So if you want a book to give you the absolutely creeps…here she is! I RARELY get creeped out but books regardless of the format but this one had me itching and looking over my shoulder as I was listening and walking in broad daylight. Not only is it creepy AF it’s also gory as hell too. It also takes place during COVID-19 pandemic, so if that’s not something you can stomach just yet then it may not be right for you. But for me - I still love a good pandemic novel (COVID-19 or made up) and I absolutely loved the horror aspects in this. It was perfect. And as a bonus the narration was 10/10 by one of my favorites

Wow. What. A. Book. I was taken back to the horrors of Covid, and how it has changed the world. Scary and true and addictive.

“When you’re drowning and someone grabs your hand, you don’t ask them where they’re taking you.” — Cora Zeng

I typically reserve audiobooks for memoirs but I am happy to have listened to this horror novel by Kylie Lee Baker. She did an excellent of keeping the reader engaged by including very detailed, gory imagery. I never felt like I needed to figure out what was going to happen next before it did. I enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the story and I appreciated the socio-political perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic, as I lived in New York City at the time (and several years later). Natalie Naudus did an excellent job at narrating. She perfectly conveyed the tone of the book. I am looking forward to reading more of Baker’s work and listening to more audiobooks narrated by Naudus.

I did not expect to be so completely pulled into this book. As someone who usually lives in the dark romance space, this horror novel still hit all the emotional and visceral marks I crave—but in a hauntingly different way. The narrator is also amazing! Her voice matches all of Cora's emotions perfectly. I am oddly enough familiar with the narrator and always find her performance detailed and enjoyable.

Bat Eater surprised me, not just with its chilling gore (seriously, the first crime scene’s sickening crunch still lives rent-free in my brain), but with the raw, aching portrayal of Cora’s relationship with herself. This is a story about trauma, grief, identity, and how we carry pain in our bones. It's not just about monsters in the shadows—it's about the ones we feed inside us too.

Cora is a fierce, fractured FMC you feel. Her anxiety is sharp and suffocating, her grief is crushing, and her determination? Unrelenting. While some of the internal monologue slowed me down a bit, it was honest and deeply human. Her journey is complex, dark, and so deeply personal that I found myself connecting with her on levels beyond culture or circumstance.

The pandemic backdrop adds another layer of dread—one that feels all too familiar—and seeing it explored from the lens of a Chinese American woman makes it powerful and important. And can we talk about the horror elements? Gritty. Atmospheric. Unsettling in the best way. Kylie Lee Baker does not shy away from gore, and her descriptive writing is stunningly vivid.

This book is psychological horror meets cultural reckoning. The ghosts? They’re real. But so is the trauma. So is the grief. So is the rage.

Trigger warnings are a must—this story goes dark. But if you're ready to face that darkness, Bat Eater is a haunting experience you won't forget.

I am so glad I requested both the e-ARC and ALC to do a hybrid read of this novel.

This is an equally grotesque and impactful portrayal of COVID times, brimming with palpable grief, horror, and rage. The story is so gripping, and the narrator’s stellar performance only enhances the thrill. The pacing is impeccable, at times having me gasp aloud in horror and other times pacing in circles, eagerly awaiting Cora’s next discovery.

To the last page, including the author’s note, I was completely captivated by the audio performance. I believe this is a story everyone should read, and more specifically, listen to.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an advanced reader copy!

what an interesting and heart breaking book! truly some horrifying moments, both due to context matter and some on page gore. I think this book shows a really upsetting and realistic way of the way covid affected Asian people. The blend of social commentary and folklore was really entertaining and I overall recommend for my horror readers!

I loved this book! I loved the grief horror, the supernatural horror, the suspence, the gore, the found family, the characters, the writing. It was all so well done. I did have a few questions left unanswered and the ending seemed abrupt. But the last line was great. I enjoyed the audio, but wished it was a full cast with so many interesting side characters. I also enjoyed the character arc of Cora. She stayed herself throughout, but got braver and opened up more. Can't wait to continue reading from Kylie Lee Baker

This was my very first horror novel and I really enjoyed it. I read along with the audio and really enjoyed the narrator.

As someone who lived through the COVID-19 pandemic this story was so relatable in so many ways.

The FMC, Cora, loses her sister tragically and has to learn how to navigate life without her. Jobs were hard to come by during the pandemic, especially for Chinese Americans who were treated terribly. She ends up working for a crime clean up crew and stumbles upon a pattern of killings that resemble those of a serial killer. Cora and her friends try to figure out who is behind the murders of several women and a man of Asian descent. The suspense of their search kept me intrigued.

There's a paranormal twist with lots of gore and a little dark humor. This was definitely different than anything I've ever read before and do recommend if you're in to dark and gory stories.

This story deals with racism, misogyny, murder, grief and other topics that may be difficult for some so please check your trigger warnings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an excellent and timely story about the terrifying and harsh reality of violence and hatred towards Asian people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cora was a vulnerable and relatable narrator, a lost, unemployed millenial who finds work as a crime scene cleaner after her sister's murder. This book was especially impactful being set in NYC, where I live. A superb book that deserves a lot of accolades. Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and she did an amazing job with this.

