You know that feeling when you read something so profoundly impactful it triggers physical reaction?
At the end of 𝘉𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 I felt nauseous. I felt angry. I felt heartbroken, disgusted, and deeply reflective.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘, 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡, 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮.

𝘉𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 is an apocalyptic tale grounded in chilling reality… and by that I mean New York City during the COVID lockdown.
The greatest city in the world (yes, I am a New Yorker) turned into a ghost town/breeding ground of anxiety and anger.
Specifically, anger toward Asian Americans.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴.”

Cora Zeng is a Chinese American crime scene cleaner, haunted by hungry ghosts and her own unraveling mind. When a wave of brutal murders targeting Asian women sweeps through the city, the true horror isn’t just the violence… it’s that the police and media don’t seem to care.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩.”

Some parts felt like a fever dream—disorienting, fragmented—but maybe that was the point. Life isn’t always a story with clean endings. Neither is 𝘉𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.
This is a horror novel that crawls under your skin, sets up camp in your chest, and lingers in your thoughts long after the final page.

The best part was the authors note lbs “can’t have Asian rights without acknowledging civil rights and BLM” period. This author is very wise and great at story telling while also being so real.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is one of the most haunting and emotionally powerful books I’ve read this year. Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC, it captures the weight of grief, racism, and generational trauma through the story of Cora, who is haunted by the loss of her sister and by a hungry ghost. Kylie Lee Baker doesn’t hold back in exploring how anti-Asian hate shaped the pandemic experience for so many, and she lays bare the painful truth of how police and media often ignore or minimize violence against communities of color. The anger and heartbreak in this book are palpable. The author’s note is a gut punch in the best way: “Do not let your empathy stop at the borders of your own community.” That line (and this story) will stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend the audiobook. Natalie Naudus delivers a stunning performance, especially in voicing Cora’s grief, fear, and resilience. Her narration brought an extra layer of intimacy and tension that made the story even more impactful. A must-read! Thank you to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the ALC!

There were so many aspects of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng that made this book so enjoyable for me.

There is grief, ghosts, folklore, a group of lovable misfits with an insanely intriguing job. I felt a wide range of emotions reading this, sorrow, empathy, pure rage and even brief moments that made me cackle. I really thought this was a beautiful, heartbreaking story, and several weeks later I still think about it. I listened to this on audio, Natalie Naudus did an amazing job with it. This was my first read from Kylie Lee Baker, I immediately need more. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng published earlier this week and is going to be in my top faves for the year. Thanks to MIRA and The Hive for my advanced audiobook! 🖤

Dark, lyrical, and deeply haunting, The Bat Eater blends folklore and horror into a powerful story about grief, identity, and survival. Kylie Lee Baker doesn't hold back—her prose is razor-sharp, the world brutal, and the emotions raw. It's a bold, unforgettable read for fans of dark fantasy and myth-based horror.

First off, thank you to Hive and Netgalley for this alc ♥

Second of all, how have I never listened to an audiobook by Natalie Naudus?! BRB while I go and listen to everything she's ever narrated. Stunning. Amazing. Immaculate. NO NOTES FOR THE NARRATION.

And absolute none for the book either 🥰. This was my first book by Kylie Lee Baker, and I will definitely be reading more. Now, reading a horror book wasn't on my 2025 bingo card, but I am so glad I read this. I had been DYING to read it since I heard about the premise, and kept thinking "it's okay, I'll just live vicariously through my friends" but no, finally, I decided I needed to read this for myself, and I am so, so glad I did. Will I read another horror novel? I'm not so sure about that 😅, but truly I think whether you enjoy reading horror novels or not, this is something everyone should read.

I think the author did an amazing job curating a novel with the perfect balance of horror and supernatural elements. I actually think someone who is a seasoned horror reader, might not find this that spooky, but I was NOT OKAY. To the people at my local gym who saw my face grimace multiple times throughout this, no you didn't. The gore was hard to listen to at times, but was done so well that I felt nauseous. The message here was everything, and I was wonderfully surprised to find moments to smile in this book with the unexpected friends Cora made (even when she thought they couldn't possibly be her friends).

