Wow. If chapter one doesn't reel you in, nothing will. This book offers something for everyone. Like horror? You'll love all the ghosts, creepy vibes, blood, and guts. Like mysteries? Someone is killing Asians in 2020 New York and leaving bats at the scene like a calling card. Like diverse characters? The characters are well fleshed out, endearing, and even the hungry ghost grew on me by the end.

If you enjoy social realism with dark humor, ghosts, and a serial killer murder mystery, you will love Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng.

Thank you Harlequin for the eARC in return for my honest review.

This was my first 5 star read of 2025! Baker has created a truly dark and sad account of the anti-asian hate in NYC in the first few months of the pandemic, as well as a scary ghost story. I really really enjoyed this.

Thank you to the publisher for the early copy of this book!

The first page of this book sucked me in, and I knew immediately that I was in for an emotional ride. I loved how the author handled all the complex topics that very much occurred (and continue to occur) during this period. Overall, I enjoyed the entire story, and I can't wait to see what's next for Kyle Lee Baker!

4.25 stars

4.5 rounded up

This book lived up to the hype for sure! I wasn’t too sure of what to expect going into this one and I was pleasantly surprised. I will definitely recommend this to horror loving friends in the future!

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker: 🦇 Book Review 🦇

Genre
Horror
Multicultural Interest
Mystery Suspense
Paranormal Horror
Literary Horror Fiction

Tropes & Themes
Dystopian Society
“The end of the world”
Hatred & Fear
Racism in America
Serial Killer
FMC has intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and depression
Grief
Death and Dying
Deadpan, Dark Humor
Hungry Ghost Festival

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, a literary horror work by Kylie Lee Baker, is a provocative read, as shocking as it is gorey. Each scene is vividly detailed, the author painting a bleak picture of a dystopian world during the pandemic, especially so for anyone of Eastern-Asian descent.

Cora is a Chinese-American crime scene cleaner living in Chinatown, NYC. She is traumatized after witnessing a gruesome racially motivated attack against her sister Delilah — during the pandemic — that took her life. Furthermore, Cora is the victim herself of harassment and assault, stirring my feelings of empathy for the characters because although this is fictionalized, it’s not much different from real life, especially the uptick of crimes against people of Asian descent and the dehumanizing suggestion that the origin of the virus was from an exotic wet-market serving up bat dinner — a ludicrous hypothesis that was only recently debunked. The general fear of the virus at the time and the uncertainty of the future is captured by the author and comes rushing back as you read, with dark humor interjected in between. Horror elements include the paranormal and a serial killer, set against the backdrop of NYC during the pandemic. The paranormal elements were my favorite and I loved the inclusion of The Hungry Ghost Festival, adding multicultural interest. It reminded me of a similar Pagan tradition of Dinner with the Dead, complete with empty chairs reserved for the ghostly guests of honor, and altars lovingly decorated for the deceased. I loved that Cora and her crime scene cleaner friends bonded during this moment and became closer because of it. Cora is a character who you want to see succeed. You can’t help but to empathize with her.

The ending chapters had me at the edge of my seat, with jaw-dropping revelations and stunning twists. Highly recommended to fans of horror with gore and paranormal elements.

That was an absolutely brilliant story, I don't usually gravitate towards horror but because I love this author so much I've decided to give it a try and OMG, that was so worth it. This story is phenomenal, so creepy and chilling. I could never predict or guess what would happen next, and it was such an exhilarating read because of it. Each time I've thought I knew where the story was going I was proven wrong. It kept me on my toes through all of it. Truly a masterpiece.

Where do I even start with this? I read another reviewer say that this book was a mixture of crime, ghost, and literary fiction (and for some reason that wasn't for them?! but it is RIGHT up my alley) and I think that is an accurate representation of what to expect from this book.
I loved and hated how incredibly flawed Cora and her friends were. There were times when I wanted to scream at Cora and other times when I couldn't have related more.
I was immediately drawn into this story because of the writing style. It is not something I'm used to in a book that falls into the horror genre and it was quite refreshing.
This book is great for anyone who wants a little social commentary with their horror.

