Unlike other dark horror books I’ve read, “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” had an even more profoundly chilling component. Its almost finite list of nonfiction elements, many of which are still relatively fresh in my mind, made this story quite the conversation piece. Author Kylie Lee Baker creates a story that pulls the pandemic of 2020 as COVID spread quickly, the impacts it made culturally on the Chinese community, and makes it even more horrific as the main character attempts to find who unalived her sister. The story is quite detailed in many scenes, as some readers may be sensitive to that, as well as topics of race and the pandemic. Overall, I felt the author told a creative and thought-provoking story.

“The dead do not forget.”



WHAT AN ABSOLTELY BRILLIANT BOOK!!! I was hooked from the beginning and never wanted to put it down. Looking forward to more from Kylie Lee Baker!

Say hello to one of the best books I read this year! Words can’t fully capture just how much I loved this damn book and I’m pretty depressed it’s over. I went into Bat Eater knowing nothing because I decided I will blindly trust KLB after The Scarlet Alchemist. And in my favorite genre to boot? If you enjoy socially relevant and/or paranormal horror, add this to your TBR. Such a smart, bleak, important read. And these characters?! I was so invested. I will definitely revisit this via audio at some point.

I’d say if you liked any of the following, you would likely enjoy this: American Rapture by CJ Leede (found family, pandemic, religious themes), The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim (AAPI rep, serial killer), and Diavola by Jennifer Thorne (ghosts, difficult family relationships). This might make it seem like Bat Eater is doing too much but I swear it is doing JUST enough.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I typically avoid any type of media that has a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. This time I’m glad I made an exception to the rule. This book tells a story bathed in grief not only for loved ones, but for all of those who have unfairly had their life taken away.

Our main character Cora is a bit mentally unbalanced. She’s obsessive about germs to the point of nearly being unable to leave her apartment. However, her job on a crime scene cleanup crew is perfect for her because she LOVES to clean.

This book has ghosts, suspense, lots of gore, and an overarching theme of how to rediscover yourself after the loss of someone close to you. At right around 300 pages it’s a fast paced read that you can get through pretty quickly. I will definitely be looking for other stories by this author!

#netgalley #readmorebooks #arcreview #arcreviewer #kylieleebakerbooks

This was SO GOOD. I have loved watching Baker grow as a writer from debut (which, I’ll be honest, I didn’t love) to now. The gore was fantastic and spaced apart enough or shown in stark pieces so that it never felt like it was only for shock value or that it overwrote the rest of the story. And the first death - I knew immediately that I was going to devour this book.

I will say that things slowed down quite a bit between the first death and when the plot really kicked up, and I think thats where we lost a star in the end. But Harvey and Yifei’s dynamic with Cora was fantastic.

And have I mentioned the gore? The gore was fantastic.

I also very much appreciate the unique perspective of the early days of the COVID pandemic - specifically through the lens of anti-Asian (and specifically anti-Chinese) hate. But also adding the particularly spooky Chinese ghost mythology, which was awesome.

Dnf 63%

This isn't a dnf because it was bad.
I just had to stop for my own mental health.

This book made me feel claustrophobic and trapped.
It talked about the themes of racism and hatred that Asian people faced during Covid shutdowns really well.

At first I wasn't sure this was going to be for me; BAT EATER starts out with the author just really in her feelings about the racism towards Asians during early stages Covid, and Cora is a very anxious, awkward individual who is often so paralyzed by her anxiety that it can be frustrating for the reader. But after ~35/40%, the plot picks up as Cora and her weird friends focus more on ghost hunting and murder solving. I love the creepy ghosts in this, and how the author brings in a lot of the Chinese culture around hungry ghosts. Yifei is a great supporting character, and even Cora manages to grow a bit.

I did for some reason think this was a women's wrongs story, but it's not really. Highly recommend looking up trigger warnings, as there is a lot of described (but not live) violence against Asian women, who are murdered in very gory ways. There are also a lot of bats maimed or killed.

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.