In the wake of family tragedy, Cora Zeng grapples with horrors human, psychological, and paranormal. 👻

Things I loved:
🦇 magical realism
🥢 murder mystery
🥮 Auntie Zeng

Like all good horror, the super descriptive moments come at the worst times. But if you can handle gore, I highly recommend this one! ❤️

"Closing your eyes doesn't stop monsters from devouring you"

I was not prepared for how absolutely horrifying, beautiful, and devastating Bat Eater was. Kylie Lee Baker has cemented herself as an auto-read author for me—I am mesmerized by her prose. The first chapter alone was one of the most gripping and atmospheric openings I’ve ever read; I was immediately pulled into the story and couldn’t put it down.

Bat Eater follows Cora Zeng, a Chinese-American woman living in NYC during the height of the pandemic. After witnessing the unthinkable—her sister being pushed in front of a train—Cora becomes a crime-scene cleaner, immersing herself in the city’s darkest corners. As anti-Asian violence rises and a serial killer targets women in Chinatown, Cora begins to unravel, confronting not only the horrors of the real world but also a chilling supernatural presence that seems to be haunting her.

"Of course nothing adds up, your mind is a labyrinth and you are lost inside"
This book lingers in my mind, refusing to let go. Baker captures the suffocating dread of the pandemic with razor-sharp precision, and experiencing it through Cora’s eyes as a Chinese woman in NYC makes it all the more devastating. But beyond the all-too-real horrors, the supernatural elements in Bat Eater genuinely terrified me. It radiates The Ring-level fear, the kind that leaves you hesitant to look into dark corners. The incorporation of Chinese religious and cultural lore is masterfully done—I immediately found myself researching the Hungry Ghost Festival because of how immersive and eerie it felt.

Beyond the horror, Baker’s writing is breathtaking. She weaves brutality and beauty together effortlessly, delivering visceral, graphic depictions alongside stunning, haunting imagery. The character work is phenomenal; Cora is complex and deeply human, while side characters like Auntie Zeng and Harvey add richness and nuance to the story. What makes Bat Eater exceptional is its ability to juggle so many heavy themes—grief, racial violence, the supernatural, mental health, and family trauma—without ever feeling overwhelming. Despite the darkness, there are moments of warmth, humor, and resilience that keep the novel from being purely bleak.

A special mention for the audiobook—it’s a must-listen. The narration is impeccable, heightening the tension and emotion in a way that made the experience even more immersive. When the narrator was scared, I felt it.
This was an easy 5-star read for me. Haunting, thought-provoking, and masterfully crafted, Bat Eater is a horror novel that will stay with me for a long time. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the advanced audio copy.

A bleak look into the horrific outcomes of human fear. In pandemic era NYC, Cora sees the worst of what humanity has to offer as a crime scene cleaner. She is generally unbothered by the gore, until her sister is murdered in front of her eyes. Cora is then forced into the realization that Asians are being targeted as the cause of the pandemic, <i> Bat Eaters </i>

Baker does an excellent job of weaving the terrifying reality of human fear and cruelty into a paranormal horror story. As a society we have seen time and time again, different groups be targeted due to a perceived threat or "otherness" that we deem detrimental to society.
Baker also discusses the fetishization of Asian women in American culture, proving that the real life monsters are scarier than fiction.

This book did take a dip in the middle for me, I felt Cora to be a little flat at times and therefore became uninterested. However, I am attributing this to listening to the audiobook rather than reading it with my eyeballs.

The truth is, I am still not 100% sure where I land on this book, so for right now it's sitting at 4 stars. I continue to think about it and will most likely be revisiting at some point.

I listed to this as an ARC, thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley!

A unique horror novel set during the pandemic. There was so much gore in this book at times it was a little unsettling. That being said, I loved this book. I think the author did a great job portraying grief, paranoia, racism, the early feelings of the pandemic. I hope Baker ventures into this genre more.

Sigh. I'm pressed to make a review on a book that has left me unsure of how to review. The sign of a powerfully written book is that it often leaves me in a state of uncertainty, feeling as though I may need to process it indefinitely. And that is where I have landed with Bat Eater.

I wish I had a little more attachment to the characters. While I have an appreciation for their stories there was still a one dimensionality that left me wanting to feel like I knew them better. Aside from that the author managed to masterfully weave together a lot of complex themes into a somewhat surreal story that takes place during the COVID era. Although there was some gore throughout the book the elements of surrealism and detachment from the characters depersonalized it enough that the gore itself felt like fantasy.

