I’m a little disappointed in this one not gonna lie. I think that’s more of a me problem though than a problem with the story.

The story in this book is fine, but not really one I could get invested in. I’m not usually a horror reader, I usually read fantasy, but I wanted to give this one a shot since I love Kylie Lee Baker’s writing so much. I did really enjoy some of the gory bits in this book, especially when they came out of nowhere, but I wasn’t really a fan of the pandemic setting.

I do still really love Kylie Lee Baker’s writing in this, and if you enjoy horror books, and don’t mind the book taking place during Covid times, then I definitely recommend! This one’s just not for me.

This was incredible, super spooky, infuriating, and holding a lot of emotion.

The writing was incredibly evocative, right from the first page. I cannot remember the last time I read a book with such a thick atmosphere, and felt so lonely, so alone, so suffocating with its atmosphere. And yet it was never too stifling. I really adored it, it really sucked me into the book, engaged me with the story, and connected me to the main character, Cora.

The plot, too, throws you in right away, establishing the complex and difficult relationship between Cora and her sister, Delilah, just to immediately throw you for a loop in the first chapter. Despite knowing this was going to happen based on the book's whole premise, it was still a shock, not to mention the graphic nature and unapologetically gorey description of it.

Equally gorey where the crime scenes, though I found the descriptions of Cora struggling with her germophobia (not entirely sure if that's the right term?) almost more disturbing it how visceral and encompassing it is.

The book taking place during the COVID-pandemic is central to it's focus on anti-Asian hate crimes. It's horrific, and it's unfair. There is a great author's note at the end of the book.
While some may say that chosing for the book to be specifically playing during the COVID-pandemic dates the book, but for me that made it feel even more real.

Overall, this was a stunning horror read that pulled me in from the first page, and did not let me go until I finished. I loved the writing, and story was gripping, and even days after finishing it it's still on my mind.

"Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng" by Kylie Lee Baker is a crossover of fantasy with discovering yourself.

Sometimes, the pacing slows down in places; some characters should be more profound for their stories to be impactful. At the same time, Cora's tale of her relationship and the odd little secrets of her past can sometimes be a touch redundant.

The writing is colorful and colorfully vivid. It puts pictures in your mind and pictures of how things are. But the dialogue could be a lot better (at times), as could some of the twists and turns, which didn't come as much of a shock to anyone who's read many books in this genre.

Last is Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, an admirable effort with charmingly creative moments. Overall, it is a good read, though a bit overbearing with the market and sometimes with the fantasy genre.

Thank you to HTP (Harlequin Trade Publishing) and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Love love love!
What a heart wrenching experience that makes the reader understand reality before them. The intrusive thoughts that run through Cora’s mind are spot on. As with Yellowface — this a must read!

Brutal, haunting, and full of rage. This book left me aching. It’s hard to say much else about it without giving anything away, so I’ll just say this: Read it.

This book is big in exposing a really big problem in America. A problem that got louder when the covid pandemic first started. And this book does not shy away from it.

The concept is really good. The main character was interesting to follow. The cast was also great and nuanced, and you couldn't help but love them all the same.

The beginning was a little hard to follow, however. The exposition droned on for quite some time, and I wondered when things would pick up. But the story got progressively better as the plot moved forward. The ending fell a tiny bit flat for me because I wish the resolution had been given more space to breathe. But that last scene when Cora outstretched her hand to the darkness was incredible. 10/10 no notes.

At the end of it, I think this is a good book and it's worth a read for sure

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown....so says the summary. This book grabbed me from the first pages, with it's writing and character exploration and depth. To see something, like COVID, from a different perspective than my white mid-western Republican experience, was refreshing. The representation of other cultures, by writers from that culture, is a need in the horror genre and in literature in general right now.

The characters were developed in a way, that sometimes they annoyed you like an older sibling, but you have felt similar feelings to them before and could relate. Which made the ending that much more heartbreaking and I had a book hangover for quite a few days afterwards.

Definitely would recommend!

A horror pandemic novel I could not put down. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker, is filled with history, hate, hungry ghosts, and germs.
Cora cleans up crime scenes, is a germaphobe, is dealing with the murder of her sister, a possible serial killer no one is talking about, and the Asian hate of the 2020 coronavirus.

