When our main gal Cora, becomes invested in the occurrence of so called Bat Eater murder cases, she quickly realises that familial warnings around Ghost Month are truly something to be on the lookout for...

Cora is as sceptical as they come. She doesn't listen to her family (mostly), has always been the black sheep and only recently has realised that her sisters tragic death (thanks to some rather unfortunate circumstances, and one very racist man) affect her far more than she's realised.

At times, Bat Eater is a novel about losing a loved one, at other times it shows the power of friendship (and the finding of it in the most unlikely of places). It is a book about tradition and superstition and wanting to break free, but also realising that you are already as free as you've always wanted, and are just too scared to admit it. It pulls at the heart strings, all while transporting you back to the throes of the end of the world.

The way the first chapter of this book hooked me was unreal.

It wasn’t what I expected at all. It’s a COVID story from a perspective that absolutely breaks your heart. Following Cora after he sister is murdered, she realises that a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, that someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself.

The Hungry Ghost was a touch that usually wouldn’t be my style but I did really enjoyed reading this book!

If you read one book based on my recommendations make it Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker.
I loved everything about this book- the writing, the story, the tone, the pace, the vibe.
I loved that not only is it a spectacularly gory ghost story but, like all good horror novels, it was so much more than that-
A criticism on anti-Asian sentiment brought on by the Covid response. An examination of racism and sexism. A story of grief and coping. A tale of finding oneself.
Loved it and I need to go and read Baker’s backlist as soon as possible.

wow! as someone who doesn’t usually read horror I was blown away by this book. from the first chapter I could not put this book down. the story was thrilling, horrifying, funny at times, anxiety inducing and somewhat heartwarming at times. the racism in this story seemed heartbreakingly accurate to the experience of Asian people in America during the pandemic. I loved all three of the main characters Cora, Yifei and Harvey and how their relationship develops from coworkers to close friends - this friendship development was done perfectly. I will say please look up trigger warnings for this book, as it does include racial violence, and quite gory descriptions. thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for a digital ARC! definitely check this out when it is released on Jan 14 2025!

It's the start of Covid-19 in New York 'Chinatown' and Cora and Delilah are waiting for the subway train to go home. But Delilah doesn't make it home, when the train is coming a man walks up to them and grabs Delilah and pushes her in front of the train but before the push he whispers "bat eater"

Cora is left with the grief of losing her sister and becomes a cleaner for crime scenes. Her job to say is gruesome but while doing it she keeps seeing a pattern as the crime scenes she cleans up with her co workers are all Asian women with bats at the scene which makes her think a serial killer is out there.

To make matters worse, it is also the month where hungry Ghosts come out of the shadows. Cora doesn't believe in hungry ghost before but once a ghost starts to appear, her beliefs are blown apart as one might be coming after her.

The amount of horror/murder mystery in this was amazing, I loved the writing style that Kylie has and the topics she describes during that time truly resonates on what happened during covid-19

I would like to thank netgalley and hachette anz for letting me read this arc copy.

Set during COVID-19 in New York City's Chinatown, the story follows Cora Zeng, who is haunted by her past. Cora works as a crime scene cleaner, and the recent clean-ups have led her to believe there's a serial killer targeting Asian women. Each murder is increasingly horrific, and the one thing connecting them is bats—present at each crime scene she and her team clean.

This connection brings up Cora's own painful memories of her sister's murder. Her sister was pushed in front of a train by a white man calling them "Bat Eater," as he fled the scene, the killer was never found.

To complicate matters, it’s the Hungry Ghost Festival. However, Cora doesn't believe in it until she starts to see her deceased sister following her, and soon, Cora realises that you can’t ignore hungry ghosts.

This book is honestly one of the best I have ever read. It offers a haunting and powerful perspective on life during COVID-19. Cora is an incredibly interesting character, and the way the narrative addresses trauma and cultural heritage makes it utterly unputdownable.

In my opinion, everyone should read this book at least once. It’s an influential and thought-provoking story that will stay with you long after finishing it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

What a wild ride, from start to finish. I will do my best to not spoil too much of this, but suffice to say this is a rollicking horror novel that will make you tear through the pages. The story starts with Cora and Delilah, two sisters, who are minding their business early in the COVID-19 pandemic at the station. An incredibly racist white man and shoves Delilah in front of a train, whispering 'bat eater' in her ear as he does so, and suffers no consequences. Cora, however, does.

