Bay Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng

Thank you The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Kylie Lee Baker, and NetGalley for the ARC.

The intensity of the first chapter pulled me in immediately and the brilliant writing kept me hooked from beginning to end. This is the scariest book I’ve ever read. Much of the horror reflects the darkest sides of humanity, based on the rampant anti-Asian violence during the Covid pandemic. The author uses these real-life horrors to examine how quickly people experiencing fear and the unknown will jump to hating and blaming an entire race of people. I was blown away by the author’s ability to blend such horrifying and heartbreaking topics. Additionally, the supernatural elements are rooted in Chinese culture and felt vivid and believable. I usually struggle with supernatural elements and can find them cheesy, but there was none of that here. Everything felt totally believable and wasn’t overdone.

The unlikely friendships felt like a bright light in the midst of this dark and gory story. While I’ve already established that I loved the horror elements, there are also themes of grief, religion, family, fear, and the main character being torn between two identities and feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere. Cora’s entire journey is so true and real, reflecting struggles many people have faced. This story is unforgettable. The imagery is brilliant, the writing is stunning, and I definitely didn’t want to read this before bed because I was so scared but I couldn’t manage to put the book down. Highly recommend!

The writing is beautiful and heartbreaking but extremely gory. If that’s not your think than I would skip. Bat Eater focuses on racism and how Covid impacted minority communities. This is not light reading but should be mandatory reading. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Bat Eater and Other Names For Cora Zeng! I mean, just look at that stunning cover! 🔥🔥🔥I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

It’s 2020 in New York and covid has spread across the world. Everyone is wearing masks and staying indoors. People called it the China Virus. Remember when people actually did that though? Plus, if you’re Chinese then that means you eat bats and you’re definitely infected. Right?

Imagine the horror in the world that the Asian culture had to go through. Then add in Asian women being murdered by a mysterious serial killer. Someone is terrorizing the city.

This book touches on religion, spiritual beliefs in Chinese culture, racism, covid, grief, death of a loved one and I’m probably missing some. Gruesome stuff that had me speeding to the finish line! This horror novel was a unique tale that all horror enthusiasts will love! I loved everything about it! Please read the author’s note at the end too!

Thank you to Kylie Lee Baker, Mira and Net Galley for the opportunity!
Release date April 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Gory. Terrifying. Haunting. This is a book that will suck you in from the intensity of the first chapter, and leave you gasping for air by the end. Even when I thought I knew where this book was going, a new twist would happen that would completely change everything that was going on.

If you love horror, and you don’t mind a little blood and gore along the way, this is a book that you <i>need</i> to pick up and experience for yourself. As the walls around our main character slowly begin closing in, soon she’ll realize that the answers she seeks aren’t as cut and dry as she hopes - and that sometimes there are no answers to your questions. I ended this book wishing that I could have some real resolutions to the events of this novel - but the very premise is about how you might not get all - or any - of the answers you’re seeking. (But I still wish I could have had them!)

Somehow, Kylie Lee Baker combines the reality of Covid-19, anti-Asian racism, and a supernatural that is more terrifyingly real than our main character ever expected, into an edge-of-your-seat horror that cannot be missed. I loved this book so much I’m unsure how to even describe what I read or how to accurately review it, as I think this book goes best with going into it essentially blind. This is a juggernaut into the horror genre, and I so desperately hope she writes more horror as this was as fresh as cleaning a crime scene where the body is still present.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc copy of this book.

I was so intrigued by the name, cover and the multiple 5 star reviews on netgalley-so I requested this arc and was elated when I was approved.

I read it in one sitting which means I loved the flow and was too eager to know what happened next to simply stop reading. My thoughts are all over the place.


This story takes place during the Covid pandemic in New York city and is interwoven with themes of racism against Asian people.( Predominantly Chinese people as they are often blamed as a whole for the virus.)

Covid19 was different for me than it was for a Chinese woman and I know that more than ever now.

This is a horror story full of ghosts and graphic imagery.
I learnt a lot about Chinese culture and religion thanks to this story.
I will continue to learn about hungry ghosts and ghost month because I am in awe of the horror and beauty behind guiding the dead back to where they belong.

Cora is our main protagonist and she does not feel deserving of being the main focus of anything. She lost her sister immediately at the beginning of the story to a hate crime.

She has a superstitious old school Aunt and a very image-focused Christian Aunt as her closest relatives in America. Her father went back to China after not really seeing a future for himself in America. Her mother-not mentioned alot but not in the picture either.

During the pandemic, she gets a job as a crime scene cleaner-which in itself is quite gruesome..but more often now...they are crime scenes where Asian women are brutalized and often found with bats at the crime scenes as well.

During ghost month, A ghost resembling Cora's passed sister begins to follow her...

its just a great ghost story inspired by Chinese culture that really showcases a fragment of the hatred Asian people went through during such an unprecedented time.
Cora mentions that her grandparents would be disappointed to learn nothing has changed much in terms of how fear can turn the world against a group of people as a whole.

The author's final words about how marginalized groups need to rally for one another is beautiful as well.

I feel grateful to have learned a out a world event from another perspective in such a horrifically beautiful and well written way.

