Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Gore: 3.75/5🩸

Holy shit, this was so good. THIS is the feeling I wanted to have when I read The Eyes are the Best Part. I am so sad people have to wait til April 2025 to read this!!

If you can stomach vicariously living through the pandemic again, this social commentary horror about racism against Asians (specifically Asian women) is jaw-droppingly horrifying and brilliant.

To have lived through the pandemic and experienced SO much of what Kylie wrote, I was feeling those emotions all over again. The anger, the fear, the horror of it all. Being treated like shit for just being Asian. The heart pounding feeling when you actually stand up for yourself against a racist POS. Kylie captured it all, along with the added layer of paranormal, blood-thirsty ghosts. She also provided a lot of heart and humor in this horror with a great cast of supporting characters (Harvey, Yifei, Auntie Zeng!)

This is a must-read for horror fans!!

Bat Eater … is a depressing cross between reality and fantasy. Unfortunately, it was just too much fantasy for me. The symbolism connected with COVID is well placed, the writing is free-flowing, and the author’s imagination is superior.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng.

American-Asian Cora Zeng cleans crime scenes for a living. When her sister, Delilah is killed right in front of her eyes in a most horrible fashion, Cora spirals into a hellish nightmare of dealing with the aftermath. Trying to come to terms with her own grief and trying to find her way alone she finds herself disinfecting crime scenes in the midst of the Covid pandemic and discovering most of the victims are Asian women.

If you like gory, dark, malicious ghost stories then this one is for you. Rich in Chinese culture and the legend of hungry ghosts you will be mesmerized by this remarkable woman as she tries to come to terms with the violence around her and the racist bigotry toward her Asian community.

I forgot to mention the bats……

"Everyone wants Asian girls to look pretty. No one wants them to talk."

This book was not what I expected, in a very good way. It's 2020, and Cora Zeng is trying to figure out how to function during COVID, just like the rest of the world, except she also cleans up crime scenes for work. Her sister was murdered in front of her with no killer to be found. On top of navigating a pandemic Cora is also left trying to come to terms with the loss of her sister and the Asian hate that is being directed at Asians across the country.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was a wild ride. Between the horror filled pages lies a story about racism, Asian culture, familial love and responsibility, and panic. The multitude of monsters that surround Cora - from the unseen germs of COVID to an actual killer - allow this book to come alive in the fear this generates. I loved every minute of this book and cannot wait to delve into Lee Baker's other pieces.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book!

4.5 stars rounded up

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, biracial Chinese-American Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, working to scrub away the worst of the tragedies New York City has to offer. But the blood and gore don’t bother her like most; Cora has already witnessed her sister Delilah’s gruesome death – when a man shoved her into a train with only two words: “bat eater.” The act was racially motivated, as fears of Covid-19 and anti-Asian hate mount across the US. Now, Cora lives with the grief and guilt of her departed sister and takes comfort in her obsessive compulsive cleaning tendencies, disguising them as good pandemic hygiene. But Asian murders are on the rise, as every crime scene Cora and her coworkers are called to involves the deaths of East Asian women with a possible serial killer on the loose. With everything going on, Cora is wholly unprepared to find herself haunted by a hungry ghost that is searching for vengeance.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a brutally honest, poignant depiction of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the racism that reared its head during those early fragile months. Bat Eater takes a stab (pun intended) at all the ugly moments of 2020, portraying a very realistic image of the isolation, fear, and hatred that permeated the population. Baker has a talent for writing beautiful prose juxtaposed with all the gory, grimy details - poetic and blunt. This writing is perfect for a horror novel and creates a sense of wrongness. While it does lend itself fabulously to the genre, my only complaint is that it feels omniscient and disconnected when focusing on a single main character, like we never actually get inside Cora’s head.

The book’s centering of anti-Asian hate is such an important point of view in a unique package. Bat Eater is a ghost story and serial killer horror with a great focus on the importance of culture and grieving your lost loved ones. While East Asians in America are being killed all over New York City, the Hungry Ghost festival is being celebrated - where the ghosts of the deceased visit their families to be remembered and fed. But what happens to those hungry ghosts who are forgotten? Bat Eater explores this idea in depth.

I really enjoyed this novel and am so glad I was accepted for an ARC. I think this is an important ownvoices story that offers a crucial insight into one marginalized group’s experiences in America during 2020 onward. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for my review copy.