This book had some nasty scenes, some of which made me audibly gasp. It was vicious in parts, and absolutely delightful, masterfully weaving in folklore and keeping the story well-paced. It did lose a little steam at the end, but not tragically so - it almost felt natural, like the exhaustion of the pandemic was filtering into the story too.

The commentary on the racism experienced by Asian people during the pandemic is also very much of note in this book. I read this book at the same time as reading 'Yellowface' (inadvertently), and I found the commentary in that book paled in comparison to the stark and awful reality laid out in this one. People can be this horrible, and people were during the pandemic, and people still are. I feel like this book was a really integral voice to have in the room, particularly in the form of a horror novel, especially with how the dialogue around police is treated as well.

I do wish the ending was a little more succinct, but all in all, this was a fabulous book, and definitely worthy - and the laundromat scene is a strong contender for the best horror death I've read in a novel in a long time.

I have always been a huge horror and thriller film buff, yet I don’t often delve into books within those genres. When I discovered that Kylie Lee Baker was releasing a new horror novel, I immediately added it to my reading list. Having been captivated by her Scarlet Alchemist Duo earlier this year, which was truly outstanding, was so excited to get another book so soon. With Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, Baker has firmly established herself as an auto-buy / read Author for me!

This story unfolds through the eyes of our main character, Cora Zeng, as she navigates her trauma and sorrow after witnessing her sister, Delilah, be pushed in front of a train in a hate crime. Just before this horrific act, the assailant whispers "Bat Eater" and vanishes without a trace. After a brief time jump, we find Cora employed as a Crime Scene Cleaner, meticulously cleaning up the violence and bloodshed left behind by her fellow New Yorkers. As she continues her work, Cora begins to recognise a troubling pattern: Chinese people, particularly women, are being targeted by a notorious serial killer who leaves bats as his signature.

Cora grapples with her circumstances in a city where indifference seems to reign, all while coping with the loss of her sister, whom she always felt overshadowed by. Additionally, she struggles with her own cleanliness and germ-related anxieties in the face of a Global Pandemic. Cora's family issues extend beyond her sister's death, revealing a strained relationship with both her parents: a mother involved in a cult and a father who has remarried and relocated to China. We also meet two aunts; one who brings Cora to church on Sundays and another who tries to help her fend off Hungry Ghosts and spirits.

With limited family support when Cora begins to see spirits and ghosts, she reaches out to her two colleagues, Yifei and Harvey, who quickly become her friends. The connection among these three characters evoked a whirlwind of emotions for me, and it was undoubtedly one of my favourite elements of the book. Each character was uniquely different, and it warmed my heart to see Cora proven wrong; instead of rejecting her or labelling her as crazy, they believed in her and offered their love and friendship. They each shared snippets of their own lives and personal traumas, deepening their bond.

The stark and authentic portrayal of racism, alongside the appalling Sinophobia during a global pandemic, seamlessly blended with ghostly elements and a chilling murder mystery, was executed flawlessly. This book struck a deep chord, as the real-life issues intermingling with the ghostly narrative felt even more horrifying than the presence of the hungry ghosts themselves. I found myself in tears through the last three chapters, and I sobbed while reading the author's note. I urge anyone who picks up this book not to overlook the final pages, as they truly enhance the overall narrative that Kylie conveyed.

Rating: A-

There's so much in this book that resonated with me. I felt like I could be Cora in another life.

Bat Eater is a horror novel and character study following Chinese-American woman Cora Zeng after her (half-)sister Delilah is thrown in front of a train by a white man at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set in New York, Cora, who has no dreams of her own, becomes a crime scene cleaner with her friends, Yifei and Harvey, as they start uncovering a city-wide mystery concerning the victims of the crimes - South-East and Eastern Asian women.

