Reading this book, I switched from rage to sadness so quickly. I was crying alone at nighttime with such grief, sobbing into my dog and feeling so much anger.

As a white, privileged woman .. this book actually taught me a lot. It changed what I knew of the pandemic and how it impacted Asian women specifically, but also any gender of person.

My heart broke reading this but was also put back together again by the family love, the hope for the ghosts and more.

Id love to be able to read this all over again for the first time.

This book is a haunting, lyrical journey that blends mythology and identity in a way that’s both beautiful and brutal. Kylie Lee Baker’s writing is vivid and emotional, pulling you into Cora’s world with a quiet intensity. Some moments felt a bit rushed or abstract, which made it hard to fully connect with the story at times. Still, it’s a powerful read that lingers long after the last page—definitely worth picking up if you’re into dark, introspective fantasy.

4.5 stars. Cora Zeng is a crime-scene cleaner in Chinatown, NY during the height of the pandemic. She is not bothered by these messes, however, because nothing can be as horrific as watching your sister, Delilah, be pushed in front of a train. Cora is then haunted by this tragedy, by hungry ghosts and by a serial killer who is hunting Asian women. Since she witnessed her sister's murder, which the police still have no leads on, Cora cannot be sure what is real and what isn't. But someone is definitely targeting Asian women and something may also be targeting Cora herself.
This book gutted me. The amount of hate in the world back then and today is heartbreaking. I'm glad there are stories out there that shine a light on these atrocities so that we can, hopefully, do better.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for this digital e-arc.*

"Wuhan was the epicenter of body bags, and New York City was the epicenter of anti-Asain hate crimes."

This story follows Cora, a Chinese American woman living in New York City during the height of the COVID 19 outbreak. She’s just trying to survive and figure out who she is after witnessing her sister’s brutal murder. A hate crime where the attacker called her sister a “bat eater.”
Now working as a crime scene cleaner, Cora begins to notice a disturbing pattern. All of the murder victims are Asian, and bats are being left behind at the crime scenes. She begins to wonder, could this really be just a coincidence, or is there a serial killer targeting the Asian community.
While drowning in her guilt and grief, Cora’s aunt urges her to burn joss paper offerings during the month long Hungry Ghost Festival to honor her sister’s spirit, a tradition Cora ignores. But now she’s not only haunted by guilt… she may be haunted by her sister’s actual ghost.
We watch Cora struggle with abandonment, germaphobia, OCD, PTSD, identity, and loss. Baker masterfully blends body horror, paranormal elements, and social commentary on anti-Asian hate during the pandemic into an emotional and thought-provoking story.
While I normally prefer my horror books a bit more fast-paced, I couldn’t put this one down because of the necessary topics this book discusses. Sometimes, the real horror lies in how people treat each other.
Please read the author’s note at the end. It adds so much weight to the story.

🅁🄰🅃🄸🄽🄶 : 4

🄵🄾🅁 🅁🄴🄰🄳🄴🅁🅂 🅆🄷🄾 🄻🄸🄺🄴

☆ Horror
☆ Psychological Unraveling
☆ Chinese Folklore
☆ True Crime
☆ OCD Representation

🄵🄰🅅🄾🅁🄸🅃🄴 🅂🄲🄴🄽🄴

Harvey calls Cora at 1 AM, convinced he knows how to get rid of the hungry ghosts. After watching an old vampire movie, he tells her that jiangshi and hungry ghosts aren’t all that different.
Reluctantly, Cora agrees to meet him in the park. Harvey shows up with a broom handle, a bag of uncooked rice, some coins, and a mirror. As he's explaining his plan, Harvey starts to realize how ridiculous it sounds and asks Cora why she agreed to meet him at the park in the middle of the night.
Cora simply replies, “It seemed like you thought it would work.”

🄵🄰🅅🄾🅁🄸🅃🄴 🅀🅄🄾🅃🄴

-The quotes referenced are from an advanced reader's copy and may not reflect the final version. Please refer to the finished copy for accuracy.-

"When you're drowning and someone grabs your hand, you don't ask them where they're taking you."

"Even when she is no one at all, just an echo of a dead person, she's still Chinese and no one will let her forget it. That's all anyone cares about, all anyone wants to see."

✨️ Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this thought-provoking book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, honestly, I was going to DNF this because I was getting a little impatient and it wasn't grabbing my attention.
But after deciding to keep reading I'm glad I did, because it did get interesting.