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

<b>FINALLY</b>, a book to get me out of my reading slump. The past few books I’ve read haven’t really caught my attention, so I was a little hesitant going into this book, especially as I just read another horror book.

<i>Bat Eater</i> does not disappoint. Cora is a woman reeling after witnessing her sister be murdered as part of a hate crime. Cora is numb to the world and going through the motions, desperately trying to keep control over herself in a senseless and frightening world.

She slowly realizes she is being haunted by a hungry ghost - and what is she, someone who tries to maintain a rigid sense of the world and reality, to do?

I will say at times there is body horror and gore, but it isn’t overdone and you aren’t getting paragraphs of it all at once. It can be disturbing though, so take care of yourself, fellow readers. This book is also about Cora and her friends coming to terms with the threat of a serial killer who is specifically targeting Asian people, and mostly women - so, once again, take care of yourself and what you can read.

While some might say this book is “overdone” or “over exaggerating”, I want everyone who might think that and is not part of a marginalized community to really stop, and really listen. While this is primarily a horror novel - isn’t the true horror in how in our real world, there are humans who look at other humans and see something less than human?

I loved Baker’s writing, and I really enjoyed following this story through. It left me hungry (pun absolutely intended) for more.

This book is an absolute banger and I devoured it! It’s an intricately woven ghost story that shows the horrifying realities of the Asian American experience in a world filled with hate. This book has everything I want in a horror novel and I know it will haunt me long after finishing it.

This one was quite out there and feel like still fresh with the COVID references. I felt so bad but unfortunately it was a little slow for me.

Kylie Lee Baker’s Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng completely blew me away. Going into it, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I had only read a brief snippet of the synopsis, and the striking cover art caught my attention. But what I got was far beyond what I anticipated—an emotional rollercoaster that left me with a lot to think about.

For one, this book feels like it could be an excellent A24 film. The narrative’s unique blend of horror, suspense, and social commentary would translate so well to the screen, especially for an American audience. Having spent several years living in Thailand, I developed an appreciation for Thai horror films and the theme of "hungry ghosts" that often appears in them. What surprised me, though, was how this concept plays a significant role in Bat Eater, and how it draws on a broader cultural tradition that spans many Asian countries. As someone on the outside of that tradition, I was able to deeply connect with and visualize the story as it unfolded.

The book’s premise is gripping: Cora Zeng, a 24-year-old half-American, half-Chinese woman, is living in the aftermath of her sister’s brutal murder. Her sister was killed for being accused of “eating bats” during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Fast forward six months—Cora is now working as part of a crime scene cleanup crew, terrified of contracting COVID, all while cleaning up the aftermath of murders targeting Asian women. The killer leaves behind chilling "calling cards"—dead bats. When the Month of the Hungry Ghosts arrives, Cora begins to believe that her sister is haunting her, and from there, the story takes on a surreal, otherworldly dimension.

Reading this book the day after the election, as a woman filled with rage and frustration, the ending hit me hard. The story captured that feeling of being overlooked and forgotten—of being treated as expendable in the pursuit of power. It’s that anger and disillusionment that really resonated with me. Kylie Lee Baker nails the full spectrum of emotion here: grief, loneliness, fear, and, most intensely, rage. I found myself genuinely frightened at points, my heart racing as I turned each page, wondering what would happen next.

The emotional depth of the characters and the unpredictability of the plot made for a truly unforgettable read. The themes are both personal and political, blending family trauma with the larger social issues surrounding race and xenophobia. I can't stress enough how well this book captures a broad range of complex emotions and experiences. It’s a work that will stay with me for a long time.

And seriously, someone needs to adapt this into a movie.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for providing me with an eARC of this book. I highly recommend it.

This book is everything that I want in a novel: it's horror, a little bloody, beautifully written with Chinese-American representation, has ghosts... It's horror with heart and I consumed it whole without much rest. This was my first foray in the Baker's work and I look forward to more.

A haunting and visceral social commentry, this was one of the best horrors I've read recently, heavy topics are explored beautifully and horrifically, This blew me away I can't stop thinking about it, not for the faint of heart this paints a gut wrenching realistic portrayal of spirituality in Asian culture, racism, covid, grief, death, love

It's bleak and dark and I couldn't look away for one second

Thank you @htphive @htpbooks @netgalley for the advance reader copy!