I'll be sitting on this for a while. I'm preliminarily giving it a higher review because my experience has been that when I'm stuck on a review and needing to process everything to know how I feel, it generally means I have read something really powerful.

5 Stars
Okay, this was really good, I was hesitant about the pandemic setting (because that was a traumatic time for everyone lol) but I love that it explored not only the fear of COVID-19 itself but the added horror on top of that to experience the pandemic as an Asian person and the racism that came along with it (which I could unfortunately, definitely relate to). Another read from Kylie Lee Baker to add to my favourites shelf - truly a great horror read with enjoyable characters and shocking twists.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for the ARC!

Did not realize this was a horror novel until reading - but I was able to make it through! Paranormal and gore horror in this one. Loved the pandemic theme and how the pandemic brought out so much inner trauma for our FMC.

Thank you Netgalley, Kylie Lee Baker and Hodder & Stoughton for the eArc of Bat Eater.

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner in China Town and dealing with the Pandemic. More so, while walking home, witnesses her sister being pushed under a passing train. While dealing with the Trauma of losing her sister, Cora comes to the conclusion that someone maybe targeting Asian people and having a close call herself.

This book. tackles the darkness of trauma, the claustrophobic manner of a pandemic and systemic racism. Not just on a general basis but also through the origins of this virus and being the accusations of asian people being " Bat Eaters" Even though there are some elects of dark and funny humour. This book taps into the psyche. I loved Kylie's writing style in which she is building dread, paranoia, sleuthing skills, all while dealing with Cora's job, which, in fact would affect anyone's mental health after a while.

The pacing of the book is medium which ebbs and flows but doesn't sputter out. Both the character and world building around China then made it easy to envisage where Cora was,

I also listened to the audio version of this book which was done by Natalie Naudus who suited the pacing and the ominousness of this book.

4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC copy of this book.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This was an excellent social commentary and horror blended book. This book has a lot of layers involved in it and I was completely drawn in from the start.

I really loved the paranormal and horror elements in this. I don't typically like reading about covid-era stories - as the only other book I read on a similar topic was quite awful, but this one was very well done. It felt very unique, and while I have started to notice a lot of horror books are woven around social commentary - they are not always very well done, but this author did an amazing job with that.

I'm going to keep my review fairly brief to avoid any spoilers - but this is a must read for 2025.

Definitely recommend this to others!

I was everything that I needed ! If you are looking for a spooky ready that’s going to keep you hooked and in your toes, this is the perfect book for you!! I’m absolutely obsessed with this book. The writing style is as amazing as well!

**absolutely no notes for the narrator. the girl did the damn thing. she put on the performance of a lifetime. if you're going to read this book, LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK. you won't regret it.**

i actually don't even know where to start with this one. i feel an overwhelming amount of emotions, not all of them great - which is definitely the point of this book. if you're triggered by the events of the pandemic, tread carefully reading this book because it does not shy away from the hateful and absolutely vile treatment that asians/asian americans experienced at that time. the author also does an incredible job of creating a terrifying atmosphere with the ghosts that haunted the main character, cora. i was genuinely creeped out during certain scenes, and if you're squeamish with body horror and gore, this is not the book for you.

but my god was this phenomenal. the author's writing was BREATHTAKING. the descriptions were so vivid, they caused a visceral reaction in me. and the way these characters' stories unfolding pulled and tugged at every one of my damn heartstrings. truthfully, i'm in shock at what i've just read lol. i definitely need a few days to fully process everything. but READ THIS DAMN BOOK. omg.

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, scrubbing away the remnants of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that compares to the horror she has already endured: witnessing her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train.

This book starts off strong, immediately throwing us into a Final Destination-esque scenario, complete with a potential serial killer on the loose. Baker doesn't hold back on the horror—it's gruesome, gory, and deeply unsettling. The descriptive writing got so chilling at times that I found myself unable to read it at night.

As an Asian immigrant, I particularly appreciated how the novel sheds light on the identity crises faced by American-born Chinese individuals, as well as the pervasive racism that BIPOCs continue to experience—regardless if they were actually an immigrant or not. Some of the most striking lines for me came not from the novel itself, but from the author's acknowledgments:

“For me, no needle-neck ghost can compare to the way the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world—the way we sacrificed the elderly and disabled on the altar of capitalism, [...] and the way we proved we as a country still haven’t learned not to scapegoat an entire race of people in times of fear.”