This book was excellent, instantly compelling, the writing is spare and reminiscent of Interesting Facts About Space, by Emily Austin and Joan is Okay, by Weike Wang.

I loved it, there were moments I gasped out loud, and I had no idea how it would end.

Thank you @netgalley and @mira for the advanced copy. This book releases April 29, 2025.

Haunting, dark, gory, raw and horrifying.
From the first page, I was captivated.
Set in New York during the Covid pandemic. We follow Cora Zeng after having to watch her sister be pushed in front of a train due to a hate crime. It’s horrific how Chinese people are treated especially during the pandemic. She works as a crime scene cleanser and notices a pattern of Chinese woman being gruesomely murdered. You will feel angry reading this book.
There are supernatural elements to this story with hungry ghosts.
Definitely check any trigger warnings before reading.

A mystery set during the Pandemic follows a sister and her journey of grief, trauma and pain. The story starts off in NYC right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were using racist rhetoric against Asian Americans. Two sisters Cora and Delilah are waiting on the subway platform when Delilah is pushed in front of a subway train and called a slur. From there, we see Cora spiral and take on a job as a crime scene cleaner. There the story begins to follow a trail of deaths of Asian American women around NYC. This story is gruesome and gritty. A very dark but important read that shines light on the treatment of Asian Americans during the pandemic. Overall, it was eye opening and impactful

Set in the early months of the Covid pandemic, this unique book combines criminal mysteries, supernatural creatures, and racism against Asian people. Cora lives in New York City and witnesses her sister pushed in front of a subway train by a man who calls her a Bat Eater. Months later after losing her job at a museum, Cora cleans crime scenes. She is horrified that many victims are young Asian women and wonders if a serial killer is committing the crimes. At home, she finds things missing, especially food and creepy figures emerge from shadows. Cora's aunt's stories about hungry ghosts may be true. Cora and her two co-workers try to solve the mystery of the many murdered Asian woman and deal with the hungry ghosts haunting Cora. The hungry ghosts are so unsettling!

HOLY WOW I devoured this book like one of the hungry ghosts in the story's center.

It's April 2020 and Cora Zeng doesn't know what's coming. Not the pandemic. Certainly not her sister's being unexpectedly shoved in front of a subway by a masked white man. Months later, she finds herself working as a crime scene cleaner, barely getting through her days, trying to placate one Christian aunt and another who warns her to mind the rituals of the Hungry Ghost Festival...or else.

This book is about a lot of things. Big, news-worthy topics like pandemic, white supremacy and its racist impact on the Asian community at this time, and police corruption. But it's also a story about the insidious impacts of trauma, about the struggles of being disconnected from heritage and community, about the beautiful yet painful realities of familiar relationships. And about what haunts us--ghosts, and things somehow even less tangible.

I read through Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng in less than 3 days. It's a tightly-wrought horror thriller that somehow manages to be both a ghost story and a serial killer mystery. And both aspects were genuinely scary! I definitely regret reading some of these scenes at 11pm! There were so many moments that had me gasping, covering my mouth, even having to set the book down and walk away because I was so freaked out (in the best way possible). If you like your horror and crime novels with some political commentary and a touch of humor, this one's for you.

I'm very excited for this book to launch into the world and reach more readers, and I'm definitely excited to read more of Kylie Lee Baker's work. Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a unique and wild ride! Thank you to Harlequin Publishing for allowing me to read this title.

You don’t get too many relative stories filled with pandemics. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how to feel about this story at first but it got me hooked. I live for CSI, and crime procedurals- this one was pretty gorey.

Great story, but be warned of the explicit content and triggers.

While I can't exactly say I enjoyed reading this book, I also just zoomed through it and I'm so glad I read it. With Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, Kylie Lee Baker has crafted a truly haunting story focusing on 2020 and the new waves of anti-asian racism that sprung up with COVID. I definitely would read more from her in the future.

Also, great author's note at the end of the book.

“Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” by Kylie Lee Baker is a beautifully written novel about the racism and unwarranted hatred that Asian people faced in America during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The novel is dark, unsettling, suspenseful, and haunting. I found myself entirely engrossed in the mystery and the sorrow of the story.