This book is a beautiful (I don’t know if that’s the right word but..) blend of crime horror, cultural elements, and folklore. Its strength lies in the raw portrayal of a girl at her breaking point, torn between survival and supernatural reckoning. It is set during the Covid-19 pandemic, which honestly can be triggering for some. There were moments I had flashbacks of masked strangers and fear of the unknown. If you’re drawn to visceral horror, this one delivers. The ending left me questioning a lot, and this story will stay in my brain for a long time!

This was wild—in the best way. Feels like stepping into a fever dream full of family secrets, horror, and deep emotional undercurrents. The writing is lush, weird, and gave me goosebumps. Cora’s voice is strong and so haunting. I was rooting for her even when I didn’t fully understand the magic yet.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a deeply scary book, on every level. It's gruesome and horrific; it has supernatural horror with images that will live on in my head forever; and, most disturbingly, it delves deep into the horror of what humankind can do to its own. It has wrenching loss and filth and gore and fear, fear, fear, and it is perfect for our times.

While darker than my usual read, this one instantly intrigued me. So much so that once I was finished I had to pass the book along to my sister. For those who love crime novels, and appreciate diversity in fiction, this is a must read.

The idea of a paranormal horror novel about a crime scene cleaner that explores the topic racism during the pandemic seemed like the perfect book, however, I could not get into Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng at all. I struggled through the dragging pace of the book. I didn't feel connected to the main character like I thought I would. So confusing because I thought I was going to love this.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Kylie Lee Baker for the eARC.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is out now.

First off this cover is great, immediately wanted to know more because of it! Then the story matched the cover in epic proportions! This was such a surprising read! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I had a great time! This author is one I will be looking forward to in the future!

Kylie Lee Baker’s adult horror debut is a visceral, genre-defying exploration of trauma, racism, and the supernatural. Set in pandemic-era New York City, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng follows a young crime scene cleaner haunted by the brutal murder of her sister and by something darker that lurks just beyond the veil.

Cora Zeng scrubs blood from walls and floors in Chinatown, numbed by grief and germophobia. Her sister Delilah was pushed in front of a train by a man who whispered “bat eater”, a slur rooted in pandemic-fueled racism. The killer was never caught, and Cora’s world has narrowed to death, disinfectant, and dread.

As the Hungry Ghost Festival approaches, Cora begins to notice disturbing patterns: bat carcasses at crime scenes, bite marks on her furniture, and a shadowy figure that seems to follow her. All the victims she cleans up after are East Asian women. Her aunt urges her to honor the dead with traditional rituals, but Cora resists until the ghosts refuse to be ignored.

The writing here is sharp, atmospheric, and emotionally charged. It balances gore with grace, dread with dark humor. The horror is both literal and symbolic, and her pacing will keep you on edge of your seat without sacrificing depth.

Do you want your horror to also be historical fiction? And yes, looking back at the COVID Pandemic is history, and thus historical fiction.
Do you want your horror to fall into the subgenre of body horror?
Do you want your horror to have elements of the macabre and *wet* gore. I'm talking entrails, skulls exploding, brain matter, skull shards, insects, and anything else you can think of that is revolting and repulsive. (Sort of like The Eyes Are The Best Part)
Do you want your horror to tackle racism, sexism, anti-Asian hate, fetishizing Asian women's bodies, and misogyny in general?

You can't take one without all of the others, so lean in, Readers. Lean. In.

The first chapter establishes the tone of the entire novel. While waiting for a train, Cora witnesses her sister, Delilah, get pushed onto the tracks. She witnesses the destruction of the body, what is left of it, and witnesses the slow pace for which the police pretend to have interest in solving the murder.

While Cora's response to such angering moments is to cower and make herself small, this reader was hollerin'! I wanted to step in as a character and open a can of whoop-ass. What I mean by this is, I was greatly moved by the writing, and it produced big feelings in me.