"Anti-Asian hate is real and deserves attention, but it is only one symptom of a deeply broken society. [...] Do not let your empathy stop at the borders of your own community."

However, despite the novel’s strong horror themes and gripping premise, I found myself wanting more tension in the plot, and more depth from the characters. Even Cora, our protagonist, remained somewhat distant. Surely there's more to her than her insecurity and grief. But by the end of the book, there wasn’t much character growth at all, just a quiet sense of "moving on".

Additionally, while I fully acknowledge the reality and urgency of the book’s discussions on racism, I would have preferred a more nuanced, organic integration of these themes into the story rather than the somewhat one-dimensional approach taken.

That said, this book really delivers on the horror, making it a gripping read for paranormal enthusiasts.

I also really enjoyed the audiobook narration. The Chinese words were spoken naturally, without the heavy Western accent that is often present in audiobooks, which made the listening experience feel more authentic and immersive.

Cora Zeng is used to following her sister Delilah's every whim; after all, she doesn't have much of a life plan herself. But during the rising hate of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cora's life is ripped apart when her sister is brutally killed one day. The parting words of the killer: "Bat Eater". Months later, Cora's job as a crime-scene cleaner sheds light on a disturbing pattern of deaths in New York's Chinatown. The scenes that Cora cleans all seem to be Asian women who have been murdered brutally, and the killer's calling card appears to be the bodies of mutilated bats left at the scene. As Ghost Month approaches and Cora's family prepares for spirits to rise from Hell back to the world of the living, Cora feels danger closing in from all sides.

So, first of all, this book was 0% on my radar before I received my copy in the January 2025 Evernight box. I love me a good horror with social commentary, so I immediately requested to audio on Netgalley and started listening. 24 hours later and I'm sitting here breathless after finishing up the last chapter.

First, characters. The next time someone starts with the "I can't relate to the character if they don't look like me!" bullshit I am going to create a giant neon sign that points straight at Cora Zeng. While Cora's more extreme OCD behavior and social anxiety might not resonate with everyone, I think we can all absolutely relate to being young and wondering what you're going to do with your life. Bonus points for the fact that she's living through the pandemic, which feels like it is crushing all of her aspirations. Been there. On top of all that, Cora is just earnestly trying to do her best to get through every day. Even now, approaching the 5-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic, I can very much say that I am sick and tired of living through unprecedented times and sometimes it's really all I can do to get through one day and wake up to face another. Cora really embodies that with her rigid schedule and need for control over her environments in a world where she really doesn't have much control over anything else.

The story of this book is just as stand-out as our characters. It has social commentary. It has cultural traditions. It has terrifying paranormal creatures that will keep you up at night. Bat Eater is the first book I have read this year that made me want to sleep with the lights on. I usually listen to audiobooks while I am falling asleep, but I absolutely refused to turn this on while I was in the dark. The descriptions of the creatures haunting Cora and her friends made by spine tingle and had to be brought back only when the sun was high in the sky again.

Ghosts, though, aren't the only horror in Bat Eater. As I said at the start of the review, this book focuses heavily on the anti-Asian hate that sprouted during the pandemic, highlighting both the gruesome and the benign ways that Asian peoples were targeted in America during COVID-19. This focus in the driving force of the book and for that reason, I am not going to analyze it too deeply here - go and read it for yourself if you want more detail. But suffice it to say that this extremely nuanced commentary is laced up beautifully with the horror elements of this book, putting it right next to Jordan Peele's Get Out in its quality.

The narration from Natalie Naudus is stand-out and I found myself on the edge of my seat multiple times purely based on her performance. The way that she injects Cora with such emotion and personality is incredibly effective. The scene towards the end of the book where Cora has an emotional outburst pertaining to her previous relationship with her sister was particularly affecting. Naudus made me feel like crying, too.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng comes out on April 29th, and I can't wait to recommend it to every horror-lover I know. This will definitely be going down as one of the best horror releases of the year.