During the Covid pandemic, Cora Zeng works as a crime scene cleaner in Chinatown. She and her coworkers discover bats hidden at the scenes of gruesome murders of Asian American women. Meanwhile, she is being chased by a hungry ghost - is it her sister trying to tell her something?

Wow! I don’t even know where to start with this one! I don’t read a lot of horror, and this book truly scared me, but I could not put it down. It is so much more than a horror novel and has touching and emotional moments. It has elements of body horror, paranormal, and the horrifying truth of racism towards Asians during the pandemic. I learned so much about Chinese culture and will be thinking about this one for a long time!

Rating 5⭐️

While occasionally a little far-fetched, this is a compelling story that moves at breakneck pace. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved how it really went all-out with the horror! The Covid-era setting is also evoked very well.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

Do not let this book fool you. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng may sound like a murder mystery from its synopsis. Some of the stories center around solving a murder, but most is mostly a wonderfully written and gore-body horror.

the story will take a while to get into. The author spends a lot of time with the main character and her life after the murder of her sister. In doing, so it takes s while for the conflict of the story to get started. Once it does though it is great. The main cast of characters are all unique with their own stories but do not take away from the story the author tells.

As I was reading I was fully brought back to my time during the Covid 19 pandemic and found a lot of similarities between how Cora handled it to how I handled it. I think honestly that might be why I enjoyed this book so much because the setting was so similar, and I remember hearing the bigotry and racism that was spewed during the pandemic. I liked that Cora found a way through the pandemic and helped the hungry ghosts find some semblance of justice.

This book penned a new form of horror for me and I loved every second of it.

*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

Kylie Lee Baker’s Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a haunting and visceral blend of horror, cultural folklore, and social commentary. Set against the backdrop of pandemic-era New York, the story plunges readers into the experiences of Cora, a crime scene cleaner dealing with a disturbing series of murders and her own unraveling psyche after the traumatic death of her sister. Through vivid scenes of gore and spine-chilling encounters, Baker weaves a powerful narrative that is both frightening and deeply reflective.

I'm indifferent to this book. It was good, for about the first 3rd. It was beautifully written and the subject matter was very intriguing, but then it turned into a ghost story and I lost the narrative. I'm not sure what I was supposed to be reading/feeling. You have a character who has a job that is really crazy and interesting and a murderer on the loose, but then you add in ghosts and I'm gone. I liked the idea, but the execution wasn't my favorite. There were moments that were fantastic, and then moments that just let me down. Such is the way of literature, I suppose.

Thank you so much to MIRA and The Hive for sending me an ARC of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng!! I simply cannot get over this book.

I read this book back at the beginning of August (in a single day, too!) and it still hasn't left my brain. The release date is too far away, I need it to be out so more people can read this and we can scream about it together! Out of excitement and love, yes, but also occasionally out of fear because wow, some scenes in here had me double checking there was nothing creeping out of the shadows.

Bat Eater is gory, haunting, and spine chilling, while also being deeply emotional, reflective, and powerful. It's a terrifying tale about needle-necked hungry ghosts and a brutal string of serial murders, and a dark, honest discussion of the rise of hatred towards Asian communities following the COVID pandemic. Baker's horror prowess shines, masterfully building tension and then dropping heart stopping scares that left me hiding under my blankets but unable to look away.

This book is brutal and angry, a shriek in the face of all the real horrors experienced by communities in our world. It's also beautiful, and I simply cannot recommend it enough.

PS. If (when, please) you pick up Bat Eater, make sure you read the Author's Note at the end. It's worth it

dark and haunting. horrifying in both "mundane" (but awful and real) ways and in magically horror ways. tysm for the arc. 5 stars.

The cover for my attention. The headline and the message behind it was what kept me going. BAT EATER and Other names of Cora Zeng. If you missed or skipped the part after Cora's sister gets pushed in front of a moving train based on hate, then maybe the one where this man pulls her Cora's mask and SPITS on her face, because he recognized she was ASIAN, you completely missed the point of this truly important story. It is deeper than her complete unraveling for the loss of her sister and her mental state. We all saw and still see ASIAN HATE in our society. These happened during and after pandemic. BRAVO, to Kylie Lee Baker and Thank You to Netgalley for the honor of this arc. As a member of a "minority" group, this was one that will be with me for along time. #ourstories