5 stars.

Content Warnings: Gore, Racism (Anti-Asian), Hate Crimes, Misogyny, Religious Trauma, Mentions of child abuse, cults, medical institutionalization

This novel captivated me. Cora Zeng, the third person focus character, felt so real to me. Her struggles as a survivor after her sister's murder, with her mental health in the forms of OCD and anxiety, her familial and cultural upbringing, all of that is enough -- to add on top her struggles with the anti-Asian sentiment and flat racism that flared during COVID-19 and dealing with hungry ghosts? It may sound, when I list all that, like too much, that one character couldn't possible encompass all those aspects well, and maybe I'd normally agree -- but Cora Zeng does it. Flawed, vulnerable, brave, and just plain relatable. All could be considered other names for Cora Zeng.

The use of multiple types of horror, and how each oozes into each other, was flawless. Baker balances and juxtaposes the supernatural threat of the hungry ghosts with those that are, sadly, more mundane: the too-real, ever-present systemic racism and sexism and its COVID-19 flavoring, the unique fear of contamination and sickness that COVID-19 brought particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, the fear of not only mental illness itself but of potentially being locked up again. Each is allowed its space; each affects the other. Similarly, the mystery elements of the book are meticulously threaded through. The mysteries surrounding the hungry ghosts, the serial killings of Asian women, and even of people with whom Cora interacts, like her coworkers, all add texture and flavor to the work.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait to own a physical copy. While I have not read any of Baker's other books, I'm eager to do so now after reading this one.

This one just personally wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to make it very far before I lost interest. I do think that others will find it more enjoyable though.

This was fantastic, and the most remarkable element was the writing. The prose is so sharp and terrifying, it creates a really visceral experience of fear.

This was very different than anything I’ve read, giving a deep exploration of racism during the COVID epidemic. I thought the pacing was slow and the writing choppy at some points, but the plot itself was interesting. While not a favorite, I would definitely try another book by the author.

Thanks for the chance to read in advance!

Beautifully written.

Baker does an amazing job of immersing you in the true heartbreaking experience of Asian Americans once the COVID pandemic started and how targeted they were with vitriol and hatred. There was also beautiful themes of Chinese legends woven throughout this book with a good level of horror and gore to keep you on your toes.

We get to follow Cora who is riddled with anxiety and germaphobia (same girl!) as she navigates the pandemic in NYC. She gets a job cleaning up murder crime scenes which leads her on the path of trying to survive "hungry ghosts" while also accidentally tracking down a serial killer.

I loved every page and character in this book! Will highly recommend.

Unique. Haunting. Visceral.

The first chapter pulls you in but you quickly find the pace inconsistent. The horror was certainly creepy. Cora was an interesting character and the overall vibe was brutal honesty. I definitely enjoyed this book and stared at wall for a while afterwards.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this! Content warnings for racism (Sinophobia in particular), gore, and. well. the hungry dead.

Devastating, horrifying, too familiar.

That's... really all I can say. holy fuck, the horror aspect of this, and how it really did pale in consideration next to the human horror. But also, holy fuck!

Very immersive plot during the height of Covid although it fell flat at times for me. It was very hard to stay engaged during the novel because it did not have a definitive story line I felt.

This has an incredible first chapter and I can absolutely understand why it was elaborated on into this story. Haunting and often hard to swallow, but I disliked some of the pacing.

I went into this book thinking that it wasn’t gonna hit home for some reason. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for someone like me, to write a book that so accurately depicts how us Asians were treated during the Covid-19 pandemic/shut downs and everything else in between. I had to put down the book some parts because they were just too real about the racism that occurs to people who look like me. This was a fantastic book and I can’t wait to read what the author has next to offer!

This was such a unique and poignant read. This book felt so real and raw that I had to take small breaks while reading it. Bat Eater takes a deep dive into what many AAPI people faced during the pandemic and rise in Asian hate crimes. The horror and thriller elements paired perfectly with the fear and anger that was being stoked about the “China virus” and the overwhelming sense of dread that was felt during the pandemic. As an AAPI reader I found myself thinking so many times that this was exactly how I felt, this book echoed my fears and many experiences during the pandemic. This story follows Cora who loses her sister to a violent hate crime in NYC. She becomes a crime scene cleanup worker. As she delves deeper into her own grief she can’t decide what’s real and what’s not, she’s also discovering that many of the crime scenes she’s cleaning have all been bodies of East Asian Women and there are bat carcasses present.

I thought the Cora’s character was really interesting. She makes a statement in the early chapters about just passively existing and feeling like a shadow most days. I think her character is definitely not the most memorable character but in my opinion the way she is written I pictured her as almost a symbolic character. She could be anyone. Any one of the victims could be a Cora. We don’t always know who will be a victim they don’t have to be loud, the prettiest, the most brilliant or driven people they can just be there and still be susceptible to being targeted by hate and fear just based on their outward appearance.

I think the horror elements were done well and were definitely creepy. I loved the blend of Chinese mythology into the horror and the hungry ghosts were terrifying. I do wish there had been a bit more with the overall resolution of the story but I think that it was done on purpose. So many people don’t get a happy ending. There isn’t justice or resolution for many victims so it was another way to show that not even in this fictional story are we able to have justice.