I usually steer clear of pandemic related books, but this one? I had to read it. Buckle up because this is a wild ride filled with gore, horror, and ghosts.
I won’t lie, there were moments I wasn’t sure I could stomach it. More than once, I wanted to put it down. But at its core, this is a story for those who have endured and continue to endure racism. It’s unsettling, relentless, and absolutely worth reading. Natalie Naudus’ voice is always fantastic. Her tones and inflections were spot on, bringing so much depth to the story. She’s truly one of the most talented narrators out there!
Definitely check the content warnings before diving in because this one does not hold back. It had me thinking about The Ring more than once. Be the MF bat eater.

This was audiobook was very well done.

I usually listen to audiobooks at 2.5-3x speed, but some become intelligible when played that fast; I did not have that issue with this one. The narrator was clear and expressive consistently throughout.

As for the story itself, the first and last 20% were great! Gory, tense, and excellent social commentary; it was what I was expecting from the entire novel, but unfortunately it wasn't what I got.

The middle 60%, was an absolute slog to get through. The plot was completely stagnant as the main character and her friends ran around like a lackluster episode of Scooby-Doo. It felt very confused, like it didn't know if it wanted to focus on the thriller/crime elements or the paranormal elements. If I didn't have this ALC of the audiobook alongside the eARC, I probably would have DNF'd it after the first third.

I'm willing to give another adult horror standalone from this author a try in the future, but the story in its entirety just missed the mark for me.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed "Diavola" by Jennifer Marie Thorne.

I loved this story it was real, and raw, and haunting. Cora was such a beautifully flawed character. From her obsession with germs, cleanliness and avoiding covid, to her traumas from family and the violence inflicted on her and those around her as well as her struggle to figure out exactly where she "fits." This book is everything- EVERYTHING! There's mystery, covid horror, slow-burn ghostly paranormal horror- with some truly horrific imagery, a horror revealing of darkest parts of humanity and exposing the rampant racism that's still so prevalent today. This book is beautifully written and will stay with me forever. I honestly can't wait to read it again.


Natalie Naudus was the *perfect* narrator for the audio of this book. They really brought the story and horrors to life in a way that wast haunting and chilling. I connected to their narration immediately and couldn't seem to turn the book off.

I read an early copy of Bat Eater in 2024 and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year. When I saw Natalie Naudus was narrating the audiobook, I knew I had to immediately reread (listen). And it did not disappoint! She was the perfect narrator for this book and did the story and Cora such justice. 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. And devestated. But the pain was worth it.

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.

Engaging, immersive, and expertly narrated. A recommended first purchase in all formats, particularly where multicultural horror is popular.

🚇ARC REVIEW🚇

BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG by Kylie Lee Baker
4/5 🌟

This book left me *shaken*. It's the first horror I've read centered around the fallout of the pandemic, and it was both strange and almost uncomfortable (in a good way) to read. It really made me think about how racism spiked as a direct consequence of the pandemic. Again, my fellow white chicks, we need to be reading the stuff that makes us uncomfortable and gives us perspective, and this one fits the bill.

The begins with the violent and gruesome death of Cora's sister at a subway station in 2020, after a racist man pushes her into an oncoming train. It follows Cora after this event, as strange things start to happen to her.

Please read if you like the following:
👻 Creepy ghosts with the broken neck thing going on
👻 Main characters that are a part of crime scene clean up crews
👻 The conversation around racism towards Asian peoples after COVID
👻 Representation of characters with OCD

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Audio, and The Hive for the review copy!

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Thank you to the hive for the ALC of this book!

Cora Zeng is haunted by her past, by ghosts, and by a serial killer targeting Asian women. As a crime scene cleaner in Chinatown, she scrubs away death but can't erase the memory of her sister, Delilah, who was pushed in front of a train. Before fleeing, the killer spat two words, BAT EATER.

Blood doesn’t bother Cora, but germs do because of the ongoing pandemic and the fear of getting COVID. Ever since Delilah’s death, reality blurs, and at times it seems like Cora is losing her mind. She ignores her aunt’s warnings, and her friends warnings about ghost month and hungry ghosts… but bat carcasses keep appearing at crime scenes... So do the bodies of Asian women… and now her sisters ghost is following her… but is it really her sisters ghost or something far more horrifying?

I’m not going to lie, this book scared me. I’d recommend reading or listening to this during the day! But as an Asian American woman I can rate to how Cora felt during the pandemic in terms of prejudices, and of course the fear of catching covid! I listened to this book in one day and even though I was scared, I really enjoyed this book!