I LOVED Cora, Harvey, and Yifei. They were the best trio, and even though their friendship was new, Harvey and Yifei were so incredibly accepting towards Cora, and never made her feel less. Cora is not an easily digestible protagonist, but they never made her feel like her fear of germs was too much. Never made her feel like she was insane, like some of her family did. They didn't ignore her problems, and were constantly extending their hand to help her. I wouldn't have minded this book to be a little bit longer, if that meant we got to see more of the three of them interacting with one another.

Reading this novel, gave me flashbacks to pandemic times when I would open my phone to find another hate crime against someone from the AAPI community. I remember thinking why wasn't this broadcasted more, why was I finding out all of this through an instagram dedictated to the AAPI community? Why did we have a president calling it the "China virus" and why were others agreeing with it? It was a terrible time, and even when a year or two passed, there were still an inherent fear there. I remember traveling to visit my friend in New York, and she didn't want to take the subway. She was too scared something would happen to us.

All that to say, while this is a work of fiction, similar instances were indeed happening at that time, and I am so glad the author decided to make a novel on this. I felt so much rage while reading this novel, the injustice of it all. But while there was so much darkness in this book, there was also little rays of hope.

JUST READ THIS. PLEASE. I am on my knees begging, and if you don't enjoy horror like me, I promise you'll be okay. Just sleep with the light on 😂😉

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was an incredibly compelling horror novel that combined supernatural Chinese lore, gore, and real world fears of racism. I am not typically one to enjoy a pandemic novel (especially about COVID-19), but Baker wrote something so exquisite that this has become a very rare exception for me. This book had many layers that were effortlessly balanced. We follow Cora, a crime scene cleaner who is grappling with the grief from losing her sister and struggling with her identity as a biracial Chinese-American. Baker did an amazing job of getting the reader to feel the gamut of emotions that Cora has been experiencing which made for a visceral read. I couldn't help but root for Cora and feel connected to her struggle (which is dangerous territory in a horror novel). This is definitely not the easiest read, but a crucial one as it highlights human depravity and the violence that stems from fear and bigotry.

Natalie Naudus brought this book to life! She did a tremendous job with pacing and keeping my attention. I think she may have become one of my favorite narrators!

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker drew me because it addressed the racism experienced by Asians during the Covid pandemic. In addition, we got to explore some Chinese lore surrounding the death of their loved ones in preparation for a Hungry Ghost Festival.

In this story we are taken on the journey of grief experienced by Cora Zeng after witnessing her sister’s horrific accident, as well as learning of the horrific violence that is occurring to East Asian Women through her job as a crime scene cleaner.

There were so many times that I thought the story was heading down an interesting direction and we take a different turn which lands with a thud. This novel leaves so much that is left unanswered, or unresolved. And while I don’t always need a resolution for my stories, or need all ends tied off in a neat little bow, this will frustrate other readers.

The narration by Natalie Naudus was well done, and was probably the reason why I did not abandon this book. Cora was my least favorite character, but all of the others were well done.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Apr 29 2025

Tags:
#HarlequinAudio
#BatEaterandOtherNamesforCoraZeng
#KylieLeeBaker
#NatalieNaudus
#YarisBookNook
#Horror
#Mystery
#netgalley

Please be ready for this book to hit your readers hard in the first chapter. I was listening on my commute and audibly gasped in my car. Oddly a lot of this was a commute listen and I was frighted and living with my emotions alone in my car.
Kylie Lee Baker managed to genuinely scare and disgust me which is fantastic, in my opinion.

The narrator? Fantastic!

Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s intense!
Suspenseful and emotionally charged. Readers who appreciate the sinister dark, atmospheric thrillers that delve into social issues and psychological suspense will likely find themselves gripped by Cora's story.

In a world reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, where fear and prejudice have curdled into violent anti-Asian hate. The simple act of existing as a Chinese person has become filled with danger. The casual cruelty of being called a "bat eater" is a constant.
A killer is targeting random Chinese women, leaving behind a macabre calling card - bats. Cora, who makes her living cleaning up the gruesome aftermath of violence as a crime scene cleaner, is no stranger to blood and decay. She’s used to the gore and the stench of a body’s decay. However, nothing prepared her for her sister’s murder. Now, haunted by her sister’s death and having vivid hallucinations of her and other ghosts, Cora is doubting her own sanity. Is her mind is playing tricks on her? Or is this real?