Overall this was a creepy, real and tragic story but I think it definitely sheds light on how many AAPI victims felt during the pandemic and how those experiences still linger today. I highly recommend reading Bat Eater and think it’ll be a perfect release to kick off AAPI month.

Huge thank you to Harlequin publishing and The HIVE for providing me with an eARC

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is this great cross between body horror, dark realism, and social critique, something that pulls one right in from the very first line. Featuring a 24-year-old protagonist, Cora Zeng, against the harrowing backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has to go through a hard time when her elder sister, Delilah, meets a horrible death after being pushed onto the subway tracks by some unknown stranger. This traumatic incident is only a starting point for Cora's downward spiral into a world of vicious racism, fanned by pandemic-fueled Sinophobia intermingled with a chilling ghost story and a gruesome murder mystery.

Cora is a crime scene cleaner in New York, scrubbing away at the remnants of violence—often targeting Chinese people—which a serial killer leaves behind. He is identified by the mutilated bats he leaves at the scene of his crimes. As Cora navigates her grief and guilt, her psychological turmoil really gets across to the reader, helping to create a deeply complex and very relatable protagonist. It is a masterful exploration of themes regarding mental illness, loneliness, and the desperate search for connection within a world that seems ever more hostile.

This is not a narrative for the faint of heart. Visceral, full of body horror and graphical violence, it is captivating and unsettling. Still, in the midst of all this darkness, there are flashes of unexpected warmth, particularly in Cora's relationships with her eccentric fellow employees, Yifei and Harvey. The bond between them becomes a lifeline as they unite to face both supernatural and very real horrors.

This ghost story is deeply founded on Eastern folklore and racial hatred; the faceless terror of a pandemic that ensures it won't be like any other. It is one of the brutally honest portrayals of a world upside-down but at the same time survival, resilience, and human spirit. It is sharp, evocative writing and utterly immersive—a standout in horror.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is an odd, thought-provoking read that will haunt one long after the last pages are turned. It's terrifying, emotionally charged, and deftly done—a must-read for those who dare to stare into the blackness within and around them.

The novel follows Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner in Chinatown, haunted by her sister’s murder and the killer's chilling last words, “bat eater.” The story masterfully blends psychological horror with real-world fears, including pandemic-related anxieties and racial violence.

Baker’s portrayal of Cora is both haunting and compelling. Her trauma and resilience drive the narrative, making her journey both gripping and empathetic. The novel's exploration of trauma, identity, and survival adds depth, making it a standout in horror fiction.

The book’s intense atmosphere and cultural commentary make it a 5-star read, for fans of psychological horror and deeply human stories.

From the moment I saw the cover and title of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker, I knew this was going to be one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. The eerie artwork and the intriguing title promised a haunting, intense experience, and I’m thrilled to say that the book did not disappoint. In fact, after finishing it, I can confidently say this novel has all the makings of a gripping and angst-filled TV series.

The story centers around Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner working in Chinatown, a job that would be difficult for anyone, but especially for Cora, who is haunted by the memory of her sister Delilah’s brutal murder. The killer's final words—“bat eater”—echo in her mind, and since that tragic day, Cora’s life has been a blur of bloody crime scenes, eerie occurrences, and growing paranoia. The horror of her reality is only compounded by the ever-present fear of germs and viruses, a fear that has taken on a whole new dimension in the pandemic-stricken world.

Baker’s portrayal of Cora is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. She’s a character who is both deeply scarred and incredibly resilient, navigating a world that feels increasingly hostile and alien. Her trauma is palpable, and the way it manifests—through her obsessive cleanliness, her isolation, and her detachment from reality—makes her a compelling protagonist. You can’t help but feel her pain and root for her as she struggles to maintain her sanity.

The horror in Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is not just in the supernatural elements, but in the very real, visceral fear that has gripped the world during the pandemic. The novel doesn’t shy away from addressing the brutal violence and racism experienced by East Asians during this time, and it does so in a way that feels both timely and necessary. This adds another layer of depth to the story, making it more than just a horror novel—it’s a reflection on trauma, identity, and survival.

Given my tendency to think about how a book might translate into another medium, I can easily see this novel becoming a hit TV series. The mix of psychological horror, cultural elements, and social commentary would make for compelling, edge-of-your-seat viewing. The tension and atmosphere that Baker creates on the page could be even more intense on screen, with Cora’s haunted psyche and the dark, ghost-filled world she inhabits brought to life in a visual medium.

Kylie Lee Baker has crafted a story that is both terrifying and deeply human, one that confronts the horrors of the pandemic and the ghosts of the past with unflinching honesty. If you’re a fan of horror that goes beyond jump scares to explore the complexities of trauma and identity, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

HOLY. CRAP.

This is one of those layered books that will have you sitting and staring into the void as time kinda just slips away from you. Its horrific, its bloody, but ,man does it really make you think. Not only is it horror but this also walks the line of social commentary. Thinking about what lays beneath its surface is more horrific than any monster