Book Review - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

Title: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Genre: Horror
Published: 2025
 
Description: Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. The bloody messes don’t bother her, not when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train.
 
Before fleeing the scene, the murderer whispered two words: bat eater.
 
Months pass, the killer is never caught, and Cora can barely keep herself together. She pushes away all her feelings, disregards the bite marks that appear on her coffee table, and won’t take her aunt’s advice to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open.  
 
Cora tries to ignore the rising dread in her stomach, even when she and her weird co-workers begin finding bat carcasses at their crime scene clean-ups. But Cora can’t ignore the fact that all their recent clean-ups have been the bodies of East Asian women.
 
Soon Cora will learn: you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts.
 
Review: Cora is a crime scene cleaner. She lost her sister, who was pushed in front of a moving train. Right before it happened, the killer whispered “bat eater”. They never caught the murderer. While working her crime scene clean-up job, Cora starts finding dead bats at these jobs. And all the victims are East Asian Women.
 
“Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” is an intense horror novel. It’s set during the COVID pandemic in Chinatown, New York City. The book combines elements of serial killer thriller, supernatural horror and Chinese folklore, but also social commentary on anti-Asian hate. Protagonist Cora is in mourning of her sister and seeks revenge. It’s a unique genre blend, has a poetic writing style and in-depth character development of Cora. Dark humor is mixed with heartbreaking moments, but the plot can occasionally feel a bit messy.
 
This book is not for the faint of heart, because it has some gruesome, gory scenes. But it also contains explicit themes such as racism, child abuse, self-harm and animal cruelty.
 
“Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” is a highly original horror book, which is poetic, compelling and makes for a very unique reading experience. Not for everyone, but a must for the experiences horror reader.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5