*The narrator - Natalie Naudus does a wonderful job! Her tone resonates to fit the storyline’s characters perfectly.

**Shout out to Kylie Lee Baker for writing such an enthralling novel, Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for this incredible opportunity to listen and review.


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I knew I would love this book when I read the synopsis last fall. But boy, did it deliver—haunting, gruesome, and unforgettable!

Bat Eater is more than a horror novel—it explores grief, trauma, racism, and justice. Set during COVID-19, the story captures the real-life xenophobia East Asians faced. While the social horror feels disturbingly real, Baker weaves in other horror elements—hungry ghosts and a serial killer—to write a chilling, layered story of vengeance and justice.

I loved the use of Chinese folklore! Rituals like burning joss paper and feeding hungry ghosts are not just atmospheric; they add a cultural richness that we rarely see in mainstream horror.

In addition to Cora (our FMC), Auntie Zeng and Yifei stood out as memorable characters. I couldn't get enough of Auntie Z: part folkloric guide and part badass ghostbuster. Yifei also provided much needed levity that balanced Cora's heaviness. However, Yifei's heartbreaking confession at the end—ugh! That really hit me hard!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus (a favorite of mine) while reading along with the physical copy. Naudus breathes life into Cora’s panic, grief, and doubt. Her performance is truly top-notch. The physical book was great for revisiting Auntie Z’s chapters, which provided more depth about the folklore.

If you haven’t picked this up yet, now’s the time—especially since May is AAPI Heritage Month. Bat Eater is dark, meaningful, and deeply original.

𝘽𝙖𝙩 𝙀𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙖 𝙕𝙚𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧 is set in New York during the early days of the pandemic. It follows Cora, a biracial Chinese American crime scene cleaner who’s grieving the loss of her sister Delilah who was murdered in a racist attack. When Delilah’s ghost starts appearing, angry and hungry, things only get more unsettling.

This book blends horror with grief and Chinese folklore in such a powerful way. The hungry ghost isn’t just a supernatural element; it’s a symbol of everything Cora has lost and everything the world refuses to face. You can feel the weight of her pain and rage in every chapter.

The story doesn’t hold back when it comes to showing the racism and fear that Asian communities experienced during the pandemic. But that’s what makes it so important. It’s raw, emotional, and at times uncomfortably real.

I do wish some of the side characters were more developed, and the pacing dipped in a few places. But overall, this is one of the most original and emotionally charged horror novels I’ve read recently.

The audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus was excellent!! Her narration was top notch!

In Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker, Cora Zeng finds out that Covid-19 pandemic is the least of her problems. “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.” Pew Research Center reported, “Following the coronavirus outbreak, reports of discrimination and violence toward Asian Americans increased. Asian Americans felt so threatened that they changed their daily routine due to their concerns of threats and attacks.” Cora follows certain cleaning practices during the pandemic as well as wearing a face mask. (Cue your own personal pandemic rituals and memories.) But Cora has to contend with hungry ghosts as well. This was an interesting take on surviving the pandemic along with everything that was lost. “Apparently people do strange things when they’re scared of dying, and one of them is hoarding toilet paper.” Natalie Naudus provides narration for the audiobook with perfect tone, inflection, and pace. ALC was provided by Harlequin Audio via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is fantastic. I couldn't help but be drawn into the world of Cora Zeng. She's a crime scene cleaner and a germaphobe, trying to survive during the pandemic in NYC while being haunted by a ghost. Her dark backstory, witnessing her sister being pushed in front of a train, adds a complicated layer of intrigue that causes Cora to spiral. This book dives into so many issues, dealing with racism, grief, and mental health, while giving you a serious case of the creeps. I also loved the inclusion of the Buddhist concept of hungry ghosts. The narration was also well done and immersive. I highly recommend this book for horror and paranormal fans.

She has a really cool and creepy job and that was awesome. Didn't love the Covid theme - honestly I think it's actually too far removed from Covid for that to have any impact on me and therefore was just kind of flat. The audio was good at 1.75x. I was hoping to like this more than I did - I think I'm just over the "save the sister" and "obsessed with dead sister" trope from fantasy books and so I disconnected a little.

