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Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: A Darkly Funny, Gory, and Ghostly Horror Novel

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Description

New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2025 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Horror USA TODAY Best Books of 2025 Library Journal Best Books of 2025 Spotify Best Horror Books of 2025 Kobo Best Horror Books of 2025 Book Riot Best Books of 2025 Los Angeles Public Library Best Fiction of 2025 Google Play Best Horror Novel of 2025 "A compelling, gory, ghostly romp." —Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie "This is what it felt like to live in New York City during lockdown: haunted, absurd, terrifying, ridiculous, and full of hungry ghosts." —Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House In this explosive horror novel, a woman is haunted by inner trauma, hungry ghosts, and a serial killer as she confronts the brutal violence experienced by East Asians during the pandemic. Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. But none of that seems so terrible when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister, Delilah, being pushed in front of a train. Before fleeing the scene, the murderer shouted two words: bat eater. So the bloody messes don’t really bother Cora—she’s more bothered by the germs on the subway railing, the bare hands of a stranger, the hidden viruses in every corner, and the bite marks on her coffee table. Of course, ever since Delilah was killed in front of her, Cora can’t be sure what's real and what’s in her head. She pushes away all feelings and ignores the advice of her aunt to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. But she can't ignore the dread in her stomach as she keeps finding bat carcasses at crime scenes, or the scary fact that all her recent cleanups have been the bodies of East Asian women. As Cora will soon learn, you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts. For fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Gretchen Felker-Martin, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng is a wildly original, darkly humorous, and subversive contemporary novel from a striking new voice in horror. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIRA


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 29, 2025


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Tuesday, Mar 31

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • Excellent atmospheric horror
Format: Kindle
<b>Pre-Read Notes:</b> I was hoping for a creepy story here but I was not prepared for what I found, in the very best ways! <i>"Cora swallows, flounders for words she can say easily. “Please be quiet,” she says in Mandarin, which isn’t exactly the same as don’t panic, but she can’t remember how to say that. “I think there’s someone in the closet.” "</i> p242 <b>Final Review</b> (thoughts & recs) This is an absolutely horrifying book that, like a lot of good horror, utilizes the horror natural to the characters' environment. I love horror that makes me feel many kinds of fear on behalf of the characters. It stretches my empathy muscles to be that aware of characters' experiences. I think when the setting takes on the level of significance in a book, or has this much impact on the plot, it becomes a character all its own. Setting as character is hard to achieve, but this book is a fine example. Fans of She Is a Haunting or Listen to Your Sister will love this one. I also recommend to horror fans who love setting, fans of Covid as horror, and gory horror. <b>My 3 Favorite Things:</b> ✔️ I love that this story keeps deconstructing homes and reveals their vulnerability. It creates an uncanny sort of fear as you realize-- she's also talking about your house. ✔️ This book really explores the struggles of AAPI people after the outbreak of Covid. Some of the crimes described here are jaw-dropping. The narrative builds on this hatred. The environment is perfect for a story about a serial killer of AAPI girls and young women. <i>"Yifei was undocumented, and Yifei Liu wasn’t even her real name, so she became a Jane Doe in a morgue. Cora, having no relation to her, no proof of who she was, wasn’t allowed to identify her body much less do anything with it. Cora would have paid the ten grand or however much it cost just to hold a funeral for her, but she wasn’t allowed to. She read that unclaimed corpses are usually dumped into communal graves on Hart Island, so maybe she’ll go there one day, when she feels less ashamed."</i> p295 ✔️ The horror concept here is amazing. Cora must confront a supernatural force, all while she and so many others are facing irrational violence from every significant force around them, in addition to a plague. It creates a claustrophobic feeling that is apropos to the setting, NYC during the Covid quarantine. The design of this story is spectacular. <b>Notes:</b> 1. Content warnings: claustrophobia triggers, racism, assault, saliva/spit, murder, blood, gore, animal injury and death, ghosts/spirits, loss of sibling, difficult familial relationships I found an accessible digital copy of THE BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG by Kylie Lee Baker in Kindle Unlimited. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2025 by D.

  • Great quick read!
Format: Hardcover
Pacing - 4.5 out of 5 stars I loved the length of chapters and how much they did vary. I never felt at any point in this journey the author dragged anything out to a point where I felt like this was a chore, or a bore to get through. I probably could have breezed through this quicker than I did. Pacing was by far, in my opinion one of the best horror reads of the year. Horror factor - 4 out of 5 stars Hungry ghosts….It was a good balance of horror. I actually think I could have used more hungry ghost imagery. I enjoyed the horror aspect so much, that I really wished the author just gave us more. Give me less transition, less dialogue, and more hungry ghosts! I loved what I devoured so much that I just left wanting more. Characters - 3.25 out of 5 stars Cora - I love Cora. I honestly felt so at home reading about her. Not only was it easy to understand, she was a complex character written in a way that made it easy to relate, and understand what she was going through during the story. I wish more authors understood that you can write a complex character in an easy to understand and simple way. Her character development through the story is one I feel is easily understood by the reader. Yifei, Harvey, Auntie Zeng, and Lois - Loved them. True supporting cast, that you get to know just enough to be able to see how they add to the story. Final act of the book has some nice endings, and reveals for several of these characters, that I enjoyed. The ending - 3 out of 5 stars I feel like one aspect of the ending was done just to put a period on a sentence. I almost wish it didn’t end the way it did. If I could change one thing about the book, it would definitely be more ghosts, AND the ending. The final act, and how it ended would be one thing that if the author tweaked it a little bit, this would be a 5 out of 5 book. Did I like it? Yes! Will I keep it in my library to read again? YES! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2025 by Hawks Horror

  • 3.5 \ 5.0
Format: Kindle
This book was intense from the first moment until the very last scenes. It felt like a constrictor wrapped around me tightening until it hit a tipping point and everything rushed at me at once. I was so unbelievably frustrated by the casual racism, even knowing it is a major theme of the book and a rampant truth to life in the US. There were parts of this that were so numbingly repetitive that I began to wonder if it was a word count thing. Have some faith in the reader, let us piece things together on our own. The writing itself was good, and the overall plot was enticing, but my biggest gripe was the pacing. This took forever. Overall, not the best and not the worst. I am not a hotel fan, so for one of the maybe dozen horror novels I have ever read, it was fine. Until Next Time, MC ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2025 by Thicc & Ired

  • Bat Eater and other things that haunt me
Format: Kindle
This is a scary-good novel about social issues and old-school Japanese horror. Some scenes really struck me and live in my head while some lines haunt me. Cora is a relatable character regardless of race and I felt the heavy dilemma with her struggles in New York City. I don't think I would ever purposefully pick up a novel set in 2020 because of COVID, but this one was a great reflection of the world and takes advantage of that eerie time period. Great for people like me who are just starting to explore darker, horror stories, but it seems like a horror book that would stand up on its own. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2025 by E. McBain

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