Cora is a flawed and insecure woman, directionless in life and also suffering with OCD during the pandemic. Her identity was formed from her attachment to her sister and only now, without her, is she able to discover who she is. I loved this book. The gory scenes were so visceral and graphic, and the dialogue felt so natural and real, there are some subtle and not-so-subtle experiences of racism, microaggressions and just tomfoolery throughout the book that are experienced by Asian people, that I can relate to. I found that the further we got into the book, the more blatant and stereotypical(?) the racism was towards Cora. It felt almost comical. What I really loved in this, was the social commentary of the treatment of crime towards people of colour VS crime towards/perpetrated by white people.

Yifei and Harvey were just such great side characters and really loveable. Their relationship with Cora is described through the jobs they do together then really comes through when Cora needs more personal help. At that point in the book, about 30% through(?), the story kind of derailed and became something totally different. I wholly didn't expect that and I honestly did think it went into something I wasn't so invested in; I had initially thought [spoiler]that the character was experiencing delusions[/spoiler], but the plot was woven in through the rest of the book. It was difficult to continue reading that part but I still really loved Cora's perspective and her characterisation.

The exploration of Cora's both Chinese and American identities was also valuable as someone who is mixed-race, and her disconnect/disapora when not speaking Mandarin fluently was something I also felt to my core. I learnt a bit about the cultural rituals of Chinese people and, in a way, how that can stick with you in your life.

The writing is vivid and descriptive and an utter joy to read, I just had such a good time with this book. It doesn't really hold your hand or anything, but what I can say about the writing/character voices and tone is that it comes across as the modern young person trying to navigate an earth-shattering scenario and losing out on their normal life experiences. COVID utterly changed the lives of those in their early 20s.

Don't miss Bat Eater.

Copy provided by Netgalley.

One of the best and most unusual books I’ve read in the last few years! Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker is a quirky, spooky, ghostly adventure.

Synopsis: Cora witnesses her sister’s death and struggles to come to terms with her grief while being stalked by hungry ghosts…

At times gory and gruesome, at times funny, and at all times unique and heartfelt, Bat Eater is a surprisingly moving story considering its horror genre. The story takes place against the backdrop of New York City during the 2020 height of the Covid pandemic, Cora’s fear of her sister’s killer mirrored in her fear of the disease. I often find books set during COVID to be grating, but I enjoyed how the author approached it and it made sense in the context of the story.

The ghostly elements of the story were different to any other ghost story I’ve read and I enjoyed reading a different take on the supernatural and horrific. There are a lot of themes this book touches on, everything from the impact of COVID to spirituality and belief, racism and sisterhood. So much is unpacked throughout Bat Eater, and yet it manages to remain a fairly easy (though sometimes gory) read. It’s a difficult book to review because I’d recommend going in blind and letting the story surprise you (I knew little about Bat Eater before I dove in and loved how much it surprised me!).

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Bunny by Mona Awad or Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

5 ⭐️

Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing me with an ARC of Bat Eater in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what an incredible and vivid way to tell a ghost story. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hatchette Auz&NZ for the opportunity to read an arc written so beautifully by Kylie Lee Baker.

Bat eater, set during in NYC during the COVID lockdowns is a book that does so many different things flawlessly, it presents a murdermystery, while tackling the racism so many faced during the pandemic. It was an enthralling read that has to be experienced. I’m going to recommending this to so many people!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cora's sister is pushed in front of a train, with the murderer whispering 'bat eater'. Cora then becomes a crime scene cleaner, where she encounters a large number of crime scenes involving killings of East Asian woman and bat carcasses.

This book did a good job of creating a chilling and gruesome atmosphere, capturing the fear surrounding the pandemic, racism and the supernatural. It did drag on in parts and I found myself occasionally losing interest.

I loved this book! The opening is just beautiful and I knew right away from the writing style it was something special. Baker has a real gift to make such a subject matter a thing of beauty. I wanted to hug Cora (even though that would be her worst nightmare!) and tell her she was good enough just as she is. While the book was sharp and at times rather witty the underlying story about racism just made me so sad and I wanted to cry for every hurt Cora had ever faced. Stories like these really matter and I’m so glad I read it. I love reading about other cultures too and found the aunt funny and fascinating and sort of wished I could be there with them and burn the paper to keep safe too.

i love it when a horror book delivers and this one really did that. she ate and left no crumbs. it was beautifully written, scathing and super engrossing, i didn’t wanna stop reading it. truly brilliant.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.