The audiobook I didn't know I needed in my life...
My heart broke by the way Cora was treated. I cannot imagine strangers spitting in my face and being cruel simply because of my ethnicity and hateful hearts. I was able to listen to this in a day because I didn't want to press pause. I encourage everyone to pick this up and read it, even if you think it may not be for you. I can guarantee everyone will get something out of this.

I really enjoyed the narration on this, with the differentiation between voices adding a lot to the story. It’s both sad and scary, with some elements feeling very realistic (the racist comments, the ignoring of so much of the consequences of the pandemic, the othering of the main character) that when it came to the more supernatural elements, I was often wondering if they were real or imagined. The ending was satisfying and I would definitely pick up the author’s next book.

I devoured this book like a hungry ghost – and what an intense, haunting, and beautiful journey it was! This story touches on so many themes, from grief and the aftermath of death to racism, the COVID pandemic, germaphobia, and the complexities of friendship. I was simultaneously terrified, heartbroken, and laughing throughout the entire book (maybe some laughing through the pain and scary bits?). It was truly a rollercoaster of emotions, and I loved every second of it.

Cora's experience is nothing short of a nightmare. She witnesses her sister's death, cleans up crime scenes of Chinese victims of a string of murders happening and discovering bats at each scene, is dealing with racism surrounding the COVID pandemic, is tormented by a frightening, vengeful ghost, and struggles without any real support until she forms unexpected bonds with her coworkers. The book is gory in all the right ways, perfect for a horror/mystery fan. As someone who tends to shy away from scary stories, I surprisingly very much enjoyed this one.

The audiobook was exceptional! The narrator gave each character a unique voice, making it easy to follow along. The pacing was perfect, and it was genuinely a pleasure to listen to.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Kylie Lee Baker for the ALC of this thrilling, gory, and utterly captivating read! Now to try and sleep without nightmares..

This book started out with a bang! I wasn't sure what to expect of an Asian girl New York City covid story. But whatever I could dream up, it wasn't this! Bat Eater and Other Names For Cora Zeng is an intricate ghost story, steeped in Chinese culture. MC Cora is interesting. She works as a truama cleaner and is a germaphobe during an international pandemic in one of the worse hit cities in the world. As if that isn't bad enough Cora continues to be plagued by death in this brilliantly crafted horror with a surprising level of gore. The audiobook narration was perfect in pace. The very factual delivery of some of the more descriptive passges was brilliantly done to give me a "what now?" head shake, in the best way. The resolution of the story was satisfying, and all around this is a book I loved and would recommend.

The fear of Chinese people carrying covid during the pandemic was very sadly a part of the covid memory. I myself am not of Chinese descent but I knew people who were treated poorly and with suspicion simply for having an Asian appearance. This is vividly recalled in the story and I just think, we, as a society need to do better.

I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

I really enjoyed this book, it was thrilling and horrific and to me hit all the beats of a good horror novel. That being said, I do feel that some of the things that occured later in the novel were a bit much and made me drop my rating from a 5 to a 4, though I still highly recommend it. In addition, I thought the narrator did a fantastic job, and I was able to tell the difference between all the characters very easily. It was a very good performance.

I really enjoyed this book. The audiobook narrator was great. When I originally read the description of the book I was definitely expecting a murder mystery type story but this book was so much more! Xenophobic attacks was something I read about occurring during the pandemic especially in NYC but it felt like those were just headlines before the next tragedy or breaking news happened. Reading a story (even fiction) that follows the aftermath and gives more dimension to the victim was very powerful. There was a level of horror to it with the ghosts which I did enjoy and and I like learning more about Chinese culture and superstitions.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Audio and Kylie Lee Baker.

Genuinely one of the most horrifying books I've ever read. Heartbreaking, and disgusting, and so so well written.

With a setting during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 in NYC, Baker does an excellent job encapsulating the emptiness of the streets and subway and the fear and anxiety felt, and she uses that to further perpetuate the haunted feeling throughout the novel. The first third of the book is a bit slow, but once it picks up, it doesn’t stop. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng highlights the dangerous anti-Asian & anti-Chinese sentiment and propaganda that was (and continues to be) spewed. Baker doesn’t shy away from exploring how this translates into the potential of and actual acts of violence from anti-Asian/anti-Chinese rhetoric and adds to the immense anxiety, isolation, and despair Cora feels living as a Chinese-American woman. The horror elements were beautifully done, and this novel does a great job balancing horror, socio-political topics, and recounting living through a pandemic in the modern era.

'Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng' was such an intriguing blend of mystery, thriller, and cultural memoir. Going into it, I had very little context for East Asian American culture, customs, or experiences—but this story offered a clever and compelling way to explore those realities, especially during and after the pandemic. Kylie Lee Baker presents a raw and powerful perspective, and I felt like I learned so much while still being fully entertained. It was insightful, thought-provoking, and deeply human.

One of the most touching elements was the friendships that anchored Cora as she struggled through her grief and the growing disconnect from reality. These relationships offered moments of warmth, clarity, and grounding that made her journey even more poignant.

I'll leave you with the same nugget that Kylie leaves the readers with, as it feel so encompassing and purposeful: "Do not let your empathy stop at the borders of your own community".

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC.

I received a special edition physical copy of this book in a quarterly book box and was in LOVE. I knew I needed to listen to the audio. The narrator did a fantastic job! It was well paced, didn't feel forced, and was natural. I really enjoyed this and will absolutely listen again!

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 most places for me to have been immersed, from start to finish.