Don't let the gruesome nature of the plot details dissuade you though. There is humor as well. I think back on the moment of the plot when Cora and Harvey put down rice on the pavement for Delilah, now a hungry ghost, trying to appease her and end the haunting. This passage, besides humor, also functions as a shibboleth:

Cora, born of a white mother and Chinese father finds herself woefully divorced from her culture after her father abandoned her. She's Chinese, but ... is she?
Harvey, also living in New York, and raised by Chinese parents, is still doing his cultural learning in America. Again, a step away from China. He understands Chinese, and can speak it, but... you know how that goes.
And rounding out this trio is Yifei, a Chinese immigrant who is larger than life. She comes from the motherland. She knows customs, traditions, language, and nuance.

So back to the rice and Delilah, the Hungry Ghost. Cora can't come up with a solution to prevent Delilah's haunting because she does not know the stories and histories of Hungry Ghosts. Harvey is sort of familiar with Hungry Ghosts because he watches Kung Fu movies, and he's seen what the solution is. Put rice down on the pavement to ward off the Hungry Ghosts. When Harvey's solution does the reverse, and calls up all the Hungry Ghosts in NY, Cora and Harvey run home. They call Yifei who chastises them for such stupidity. She brings the REAL solution to the trio, and bosses Cora and Harvey around in the kitchen to prepare a feast and offering for the Hungry Ghosts. Yes, Yifei is the boss in the kitchen and in culture.

Bat Eater will take you through all the emotions between love, heartbreak, and incandescent rage.

I immediately started recommending it to friends at work.

This book was incredible! It is the perfect mix of thriller and horror, while combining the supernatural with bigotry and other evils of humanity. The characters felt so real and believable, and I enjoyed exploring Cora’s relationships with those around her as she navigated the difficult time after her sister was murdered. There was plenty of gore and spooky moments, but also more quiet horrors too. Overall I highly recommend this book.

Kylie Lee Baker is a master at writing and storytelling. Her novels are always lyrical and beautiful to read, packed with emotion, as is this one. I also appreciate the way her stories tackle issues including race, discrimination, power abuse, family, and loneliness. This book is dark, chilling, and gross, and while this genre isn't usually my preference, I still couldn't put this book down and will be thinking about it for a long time to come. The balance between the real threat of white men killing asian women, including Cora's sister, and the psychological haunting ghosts was so well done. I've been meaning to read more of Baker's books, and this has moved them way higher up my TBR.

I really Loved this story that told a journey of grief, through paranormal mystery, and horror.
I did Think it would have made a much better novella than full length novel. It dragged through parts. But I would still recommend.

Probably the most horrifying and also one of the saddest stories I've ever read. All I wanted was for Cora to make friends and live a life that made her happy, where she felt safe. What she ending up receiving was more pain and loss. I suppose, in a way, there was a happy ending to this novel but overall I feel like there was no relief for her or any of the hungry ghosts. If the ending is anything to go off of, they didn't find rest. I don't doubt that the ghosts would ever hurt Cora but the fact that they they're still there means they're not satisfied. Maybe they never will be. I really wish there'd been a happy ending for Yifei and Harvey. (not together, just in general) I loved how they rallied around Cora to help her. They all had their own horrible lives and recognized that Cora needed help even if she didn't ask for it. I hope they don't end up as hungry ghosts too but I fear that it's probably more than likely.

If I could rate this book higher, I would!!

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a razor-sharp horror novel that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. Baker threads supernatural fear and psychological tension through the very real trauma of racialized violence during the height of the pandemic. It’s uncomfortable in the way good horror should be—forcing you to confront what you’d rather look away from.

Cora is an unforgettable protagonist. Every character, no matter how minor, feels layered and alive. There’s a haunting buildup to the most terrifying moments, often hidden in the smallest, quietest details. No one escapes unscathed in this story, and that’s part of what makes it so powerful.

I haven't loved a book this much in a long time. It’s chilling, timely, and emotionally resonant in all the right ways.