The novel is about a Chinese American woman named Cora Zeng who is trying to find herself after the tragic death of her sister. Cora is a crime scene cleaner and is being haunted by a hungry ghost. She is also pulled into the mystery of a serial killer who is targeting Asian women in Chinatown and whose calling card is bats.

I highly recommend “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” by Kylie Lee Baker! I loved the compelling story, the characters, and the dark atmosphere of the novel. I also loved learning about hungry ghosts and Chinese traditions during hungry ghost month. The novel is unique, and the story still lingers in my mind. The novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC! "Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng" by Kylie Lee Baker comes out April 29, 2025.

Wow wow! what a Horror debut. This book is set in NYC during the COVID pandemic. It has excellent suspenseful and haunting atmosphere.

Ghosts, gore, and serial killers abound, this book has it all. But the greatest horror in this book is how people treat one another, racism and white supremacy.

This book was something different and unique in horror genre. Definitely add this on your TBR and check it out in April 2025.

Thank you so much @htp_hive for the e-ARC.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by @kylieleebaker was the first book I’ve read that was set during the C*vid pandemic, and I really appreciated Cora’s experience of living in the midst of it, with all of the very real anxiety and fear and limited information of the time, on top of her struggles with OCD and then grief following the murder of her sister in front of her. This MC is flawed, relatable, and isolated in so many ways. She straddles the religious customs of her remaining aunts in the United States, one who wants her to embrace Christianity and one who trys to convey the importance of their beliefs during the Hungry Ghost Festival. Cora must still show up to work as a crime scene cleaner while trying to find where she fits in the world - while also staying alive among ghosts, racists, a pandemic, and a serial killer. This was a one of my favorite reads of the year. It comes out on April 29th, 2025 from @htpbooks! Thank you so much @netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this eARC for review consideration. Opinions are my own.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a brutal gut punch, combining trauma-induced hauntings, slasher horror, and a stark portrayal of racism set against the backdrop of COVID-19-ravaged NYC.

Kylie Lee Baker is a master storyteller. Her expert use of personification and vivid descriptions brings the story's terrifying scenes to life. The deftly-crafted plot, filled with twists, turns, and foreboding, will have you devouring this book.

Personally, this was one of my favorite horror reads of the past few years. An absolute must-read!

* Huge thank you to MIRA Books (HarperCollins) for the ARC! *

Thinking of the Covid pandemic with all the testing and masks and everyone panic buying toilet rolls, it feels like another lifetime ago. I sometimes wonder if it actually happened at all!

In general, I don’t really like reading books set in the pandemic as it still feels a little too fresh, but when I saw the synopsis of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng I knew I had to pick it up. Focusing on the hate the Chinese population received from the ‘China Virus’, this novel is part horror, part crime thriller and I was hooked throughout!

The first thing I noticed when reading this book is how beautiful the prose is, it was simply a joy to read. The opening chapter set in the train station introduces you well to Cora and her sister Delilah and their complex relationship, before throwing in a shocking curveball which grabbed me instantly. This book does deal with a lot of sometimes disgusting and gory subjects (Cora is a crime scene cleaner after all), and the writing does such a good job of describing everything vividly and making you feel like you are truly there in the moment.

After the first chapter, the book leaps forward in time, focusing on Cora’s new job of a crime scene cleaner, where she starts discovering that a serial killer with a hatred towards the Asian population may be on the loose. This part of the book focuses on the friendships she has with her colleagues as they try and get someone to believe them or care about the killings. It’s truly sad in places and the hate that is pictured feels sadly believable in the context of the pandemic.

The book is also interspersed with Cora being haunted by hungry ghosts. I love a bit of horror, and this is done so well - the depiction of these apparitions is genuinely chilling and I was a little apprehensive reading with the lights off. This also brought into focus Chinese folklore as well, which I didn’t know much about but was very interested to learn.

Overall, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a fantastic book and a Kindig Gem for 2025. It’s part horror, part crime thriller - instantly gripping and so well written. Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin – Mira for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bat Eater is haunting, beautifully written, and one of the best horror books I have recently read! It’s a look at racism, grief, ghosts, and religion during the height of covid.
This book is beautiful yet chilling. It’s gut wrenching and gives you a realistic exploration within the Asian culture. I couldn't look away for one second, I devoured this book in one setting! Even when you think you know where this book is going, a new twist would happen that would completely change everything that was going on.