The first few chapters of this were so completely and totally knock-out beautiful, that I didn’t want to do anything else but keep reading.

Unfortunately, it unraveled more and more as the story went on.

The premise, as well as the reflection from a devastating period in our recent history is timely, powerful and necessary. There were also some truly terrifying horror moments in here.

But I think it just dragged a little bit too much in places for me to have been immersed, from start to finish.

This was ok! I thought this was a really cool book to read before halloween. It was ok! Reminded me of "The Grudge:. Kinda dragged on a bit without the effect of building the story or suspense.


Also, the author put a warning note of "if you receive this without a cover. That means it's stolen.." and then proceeds to send the arc out through Netgalley with no cover. To have a warning like that and then to do yourself just kinda a red flag and should have been put off until release.

DNFed at 34%

This book is definitely gloomy and somber, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. First of all, it takes place in the modern time, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second of all, I’m sure there are ghosts and such coming up in the rest of the book, but I wanted it to be more paranormal quicker. I find Cora to be really uninteresting and not fun to follow. She seems to have little personality or emotions and doesn’t even really grieve the death of her sister? Overall, not my type of book though I love the cover.

10/10. I want to give author Kylie Lee Baker a forehead smooch and commend her on an amazing novel. I could not put this down. It was like this book was injected into my brain and just hung on there until after I finished. I still think about this book.... This book touches on religion, spiritual beliefs, Chinese culture, racism, and so much more. This truly is a captivating horror novel but not in an over the top way, I would recommend time and time again!

A true gem of a book. I loved every single second of reading about Cora and her journey. She is someone that paves the way for readers that see themselves in her.

This book opened with an awful, devastating event that really set the tone for the story — immediately readers understand the internal struggle and unraveling that Cora will go through. This book regularly turned my stomach as I was reading — both at the graphic, visceral descriptions of gore but also at the horrifying and persistent acts of racist hatred Cora and others suffered. The writing was sharp and immersive and the pacing kept me hooked. The author has created a really fascinating exploration of grief, faith, identity and more within the contexts of a horror novel.

One of the scariest and most thought-provoking books I've read in years. That's a compliment.This book was nothing like what I expected and is better for it—Cora Zeng will be lingering in my head for a long time to come.

This book was absolutely FANTASTIC!!
Such a unique take on horror! I was enthralled until the very end.

Mind your triggers for:
Religion, Covid, Racism, Grief

In light of former President Trump's comments regarding the Hatian population of Springfield, Oh, I have found it necessary to update this review because this book is *exactly* why we don't do what Trump did. Americans over the last week have had a front row seat to the consequences of demonizing one group of people for any reason. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng touches on examples of the consequences of spreading hateful and malicious false information about one group of people for any reason. While this is a work of fiction, the consquences are very real as we have seen; thousands of Asian Americans during the pandemic and now Hatian Americans are facing real world threats that have ranged from Schools in Springfield being closed due to threats, the city hall had to shut down due to bomb threats, and for Asian Americans people were literally beat and murdered. I implore any American, hell at this point, anyone living in the U.K. as well, given the recent rise of hate against its Muslim population, to read this book. We are and should be better than this. Instead of buying into fear mongering, we should be lifting these communities up that have been targeted and saying "No more." What Baker describes in Cora Zeng was intolerable in 2020, and it is just as intolerable in 2024. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and these communities to recognize this and be a far louder voice than those who would spew hate for political gain.


I have not read every book Baker has written, but I believe that this will be the best book she will ever write. And I am not saying that she doesn't have the ability to write a better one, not at all. I am saying that Baker has produced something so raw, so personal, and yet it somehow encompasses each of us who lived through the Pandemic that Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng will always be the most important book she will write. And to be fair, I hope it is, because I certainly do not want to give her a reason to write another book like this.

Overall, I have read many, many books this year. 104 or something. This is it. This is the one you should read. I cried at the end of the first chapter. I bawled my eyes out through the last one? Two? I'm not sure. It was hard to read through the tears. I can say one thing, though by the end, I had never been more proud of a fictional character in my life.

And I genuinely want to say thank you to Kylie Lee Baker for sharing this with us. I don't write books, so I can not say for certain, but after reading it, I can imagine this being the hardest book to write while simultaneously being the easiest one.


As always, thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the eArc!

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.