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!

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 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.

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.