This book is a blend of racism, murder, asian fetishization, chinese folklore, the era of the covid pandemic

There were a lot of scenes that boiled my blood and it was mainly due to the way the white men viewed asian women, which is a real life issue.

I loved the friendship of the main characters, loved the relationship Cora had with her Auntie Zeng, was intrigued by the customs to appease the dead

I did want to know who killed her sister Delilah, but I guess the ending was justice enough.

Rating: 4.75/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC!

This was my first time reading a book that took place during the pandemic when fear and uncertainty of COVID was especially high. So it was a bit of an adjustment to bring myself back into that world and reality that so many of us went through.

This was a pandemic horror story that contained Chinese folklore, AAPI violence, grief and mental health, and racisim (so please check your trigger warnings before reading). I truly had no idea what to expect with this book and didn't expect it to take the turn that it did. Although, I struggled at times to really like Cora as our main chatacter, I liked how brutally honest and thought-provocking this story was. It really highlighted the cruelties that unfortunately are still very real in our society.

I highly recommend reading the authors note as well.

4.25⭐

I typically avoid any kind of pandemic novel, but this one was really good! I really loved Cora, Yifei, & Harvey. I wish we had gotten more of their back stories, but the author did a great job of utilizing the space she had to flesh out the story. I really enjoyed watching Cora come to terms with her heritage's darker beliefs and it was nice to see that she could adapt to the craziness that was thrown at her instead of retreating into her shell like she always had before. The character growth in such a small amount of pages was impressive.

I would recommend this one if you can stomach the gore.

Absolutely brilliant.
I went into reading this book with only the knowledge that it’s a horror book during Covid times and centers on Asian hate.
I loved every second of reading this.
The content is so fucking heartbreaking though. Knowing that these communities are consistently ravaged by hatred and stereotypical bigotry is awful. I cannot imagine the turmoil that simply existing causes. You would expect in times of tragedy, like a fucking global pandemic, that we would all come together and fight, but no. We hate instead. The author lets you glimpse, through Cora, what it is like.
The inner monologue of Cora was so relatable!!!
This authors writing style is fantastic and I cannot wait to read another of her books!!!

Also, THE HORROR!!
Reading this, reminded me of every hella creepy Junji Ito story I’ve ever read!! The imagery she called to my imagination was so freaking scary and the gore was a delightful punch. 🫶🏻

IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPLETELY SURPRISED WHEN READING THIS BOOK, DONT READ ANY FURTHER!
Here’s a little snippet:

“She sighs and presses her forehead against the door of her apartment, dropping her bag to the floor. Delilah left her in life and in death, and she is never coming back.
Cora turns around and heads for the bathroom, but her hands go numb, keys slipping from her fingers, crashing to the ground.
There is a woman in her living room.
Her throat is needle-thin, no more than a whispered silver thread. Her eyes are deep chasms of black, skin a translucent tarp pulled taut over cheekbones, the knife edge of her jaw, her withered black lips.”

Please read this book!
And please read the authors note when you finish!

🦇🤩 ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! 🤩🦇

Alright horror fans! Alright non-horror fans! I may have just read one of my top reads of the year! This book… was something else.

The social commentary? 🧑‍🍳💋
The gore? 🧑‍🍳💋
The mystery and thrill? 🧑‍🍳💋

I devoured this, and while I feel kind of weird using that term to describe this book, it’s the only thing that fits. I mostly listened to this one, going back to my physical copy every now and then. This is one I will definitely be re-reading but with mainly my eyeballs, because it was just SO good, and I want to experience it in all ways possible.

I’m honestly having a hard time writing this review beyond just screaming “I LOVED THIS BOOK- GO READ IT NOW!” So maybe you can take me at my word, and go pick this one up. (Pre-order now, or if you have Aardvark Book Club, add this to your box!)

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Basically everyone - as long as you can stomach a little gore.

2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance reader copy.
I did not make the connection with the phrase/slur bat-eater, as the title of this book was going to be a COVID story. Once I got the context of the first chapter, I immediately knew what social commentary/themes we would be delving into. However, I would have adjusted my expectations with the story and not made this a five-star prediction. My fault for the lack of research on the book and my reader preferences.

Genres
Horror, thriller, and Crime Investigation

Triggers
The main character suffers intensely from Mysophobia and her obsession with hygiene and sanitizing.
Gore, body horror, heightened violence towards Asians during the pandemic, and racist language.