This book chewed me up, spit me out, and whispered, “you good?” (Dear reader, I was not.)

When I tell you this book has one of the most EPIC first chapters I’ve ever read, I am not exaggerating. My jaw hit the floor, my eyes bugged out of my head, I pulled the covers up to my chin and settled in for a long night of reading because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put it down. Some books whisper, some books shout, BAT EATER sinks its teeth into your flesh and drags you into the shadows.

When Cora Zeng, a young woman with severe OCD, suffers an unspeakable trauma, she takes a job as a crime scene cleaner and finds herself haunted by more than just the ghosts of her past. There’s a serial killer in New York City, and they’re killing Asian women.
Set during the pandemic amidst the fear and rising violence against Asian Americans, Bat Eater doesn’t flinch. It asks you to stare down what hurts (and haunts) and asks you to sit with it. To listen.

This is horror in its most visceral, terrifying form. Steeped in Chinese folklore, the hauntings drip with dread, and there are some truly gruesome moments I wish I could scrub from my brain (in a good way?). Baker’s writing is lyrical, brutal, and tender all at once. It’s horror with heart that will haunt you long after the last page. This isn’t just a ghost story. It’s a reckoning.

Finally, I have to acknowledge the author’s note. I put a few quotes in the photos above, but this line really stood out: “Do not let your empathy stop at the borders of your own community.”

Not only is this one of my favorite books of the year, it’s also my new favorite horror novel. A must-read for horror fans.

🦇 FEELS LIKE: holding your breath for 300 pages, a scream stuck in your throat, cold chills coating your skin

🦇 READ IF YOU LIKE: Trauma + complex grief + OCD rep, gruesome deaths you can’t unsee, hauntings, scathing social commentary, horror with depth

*Thank you to @HTPHive for the gifted eARC!

Thank you to Harlequin Books and NetGalley for my review copy. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng was a bit of a wild ride. This is the first COVID-era book I’ve read. Seeing how Asian-Americans were treated during and after the epidemic was eye-opening, shocking, and so sad. I love a sister story and this one was filled with emotion. I liked the empowerment Cora felt as the story progressed - her desire to investigate not only the death of her sister but also the women who were being stalked and killed by racist, ignorant people. She went from always needing to be “looked after” by her sister to being able to function independently and make friends in her daily life.

I often think that our everyday realities make the scariest horror stories, and this was no exception. 4 stars!

I was intrigued by the combination of horror and murder mystery in this book. The aspects of the ghosts were decently scary and absolutely descriptively gory. The murder mystery was not what I was expecting but was completely heartbreaking. I did struggle through the pacing of this book, especially in the middle but overall, it was a unique story.

I absolutely devoured this novel. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Truly one of the best horror novels I have read in a long time.

At the height of the pandemic, Cora Zeng is already struggling with the uncertainty of the world. Then her sister is brutally murdered in front of her. “Bat eater” is all the man says as he pushes her sister in the path of an oncoming train. “Bat eater” are the words that will haunt Cora throughout the days of her life. In the months following Delilah’s death, Cora becomes a crime scene cleaner. The gore doesn’t bother her. Not after what she witnessed. When Cora begins discovering bats at the scene of these crimes, all involving Asian women, she can’t help but wonder if there’s a connection between them and her sister’s death.

This book is gruesome and not afraid to go there. The descriptions of the crime scenes Cora cleans are visceral and the author doesn’t shy away from the goriest of details. My heart broke for Cora time and time again. In the beginning of the novel, she struggles with her relationship to her sister and the generations that came before her. She’s rather timid and keeps to herself. I love the found family she establishes with Harvey and Yifei, and the bond she strengthens with her Auntie Zeng. Cora’s growth to a full on badass over the course of the novel made her so easy to root for. And please make sure to read the Author’s note at the end.

I tandem read this with the audiobook and Natalie Naudus did a great job bringing this book to life. Her narration added so much to the story and really helped heighten the feeling of unease. This is one you’ll be looking over your shoulder while listening to.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio, Mira,and NetGalley for a review copy.

This was just the right amount of bloody and scary mixed societal horror themes centering on a pandemic.