectly gory and well-paced. Bat Eater is an examination of Sinophobia, grief, and mental illness all rolled into a superb ghost story. Baker excels at writing the reader into Cora’s mind and immersing us into the thick of the trauma. Bat Eater is serial killer mystery that finishes strong, this unique story is not to be missed!

Overall: 3.5/5
Narration: 4/5

Big thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC—I truly enjoyed the narration and thought the narrator did a fantastic job capturing Cora’s inner turmoil and grief. She also showed strength in creating a strong distinction between the surrounding characters in the book. In my opinion this would make for a great audiobook listen on its own. Though, as an immersive reader, I always recommend pairing the audio with the physical/digital book for the full experience.

Now, this story starts off with a bang—and I mean that literally. Cora and her sister Delilah are on a subway platform when Delilah is shoved in front of an oncoming train by a stranger. The attack is sudden, brutal, and vivid. This read doesn’t fall short in bringing you a lot of gory and visceral scenes that I think definitely make this a solid entry into horror for the author. We then follow Cora as she tries to process this loss and lives in the shadow of her someone’s death. Some readers have said they found Cora dull or overshadowed by Delilah, even in death, but I think that was intentional. This story captures the weight of grief and trauma. Especially an experiencing that kind of loss without justice. As readers, it also place an importance not forgetting Delilah or what happened to her.

I think the author made a unique and interesting choice by making Cora crime scene cleaner. It introduces great conversation on her relationship with brutality and death. Both desensitized to it and traumatized by it. It’s while doing this work that she begins to notice a disturbing pattern—East Asian women are being killed, their bodies left behind with strange calling cards: bats. (Here I’ll remind you that this book doesn’t hold back in being visceral and descriptive.) Cora begins to think that the killer may be the same person who murdered her sister! The same killer whose final words were “bat eater” as they fled the scene some time ago.

I don’t think I’ll be alone in saying that the gore, thrill, and suspense of the serial killer wasn’t my favorite part. But what stood out most to me wasn’t those traditional horror elements—it was the real-life horror this book shines a light on. This book holds up a mirror to the rise in anti-Asian sentiment, particularly against East Asian communities, following the COVID pandemic. The commentary is sharp and necessary. It reminded me of the treatment of Muslim and Arab communities post-9/11—how a wave of misinformation, hate, and scapegoating created long-lasting wounds that still haven’t healed. The book doesn't shy away from showing how violence can be both physical and systemic, and how society often refuses to hold itself accountable.

The title Bat Eater is brilliant in this context—highlighting the dehumanization of Asian people, and forcing readers to look at how quickly cruelty can become normalized. This is a horror story, yes—but as the author notes, the biggest horror is that it reflects a reality many are still living in. While I do think a lot of readers will be frustrated by the end, there’s a deliberate weight to the lack of justice and accountability that so many communities of color know too well.

Now, you might be wondering why I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 4 or 5 if I liked the concept that much. Well, I had to big annoyances about the book. First, the book reads like a YA novel despite its heavy themes and gory content. I don’t mind YA at all, but the dialogue and reactions sometimes felt too young for the tone the book was going for. Second, after such a gripping beginning, the middle of the book started to drag. The book starts off with this horrendous action and put the reader on edge, hoping to uncover who is behind this. It transitions to a point where there’s a lot of repetition—Cora finds another body, and another—and while I understand the need to emphasize the ongoing threat, the pacing felt uneven. Things only really picked up again toward the end and I would’ve preferred a more consistent pace throughout.

That said, I still recommend this book, especially for readers looking for horror that does more than just scare—it informs. Anyone reading this will surely leave with something! Something to think about further and something to enjoy.

I agree with so many readers before me, this is WILD. I was very excited by the premise and the execution did not disappoint. As a horror novel and a discussion of racism, it was fantastic.

I really enjoyed this book! I love how the author blends horror with social commentary, she gets straight to the point and does not stray away from the unfortunate things that happen in this world. Although some of the topics were hard to read (such as the racism towards asian people, the fetishization of asian women, police brutality) I felt they were important topics to discuss. She does not shy away from the ugly nature of the world and I can appreciate that. I also grew attached to the characters and was ultimately heartbroken by the end. The blend of paranormal horror and the actual horror of these crimes worked very well for me! The only main issue I had at first was the pacing but that resolved as I got towards 40% of the book. As far as the format, I noticed there were spaces after some words that contained the letter F ( for example, the word floor would be typed as f loor) I am not sure if this was a choice made on purpose by the author or if it just was just the format of the e-galley, but I figured I’d mention it just in case. This was truly a horror book that surprised me in many ways and I’m glad I was able to read it.

An unforgettable and dark novel as Baker smashes into adult horror. Unforgettable and another triumph to add to her bibliography.

<u>Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zheng</u>
Kylie Lee Baker
Publication Date: April 29,2025

ARC provided by Harlequin and NetGalley.

Cora Zheng saw her sister, Delilah, killed before her eyes, pushed into the path of an incoming train. “Bat eater,” shouted the killer. Two words concretizing the Asian hate rampant during Covid.

Kylie Lee Baker tackles racism and hate head-on in this novel, paralleled by the terror of Covid and germophobia, along with supernatural horror with ghosts and the very creepy Hungry Ghost Festival.

The writing is very engaging; I was hooked from the get-go. There was a bit of a lag midway, but soon picks up to an unrelenting, nail biting conclusion. Darkly humorous, I feel the comp to SGJ is appropriate. Should appeal to fans of Grady Hendrix as well.

I look forward to her next novel.

3.5 stars

<i>Closing your eyes doesn’t stop monsters from devouring you.</i>