The main character had a codependent relationship with the sister who died. We also see snippets of Cora having deep, conflicting emotions about her sister. I wish the book had been more about accepting these emotions and dedicating time to finding things that made her different from her sister. She was only ever allowed to be a shadow when Delilah was alive.
Books can struggle when the main character is a ghost of a person. This means our main character does not take initiative in life, so the pacing of the murders, being haunted, and the murderer is very slow to unravel. That pace made it hard to stay motivated to finish. Cora herself has an obsessive personality, so her days are overly routine and repetitive for the reader.
I was not satisfied with the ending either. I did not mind that it was a powerful white man as the villain. Some can argue that it is the easy way out for an ending, though. That was always going to be the reader's first guess, and it is not scary when you know what to expect. However, I did not mind who the characters were, but I did mind how they were dealt with. For the torture and brutality that he put people through before he killed them, and the fact that he killed off her group of friends, his ending was easy. Which is too kind for him. As a reader, I feel we have some outstanding questions. Where and why were the bats at the scene, and was the killer only the mayor, or was he just protecting who did it? It is all unclear.
Finally, in the digital arc copy I had their was quite a bit of formatting issues. Especially, words with L’s in them I hope all those are edited before the final print.

This was my first book from Kylie Lee Baker and I thought it would be at best relatable if not entertaining. I usually steer clear from books about the pandemic but took my chances because I’m intrigued by the provocative cover and title.

I liked that it addressed racial stereotypes and the ever-increasing bias towards Asians, specifically Chinese, during the Covid crisis. The amounts of paranoia and discrimination is disheartening but the dark humor did lighten the mood and there was hope. I didn’t mind any the gore-y parts, it’s a horror after all and I found it strangely entertaining and propulsive.

However I couldn’t connect with any of characters on an emotional level and they felt rather like caricatures. Which made my reading experience way more depressing than I had expected. The main character, Cora, was constantly brooding and lacked so much confidence, it became increasingly draining afterwards. The shocking moments and steady suspense did help me get to the end, accompanied by a couple of good laughs. Ultimately I had to know who was responsible for all of these bloody killings; it was my main driving force. In the end Cora eventually finds her voice but by then I had checked out because everyone she knew was sadly gone.

In this story, Cora Zeng, a Chinese-American crime-scene cleaner, deals with the violent death of her sister during COVID's extreme anti-Asian sentiments. I really liked the COVID story, the murder mystery, the ghost story, the body horror, and the insidiousness of institutionalized racism. There were times when the story seemed a little focusless and winding at times. Overall, I thought this was a completely unique and compelling story. The body horror and ghosts were at once terrifying and 'defanged,' as Cora would say. But the fear and institutions that gave approval to the prevalent racism were the real element of pervasive horror throughout the story.

I’m giving this book well over 5 stars! When I first saw it was about Covid, my eyes rolled and disappointment sank in. I read a little more and within no time I was transfixed. I realized it wasn’t about Covid, but Asian American’s experiences, culture, ghosts, terror, grief and more. This was insightful and wildly entertaining.

I loved this! Such a refreshing and honest perspective on the issues present in these stories. The way the other weaves symbolism with raw experiences was impressive. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more books from this author.

“Closing your eyes doesn’t stop monsters from devouring you.”

Cora is a crime scene cleaner. She sees the most gruesome after effects of crimes, but nothing that impacts her as much as witnessing her sister being pushed in front of a train. Her sister's killer was never caught. After unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes someone is targeting East Asian women. After the larger than life shadow following her around in the dark, Cora believes something might be targeting her.

A lot of times, I try to not think about 2020. I worked as an HR manager at a major retailer and we saw the worst of the worst. It sometimes feels like a fever dream to think about it. I felt the goosebumps rise as I read Cora's compulsiveness to wash her hands. Her fear of getting sick. I reflect on the everchanging mandates, helping my team navigate loss, carrying around my "essential worker" paper everywhere I went. It unlocked a new form of empathy.

This book was horrifying and the murder/gore was the least horrifying part of it all. It starts off so strong, I was immediately put on edge. This is a horror book that informs. It transparently revealed the dehumanization of East Asian communities. The commentary was expertly done and necessary. The ghost story was outstanding, and I learned so much about the Hungry Ghost Festival. The writing is descriptive and emotional, but without additional fluff.

My only complaint was the pacing was inconsistent - it lulled in the middle and was slightly repetitive. I highly recommend this book. The characters were sublimely flawed and perfectly authentic. They're funny without it being forced. I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the advanced e-copy!! And yay for Aardvark for making this a monthly pick! It publishes on April 29th!

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